After this year, one thing is clear—influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere. 

Brands across the board tapped creators large and small to reach new audiences in 2022. Creators have become key parts of campaigns, even as marketers grapple with iOS privacy changes and reevaluate budgets.

While TikTok saw a surge in new creators, Instagram still takes the lion’s share of influencer marketing spending in the U.S., according to Insider Intelligence. Instagram accounted for 44% of all U.S. influencer marketing spending in 2022, down from 45% in 2021. YouTube and Facebook also fell, with YouTube dropping to 19% this year, down from 21% last year; and Facebook falling to 14.8% this year, down from 16.5% last year. Spending on TikTok rose to 15% this year, up from 10% in 2021. TikTok is forecasted to surpass Facebook and YouTube by 2024, according to Insider Intelligence. 

As interest in influencer marketing continues to grow, so too have platforms' efforts to attract and retain creators, and thus ad dollars. All of the major platforms have creator funds, and many have started updating their ad revenue split to help lure creators. YouTube, for instance, now shares 45% of ad revenue with Shorts creators. Brand partnerships are a huge income stream for creators and a more entertaining way to reach consumers.

Below, we’ve rounded up the top five brand-creator partnerships of 2022.

Khaby Lame and Boss

Khaby Lame is the modern Charlie Chaplin of TikTok, known for his viral videos where he doesn’t speak but uses facial expressions and clever editing to get the point across. Senegal-born Lame was working in a factory in Italy when his TikTok content started taking off. Over the summer, he surpassed Charli D’Amelio as the most-followed account on the app with over 152 million followers. He has worked with brands such as Pepsi and Google, but is probably best known for his Boss campaigns. On Boss’s TikTok account, Lame stars in several no-word videos to highlight the luxury brand’s line, and he even walked the runway for the brand’s Milan fashion show.

Anna Sitar and K18 Hair

It’s always a win-win in partnerships when creators work with products they already love. Such was the case for K18 Hair when lifestyle and fashion creator Anna Sitar organically posted about the brand in August to her 12 million TikTok followers. For K18’s last campaign of 2022, the hair brand enlisted Sitar to direct and star in a connected TV spot, putting Sitar’s MFA in film and television production to good use. The spot also appeared on Sitar and K18’s TikTok accounts, and ran in time for the Sephora Beauty Insider sale. 

Corn Kid and Chipotle

“It’s Corn!” was the TikTok song of the year, as an interview with 7-year-old Tariq by Recess Therapy was turned into a viral tune by The Gregory Brothers. Although all types of brands made TikToks with their take on the trend, Chipotle’s video stood out—and it didn’t even use the song. Instead, its video shows a burrito bowl being built, with a soft voice declining all of the food options until little Tariq appears on the other side of the counter saying, “It’s corn!” Chipotle's take on the trend racked up almost 60 million views. The restaurant learned that Tariq and his family went to their local Chipotle once a week, another instance of a natural fit between an influencer and a brand.

Emily Zugay and Windows

Emily Zugay has gone viral on TikTok for her deadpan humor and ridiculous logo redesigns. Windows was among the early brand logos Zugay redesigned in 2021, when she put her face in the four panes of the Windows logo. Windows leaned into Zugay's work, first giving Zugay a new Surface Pro late last year with her version of logo on the back, and the partnership has continued throughout 2022. Zugay has posted videos about receiving an Xbox, a keyboard, mouse and laptop, as well as a custom controller, all with a combined 112 million views. Most recently, Zugay unboxed an ugly holiday sweater featuring Clippy. Zugay is still the only person that Windows follows on TikTok.

Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and Taco Bell

Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, of the pianist-singer duo Barlow and Bear, shot to fame earlier this year when they won a Grammy for best musical theater album for their album “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” Taco Bell snagged the pair to write the score for “Mexican Pizza: The Musical,” which focused on bringing back the chain’s Mexican Pizza menu item. The musical, which featured Dolly Parton and Doja Cat, was streamed in three parts on Taco Bell’s TikTok.