Brands push influencer ads toward $44 billion in creator spend
Creator marketing kept moving into ad budgets on Monday, as new reports put U.S. creator ad spend close to $44 billion in 2026. Brands are pushing more into longer-term, trackable partnerships, less reliant on single sponsored posts. ECIKS, pulling from Global Brands Magazine, said that in 2026, deals with performance targets—where pay is based on clicks, sales or similar results—hit 53% of all arrangements. That's up from 23% in 2024.