Podcast Ads Deliver 4.2x ROI, Outperforming Every Other Major Channel, Report Finds

Podcast advertising delivers a 4.2x return on investment, outperforming social media (3.6x), online display (3.2x), digital...

Tom Steyer’s Campaign Cleared of Fines Over Undisclosed Influencer Posts

California’s campaign finance regulator has closed its investigation into Tom Steyer’s gubernatorial campaign without issuing fines,...

Creator Economy Event Calendar – September 21, 2026 – VidSummit, Bloomberg Screentime, and More

This issue’s Creator Economy calendar spans seven events from September 22 through October 2, 2026, with...

European Parliament Backs EU Code of Conduct for Influencers in Youth Safety Push

On September 17, the European Parliament voted to call for an EU-wide code of conduct governing...

U.S. Senators Launch Bipartisan Senate Creators Caucus

Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and John Kennedy (R-LA) this week announced the launch of the Senate...

Six in 10 Australians Now Discover Brands Through Creators, Research Finds

New research from IAB Australia finds that 61% of Australians discover brands through creators, rising to...

29 Creator Marketing Professionals on Where They Draw the Line With AI

Artificial intelligence has moved deeper into creator marketing, taking on work from creator discovery and vetting...

LIONS Brings VidCon Into Its Portfolio as Cannes Lions Organizer Restructures Into Regional Platforms

LIONS, the company behind Cannes Lions, Effie, WARC and Contagious, has announced that VidCon will join...

Podcast Audiences Move Across Formats, Challenging How Brands Buy, Report Finds  

The long-running argument over whether audio or video is the future of podcasting has ended, not...

European Commission Proposes EU-Wide Social Media Ban for Children U-13

The European Commission has proposed a bloc-wide ban on social media use for children under 13,...

Social Commerce Holdings Unifies Conference, Media, and Membership Properties Under Single Brand

Social Commerce Holdings has consolidated its event, media, and research properties under one brand name, SoCom,...

Influencer Marketing Investment Is Outpacing the Infrastructure Built to Manage It, Report Finds

Eighty-nine percent of brands and agencies expect to raise Influencer Marketing spend over the next 12...

Top 10 Products Sold on TikTok in August 2026

medicube’s four-month run atop TikTok Shop’s product rankings ends in August, and none of the three...

The 10 Fastest-Growing Canadian Instagram Accounts of August 2026

Karan Aujla’s Australian tour turned into a visa-drama news story in August, and Tate McRae closed...

Creator Economy Job Radar – September 15, 2026 – Google, Coty, TP-Link, and More

Creator Economy and Influencer Marketing hiring for the week of September 15, 2026 spans global technology...

When a Shopper Asks AI What to Buy, Follower Count Doesn’t Come Up

When a shopper asks ChatGPT which shampoo works best for a sensitive scalp, the answer doesn’t...

Creator Economy Event Calendar – September 14, 2026 – Digiday Publishing Summit, IAB Creator Marketing Growth Summit, FinCon, and More

This issue’s Creator Economy calendar spans eight events from September 14 through September 20, 2026, anchored...

Portuguese Digital Rights Group Sues Meta, TikTok, and YouTube Over Addictive App Design

Portugal’s digital rights group D3 has filed four collective lawsuits against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube,...

Gen Z Discovers Brands on TikTok, But Trusts Influencers Less Than Friends & Family, Report Finds

Pacsun’s “2026 Youth Report,” compiled with GlobalData from 6,126 U.S. respondents aged 11 to 24, finds...

UK Government Spent £175,000 on 16 Influencers to Push Net Zero Messaging, Conservatives Claim

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) paid roughly £175,000 to 16 social...

TikTok Audiences Are Pulling Toward Six Formats and Scrolling Past the Ones Built to Sell, Q2 Editing Format Index Finds

Creators do not invent a new kind of post every time they film. They reach for...

One Fee, No Expiration: 33 Creator Economy Professionals on Whether Perpetual Usage Rights Are Ever a Fair Deal

Usage in perpetuity is among the most consequential and contested terms in creator marketing contracts. Under...

The 10 Fastest-Growing UK Instagram Accounts of August 2026

Tom Holland added 1.9 million Instagram followers in August as “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” overtook “Avengers:...

Affluent Shoppers Trust Creators Nearly 5x More Than Celebrities, YouTube Anchors Luxury Purchase Journey, per Report

Affluent U.S. consumers say they trust content creators far more than celebrities when researching a luxury...

Majority of Shoppers Want Creator Reviews Folded Into AI Recommendations, Study Finds

New research from the IAB finds that 56% of consumers prefer AI shopping recommendations that draw...