40% of Marketing Budgets Are Moving to Creators. Here's Why

Creators are dead. Long live creators. The experimental era of creator marketing is over, and 40% of marketing budgets now flow to creators. The brands still treating that spend like a test are already behind. Jeff Barrett has lived every side of the creator economy: Shorty Award winning creator, creator partnerships lead for Fortune 500 brands like Adobe and Oracle, It's No Fluke columnist on Yahoo Creators, and board chair of the Creator Guild of America. In this episode of The AI Marketing Companion, Jeff and Sandy Carter get into why trust is pulling budgets toward creators, how creators became the new creative department, and the mistake brands make when they pay for authenticity and then script it away. WHAT WE COVER: ▶ The lesson Jeff learned wearing all three hats: creator, agent, and brand buyer ▶ Why 40% of marketing budgets now flow to creators ▶ Trust and the parasocial relationships brands can't manufacture ▶ Creators as the new creative department, involved from ideation ▶ The "ick": what happens when brands over-script creator content ▶ Why Jenny Hoyos is the blueprint for the next generation of creators ▶ How to select the right creator: motivation and niche fit over raw metrics CONNECT WITH SANDY CARTER: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyacarter/ The AI Marketing Companion is a top 1% podcast globally and a 5-time podcast award winner. #CreatorEconomy #InfluencerMarketing #AIMarketing #MarketingStrategy #JeffBarrett