Influencer partnerships expand, though unevenly across the creator economy

""It's been a mix this year - very dependent on the brand and creator but we've definitely seen more one-off campaigns overall," said Lauren Potter, vp of operations at Parker Talent Management, which represents mid-to-large-tier creators. "Broader factors like world events and shifting budgets, even things like tariffs, have influenced how brands are planning and spending so longer-term partnerships have been a bit more selective.""

""We're starting to see wider adoption of longer deals across brand sizes and creator tiers with the key being the health of the relationships between brands and creator," said Christina Kavalauskas, executive strategy director of social and creator at Deloitte Digital. "If brands allow for creative freedom while offering timely pay and long-term support, you have the formula for long-term, quality associations with creators that lead to increased brand loyalty.""

"Despite appearing at odds, both perspectives point to a market in transition. The creator economy is maturing, albeit slowly, as advertisers start applying the same ROI expectations normally reserved for more established aspects of media plans. But those same expectations have also raised the stakes. Economic caution, AI's uncertain impact on content creation and fragmented measurement systems mean the industry's newfound discipline hasn't yet translated to stability."

Influencer marketing is becoming more sophisticated while also growing more cautious. Brands possess data and infrastructure to create longer, strategic creator deals, but many partnerships remain short-term due to budget constraints, AI uncertainty and geopolitical factors. Some brands and managers report more one-off campaigns driven by shifting budgets and external events, while others report wider adoption of longer deals when relationships, creative freedom, timely pay and long-term support align. Advertisers increasingly demand ROI comparable to traditional media, raising expectations and risks. Fragmented measurement systems and economic caution hinder the steady translation of discipline into partnership stability. YouTube sponsorships rose significantly.

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