Digiday+ Research: the marketers' 2026 guide to creator marketing

Why it matters

US brands on track for 13.7 billion dollars of influencer spend by 2027, with creator partnerships spreading past social into retail media, CTV and display. Duolingo, Ulta and YouTube are profiled on how they wire creators across the full stack. The spend is not only growing, it is diversifying, which turns influence into infrastructure rather than a standalone social budget.

The source