UK Creator Marketing Hits £1bn: What It Means for Brands

The UK creator economy is approaching a milestone that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago...

By Carl Blackshaw

The UK creator economy is approaching a milestone that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago: advertiser investment in creator partnerships is forecast to reach £1.217bn in 2026.

New research from IAB UK and the Institute for Advertising and Media Statistics (IRM) forecasts 26% growth this year, following a 20.1% rise in 2025. Creator partnership revenues reached £966m last year, up from £804m in 2024.

The research provides the first dedicated measurement of the UK creator partnerships market, giving marketers a clearer picture of just how quickly the channel has moved from the margins of digital advertising towards the mainstream.

And brands are continuing to put money behind it. Separate research from Kolsquare reveals that 93% of UK brands and agencies expect to increase their influencer marketing spending over the next 12 months, up from 81% the previous year.

The interesting question now is what brands are doing with that investment.

From influencer posts to bigger campaigns
Creator marketing is becoming less about paying for a single piece of content and more about finding ways for creators to contribute to a wider brand strategy.

That does not necessarily mean abandoning traditional advertising. In fact, some of the most interesting examples are where creator content sits alongside it.

Boots' new ‘Give It Some Boots’ platform, launched in September, is a good example. The campaign spans TV, cinema, digital OOH, social, in-store, and online, with creator-led content that brings the platform to life through more personal stories.

The distinction matters. Creators are not being treated as a separate advertising channel bolted onto the campaign; they are being used to extend its idea into a different kind of conversation.

That is increasingly where the value lies.

Relevance matters more than reach
The growth of creator marketing also reflects a broader change in how brands can think about audiences.

The biggest account is not necessarily the most useful one. A creator with a highly specific audience can offer something that a much larger, more generalised channel cannot: context.

For an SME, that might mean a food creator with a strong local following, a specialist with credibility in a particular industry or a lifestyle creator whose audience closely matches a particular customer group.

The point is not simply to borrow somebody else's audience. It is to find someone who already understands the people a brand is trying to reach.

Argos offers a useful example of how that thinking can translate into creative work. In 2025, the retailer launched ‘Arghaüs’, described as its most ambitious creator campaign to date: an episodic social series in which celebrities showcased its products through a fictional art-gallery concept.

The campaign generated a 228% increase in engagement across its social channels after launching. Rather than simply placing products with creators, the retailer built a format around them, using entertainment and storytelling to make the products part of a wider idea.

Creators can be a content resource, too
There is another reason the market is becoming more interesting for marketers: creators can bring not only creative expertise but also distribution.

They understand the formats, language and pace that work within their particular communities. That can be valuable when brands are trying to produce content that feels native to social platforms rather than like advertising transplanted onto them.

Short-form video is already a major part of this shift. Kolsquare's research found it was identified as the biggest opportunity by 55% of UK marketers.

For businesses, that opens up possibilities beyond a sponsored post. Depending on the agreement, creator-produced material can be added to a broader content library, giving brands more assets to work with across social and digital channels.

What does it mean for smaller businesses?
The £1bn figure does not mean every business needs an influencer strategy involving dozens of creators.

If anything, market growth makes the case for greater selectivity.

A smaller business can start with a clear customer group, identify creators who already have credibility with that audience and build a relationship around a specific objective. That might be awareness, website traffic, sales, or simply producing better social content.

The important part is defining the job before choosing the creator.

Follower counts and likes can tell marketers something, but they do not tell the whole story. Relevance, audience fit, content quality, and the ability to build an ongoing relationship can be just as important.

A new stage for creator marketing
There is a useful distinction behind the £1bn headline.

The figure measures creator partnerships that appear on creators' own digital platforms, including production, distribution, and digital rights. It does not include wider creator revenues such as subscriptions, events or product sales, nor paid amplification of creator campaigns.

So, this is not a measure of every pound generated by the creator economy. It is, however, a significant marker of where creator partnerships now sit within advertising.

The opportunity for marketers is no longer to ask which influencer could promote the product. It is about considering where a creator's audience, expertise, and creative perspective can make the wider marketing activity more relevant and building the partnership around that.

All marks are the property of 4imprint or their respective owners.

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