Creators are the foundation of the media and advertising industry, responsible for so much of the incredible work that graces our screens every day. But what shifts are we seeing in the industry and how is this going to shape the year ahead?
This International Creators Day, B&T asked the industry exactly that. From Gypsy Rose-Blanchard to trains and reiki massage, hear the latest trends directly from the horse’s mouth!
David Arthur, Senior Talent Manager, Amplify
The biggest trend / shift that I find fascinating at present, is that social media has become one of the primary sources of news and current affairs (regardless of the age of the user). For example, in recent times, Facebook has been cited as the platform that spreads the most misinformation, yet if you open the comments section of news articles posted to Facebook (e.g. from a publisher like The Daily Mail), the comments section is filled with people taking this piece of news as verbatim. Similarly on TikTok, every few videos that appear across your FYP contain the latest press releases, segments from TV news that have aired only moments before and more recently, news from times past.
Another example of this, at the end of 2023 and the start of 2024, Gypsy Rose-Blanchard became an overnight celebrity, thanks largely in part to the scale of content created and available on social media, specifically TikTok. Those who had never heard of her all of a sudden knew every detail of her life, her story and her crime. The power of social media has given people a renewed interest in news and current affairs, which is now in turn also leading to censorship across a number of social media platforms.
The ongoing war in Gaza is an example of something suffering from this censorship. We’re seeing creators who promote information, resources, tools, links etc. in relation to the conflict are finding their content is suppressed, flagged and/or removed by the platforms not wanting to allow for political discourse amongst users.
Jade Compston, @jade_compston, Hoozu Huume talent
Creator content serves their audience with entertainment, inspiration, and education. It’s a virtual value exchange. One worrying trend among creators was the use of ‘View Bait,’ akin to the old concept of Clickbait. This tactic involved enticing viewers with incomplete information in videos, prompting them to check captions for the full reveal, thereby inflating view counts. Fortunately, this trend has now fatigued, paving the way for more authentic and engaging content strategies.
The pressure on creators to amass larger audiences to drive views and watch times is immense. However, influencer marketing has evolved from a novel marketing tactic to a mature and sophisticated strategy to get your brand in front of thousands, if not millions, of people. As we move into 2024, I see more creators prioritise substance over mere metrics. Recognising their intrinsic value and pivot towards a more sustainable, long-term strategy.
Tim Collins, @100percentthattim, Amplify talent
I love that the creator space right now is HUGE! There are so many amazing creators absolutely slaying what they do within their niches, which we are seeing more of this year. Whether it’s lifestyle/beauty, comedy, sport, trains, space heck even reiki! There are creators killing the game for just about every topic you can think of! The days of just having a smaller number of big creators who really own the majority of audiences are over. Now people want to consume what they want, when they want! Which has been amazing to see smaller creators rise up and find success in what they create and talk about.
At the end of the day, it still really comes down to two things… relatability and authenticity. (Two buzz words in the social media space… I know!) but it’s so true. Consumers want to feel a connection to the person they are watching. They want to feel like they can relate to you in some way. We really do just want to be entertained or informed by creators right now. I personally think consumers are feeling ‘Kardashian-ed out’ and we just want to see regular everyday people find success. For example, Chick-Fil-A Girl who went viral for being HILARIOUS behind the counter at work and Reesa Teesa the creator behind the viral series ‘Who TF Did I Just Marry’ – the chokehold those videos had on the world was insane!
To sum it up, being a ‘real one’ is in, in 2024!
Natalie Giddings, CEO, Hoozu
One significant trend in the creator economy in Australia is an increased focus on content produced by creators specifically for social media advertising purposes. Some refer to this as User Generated Content (UGC), while we call it Creator Generated Content (CGC).
In most online environments, influencer content outperforms traditionally creative brand assets, driving lower CPMs and so forth. While CGC retains all the wonderful attributes of content created by an influencer, it allows brands to integrate the necessary elements for other advertising purposes and channels. Brands often find it a relief to let influencers do what they do best —bring an audience with trust, created for the brands profiles, without needing to micromanage their content so much. UCG comes with its own challenges since aligning content with a specific brief becomes problematic when it’s primarily spontaneous.
Connor Sprague, Hopeful Monsters
2024 will see a continued shift in the way audiences interact with creators. Instead of chasing after big names with huge followings, audiences are gravitating towards subcultures and niche influencers – a trend already becoming evident in Australia’s music festival scene. While more ‘mainstream’ festivals such as Splendour and Groovin the Moo are being cancelled, genre-based dance festivals like Pitch and HSU are selling out. As part of Hopeful Monsters ‘Change Things Lab’ (our research approach dedicated to deeply understanding and quantifying culture) we’re already looking at ways young people are using subcultures for inspiration and how brands can tap into this.
Our work with Converse All Stars – a global platform of over 1,500 emerging creatives supporting and working with the brand – talks perfectly to this. By showing up and supporting young creative’s careers, we’ve been able to build long term relationships with creators and their highly engaged communities. And this focus on subcultures and emerging creators is paying off, with the brand seeing an increase in ROI across all their brand metrics.
Kylie Robertson, CPO & co-founder Matterworks
At Matterworks, our mission is to transform the lives of young people with impactful health content. We partner with Content Creators not for their reach, but for their relatability. Creators like Aya Al-Chalabi, Chloé Hayden, and JasmineTXO, who have featured in our mental health series for ABC Education and the AFL Schools, bring a variety of voices and personal experiences that resonate deeply with our audience. As learning becomes increasingly social, creators are pivotal in introducing innovative ways to engage young people. And we think that’s worthy of celebrating for International Creators Day!
