LTK and Northwestern University’s Retail Analytics Council Unveil Annual Creator Marketing Study

LTK, the largest influencer marketing platform, has unveiled findings from its second annual brand study, conducted in partnership with Northwestern University’s Retail Analytics Council. The study highlights major trends and strategies shaping creator marketing for 2025. With the creator marketing industry projected to reach $24 billion by the end of this year, creators are expected to remain a top priority for digital marketing investments in 2025. This is due to their ability to engage audiences effectively and drive significant impact across various channels.

Creator Marketing Dominates Brand Investment Strategies

The study found that creator marketing continues to be a leading investment choice for brands. In 2025, 93% of brands plan to increase their creator budgets or integrate creators more heavily into their marketing strategies. Additionally, 41% of brands are dedicating at least half of their digital marketing budget to creators, marking a 14% increase from last year.

Creators Drive Value Across Multiple Channels

Creator-generated content extends beyond social media, as brands use it across an average of four different channels, including content marketing (56%), sponsorships (44%), connected TV (43%), display ads (43%), and affiliate marketing (31%). Media boosting for creator content remains a key strategy, accounting for 30% of brands’ creator marketing budgets, with 82% using creator content in social ads. LTK’s media-boosting solution, LTK Boost, has seen a 202% increase in brand investment, delivering 86% more impressions for the same budget.

Connected TV (CTV) ads are also gaining traction as a way to further optimize creator content. LTK’s CTV offering allows brands to leverage creator content in shoppable CTV ads, expanding creators’ reach into new formats.

Retail Media Networks Prioritize Creator Marketing

Within retail media networks, creators have emerged as a top priority alongside CTV and retailer websites, particularly for building awareness, accessing customer data, and driving online and offline sales conversions. Brands are using earned media value as the primary metric to measure the effectiveness of creators in these networks.

The Power of Creators’ Expansive Audience Reach

Brands are recognizing the immense value of creators’ dedicated audiences. The study shows that reaching these expansive audiences is a top priority, with 58% of brands reporting that creators helped increase brand or product awareness over the past year.

Creators Deliver Multidimensional Impact

Creators drive impact across the entire marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion. Brands reported using creators to achieve a variety of goals, including audience growth, awareness, engagement, and brand sentiment. Creators are also influencing strategic decisions, such as inventory planning and customer lifetime value.

AI and Creator Marketing: A New Era

The primary application of AI for marketers is in identifying the best creators for partnerships. LTK’s AI-powered solution, LTK Match, uses proprietary data to match brands with the right creators, resulting in more efficient and targeted collaborations. Brands utilizing AI-enriched technology see up to five times more engagement for each creator they partner with, and 60% of creators selected through LTK Match are new to brand partnerships.

Creators: An Essential Part of the Marketing Mix

“Creators are no longer a niche in marketing—they’re essential for brand growth and audience engagement,” said Rodney Mason, Head of Marketing, Brand Platform at LTK. Frank Mulhern, Director of Northwestern University’s Retail Analytics Council, added, “This study confirms that creators offer measurable, multidimensional value compared to traditional marketing strategies.”

The findings were based on data collected in July 2024 from 185 marketing leaders across industries such as fashion, beauty, technology, health, and more. Nearly half of the participating brands have annual revenues exceeding $1 billion.

For more information on the 2024 LTK & Northwestern University Brand Study, visit LTK Brand Central.

About LTK

Founded in 2011, LTK is the leading platform for creators, helping them monetize their content and drive nearly $5 billion in annual retail sales. LTK supports creators in over 150 countries, with more than 8,000 retailers partnering to connect with its global creator network. Headquartered in Dallas, LTK facilitates over 44,000 brand collaborations annually.

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