Creator and influencer trends brand marketers need to know about right now

Welcome to Ad Age’s influencer marketing news roundup. Each week, we’ll be highlighting the latest developments at the intersection between brands and the creator economy, including new partnerships between brands and creators, notable new features across social media platforms and the growth of creator-led businesses. Sign up for our influencer marketing newsletter here. Have tips or news to share about influencer marketing and the creator economy? Email Gillian Follett at gillian.follett@adage.com. New deals Tarte Cosmetics and JaNa Craig, Sara and Avni Deshmukh, Brianna LaPaglia and more: Tarte kicked off its celebration of the 10th anniversary of its first “Trippin with Tarte” influencer trip over the weekend with a lavish getaway to a private island in the British Virgin Islands. The cosmetics brand is hosting over two dozen creators on “Tarte Island,” including influencer and “Love Island USA” cast member JaNa Craig; sisters Sara and Avni Deshmukh; and influencer and podcast host Briana “Chickenfry” LaPaglia. Unlike many of Tarte’s highly exclusive influencer trips, the brand also held four spots on its star-studded guest list for two members of its brand community who won a social media giveaway—as well as their plus ones. And because the trip is coinciding with the California wildfires, Tarte announced it would donate $10,000 to World Central Kitchen in the name of each creator, for a total of $250,000. @tartecosmetics Always red-y with shape tape in hand ❤️🏝️ #tarteisland #trippinwithtarte @Tarayummy @Gabriela Moura @NayNay @sonia_barbie_tucker @The Odditty @Ken Eurich @Mei Mei @Justine’s Camera Roll 📸✨ @Aspyn Ovard ♬ Fashion Modern Cool Funky Groove - dimmysad Also read: How LA’s ad industry is coping with the disaster Poppi and Serena Kerrigan, Abby Baffoe, @TheHannieDiaries and more: Videos of influencers unboxing piles of PR packages have become so ubiquitous it can be hard for individual brands to stand out. Prebiotic soda brand Poppi ensured its latest influencer gifting campaign wouldn’t be lost in the shuffle by delivering massive refrigerator-shaped PR packages to a handful of lifestyle creators, including Serena Kerrigan, Abby Baffoe and @TheHannieDiaries. Each “refrigerator” came stocked with Poppi’s newly launched cream soda flavor and a collection of sweatshirts, sweatpants and other merch the brand released at Target earlier this month. @serenakerrigan the fridge couldn't fit in my elevator lol @Drink Poppi #poppi #soda #prpackage #creamsoda ♬ original sound - Sofia Richie Grainge Notion and Snoop Dogg: Snoop Dogg has starred in multiple brand campaigns over the years, but “LinkedIn-fluencing” is a relatively new frontier for the rapper. Last week, he partnered with produdctivity app Notion to promote its new “Notion Faces” tool that allows users to design a doodle-like avatar to use on the platform. Creator Authority, an influencer marketing agency focused on LinkedIn, was behind the partnership. Chipotle, Strava and Logan Moffitt, Brett Chody and Taylor Fritz: Chipotle and exercise-tracking app Strava teamed up earlier this month to motivate consumers to maintain their New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier or exercise more by giving away thousands of the restaurant chain’s “Lifestyle Bowls.” For an additional motivation boost, Chipotle recruited “Cucumber Guy” Logan Moffitt; Brett Chody, a food and lifestyle creator; and pro tennis star Taylor Fritz to highlight some of the bowls consumers can win through the two brands’ ongoing campaign. @brettsbites Chipotle slay 🔥 lmk if you guys try the Balanced Macro Bowl!! #chipotlepartner ♬ original sound - Brett’s Bites Also read: 2025 influencer marketing predictions Moschino and @JasminaTV: Luxury brands are increasingly tailoring their social strategies to connect with Gen Z consumers—often by embracing the age cohort’s “unhinged” humor and collaborating with Gen Z creators, as Marc Jacobs has over the past year. Moschino is the latest luxury brand to court Gen Zers, collaborating with fashion creator Jasmina (aka @JasminaTV) and her friend David on a bizarre TikTok ad that parodies law firm commercials. @moschino "When it comes to #fashion, choose Moschino!" Discover our Resort 2025 collection with @JASMINA and David. #Moschino #MoschinoSS25 #Collezione01 #tiktokfashion #fashiontiktok ♬ suono originale - Moschino Tums, DraftKings and Vince Wilfork: In the leadup to the Super Bowl, Tums is partnering with DraftKings and former NFL player Vincent Wilfork on an online “Fantasy Foodball” game where players can create fantasy leagues made up of popular gameday foods and drinks for a shot at winning a share of a $40,000 cash pool. The campaign follows Tums’ collaboration with comedian Desus Nice on a similarly food-themed betting game last January. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TUMS (@tumsofficial) Social media screenshot TikTok prepares to potentially “go dark” in the U.S.: Last Friday, the Supreme Court heard two and a half hours of oral arguments on the looming U.S. TikTok ban, during which Noel Francisco, the attorney for TikTok and ByteDance, said TikTok will “go dark” if the ban takes effect on Jan. 19. In other words, the platform would immediately “shut down” in the U.S., rather than just being removed from app stores. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the TikTok ban this week. Read more: TikTok to ‘go dark’ if U.S. ban proceeds Meta ends fact-checking and cuts back on content moderation: Meta announced several controversial changes to its platforms last week. Last Tuesday, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan revealed that the company will end its third-party fact-checking program and replace it with a “community notes” feature similar to that of X, formerly Twitter. Kaplan also announced Meta is scaling down its content moderation system and lessening restrictions on prejudicial speech tied to immigration and gender across its platforms—for example, Meta now permits “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation.” The change was fueled by “a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech” illustrated by the re-election of Donald Trump, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) Delta brings YouTube to seatback screens: Passengers on Delta Air Lines flights will soon be able to watch YouTube content alongside the traditional collection of movies and TV shows offered on seatback screens, the two companies announced at CES last week. Check out more CES coverage here. TikTok of the week @gabriella.rose.music pulling out my dusty musty resume ig ….anyways follow me on instagram @gabriella.rose.music #fyp#funny#gabriellarose#instagramreels#fypシ ♬ original sound - JamieJL651 Over the weekend, TikTok users and creators in the U.S. began preemptively mourning the potential nationwide ban on the app and discussing alternative social platforms. Many creators, including country artist Gabriella Rose (above), expressed their loathing for Instagram Reels, which has frequently been pitched as the best replacement for TikTok if the ban takes effect. Others directed viewers to RedNote, another Chinese short-form video app, which drove the platform to the top of Apple’s app store on Monday. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today Threadspotting View on Threads The heightened discussion surrounding the looming ban has extended beyond TikTok itself over the past few days. Creators on Threads have also been pushing back against the ban and emphasizing TikTok’s importance in generating income for both creators and small businesses. Become an All Access subscriber Get access to exclusive resources including Leading National Advertisers, World’s Largest Advertisers, Agency Report, Agency Review Tracker and TV Pricing Report. Click here

Creator and influencer trends brand marketers need to know about right now

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