IAB Data: Creator Media Declared A Must-Buy As Paid Spend Hits $37B

"Television once gave brands a reliable path to scale. Must-See TV. E.R. Friends. Seinfeld. You bought reach. You got reach. Then the audience's behavior changed. Younger consumers shifted their attention to creator-driven entertainment. Social scrolling became the new channel surfing. Brands followed their audiences, but they entered an organic system designed around individual posts rather than the scale and control required for enterprise-level paid media."

"They created a layer that routes creator programming into paid media with the controls, targeting, and accountability that enterprise teams expect. And new IAB research shows what that shift unlocked. The IAB's New Research: Inside The $37 Billion Shift To Creator Media The new IAB Creator Economy Ad Spend Report projects $37 billion in creator-media investment for 2025, growing 4x faster than total media investment."

"The study surveyed more than 350 U.S. advertisers across enterprise, mid-market, and emerging brands, giving one of the most explicit pictures yet of how budgets are shifting. Nearly 48% of advertisers now consider creators a must-buy channel, ranking third behind search and social. Retail leads with $12.3 billion in planned creator spending, a 38% year-over-year increase. CPG follows at $5.5 billion, representing a 24% increase."

Television once provided broad, appointment-driven reach for brands, but younger consumers migrated to creator-driven entertainment and social scrolling. Platforms built paid layers that route creator programming with enterprise-grade controls, targeting, and accountability. Creator-media investment is projected at $37 billion in 2025, growing four times faster than total media investment. More than 350 U.S. advertisers across enterprise, mid-market, and emerging brands were surveyed. Nearly 48% of advertisers now consider creators a must-buy channel, ranking third behind search and social. Retail plans $12.3 billion in creator spending (+38% YoY) and CPG $5.5 billion (+24% YoY).

Read at Forbes