A new study from LTK and Northwestern University reveals that creator marketing has become the top investment priority for chief marketing officers (CMOs) across industries, with 90% of brands now incorporating creators into their marketing strategies. The research, which surveyed 204 senior marketing decision-makers from companies with revenues exceeding $10 million, provides insights into how brands are leveraging creator partnerships across their marketing ecosystems.
Creator Marketing Dominates Investments
The study identifies creator marketing as the number-one area where CMOs plan to increase investment in 2026, outpacing AI-driven search, paid social, paid search, and gaming/esports. According to the research, 97% of marketers using creator strategies expect creator marketing to take a larger budget allocation or expanded role in their marketing mix.
This shift reflects how brands approach digital marketing, with creator content now extending beyond traditional social media campaigns. The research demonstrates that creator marketing has expanded into display advertising (46%), content marketing (44%), user-generated content (41%), affiliate marketing (38%), and connected TV (35%).
“Creator is the #1 trusted source for product recommendations, ranked above social media and celebrities,” states the report, highlighting why brands are increasing investments in this area.
Creator Armies for Always-On Strategies
The study reveals that brands are assembling large networks of creator partners rather than focusing on a small number of high-profile collaborations. Among surveyed companies, 65% worked with more than 50 creators in the past year, while 41% engaged with over 100 creators.
This trend toward building “creator armies” indicates a shift toward always-on creator strategies rather than intermittent campaigns. The approach spans across industries, with lifestyle creators (59%) being the most sought-after category, followed by category niche creators (44%), brand ambassadors (41%), and celebrities (38%).
By vertical, the preference for lifestyle creators is particularly strong in health and wellness (75%), fashion (63%), and CPG (60%) categories.
Cross-Departmental Use Creates Integration Challenges
Creator content now influences multiple marketing functions within organizations. The study shows that 77% of creator content is utilized by general marketing departments, 58% by social media teams, 58% by brand teams, 56% by media departments, and 46% by shopper marketing teams.
This cross-departmental usage presents integration challenges, as noted in the report, with “friction from multiple creator sources not working together across marketing departments.” The finding suggests that brands may benefit from more centralized creator management platforms that can serve diverse internal stakeholders.
Social Media Amplification Critical to Success
The research highlights the crucial role of paid amplification in maximizing creator content performance. A total of 92% of brands now utilize creator content in their social media advertising, with 20% of creator marketing budgets specifically allocated to boosting creator content.
Instagram leads as the primary platform for boosted creator content (69%), followed closely by Facebook (66%), TikTok (60%), YouTube (51%), and Snapchat (46%).
Case studies included in the research demonstrate significant performance improvements when brands amplify creator content through paid channels. Brands using LTK’s boost capabilities showed 2.1 times program click growth and 1.4 times program sales growth year-over-year compared to competitor programs without boosting.
Creator Platforms Rise to 2nd-Largest Social Media Investment
The study reveals that creator platforms have now risen to the second-largest area of platform spend for marketers, behind only Facebook and ahead of YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. This positions creator platforms as a distinct channel in their own right rather than just a subset of social media.
This allocation further underscores the strategic importance brands are placing on creator relationships, extending beyond individual social networks and positioning creator marketing as a distinct channel rather than merely a tactic within social media marketing.
Hybrid Management Model Preferred by Brands
When it comes to managing creator relationships, research indicates that brands prefer a flexible approach. A hybrid model, combining managed services with self-service capabilities, emerged as the top preference among survey respondents (56%).
This preference for hybrid management was consistent across most verticals, including beauty and personal care (73%), CPG (62%), and big box retailers (59%). The exceptions were fashion brands, which slightly favored fully managed services (54% vs. 48% hybrid). In the services category, 77% reported using managed services and 55% reported using a hybrid model, indicating that many companies rely on both approaches rather than choosing one exclusively.
Measuring Creator Impact Across the Marketing Funnel
The research identifies awareness (57%) as the most important impact creators deliver for brands, followed by improving brand sentiment (48%) and increasing sales (46%). Year-over-year changes show growing interest in using creators for lead generation (up 25%), increasing average order value (up 85%), and informing product design (up 70%).
These shifts suggest brands are finding more diverse applications for creator partnerships throughout the marketing funnel, moving beyond traditional awareness and consideration metrics. When ranking specific measurement priorities, CMOs listed awareness (51%), brand sentiment (42%), campaign sales (42%), engagement rate (41%), and audience growth (40%) as their top metrics for creator marketing programs.
Creator Content Used Beyond Traditional Social Media
While social media remains the primary channel for creator content, the research shows significant expansion into other marketing channels. Display advertising (46%) leads non-social applications, followed by content marketing (44%), user-generated content (41%), affiliate marketing (38%), and connected TV (35%).
Additionally, the study shows creator marketing is now the second-highest area of planned investment for retail media networks, cited by 47% of CMOs, just behind customer relationship programs (52%). Marketing automation also drew 47%, indicating creator marketing is on par with other core priorities in the retail media mix.
Creators Given Creative Freedom Within Brand Guidelines
The study reveals that brands are adopting a balanced approach to creative direction, working closely with creators. Nearly two-thirds (62%) provide general brand guidelines, leaving interpretation to the creators rather than imposing strict creative controls.
Only 30% of brands offer channel-specific guidelines, which differentiate expectations across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This suggests brands recognize the value of authentic creator voices and are hesitant to over-prescribe content requirements.
The research was conducted in July 2025 with 204 top-level marketing professionals, including 87% who are ultimate decision-makers from organizations with revenues exceeding $10 million, who have used creator marketing in the past year.
Image credit: LTK & Northwestern University The full report is available here
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
A new study from LTK and Northwestern University reveals that creator marketing has become the top investment priority for chief marketing officers (CMOs) across industries, with 90% of brands now incorporating creators into their marketing strategies. The research, which surveyed 204 senior marketing decision-makers from companies with revenues exceeding $10 million, provides insights into how brands are leveraging creator partnerships across their marketing ecosystems.
Creator Marketing Dominates Investments
The study identifies creator marketing as the number-one area where CMOs plan to increase investment in 2026, outpacing AI-driven search, paid social, paid search, and gaming/esports. According to the research, 97% of marketers using creator strategies expect creator marketing to take a larger budget allocation or expanded role in their marketing mix.
This shift reflects how brands approach digital marketing, with creator content now extending beyond traditional social media campaigns. The research demonstrates that creator marketing has expanded into display advertising (46%), content marketing (44%), user-generated content (41%), affiliate marketing (38%), and connected TV (35%).
“Creator is the #1 trusted source for product recommendations, ranked above social media and celebrities,” states the report, highlighting why brands are increasing investments in this area.
Creator Armies for Always-On Strategies
The study reveals that brands are assembling large networks of creator partners rather than focusing on a small number of high-profile collaborations. Among surveyed companies, 65% worked with more than 50 creators in the past year, while 41% engaged with over 100 creators.
This trend toward building “creator armies” indicates a shift toward always-on creator strategies rather than intermittent campaigns. The approach spans across industries, with lifestyle creators (59%) being the most sought-after category, followed by category niche creators (44%), brand ambassadors (41%), and celebrities (38%).
By vertical, the preference for lifestyle creators is particularly strong in health and wellness (75%), fashion (63%), and CPG (60%) categories.
Cross-Departmental Use Creates Integration Challenges
Creator content now influences multiple marketing functions within organizations. The study shows that 77% of creator content is utilized by general marketing departments, 58% by social media teams, 58% by brand teams, 56% by media departments, and 46% by shopper marketing teams.
This cross-departmental usage presents integration challenges, as noted in the report, with “friction from multiple creator sources not working together across marketing departments.” The finding suggests that brands may benefit from more centralized creator management platforms that can serve diverse internal stakeholders.
Social Media Amplification Critical to Success
The research highlights the crucial role of paid amplification in maximizing creator content performance. A total of 92% of brands now utilize creator content in their social media advertising, with 20% of creator marketing budgets specifically allocated to boosting creator content.
Instagram leads as the primary platform for boosted creator content (69%), followed closely by Facebook (66%), TikTok (60%), YouTube (51%), and Snapchat (46%).
Case studies included in the research demonstrate significant performance improvements when brands amplify creator content through paid channels. Brands using LTK’s boost capabilities showed 2.1 times program click growth and 1.4 times program sales growth year-over-year compared to competitor programs without boosting.
Creator Platforms Rise to 2nd-Largest Social Media Investment
The study reveals that creator platforms have now risen to the second-largest area of platform spend for marketers, behind only Facebook and ahead of YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. This positions creator platforms as a distinct channel in their own right rather than just a subset of social media.
This allocation further underscores the strategic importance brands are placing on creator relationships, extending beyond individual social networks and positioning creator marketing as a distinct channel rather than merely a tactic within social media marketing.
Hybrid Management Model Preferred by Brands
When it comes to managing creator relationships, research indicates that brands prefer a flexible approach. A hybrid model, combining managed services with self-service capabilities, emerged as the top preference among survey respondents (56%).
This preference for hybrid management was consistent across most verticals, including beauty and personal care (73%), CPG (62%), and big box retailers (59%). The exceptions were fashion brands, which slightly favored fully managed services (54% vs. 48% hybrid). In the services category, 77% reported using managed services and 55% reported using a hybrid model, indicating that many companies rely on both approaches rather than choosing one exclusively.
Measuring Creator Impact Across the Marketing Funnel
The research identifies awareness (57%) as the most important impact creators deliver for brands, followed by improving brand sentiment (48%) and increasing sales (46%). Year-over-year changes show growing interest in using creators for lead generation (up 25%), increasing average order value (up 85%), and informing product design (up 70%).
These shifts suggest brands are finding more diverse applications for creator partnerships throughout the marketing funnel, moving beyond traditional awareness and consideration metrics. When ranking specific measurement priorities, CMOs listed awareness (51%), brand sentiment (42%), campaign sales (42%), engagement rate (41%), and audience growth (40%) as their top metrics for creator marketing programs.
Creator Content Used Beyond Traditional Social Media
While social media remains the primary channel for creator content, the research shows significant expansion into other marketing channels. Display advertising (46%) leads non-social applications, followed by content marketing (44%), user-generated content (41%), affiliate marketing (38%), and connected TV (35%).
Additionally, the study shows creator marketing is now the second-highest area of planned investment for retail media networks, cited by 47% of CMOs, just behind customer relationship programs (52%). Marketing automation also drew 47%, indicating creator marketing is on par with other core priorities in the retail media mix.
Creators Given Creative Freedom Within Brand Guidelines
The study reveals that brands are adopting a balanced approach to creative direction, working closely with creators. Nearly two-thirds (62%) provide general brand guidelines, leaving interpretation to the creators rather than imposing strict creative controls.
Only 30% of brands offer channel-specific guidelines, which differentiate expectations across platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This suggests brands recognize the value of authentic creator voices and are hesitant to over-prescribe content requirements.
The research was conducted in July 2025 with 204 top-level marketing professionals, including 87% who are ultimate decision-makers from organizations with revenues exceeding $10 million, who have used creator marketing in the past year.
Image credit: LTK & Northwestern University
The full report is available here
Checkout Our Latest Podcast