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A guide for businesses to leverage the creator economy boom
In 2015, Grammy-winning artist Rihanna partnered with sportswear brand PUMA to launch the FENTY PUMA by Rihanna collection. Her first footwear collaboration, the Creeper, sold out within three hours of its pre-sale launch, leading to a 183% increase in PUMA's online searches. Since then, the creator economy has seen tremendous growth, completely transforming consumer journeys as we know them. The digital natives typically know when they are being sold to, and now look for the opinions of trusted creators before making a purchase.
In 2025, the creator economy is worth approximately $250 billion, potentially reaching $480 billion by 2027. This presents businesses with a massive range of opportunities to present as innovative and authentic to their target audience. Demonstrating authenticity means higher engagement, stronger brand affinity and stronger consumer relationships.
Check out these statistics that show just how powerful the creator economy has become:
Creator marketing investments have jumped up by 143% in just four years! Bigger companies are spending about $1.7 million yearly on this approach.
About 70% of brands say their most successful campaigns involved creator marketing - that's pretty impressive proof that these collaborations work!
In 2024, social media became the world’s largest advertising channel, overtaking paid search with an impressive $247.3 billion in worldwide ad expenditure.
Teaming Up With Influencers: A great way to build trust with new audience is through partnering with social media influencers who already have a devoted following. A classic example of this is Gymshark, the brand that practically invented influencer marketing as we know it. From a tiny-start up, they grew into a billion dollar fitness brand, just with the power of word of mouth.
Product Launches: Through these partnerships, social media creators can introduce new products to their followers, increasing brand awareness, engagement and eventually sales. And this isn’t just limited to influencers- In June 2023, McDonald's launched the Grimace Shake, which went viral on TikTok due to user-generated content, leading to increased sales and brand engagement.
Community Building: Having a strong online community vouching for your brand is a great way to boost customer engagement, loyalty and advocacy. Take LEGO for example. Through their LEGO ideas platform, fans are encouraged to submit their own designs which have a chance of being produced as official lego sets! This gives customers the opportunity to actively participate in shaping the brand, strengthening their sense of belonging to it.
The curriculum at Tetr College of Business is meticulously crafted to immerse students in diverse industries, including the creator economy. During Term 6, students actually build their own YouTube channels in niches they're passionate about. They work toward creating 50 content pieces, growing to 20,000 subscribers, and securing two brand partnerships. These initiatives equip students with practical skills in content creation, audience engagement, and influencer marketing. Additionally, Tetr gives students the opportunity to interact with CEOs, CTOs, and professors from elite institutions like MIT and Harvard, ensuring that they are being mentored by the best minds in the industry. Moreover, the 7-country-curriculum gives students a truly global perspective, which is vital for a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic global market.
If you're excited about leading in this creator-driven market, check out what Tetr College of Business has to offer. Our program combines solid academic foundations with real-world applications, so you'll be ready to thrive in tomorrow's business world. Why not apply today?
