Brands will spend $37bn advertising in the \u2018creator economy\u2019 in the US alone this year, according to\u00a0a new study<\/a>\u00a0published by industry body the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s up 26% from the $29.5bn they spent with creators in 2024, with the IAB pointing out that this is around four times the growth being seen in the wider advertising market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the trends will be familiar from how music-marketing campaigns involving creators have evolved. 48% of brands now see creators as a \u201cmust buy\u201d, but they want better attribution, reporting and vetting tools, as well as ways to find the right creators to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \u201cAn environment where strategic matchmaking is often more art than science, and where brands are calling for better discovery tools to guide their investment decisions,\u201d was how the IAB\u2019s Zoe Soon described that last challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s another music angle on these figures. As more brands pile more of their spend into creators, that may pose a problem for music marketers on tighter budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrying to negotiate on lower budgets is just not that appealing to them,\u201d was\u00a0how That\u2019s My Jamm\u2019s Chlo\u00e9 Ameh described this<\/a>\u00a0in our Music Ally Marketing Week \u2018Small Budget Campaign Blueprints\u2019 session earlier this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \u201cTrying to get that over the line is always more difficult when the budgets are just not there. Especially if there\u2019s conversations in other areas for them, for these influencers, where the budgets are more healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The IAB report is one of two new studies of the US social media sphere today. The other comes from the Pew Research Center, and\u00a0focuses on how Americans are using social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key findings from that: YouTube and Facebook are still the top platforms, used by 84% and 71% of American adults respectively. 50% use Instagram, 37% use TikTok and 32% use WhatsApp, with Reddit (26%), Snapchat (25%) and X (21%) among the other prominent services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n The study explores the differences between different age groups too. 80% of 18-29 year-olds in the US use Instagram and 63% of them use TikTok, for example.<\/p>\n