Big Brands Boost Creator Spending, but Smaller Firms Dominate the Deals

Brands are shifting more ad dollars toward social-media creators, boosting revenue opportunities for social platforms (including Meta) but creating mixed outcomes for creators and marketers. U.S. advertiser spending on sponsored creator posts is forecast at $43.9 billion this year (up from $37.1 billion), but growth is decelerating vs prior years. Measurement and budget constraints mean big marketers often favor short, one-off deals and rely on a small set of trusted creators, while smaller and direct-to-consumer firms still account for the vast majority of creator sponsorships. Platforms and ad-tech (e.g., Google/YouTube’s tools) are positioning to capture more of this spend, suggesting ongoing benefit to social ad revenue for major tech platforms even as fragmentation and ROI measurement keep some brands cautious.