Britain’s affiliate and partner marketing industry generated £1.8 billion in advertiser spend in 2025, a 7.3 percent increase on the previous year, according to the third edition of the State of the Affiliate Nation report published by the Affiliate & Partner Marketing Association.

The spend produced £20.7 billion in revenues — a return on investment of 15 times — rising to 19 times in the travel and retail sectors. The figures, drawn from data submitted by 11 major affiliate networks, including impact.com, cover 357 million transactions processed through affiliate links over the course of the year, equivalent to 41,000 transactions every hour.

The channel’s performance during peak shopping periods was particularly striking. Across Cyber Weekend, one pound in every seven was spent through an affiliate link, up from one in eight the previous year.

A Maturing Market

Retail remained the industry’s dominant force, accounting for 47 percent of all affiliate spend. Spending on comparison shopping services rose 18 percent year on year, matched by an equivalent increase in health and beauty revenues. Travel was another standout, with spend up 14 percent and revenues rising 10 percent.

In telecoms, affiliates delivered one million new customers per month, with price comparison sites accounting for 43 percent of sector spend — four times the industry average. In finance, affiliate spend reached £10 million per month, a 9 percent annual increase, with content publishers attracting the largest share of investment at 31 percent.

Among publisher types, cashback, card-linked offers, and rewards were the biggest overall drivers of sales, while voucher partners delivered a 24x return on investment.

One of the report’s more significant findings is a structural shift in how advertisers deploy the channel. Increasingly, brands are using affiliate marketing throughout the customer journey rather than solely at the point of conversion. Close to one pound in five was spent on clicks, tenancies, hybrid arrangements, and other non-cost-per-acquisition payment models — a sign that the industry is moving decisively beyond its last-click origins.

Also Read: Is AI Reshaping Ad Agencies for Good?

Resilience Under Pressure

The growth in both spend and revenues came despite only a modest increase in transaction volumes, pointing to a rise in average order value — a counterintuitive outcome given the pressures on household budgets, but one the industry attributes to the channel’s established performance credentials.

“It’s very encouraging to see the affiliate and partner marketing industry deliver such a strong set of numbers for 2025,” said Ant Clements, UK Country Manager at impact.com. “Brands are moving spend from ineffective channels into high-performing ones like affiliate, influencer, and partner marketing. Things are tough out there, so it is no surprise to see marketers putting their faith in channels known for their accountability.”

Kevin Edwards, founder and director of the APMA, pointed to the underlying consumer dynamic driving the channel’s resilience. “Many publisher models are built around empowering consumers to make better purchasing decisions while saving money,” he said, “and in the current economic climate, that is particularly powerful.”

The full report is available to APMA members. Non-members may access a summary, and advertiser membership is available at no cost.

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Europe’s festive retail calendar is long and varied: shoppers kick off with Singles’ Day in November, hunt bargains on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, prepare for Christmas, and then buy through Boxing Day and January sales. Digital commerce is central to that cycle — and retailers who stitch together search, streaming and AI-powered ad strategies stand the best chance of capturing seasonal demand.

Global online retail is forecast to grow rapidly: industry estimates put worldwide retail e-commerce in the trillions by 2025. At the same time, cross-border shopping within Europe remains a sizeable and rising market share: recent industry research places intra-EU cross-border transactions in the hundreds of billions of euros.

Simply put, Europe is digital, cross-border, and diverse — creating both opportunity and complexity for brands.

How European shoppers behave — the “4S” framework

1. Searching
   Research drives buying. A large majority of European shoppers consult search and online sources before buying in stores or online. Search trends show fast-rising interest in eco-friendly and local products, underlining a growing appetite for values-driven purchases. Marketers must therefore win discoverability in local languages and surface results for specific, timely queries.
   
2. Streaming
   Video is a dominant source of product discovery. YouTube remains a primary destination for research and inspiration across markets, and a significant share of Europeans report that content on the platform shapes their purchase decisions. That influence matters most in categories driven by demonstration and review — beauty, electronics and unboxing culture.
   
3. Scrolling
   Short-form video is exploding globally. Platforms such as YouTube Shorts are where Gen Z and younger millennials discover new brands and products. In markets with widespread skepticism about traditional ads, creators — micro-influencers and review channels — increasingly serve as trusted curators. Partnering with the right creators is no longer optional; it’s strategic.
   
4. Shopping
   Younger shoppers use multimodal search behaviors — combining image, text and video — to find gifts and compare prices. Retailers that integrate visual search, product tagging in video, and seamless paths from inspiration to transaction win higher conversion rates.

How Google, YouTube and AI change the playbook

Search and recommendation layers are no longer passive plumbing but active selling surfaces. Several capabilities are worth calling out:

• AI-driven search summaries and context. Google’s new search features that surface richer AI summaries and context for queries help shoppers refine choices without endless clicks. These “AI overviews” turn long, scattered searches into a single moment of decision.
  
• Automated creative and campaign optimization. Google’s AI-first ad products automatically tailor creative and bidding to regional and seasonal patterns — a key advantage for brands running pan-European campaigns that must still feel local.
  
• Shoppable video and CTV integration. Shoppable units in long-form and connected TV (CTV) environments bring catalog browsing to screens in the living room. This extends the discovery funnel from mobile scrolling to leisurely, intent-rich viewing.

What this means for retailers

1. Be discoverable for regionally specific intent. Winning seasonal queries means combining strong SEO for local languages with AI-aware ad campaigns that answer culturally specific searches (e.g., “sustainable stocking fillers in Germany”).
   
2. Use creators to build trust at scale. Authentic creator content converts by shortening the distance between inspiration and purchase. When budgets are tight, a creator-led shorts strategy often outperforms broad, generic TV buys.
   
3. Let AI drive personalized experiences — but control for brand safety. Automation boosts ROI by tailoring offers and timing, but advertisers must pair automation with strict verification and human review to avoid mismatched messaging or inventory with weak viewability.
   
4. Plan for cross-border friction. Many Europeans buy from outside their home country; brands should make checkout, delivery and returns predictable across borders to capture that demand. Cross-border opportunities are real, but so are the logistics and compliance headaches.

Key takeaways

• Europe’s holiday market is fragmented, multicultural and highly nonlinear: shoppers move between search, streaming, creators and AI-powered recommendations.
• To win, retailers must be discoverable in local search, inspire through short-form and creator content, and convert with AI-powered, privacy-safe campaigns that streamline the shopping journey.

The post Winning the Holiday Shopping Season in Europe with Google, YouTube, and AI appeared first on MartechView.

Swedish SaaS company Flowbox has acquired Danish Dreaminfluence, pushing Flowbox past 1,000 customers in Europe and bringing its annual recurring revenue (ARR) close to €9 million.

Founded in 2018, Dreaminfluence has built a leading influencer marketing platform used by more than 200 companies, including Estée Lauder, Mondelēz, and DK Company. Its curated network of hand-picked creators, real-time campaign tracking, content management tools, and streamlined payment processing simplify end-to-end collaboration between brands and influencers.

The acquisition aligns with Flowbox’s international growth strategy and follows its merger with the Spanish company Photoslurp three years ago. It further strengthens Flowbox’s position as Europe’s leading UGC platform, expanding its offering to meet the needs of the fast-growing UGC creator market.

Eulogi Bordas, CEO of Flowbox, commented:

THIS ACQUISITION IS A NATURAL STEP IN OUR MISSION TO TRANSFORM HOW BRANDS AND CREATORS COLLABORATE TO DRIVE E-COMMERCE ACROSS EUROPE. MORE THAN 80 PER CENT OF FLOWBOX’S CUSTOMERS ALREADY WORK WITH CONTENT CREATORS. BY INTEGRATING DREAMINFLUENCE’S UGC CREATOR NETWORK WITH OUR PLATFORM, WE’RE BUILDING A UNIQUE END-TO-END SOLUTION THAT EMPOWERS BRANDS TO SEAMLESSLY CREATE, ACTIVATE, AND SCALE AUTHENTIC CONTENT.

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT TECHNOLOGY – IT’S ABOUT FOSTERING AN ECOSYSTEM WHERE BRANDS AND COMMUNITIES GROW TOGETHER THROUGH STORYTELLING AND MEASURABLE IMPACT.

Following the acquisition, Flowbox now serves over 1,000 customers, reports close to €9 million in ARR, and employs more than 60 people across offices in Stockholm, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen.

Mads Wedderkopp, CEO of Dreaminfluence, added:

OVER THE PAST YEAR, SEVERAL BUYERS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN DREAMINFLUENCE, BUT FLOWBOX QUICKLY STOOD OUT AS THE BEST MATCH. CREATORS AND INFLUENCER MARKETING ARE CENTRAL TO FLOWBOX’S VISION AND GROWTH STRATEGY, AND I COULDN’T IMAGINE A BETTER HOME FOR OUR TEAM AND PRODUCT. OUR CULTURES SHARE MANY SIMILARITIES, AND THE SYNERGIES BETWEEN OUR PLATFORMS ARE IMMENSE.

Wedderkopp will step into the role of Chief Revenue Officer at Flowbox. In addition to its founders, Dreaminfluence’s largest shareholder is Danish brand incubator Blazar Capital, while Flowbox’s largest shareholders post-acquisition are founder Marcus Carloni and Norwegian growth equity firm Viking Growth.

Eivind Bergsmyr, chairman of the board of Flowbox and partner at Viking Growth, shared:

THE ACQUISITION OF DREAMINFLUENCE SOLIDIFIES FLOWBOX’S AMBITION TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS WITH A BROADER PRODUCT PORTFOLIO IN LINE WITH OUR GROWTH STRATEGY. THE ACQUISITION INCREASES OUR SIZE AND POWER TO EXECUTE. THE COMBINED COMPANY WILL BE A STRONG SUPPLIER AND PARTNER TO OUR CUSTOMERS ACROSS EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA.

Flowbox is an award-winning SaaS platform that helps brands harness and showcase authentic user-generated content (UGC) across their digital channels, from social media to e-commerce, to drive engagement, social proof, and sales. Trusted by leading brands like G-STAR, Desigual, Decathlon, and Intersport, Flowbox combines AI-powered automation, enterprise-grade features, flexible integrations, real-time analytics, and multi-platform support.

The acquisition was financed entirely through Flowbox shares.

The post Flowbox Acquires Dreaminfluence, Expands UGC Reach in Europe appeared first on MartechView.

The global creator economy, currently valued at over $191 billion, is on an explosive trajectory, projected to surpass $525 billion by 2030. Powerhouses like Shopify, with its $5.2 billion in annual revenue, underscore the robust infrastructure supporting this burgeoning ecosystem, with North America leading the charge, claiming 40% of the market share.

Yet, beyond these impressive figures, the creator economy isn’t merely booming; it’s undergoing a profound maturation. What began as a nascent space driven by individual influence has rapidly transformed into a multi-trillion-dollar force, fundamentally reshaping how brands connect with their consumers and how culture is created and disseminated. 

In this evolved landscape, simply generating vast volumes of content or chasing fleeting virality is no longer a sustainable strategy for impact. The algorithms are smarter, audiences are savvier, and the sheer noise demands a new approach. The true opportunity lies in understanding the deeper currents beneath the surface.

As Rick Allen, CEO of ViewLift, aptly puts it, “The premise of the web at the very beginning was, in part, that it would provide a kind of democratization of content that more people would be able to create and more people would be able to consume. Those creators can go directly to their fans and consumers. The whole process is just continuing to accelerate.” This acceleration has led to individual creators not only finding their niche but also making significant inroads into industries traditionally dominated by large enterprises. 

Allen points to examples like Kylie Jenner’s enormous cosmetics empire, acquired by Coty, and Francis Ford Coppola’s Decentralized Pictures, an initiative democratizing film financing through blockchain. Perhaps most strikingly, he highlights the “mind-blowing” journey of a one-night musical theater show at the Kennedy Center, spawned from fan fiction inspired by the Bridgerton series on TikTok and YouTube, which later won a Grammy. “This whole concept just didn’t exist a few years ago,” Allen notes, emphasizing that “there are all of these inroads where individual creators are wedging their way into the process. I think that’s tremendously exciting.”

Let’s explore the critical shift from quantity to quality, from superficial engagement to genuine connection, and why authenticity has become the non-negotiable currency of the creator economy’s next chapter. We’ll delve into insights from industry leaders and emerging trends that underscore this imperative.

Also Read: Are B2B Marketers Finally Moving Beyond Last-Click?

The Authenticity Imperative: Beyond Aspiration

Authenticity is no longer a buzzword or a desirable trait; it is the new table stakes for survival and success in the creator economy. Consumers, particularly the digitally native generations who grew up amidst curated feeds and sponsored posts, are highly skilled at discerning deception.

This generation actively seeks transparency, relatability, and genuine connection. They are skeptical of overly polished campaigns and demand to see the “real” behind the brand and the creator. When creators and brands are authentic, they forge a deeper emotional bond with their audience, building trust that transcends a single transaction or a fleeting “like.” This trust translates into loyalty, advocacy, and sustainable business outcomes.

Timm Chiusano, a former Fortune 100 executive and prolific TikTok creator, articulates this shift perfectly: “It’s the new table stakes. Aspirational content can still work, but there needs to be a stronger and more relatable ‘why’ to it. For brands, authenticity should be looked at in a few different ways: How much can you let the consumer behind the curtain, i.e., how much affinity might you be able to grow just as they develop awareness of your existence? From a consideration perspective, this is about honesty and transparency regarding your value and why that should be considered.”

For brands, humanizing their presence is paramount. This means showcasing not just what they sell, but why they do what they do – their values, mission, and the real people behind the products. It means embracing imperfections, sharing candid moments, and allowing creators to genuinely express themselves within a partnership, rather than adhering to rigid scripts.

Strategic Platform Optimization: More Than Just Presence

The belief that “more platforms equal more reach” is a relic of a past era. The creator economy’s next wave demands a strategic, platform-specific approach, where focused effort on the proper channels yields far greater returns than a scattergun presence.

Each platform serves a distinct purpose in the customer journey and thrives on different content formats and tones. Think of it like this: TikTok is the vibrant, intimate street market where quick discoveries are made and trends are born. YouTube is the masterclass, the deep dive, where long-form content fosters deeper understanding and conversion. Instagram sits somewhere in between, offering visual storytelling and community engagement. Attempting to force the same content across all platforms dilutes impact and fails to resonate with the native audience behavior.

“In the creator economy, consistency across every platform means far less than optimization for each. You wouldn’t expect a Coca-Cola TV commercial to work exactly as a radio ad, so why do we expect that for digital content? It’s about adapting your message to the medium, not forcing the medium to fit your message.”

Also Read: Is Intercom’s AI CX Score the End of CSAT?

The Evolution of Brand-Creator Partnerships

The era of one-off, transactional sponsorships is giving way to deeper, more integrated, and mutually beneficial brand-creator collaborations. The focus is shifting from simple content delivery to genuine co-creation and shared value.

This evolution is driven by the power of “parasocial relationships”—the one-sided emotional bonds that audiences form with creators they follow. Smart brands are learning from this, recognizing that cultivating long-term relationships with creators allows them to tap into this powerful, pre-existing trust. It’s about building a genuine affinity, not just paying for an advertisement. Brands are increasingly involving creators in product development, campaign strategy, and even long-term ambassadorships that go beyond single posts.

Chiusano underscores this critical shift: “You need to befriend the audience these days. If they are not building a parasocial relationship with you, then you’re doing something wrong. Super smart brands have been doing this for decades through their messaging or spokespeople. It’s how Duolingo won at TikTok, it’s why every major insurance company tries to create their character, it’s why even the OG spots like ‘where’s the beef’ worked so well. Cute, funny, heartwarming, value driven; those are all great qualities but if you can get the audience to build a parasocial relationship with who and how your messaging is being delivered, then you have exceptional opportunity to capitalize on the trust and loyalty through all kinds of sales tactics because there is an open, friendly conversation where the consumer is already highly engaged and invested in the relationship.”

The ongoing challenge of consolidated measurement tools and better attribution will continue to drive innovation. Brands will increasingly seek partners and platforms that can offer clearer insights into the actual impact of creator collaborations, moving beyond vanity metrics to tangible business outcomes.

Also Read: Why Your Content Might Be Dated — Even If It’s On Time

Conclusion: The Path Forward

The creator economy is undeniably at a pivotal moment. Success in this next chapter hinges on a fundamental understanding of its core tenets: the non-negotiable power of authenticity, the strategic imperative of platform-specific optimization, and the evolution towards deep, integrated brand-creator partnerships.

The potential of the creator economy to drive meaningful engagement, build lasting loyalty, and unlock unprecedented growth for brands and businesses is monumental. Those who embrace authenticity as their guiding principle will survive and thrive in this dynamic landscape.

The post Why the Creator Economy’s Next Chapter Is All About Authenticity appeared first on MartechView.

In an era where authenticity reigns supreme and traditional marketing battles for genuine attention, a new breed of leader is emerging—one who uniquely bridges the corporate boardroom with the raw, relatable power of the creator economy. Meet Timm Chiusano, a former Fortune 100 executive from giants like ABC Sports, ESPN, and Charter Communications, who “responsibly fired” himself to redefine his impact in a bold and purposeful move. 

Now, as a prolific TikTok creator championed by Night Media, Chiusano offers a singular perspective on modern brand strategy. In this exclusive interview, he unpacks how his cinematic yet deeply human storytelling, profound understanding of consumer psychology, and surprising approach to platform optimization are not just influencing but fundamentally reshaping consumer expectations and forging the future of brand-consumer relationships.

Full interview;

Your TikToks are cinematic yet deeply human, resonating with millions. How has your approach to storytelling influenced how brands should now think about emotional connection in the customer journey?

I wouldn’t say that my approach to storytelling has influenced, or at least not that I am aware of unless if was something I produced for them, but to the point of your question I think there is a ton any brand can learn from what I have seen, built and try to cultivate everyday which is the following:

I have to meet them where they are to get them to want to be engaged which for me is through adding some positive perspective to their day, being relatable because I’m storytelling based on where I know they will be when they see what I post, or providing as much free value that I can in some kind of mini-masterclass without asking for anything in return. But if any brand that is self-aware is truly empathetic to its customer and is willing to put that ahead of its own needs, then you can strike gold at any juncture of the customer journey.

You’ve built a brand rooted in realism and everyday relatability. How do you think this shift toward authenticity reshapes consumer expectations and what they now demand from brand content and customer experience?

It’s the new table stakes. Aspirational content can still work, but there needs to be a stronger and more relatable “why” to it. For brands, authenticity should be looked at in a few different ways:

• How much can you let the consumer behind the curtain, ie, how much affinity might you be able to grow just as they are developing awareness of your existence
• From a consideration perspective, this is about honesty and transparency regarding your value and why that should be considered.
• On the conversion side, brands that convert find the right time and place in addition to the right offering. If you can get this piece right in a way that is on-brand for you but also self-aware to understand where the consumer is, then you can create an “end-of-aisle display” for the consumer’s mind simply by showing up at the right time and place.

Also Read: What Does Modern Customer Experience Look Like in 2025?

As someone who lives at the intersection of enterprise content strategy and creator culture, what’s one key insight brands can learn from creator-led platforms like TikTok when building trust and loyalty?

You need to befriend the audience these days. If they are not building a parasocial relationship with you, then you’re doing something wrong. Super smart brands have been doing this for decades through their messaging or spokespeople. It’s how Duolingo won at TikTok, it’s why every major insurance company tries to create their character, it’s why even the OG spots like “wheres the beef” worked so well. Cute, funny, heartwarming, value driven; those are all great qualities but if you can get the audience to build a parasocial relationship with who and how your messaging is being delivered, then you have have exceptional opportunity to capitalize on the trust and loyalty through all kinds of sales tactics because there is an open, friendly conversation where the consumer is already highly engaged and invested in the relationship.

People often say your content makes adulthood feel less daunting. How does that kind of emotional resonance translate to brand strategy—especially for companies targeting next-gen or millennial consumers?

It’s probably my all-time favorite piece of feedback, and it’s been such a gift to hear it for years now from so many people and have it brought up here. 

The next generation is highly skeptical of traditional marketing and brands that appear hollow. They can also sense when anyone tries too hard to speak like them, but not with them. Millennials, to a certain extent, as well, but not nearly as much as Z & Alpha. A few ways that any brand can tap into that kind of resonance as food for thought:

• Humanize your company. Being able to see and sense who a company is can have a tremendous impact on how brands can and will be seen. If you don’t overengineer it, there are so many ways to story-tell your brand journey and ethos every day.
• Hire from those generations and then ensure you’ve got the right leadership to help them be the best versions of themselves while learning your brand’s needs. Recruit and empower the right way; they will help you connect the dots in ways you probably never imagined.
• Make sure it is easy to sense why your brand cares and why it matters. This doesn’t have to be righteous, but it has to be something, and it should be that something in a proud way that an audience can appreciate.

Also Read: Vanessa Horwell Cuts Through B2B Blah With Bold Clarity

You’ve maintained a loyal community while experimenting with new platforms like YouTube. From a MarTech perspective, how do you think about platform-specific optimization versus brand consistency across channels?

Consistency means far less than optimization. They are all very different platforms with very different audiences. Think about how Coca-Cola products should appear in a gorgeous French restaurant versus your favourite local pizza joint. Probably glass bottles versus self-serve soda fountain. You can still offer the same product, but you need to know what fits best and why. 

TikTok is very intimate, like FaceTiming a friend, and in a very cutthroat attention environment where you’ve got maybe one second before you could disappear for months from someone’s feed. That is where we should be raw, personal, highly curated on content types and formatting, but not too polished unless that is wildly entertaining or highly educational content. 

Instagram seems to be a bit more fair these days relative to engagement, the fact that there is no “Instagram Shop” like TikTok means you probably have greater odds to show up where you can grow organically but to do this well you need very aggressive and fresh thinking that creates reasons for people to share your content or it needs to be episodic or, probably the most achievable, it needs to be highly useful. It could be a combo of all three, but brands can just lean into what they can do best and not try too hard to be all three.

Then there is YouTube. This should be your Master Class platform. If a brand can build a YouTube channel with a highly engaged audience, then it’s lights out for your competition. One YouTube follower is probably worth 1,000 on TikTok or Instagram. This requires investment and a very specific skillset, but would be well worth any brand’s time and efforts to do this the right way.  

Put another way, TikTok is your top funnel unless you are hyper-focused on DTC or TikTok shop. Instagram is a bit older and closer to a consideration phase. YouTube is conversion, retention, and upsell.

You still edit your TikToks, giving you direct insight into engagement mechanics. What content performance signals—like watch time, comments, or shares—do you prioritize most, and how do you use them to refine your storytelling?

I edit and post all of my content. I’m proud to say I made about 1,500 pieces of content across all platforms off the side of my desk while still being a highperforming exec at Charter (I even published redacted versions of my performance reviews on DropBox for anyone to read incase there were people skeptical if I was really any good at my day job).

When I look (because I prefer not to let metrics drive too much of my decision making for myriad reasons, including mental health), I am very focused on trends across 10 or so videos to give me a sense of trajectory and how those videos compare to each other versus on their own. My gold standard metric is shares. That means someone had such a strong reaction to it (good or bad) that they had to share it with someone else. The person who does this is truly invested, and whether they intend to be or not, they fuel your growth. Of course, like any good marketer, I’m looking at every data point I can get my hands on from demos to propensities. 

I recently did a barter deal with a small agency in Nashville called Lowtide to get me a full breakdown of everything under the sun and they delivered 27 pages of brilliant insights that are hevily influencing what I am building next which is more of a TV Guide strategy across all platforms based on a lot of what we have discussed so far about showing up where the audience needs to be met with a much heavier focus on helping them with educational content that surprises and delights.

Also Read: What If Your Favorite Recipe Could Shop for You?

You lead a Fortune 100 content development team, represented by one of the most progressive creator agencies, Night Media. How do you foresee the future of brand partnerships evolving between creators and marketing teams regarding tech, tools, and measurement?

I love how we are still in the very infancy stages of this. On the short-form side of things, this is maybe a four-ish year-old space. The potential is monumental. Here are my bets.

Long-term deals that include multiple points of overlap are coming. 

• Creators are making their content, doing their usual thing with brands.
• Creators appearing in linear spots as cameos, if not as the stars.
• Creator integration into other touchpoints, from things like modelling to events.
• UGC is being baked into deals.
• More “category exclusivity” long-term versus short windows.
• These things are tied to longer-term attribution measurement opportunities versus one-off posts.
• Under the right circumstances, creators will be seen as extensions of marketing and product teams, and there is a ton of opportunity for this.
• The industry will consolidate measurement tools (my accounts are probably tied to 4 or 5 different measurement platforms for brands).
• I believe the industry needs to develop more streamlined review/approval tools that agencies can own from a process perspective.

Marketing teams were just catching up on social, and some had never contemplated in-house teams for creative, let alone strategy around these new creator opportunities. If I were building from scratch again, I’d make sure all creative and live in-house, and the oversight of the social channels reports into the same team with at least one dedicated headcount to creator opportunities and partnerships.

But since I’m not building anything from scratch, other than myself right now, if I was a brand out there looking for some direction and insight I’m going right to the heads of Night and keeping my fingers crossed that they have the time and desire to work with me on long term strategy and how to turn it all on. And that’s not self-promotion, that side of their business is completely separated from my day-to-day needs as one of their “talent”.

But I know those people well, as we met eye to eye as business needs long before I signed with them or left my job. They are truly the brightest in the business, and that only takes a couple of Google searches to corroborate. It’s a really fun and fascinating space to be in right now; it feels similar to what it felt like to be at ESPN in the mid-2000’s when cross-platform marketing really blew up. I feel honored to have a front row seat to it all, especially seeing it from day 1 and doing so in my mid to late 40’s with so much traditional experience under my belt.

Case studies are waiting to be written and will be brilliant based on the opportunity alone.

The post Why Brands Must Build Parasocial Bonds, Not Just Content appeared first on MartechView.

Publicis strengthens its foothold in the key influencer marketing space with Captiv8, which specializes in talent management, measurement and social commerce, with the latter service area including branded storefronts and TikTok Shop partnerships. The acquisition complements one the ad-holding group made last year for Influential, a platform focused on client services, such as sourcing creators for brands via a marketplace and extending the reach and impact of social media campaigns. 

Influential was the largest influencer marketing platform by revenue at the time, while Captiv8 was billed in this week’s announcement as the world’s “largest influencer technology marketing platform.” The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a source familiar with the deal terms, that Influential’s purchase was valued at around $ 500 million, while Captiv8’s price tag is pegged at $ 150 million. 

Captiv8 operates in 120 countries and processes over 2.5 billion social posts annually. Captiv8 will be located under the Publicis Connected Media unit and integrated into Influential. Both platforms boast know-how in artificial intelligence, a technology Publicis wants to further soup up through Epsilon’s identity graph.

Taken together, the two companies give Publicis the advantage of scale and end-to-end capabilities in a category where more brands are shifting their dollars amid a decline in traditional media. 

“This platform is a one-stop-shop for our clients’ influencer marketing initiatives,” said Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun in a statement. “With what is now the largest influencer community, underpinned by the most advanced tech platform, we can ignite earned-first programs on behalf of brands, to supercharge campaigns with authentic virality and connect directly to commerce.”

In an example of the momentum behind influencer marketing, Unilever recently stated it intends to allocate half of its marketing budget to social media, up from 30%, while increasing its work with creators 20-fold. Unilever has utilized Captiv8’s solutions, as have blue-chip marketers like Kraft Heinz, American Express and the NBA.   

Also Read: Is Intercom’s AI CX Score the End of CSAT?

Publicis earlier this year acquired identity solutions firm Lotame to expand Epsilon, bringing its reach to nearly 4 billion unique consumer profiles around the world, or about 91% of internet-connected adults. The firm remains on a dealmaking hot streak, making use of its war chest as it remains the top-performing ad-holding group in a largely beleaguered agency sector. The company saw organic revenue, an important measure of agency health, increase 4.9% year over year in Q1, though, like rivals, it has acknowledged that tariffs could dent client spending. 

The post Publicis Boosts Influencer Power with Captiv8 Deal appeared first on MartechView.

Balancing creativity with data-driven strategy in the fast-paced influencer and growth marketing world is no easy feat. Alexandra Caceres, Growth and Influencer Marketing Specialist at Metricool brings a unique edge to this challenge by blending her background in computer science with her passion for social media. In this interview, Caceres shares how her analytical mindset informs her influencer strategies, the platforms driving the most ROI, and how AI is reshaping social media management. She also reflects on the importance of authenticity and adapting to diverse markets, offering valuable insights for marketers navigating today’s evolving digital landscape.

Full interview; 

You have a unique background, bridging computer science and marketing. How does that technical foundation inform your data-driven approach to growth and influencer strategies at Metricool?

I never thought my background in computer science would overlap with marketing, but my analytical skills and data curiosity have transformed my trend-spotting and influencer collaboration processes. I love the creative side of influencer marketing, but at the end of the day, success is in the numbers. After every collaboration, I dive into performance metrics and ask, “Did the content resonate with the target audience? Where can we make improvements? Did we hit our goals?” Asking these questions has helped me fine-tune strategies and build stronger, more impactful partnerships for the future.

Metricool thrives on analytics. Beyond the platform’s tools, how do you personally leverage data to identify emerging trends and refine influencer collaborations in diverse English-speaking markets?

Beyond platform tools, I firmly believe in immersing yourself in the content of your niche and the creators you plan to collaborate with. The best way to gauge how content will resonate is by experiencing it firsthand. I’ve been lucky that many of Metricool’s creator partnerships target marketers like myself, but truly understanding your ideal audience personas is just as important. Putting yourself in their shoes is the most organic way to ensure your content is on the right track.

Authenticity is a buzzword, but vital. How do you ensure Metricool’s influencer partnerships genuinely resonate with audiences, avoiding the pitfalls of manufactured content?

“Authenticity” is a buzzword that social media professionals both love and hate—but there’s no denying its importance. At Metricool, it’s the foundation of every partnership. We collaborate with creators who use and benefit from our platform, so our vetting process starts with letting them try it out firsthand. Creators know their audiences better than anyone, so instead of scripting their content, we give them the freedom to highlight what they genuinely love about the tool. This approach has led to amazing ROI, organic shoutouts, and even creators pitching us unique campaign ideas because they already love using Metricool.

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In a saturated social media landscape, which platforms deliver the most significant, measurable ROI for brands engaging in influencer marketing, and why?

YouTube delivers the most significant and measurable ROI, with a unique opportunity to create long-form and short-form content with Shorts. It’s the best of both worlds. Metricool’s 2025 Social Media Study found that YouTube is the leading platform for visibility and reach. Although content on YouTube can take longer to gain traction, its long-term SEO benefits drive the highest ROI. That’s not to say we’re shifting away focus from our other favorite platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even LinkedIn, but YouTube is a top priority.

AI is rapidly changing the marketing landscape. Beyond the hype, what specific, actionable changes do you foresee AI bringing to influencer marketing and social media management by 2025?

In 2025, we can expect AI to refine the influencer marketing and social media management landscape. It won’t be a replacement but a valuable tool. For example, AI is already streamlining influencer discovery, cutting down hours of manual searching to minutes. Brands will increasingly rely on AI-driven tools to enhance their vetting process, ensuring stronger, data-backed collaborations. 

On the social media management side, we’re looking at improving content distribution. One of our recommended best practices from our 2025 Social Media Study was to reuse and recycle content that has performed well. AI will help with that automation and repurpose content, ensuring each piece is optimized for the specific platform’s audience and algorithm.

Brands and influencers who embrace AI will gain a competitive edge by working smarter, not harder. However, the key will be balancing automation with originality. AI can enhance strategy and efficiency, but human creativity and connection will always be at the core of impactful influencer and social media marketing.

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Scaling influencer partnerships globally presents numerous challenges. What’s the most significant obstacle you’ve encountered, and what innovative solution did you implement to overcome it?

Metricool is going in on global influencer partnerships with exciting opportunities and new challenges this year. So far, one of the biggest hurdles we’ve faced is recognizing how different content can be across markets. The content we are creating for our US audience may not have the same success as our Spanish, Canadian, or even German markets. This is where deep research comes into play. While our target personas share similarities, the nuances matter. By identifying these differences, we can tailor the content more effectively. It’s been a learning curve, but the extra efforts we put into adapting our approach are already delivering great results.

Looking back on your journey, what’s the most critical lesson you’ve learned about driving growth in the digital age, and how would you advise aspiring marketers to navigate this evolving landscape?

The most critical lesson I’ve learned is that not every partnership or campaign will flourish. 

Driving growth in the digital age is challenging and can be met with many “flops.” Taking a step back, identifying the successes and downfalls, pivoting, and reworking strategies are essential skills to manage the evolving digital landscape. My advice to aspiring marketers: 

Stay curious, don’t be afraid to try new things, and remember that failures are valuable learning experiences.

The post Metricool’s Growth Lead on Data, Influencers and AI’s Impact appeared first on MartechView.

Influur, the leading professional networking platform for influencers founded by visionary Latinas Alessandra Angelini, Valeria Angelini, Paula Coleman, and Fefi Oliveira, announced the successful closing of its $10 million Series A, led by Point72 Ventures and HTwenty Capital. The funding highlights Influur’s hypergrowth, including an 83% increase in its verified influencer base and a 200% rise in brand spending across the US and Latin America. The company now has over 30K active influencers and 5,000 brands on its platform across 11 countries.

Influur has built the most comprehensive platform for the creator economy that goes beyond traditional influencer marketing. It is a vibrant global community that empowers influencers to monetize their talent, expand their reach, and grow their businesses. It streamlines connections between brands and influencers, allowing them to build meaningful relationships and impactful campaigns together. And unlike platforms that rely on scraping data, Influur ensures all its influencers are verified and registered, making it a trusted platform for both the creator community and brands.

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“Influur is a connected community where influencers ‘find home’—gaining access to brand opportunities and resources to thrive,” said Alessandra Angelini, co-founder and CEO of Influur. “This funding will help us enhance our platform, enabling influencers to grow their businesses and connect with brands more effectively.”

As part of today’s announcement, Influur is introducing an industry-first AI feature to help brands plan the right influencer campaigns and predict its impact; a new Premium Subscription for influencers with advanced analytics, AI-powered media kit creation, and access to exclusive campaigns and events; as well as a suite of fintech tools designed to manage earnings, payouts, and financial insights – positioning the platform to be the future bank for influencers.

Miami-based Influur has quickly become a leader in the influencer space, driven by its adoption by top influencers like Lele Pons and Twan Kuyper; global brand customers including Meta, Warner Music Group, Paramount, Netflix, UberEats, Hard Rock Cafe, MasterCard, and TikTok; and investment from key figures from the music and entertainment industries, including Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, singer and actress Thalía, entertainment executive Luis Balaguer, and Latin World Entertainment. Additional investors include Magma Partners, Daedalus, IGNIA, Redwood, Vamos Ventures, Amplifica Capital, and Daniel Gutenberg.

“We are drawn to bold ideas and commitment to innovation, and Influur embodies both,” said Ishan Sinha, Partner at Point72 Ventures. “These four entrepreneurs have impressed us with their vision to empower creators by placing their values and resources at the forefront. We are confident in the team’s ability to execute and drive meaningful change in this rapidly evolving industry, and we look forward to being part of their journey.”

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Leveraging AI for Unprecedented Foresight and Efficiency

Influur is developing an AI-powered recommendation system that will be integrated directly into Pulse, its desktop application. It will be engineered to recommend the strategy of a campaign as well as predict the investment and impact of influencer marketing campaigns within moments, offering unprecedented foresight and budget efficiency. It will be the only recommendation system of its kind available in the market, positioning Influur at the forefront of innovation in influencer marketing and brand campaigns.

“Our AI recommendation engine is a game-changer,” added Valeria Angelini, CPO of Influur. “By harnessing AI, we’re enabling brands and influencers to make smarter, data-driven decisions faster than ever before.”

Influur Premium Supercharges Influencer Careers

Influur Premium is a new subscription that provides unique professional tools designed to supercharge their careers. Included in this subscription is access to:

• Automated Media Kit Creation: Generate a professional media kit in seconds, complete with live social media analytics and a portfolio of past collaborations. This time-saving tool helps influencers put their best work forward every time a brand asks for a portfolio and eliminates the manual creation process.
  
• Access to Exclusive Premium Campaigns: Premium members unlock campaigns available only to them, catered by top-tiered brands. It’s a win:win – brands have access to top-tiered professional creators while influencers get access to experiences and networking opportunities developed specifically for them.
  
• Exclusive Experiences: Exclusive experiences provide influencers with invaluable exposure to other industry professionals, in a fun environment with esteemed partners based in Miami, including top yoga studios, premier padel clubs, and renowned restaurants.
  
• Advanced Analytics Tools: Influencers can now leverage daily insights into social media performance with their sophisticated analytics suite, enabling them to stay ahead of trends and optimize their strategies.

The post Influur Raises $10M to Revolutionize Influencer Marketing appeared first on MartechView.

Content creators and influencers are among the most popular areas of mobile marketing these days. Pizza Hut is democratizing the space with this latest promotion, allowing everyone to reap the benefits of content creation.

“Social media is quite literally becoming a currency in today’s world. So far, it’s been accessible only to those who have a large following. With this promotion, we’re opening it up for everyone and anyone,” said Ahmed Sabri, marketing lead at Pizza Hut Middle East & Pakistan, in a statement provided to Marketing Dive.

The “Pay With Your Trend” promo is connected to the QSR chain’s My Box product, which allows customers to create a box of their favorite menu items from the chain’s choices. For the new promo, consumers are encouraged to create content that follows a current social media trend and includes a My Box within the content. Those who create the video tag the brand (@PizzaHutUAE) and use the hashtag #YourTermsYourConditions on TikTok will get a promo code via direct message that can be redeemed for another My Box meal.

Pizza Hut’s My Box product was introduced in the Middle East market in 2019 to gain market share from QSR competitors like Burger King and KFC, offering value meals at a similar price point. While pizza is generally a shared food, people have strong preferences about what they like, so the My Box offering enabled consumers to customize their orders from Pizza Hut to have a small personalized pizza with two sides from the chain’s menu.

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The company expanded the My Box offerings last year with a campaign introducing the idea of order under “Your Terms, Your Conditions.” That campaign’s hashtag is carried over for the “Pay With Your Trend” promo. According to a company representative, the latest effort launched in the UAE in August will expand throughout the Middle East and North Africa in the coming months.

Beyond the UAE, Pizza Hut has been known for its novelty marketing plays. In May, the brand promoted its new Cheeseburger Melt by having delivery drivers appear at burger-chain drive-thrus in Chicago and Miami (the headquarters of McDonald’s and Burger King, respectively). The drivers’ cars had a QR code on the back windows and a message asking consumers if they wanted a better burger. Before this, Pizza Hut launched a “Goodbye Pies” promotion ahead of Valentine’s Day to promote its new Hot Honey pizza.

The post Pizza Hut Launches “Pay With Your Trend” Campaign appeared first on MartechView.

“Moving at the speed of culture” has remained a refrain for marketers hoping to engage consumers in the places, on the platforms, and with the publishers they spend their time with. Content marketing continues to be a tactic that allows brands to meet this imperative without turning off younger, ad-averse audiences.

This year, companies as diverse as Coca-Cola’s BodyArmor, dating app Hinge, and U.S. Bank have created and sponsored content that brings their brands to life in digital and physical formats. Sephora joined the list in March by partnering with Latin culture publisher Remezcla on the launch of a new editorial vertical focused on beauty.

As part of the partnership, which runs through the end of the year, Sephora is sponsoring a range of editorial features and social content on Remezcla, which has carved out a space for beauty alongside its preexisting culture, music, sports, film, and food verticals. The deal gives Remezcla the support of a major retailer at a fraught time for journalism and allows Sephora to strengthen its ties to consumers.

“Collaborating on beauty content allows Sephora to authentically connect with beauty lovers while also leveraging Remezcla’s authority and trust amongst [the] Latinx community to drive long-term engagement,” said Megan Black, vice president for digital marketing and media at Sephora, in an email comment.

Also Read: B2B Influencer Marketing: A Growing Trend 

The vertical launch and partnership are examples of organic development allowing Remezcla to “turn up the volume” on beauty coverage it was already publishing. That authenticity in sponsored content is key for multicultural audiences that can “smell” when they’re being sold something, explained Editor-in-Chief Thatiana Diaz.

“We want to keep that trust. For over 15 years, it’s always been about listening to our community,” Diaz said. “For us, it’s really about working with partners who want to amplify our content, not take control of it. That’s been a big part of our partnership with Sephora.”

DEI that doesn’t die

For Remezcla, beauty is part and parcel of the Latin culture it spotlights. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of its audience shops for beauty products that include hair, nails, makeup, self-care, and wellness rituals. Beauty also crops up in cultural spaces like music: Colombian singer Karol G changes her hair every time she launches an album, and fans of Bad Bunny can predict the genre of his albums based on his haircut in preview videos, Diaz explained.

“It was pretty exciting to have a large retailer like Sephora back us,” Diaz said. “They saw what we saw: A missed opportunity in storytelling for beauty. For us, it’s more than just product launches and trends. We’re covering beauty from a storytelling aspect for our communities.”

Sephora has made in-roads with the Latin community through deals with Latina-owned brands like Ceremonia and Beauty Blender and a documentary series on Peacock about Latina beauty entrepreneurs. The Remezcla partnership, which includes supplementary, beauty-focused stories tied to Remezcla’s Major Mujeres music list and a monthly beauty favorites feature, deepens this relationship beyond product and into purpose.

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“Creating a sense of belonging has long been a Sephora value. We believe beauty thrives in discovery, diversity, and celebrating the unique aspects of each of us,” Black said. “With the launch of Remezcla’s Beauty Vertical, we were excited to collaborate with the outlet and strengthen our partnership by highlighting the widespread, rich self-expression found throughout the Latinx community.”

Sephora’s dedication to Latina representation on its shelves and in its media storytelling demonstrated to Remezcla that the retailer was serious about the multicultural community it serves.

“For Remezcla, it’s really important that we consider how these brands are supporting our communities,” Diaz said. “They can easily just add products to shelves and make money off it, but they’re also clearly invested in the storytelling aspect [as well].”

A commitment to multicultural marketing comes amid a wider retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that intensified in 2020 but have been targeted by conservative activists. While Lowe’s recently joined a list of marketers, including Best Buy and Jack Daniel’s, that have pulled back on DEI, Sephora stands firm.

“DE&I is central to Sephora’s mission of creating the world’s most inclusive beauty community,” Black said. “By investing in BIPOC-owned and operated publishers and partners, we aim to improve and further our reach by creating genuine connections with diverse audiences through supporting the growth of diverse-owned businesses, such as Remezcla.”

The post Sephora Partners with Remezcla for B2B Influencer Marketing appeared first on MartechView.