Two-thirds of Creator Economy leaders (67%) surveyed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) named measurement and attribution as what is not working in creator marketing. That is nearly twice the share that cited any other problem, according to a report the trade body published this month.
The report, “The Creator Economy’s Next Chapter,” draws on a survey of 53 industry leaders that IAB fielded with FrontRow Insights & Strategy from July to September 2026. It followed interviews conducted by the IAB Creator Economy Board.
Respondents included creator marketing agencies (10), platforms (10), holding companies and media agencies (9), talent managers (6), measurement and analytics providers (6), brands (5), affiliate networks and publishers (2), and other roles (5).
IAB says the sample leans toward high-volume intermediaries, brands are the smallest group, and all figures should be read as directional.
IAB puts creator media budgets at an expected $44 billion this year, up from $13.9 billion in 2021, and says the channel is growing nearly four times faster than the media industry overall. The report sets out seven opportunity areas. It says the work is part of the “IAB Trusted Creator Brand Deal Initiative,” starting this quarter, with defining a view as the focus of its 2027 roadmap.
Defining a View
Respondents chose from 11 possible standards. Two-thirds (66%) chose a common definition of a view and exposure metrics across platforms. It was the most-selected item and one of two picked by every stakeholder group, and all six measurement providers chose it. Standard contract language followed at 49%, industry education for leadership and finance at 45%, and agency fee disclosure standards at 38%.
Confidence in existing numbers varied by group. No brand or talent management respondent said they were very confident in their own metrics. Platforms were the most confident at 67%, and creator marketing agencies followed at 56%.
“Verified watch time, impressions, and reach per piece of content, defined the same way across Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok,” one creator marketing agency respondent wrote.
IAB says it will work with the Media Rating Council (MRC) and other industry bodies to convene platforms and measurement providers. The goals are to publish cross-platform definitions of view, impression, reach, and watch time, and to secure one to two platform commitments in the first year.
Fees and What Reaches Creators
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) agreed that a lack of transparency around fees, markups and intermediary costs persists partly because some parts of the industry benefit. When asked who benefits, no respondent named their own organization.
Estimates of how much campaign spend reaches creators did not overlap:
Every creator marketing agency estimated more than half.
Every brand estimated half or less, and three of five brands put the share below 30%.
No respondent on either side landed in the other side’s range.
More than a third of all respondents (36%) said they have no visibility at all, including eight of 10 platforms.
Four of five brands chose a fee disclosure standard as a priority, compared with one of 10 creator marketing agencies. Respondents rated overall ecosystem transparency at a median of 5 out of 10.
“Agencies are not incentivized to provide visibility into creator deals,” a measurement provider respondent said.
Leadership and Budgets
Most respondents (94%) said senior leadership decisions conflict with what creator practitioners recommend at least sometimes. More than half (57%) said it happens frequently, and none said never. Budget allocation was where the conflict landed for 90% of respondents. Seven of 10 creator marketing agencies reported frequent conflict, compared with two of five brands.
“When client leadership judges creator spend on last-click attribution models built for paid media, the channel gets budget-capped regardless of actual performance,” a creator marketing agency respondent said.
Contracts, Payments and Silos
Some respondents described a creator deal that ran into serious friction in the past year. Among them, 39% named contracting and negotiation as the cause, more than any other factor. Usage rights were the most-cited friction clause at 61%, followed by:
exclusivity (48%)
legal review (43%)
safelisting or paid amplification rights (35%)
One holding company respondent described a pharmaceutical creator program in which terms took nearly two years to settle.
Three in five respondents (60%) agreed that long payment terms cause cascading harm across the ecosystem, and 6% disagreed. Seven of eight platforms agreed, compared with one of four brands. Respondents described a brand bankruptcy that left an agency unable to pay creators on unrelated campaigns, after which the agency also failed.
“Employees are not asked to wait a month to a quarter to be paid. Stop asking creators to,” a talent management respondent said.
Four in five respondents (80%) agreed that media buyers and creator buyers sit on different teams and operate independently. It was the strongest agreement in the study.
A further 58% agreed that brands and agencies are often unwilling to share performance results. Respondents gave three reasons:
deliberate withholding (28%)
lack of access to the data (24%)
numbers not solid enough to share (14%)
More than half of respondents (57%) said they would actively help develop IAB standards, and another 25% said they would consider it.
Image source: IAB The full report can be foundhere
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Two-thirds of Creator Economy leaders (67%) surveyed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) named measurement and attribution as what is not working in creator marketing. That is nearly twice the share that cited any other problem, according to a report the trade body published this month.
The report, “The Creator Economy’s Next Chapter,” draws on a survey of 53 industry leaders that IAB fielded with FrontRow Insights & Strategy from July to September 2026. It followed interviews conducted by the IAB Creator Economy Board.
Respondents included creator marketing agencies (10), platforms (10), holding companies and media agencies (9), talent managers (6), measurement and analytics providers (6), brands (5), affiliate networks and publishers (2), and other roles (5).
IAB says the sample leans toward high-volume intermediaries, brands are the smallest group, and all figures should be read as directional.
IAB puts creator media budgets at an expected $44 billion this year, up from $13.9 billion in 2021, and says the channel is growing nearly four times faster than the media industry overall. The report sets out seven opportunity areas. It says the work is part of the “IAB Trusted Creator Brand Deal Initiative,” starting this quarter, with defining a view as the focus of its 2027 roadmap.
Defining a View
Respondents chose from 11 possible standards. Two-thirds (66%) chose a common definition of a view and exposure metrics across platforms. It was the most-selected item and one of two picked by every stakeholder group, and all six measurement providers chose it. Standard contract language followed at 49%, industry education for leadership and finance at 45%, and agency fee disclosure standards at 38%.
Confidence in existing numbers varied by group. No brand or talent management respondent said they were very confident in their own metrics. Platforms were the most confident at 67%, and creator marketing agencies followed at 56%.
“Verified watch time, impressions, and reach per piece of content, defined the same way across Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok,” one creator marketing agency respondent wrote.
IAB says it will work with the Media Rating Council (MRC) and other industry bodies to convene platforms and measurement providers. The goals are to publish cross-platform definitions of view, impression, reach, and watch time, and to secure one to two platform commitments in the first year.
Fees and What Reaches Creators
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) agreed that a lack of transparency around fees, markups and intermediary costs persists partly because some parts of the industry benefit. When asked who benefits, no respondent named their own organization.
Estimates of how much campaign spend reaches creators did not overlap:
Four of five brands chose a fee disclosure standard as a priority, compared with one of 10 creator marketing agencies. Respondents rated overall ecosystem transparency at a median of 5 out of 10.
“Agencies are not incentivized to provide visibility into creator deals,” a measurement provider respondent said.
Leadership and Budgets
Most respondents (94%) said senior leadership decisions conflict with what creator practitioners recommend at least sometimes. More than half (57%) said it happens frequently, and none said never. Budget allocation was where the conflict landed for 90% of respondents. Seven of 10 creator marketing agencies reported frequent conflict, compared with two of five brands.
“When client leadership judges creator spend on last-click attribution models built for paid media, the channel gets budget-capped regardless of actual performance,” a creator marketing agency respondent said.
Contracts, Payments and Silos
Some respondents described a creator deal that ran into serious friction in the past year. Among them, 39% named contracting and negotiation as the cause, more than any other factor. Usage rights were the most-cited friction clause at 61%, followed by:
One holding company respondent described a pharmaceutical creator program in which terms took nearly two years to settle.
Three in five respondents (60%) agreed that long payment terms cause cascading harm across the ecosystem, and 6% disagreed. Seven of eight platforms agreed, compared with one of four brands. Respondents described a brand bankruptcy that left an agency unable to pay creators on unrelated campaigns, after which the agency also failed.
“Employees are not asked to wait a month to a quarter to be paid. Stop asking creators to,” a talent management respondent said.
Four in five respondents (80%) agreed that media buyers and creator buyers sit on different teams and operate independently. It was the strongest agreement in the study.
A further 58% agreed that brands and agencies are often unwilling to share performance results. Respondents gave three reasons:
More than half of respondents (57%) said they would actively help develop IAB standards, and another 25% said they would consider it.
Image source: IAB
The full report can be found here
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