1、Creator economy in 3D Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsWhats insideIntroduction 3How creators aim to grow,and what it means for marketers 4Top creator priorities for brand partnerships 6From obstacles to opportunities:How brands can design a frictionless creator experien

2、ce 9Designing a platform for growth:Where platforms fall short on creator needs 11Web3,or not to be?How creators feel about future tech disruptors 143Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsIntroductionContent creation has become a complex interplay among

3、platforms,brands,and creators.Each has the potential to grow revenue,develop a sense of purpose,and create new ways for people to connect.The current landscape,however,presents friction points that could limit growth for all parties.We surveyed 400 creators to learn more about their work and the cha

4、llenges they face as both creatives and business owners,in an effort to help brands,creators,and platforms create stronger partnerships.Our data suggests that many of these issues can be resolved or reduced when platforms and brands learn more about the priorities of the creators they team with and

5、work to turn those relationships into growth opportunities for all parties.4Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsMany creators disproportionately rely on brand partnerships for their income,but theyre looking to diversify their income sources to drive g

6、rowth.This pivot also hints at a challenge many creators face in their efforts to maintain consistent partnerships,along with a desire for more dependable and long-term streams of income.To understand the revenue landscape for content creators,we asked them how much of their income comes from three

7、primary sources:Brand sponsorships,such as affiliate marketing or sponsored posts;Follower contributions,such as direct payments or subscriptions;and Platform payments,such as creator pools or ad revenue.On average,creators with brand partnerships report 55%of their income comes from those partnersh

8、ips,with nearly a third of those creators reporting more than 70%coming from brands.When asked,however,about ideal distribution of revenue from brand sponsorships,this average drops sharply to 43%.This finding not only suggests creators are looking to grow beyond over-reliance on income from brand p

9、artnership but aim to diversify their current sources of income among other sources such as platform payments or follower contributions.Finding the sweet spotCreators rely on brands for a significant percentage of income but wish to diversify into previously untapped sources to increase their revenu

10、e.A third of creators indicated they would like to increase their income by engaging untapped streams of revenue especially follower contributions and platform payments.Alongside this diversification of revenue sources,many creators prefer a flattening of income distribution as well.Given the choice

11、,most creators prefer no more than 21%to 50%of their income to come from any single source(figure 1).In addition,there is a growing preference for longer-term(annual)contracts with brands to create a steady revenue stream.While it may be counterintuitive,both brands and platforms can increase their

12、appeal to creators by redesigning how they approach compensation.How creators aim to grow,and what it means for marketersFigure 1.Average ideal share of revenue5Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsThe brand responseBrands can become more competitive pa

13、rtners with creators in two ways.First,they can shift the nature of their creator collaborations from sponsorship to partnership.They can align with creators values and cater to their desire to gain exposure and grow their audiences in tandem with brands.Brands should focus on building a strong soci

14、al presence and a clear brand strategy that allows them to become equal partners with creators.Second,brands should address the unreliable nature of short-term contracts a key part of the reason creators turn to other sources of income.Brands can alleviate these concerns by adjusting the length of c

15、ontracts,or by providing clearer next steps to creators.Longer-term contracts also provide a better opportunity to form stronger creator-brand partnerships that can assist in creators growth.How platforms can pivotThere are a number of opportunities for platforms to support creators and their growth

16、.More than half of creators report difficulty finding brands to partner with,and platforms are well-situated to facilitate matches.To be useful,however,creator marketplaces should be designed with the needs of both brands and creators in mind and avoid superficial or undesirable matches.Creators are

17、 not platform-exclusive;they use three or more platforms on average to generate revenue.As such,they are seeking to grow across platforms,especially when they feel that a platform is easy to adopt and profit from.Creators also note that a platforms ability to facilitate their process for creating,ma

18、naging,and tracking their content performance is their second-highest priority after growing their business,presenting an opportunity for platforms to improve their analytics and performance tools.6Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsTo understand what

19、 creators value most when looking for a brand partnership,we asked them to rank their top priorities among several factors.Two factors stood out above the rest:Priority 1:A brand that resonates with their audienceNearly 70%of creators said their top priority in a brand partnership is ensuring the br

20、and is relevant to their audience.Notably,this priority appears to supersede a brands general popularity.In fact,given the choice between general popularity and audience relevance,creators chose audience relevance by a nearly 3-to-1 margin(figure 2).Additionally,while brand relevance to audience app

21、ears to be creators primary consideration,37%of creators consider the brands values and purpose as a top considerationalso surpassing brand popularity.Top creator priorities for brand partnershipsFigure 2.Creator priorities for brand partnerships7Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities betwee

22、n platforms,brands,and creatorsPriority 2:Partnerships that payLike any business owner,creators want to be fairly compensated for their work.Creators second-highest priority in choosing to work with a brand,just behind brand relevance,is the monetary value of the partnership.Creators are ambitious64

23、%of creators forecast a substantial revenue increase within the next year.If brands are not able to meet fair payment standards to their creator partners,they should consider how they can assist with creators other priorities.As such,brands should also give weight to secondary factors creators noted

24、 as important.Those include brand values,ease of collaboration,and whether they actively use the product or service a brand wants them to promote.Perks can differentiate brandsBrands should not overlook the importance of perks like exclusive access to events and celebrities,free merchandise,and feat

25、uring the creator in brand content or advertising.Across all perks,an average of 53%of creators consider perks“very”or“extremely important”in their decision-making process.As such,brands can leverage their entire repertoire of perks as a relatively inexpensive way to build goodwill and add value to

26、the creator partnership(figure 3).Figure 3.Importance of perks in choosing brand partnerships8Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsWhat does this mean for brands?1.Demonstrate fit:If it is not immediately obvious to a creator how a brand is relevant to

27、their audience,show them.While you should lean in to any insight creators have into their audience through experience,not all creators have the same sophistication or capability for market research.2.Dial in your monetization structure:Creators talk to each other.Make sure your compensation is fair

28、and equitable.Creators expect to have access to the products they are promoting.They also appreciate exclusive access to promotional opportunities or high-profile events and representatives.Creators are looking for mutually beneficial brand collaborations that help them grow alongside the brands the

29、y work with.Brands can improve their competitiveness in the creator space by becoming trusted players themselves on social platforms.9Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsCreators face many challenges running their business,and brand sponsorships can co

30、ntribute their own fair share of issues.Creators frequently report challenges such as securing and maintaining brand sponsorships,negotiating contracts,and receiving timely payments(figure 4).Many creators also find brand revenue streams difficult to manage:37%of creators find sponsored posts somewh

31、at to very difficult to manage,and 60%of creators feel this way about affiliate marketing.These challenges are more acute across the board for creators with smaller audiences,proving an even higher growth hurdle for niche or emerging creators.Thankfully,each of these issues is not only directly in t

32、he brands control,but they might also be solved with relatively low-cost changes that may disproportionately win over creators.From obstacles to opportunities:How brands can design a frictionless creator experienceFigure 4.Creator challenges in brand partnerships10Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing op

33、portunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsHow brands can respond1.Improve outreach and inbound leads.Fifty-eight percent of creators report securing brand sponsorships to be difficulta number that jumps to 80%for micro-creators(creators with fewer than 10,000 followers).Brands can ease these

34、difficulties in several ways.First,brands can collaborate with platforms to refine creator marketplaces wherein creators can find strong brand partnerships.Second,brands should strengthen their outreach efforts,especially among smaller creators who have the potential to grow alongside the brand.Bran

35、ds can also publish clear guidelines for inbound creator inquiries,listing expectations and requirements for potential creator partnerships.2.Set clear expectations.In describing their ideal partnerships with brands,creators cite clear expectations from the start of a contract as important.Brands sh

36、ould set expectations upfront about pay,brand strategy,and posting frequencyand show awareness of how these expectations are relevant to the creators brand.3.Lengthen standard collaboration contracts.Creators repeatedly mention their preference for longer-term,ongoing partnerships with brands.Longer

37、 partnerships can allow creators to develop a deep relationship with the brand.4.Improve ease and speed of payment.Brands can reduce the strain on creators small businesses by streamlining the payment process.Half of creators have difficulty receiving timely payments and note that payments generally

38、 take three to four weeks.Creators also explained that brands methods of issuing payments can be difficult to use and time-consuming to set up.I prefer to collaborate with brands through direct email with offers,deliverables,and terms presented upfront.”I prefer for payment to be agreed upon upfront

39、 and for a clear payment plan to be organized.”I like working with brands that have a clear strategy,pay accordingly,give me a guideline for my posts,and that align with my brand,mission,and vision.I like to collaborate with brands that will resonate with my audience and boost engagement and value.”

40、I prefer paid collaborations with long-term commitments.This allows me to be consistent,it does go over much better with consumers/community,and it motivates me to go above and beyond for the brand Im working with.”11Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creator

41、sWe asked creators to rate their primary platforms on seven different criteria,and we found they are not fully satisfied with that platforms performance.The criteria that creators found most lacking included the ability of the platform to resolve technical difficulties,address issues of harassment o

42、r abuse,and promote values that resonate with creators (figure 5).As platforms increasingly offer similar content media for creators,these secondary features will likely become critical to creator retention.Notably,the creators with higher follower counts appear to have higher expectations and are r

43、outinely less satisfied with nearly every aspect of the platform we surveyed against.For instance,52%of micro-creators strongly agree their primary platform helps grow their business,compared with only 29%of creators with follower counts above 100,000.Additionally,48%of micro-creators strongly agree

44、 their platform provides fair opportunities to profit,compared with only 40%of creators with follower counts above 100,000.Designing a platform for growth:Where platforms fall short on creator needsFigure 5.Creator satisfaction with aspects of primary platform performance12Creator economy in 3D:Maxi

45、mizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsCreators report using,on average,at least two platforms and are generally eager to grow into new spaces with new audiences.Platforms have an opportunity to bring new creators on as they grow by understanding creators needs and streamlining th

46、e onboarding process.In addition,platforms can also become lucrative partners to creators by helping them match with appropriate brands and providing incentives for developing content.Platforms have room to improve in catering to creators top prioritiesContent creators prioritize three features as t

47、heir top priorities when choosing a platform:1.Ability to easily publish,manage,and track the performance of content;2.Ability of the platform to help grow their business;and3.Fair opportunities to profit from their content.Unfortunately for platforms,creators indicate they arent completely satisfie

48、d with their primary platforms performance in these areas.Only 60%of creators strongly agree their platforms make it easy for them to manage their content,while only about 40%of creators strongly agree their platforms offer fair opportunities to profit or help grow their business.These numbers fall

49、even further when looking at creators with higher follower counts(above 100,000).Only 29%of creators with follower counts above 100,000 strongly agree their platform helps grow their business.Creators report substantial shortcomings on issue resolution,addressing harassment,and catering to creator v

50、aluesWe found creators are least satisfied with their platforms ability to provide adequate resolution to technical or policy issues(33%)and address instances of harassment and abusive behavior(26%).While these two factors may be secondary priorities,one in four creators still consider these factors

51、 a top priority in choosing a platform.13Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsConsiderations for platforms Platforms can attract creators from other platforms:Many creators are not platform-exclusive;they actively seek to grow their business on multiple

52、 platforms where possible.Creators arent likely to abandon their primary platforms,but platforms have an opportunity to draw creator interest as they build out new audiences.Additionally,platforms have an opportunity to attract creators by supporting further monetization opportunities.Improve conten

53、t management and tracking tools to improve creator experience:Platforms can appeal to creators by improving built-in tools that can make it easy for them to manage and track the performance of their content.Platforms can accomplish this by streamlining the usability of existing tools or implementing

54、 features that make it easier for creators to understand the significance of overall trends.Further,helping creators understand how their performance can translate to monetization.For example,providing benchmark averages of recent creator contracts against average performance can help creators under

55、stand their own growth targets.Improve creator marketplaces to facilitate creator growth:Creators No.1 priority for platforms is that the platform helps grow their businessand platforms can appeal to this priority by investing in their creator marketplaces.Platforms should adopt an ongoing process f

56、or collecting and analyzing user feedback to help ensure both brand and creator needs are being addressed.While creators prioritize brands that resonate with their audiences,other factors such as brand values and ease of collaboration are priorities.Consider features that allow creators to search an

57、d assess brands by what matters most to them.Add platform features that facilitate multiple means of creator monetization:Creators are looking to increase their sources of revenue from additional sources where possible.Platforms may improve their value proposition by implementing content or features

58、 that help creators diversify their sources of income.For instance,platforms could improve their interface to allow followers to donate or tip creators directly through the platform or facilitate partnerships with third-party entities.Improve creator support and provide policy transparency:Secondary

59、 to growth,nearly a quarter of creators are looking to platforms to help them resolve technical issues,support their values through platform policy,address harassment and other abusive behavior,and provide clear guidelines on acceptable content.These issues are particularly important to larger creat

60、ors.Platforms can support them by solidifying and promoting their policy efforts.Streamline your payment strategies:Getting paid in a timely manner is an issue for about half of creators,and many reported difficulties setting up and using payment systems.Platforms can provide better mechanisms to ma

61、ke sure creators are able to earn revenue without the additional hassle of negotiating complicated payment platforms.14Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsThe tech world is abuzz about Web3 technologies such as the metaverse and non-fungible tokens(NFT

62、s).Companies and creators alike are trying to understand how to navigate these nascent innovations.We asked creators both whether they see these technologies as relevant to their business andmore cruciallyhow they will be relevant.These insights can help brands and platforms understand how they may

63、be able to engage creators in these spaces.Some potential,but mostly hesitation for the metaverseAsked whether creators feel the metaverse will be relevant to their business in the next year,only 27%said yes.Even among these 27%who feel the metaverse will be relevant to them,our qualitative data sug

64、gest uncertainty around how or why theyll engage with the metaverse.Potential uses range from creating metaverse-specific content,virtually showcasing content and wares,to hosting virtual events or creating a metaverse“community.”Of those interested in the metaverse,creators in media/entertainment a

65、nd fashion were most likely to believe that the metaverse is or will become relevant to their work.In addition,larger creators were about twice as likely to see the metaverse as relevant.While creators of all sizes and across industries see some relevance in the metaverse,we anticipate these segment

66、s will lead the way in metaverse adoption in the coming years.Overall,our survey results suggest that the metaverses eventual creators are waiting to understand where this trend is going before diving in headfirst.More to see with NFTsIn contrast to the metaverse,50%of creators see at least some rel

67、evance for NFTs in their future,particularly as an additional means of income.Some creators see NFTs as a new way of monetizing their content by selling virtual copies of their content or selling tokens that provide access to more exclusive content.But this relevance appears to be largely speculativ

68、e at the momentas only 17%of creators say they currently use them as a source of revenue(figure 6).Web3,or not to be?How creators feel about future tech disruptorsFigure 6.Relevance of NFTs to creators15Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsCreators who

69、do use NFTs as a revenue source report that they are the most difficult source of revenue to manage out of all we surveyed.The gap between perceived relevance and current use may be due in part to NFTs novelty,but monetization is not the only purpose creators see from NFTs.Creators also see NFTs as

70、a means of:Building networks and communities:NFTs can be used to commemorate events,or even as a means of providing access to certain content or events,providing followers with a sense of group cohesion and ownership.Boosting brand awareness and loyalty:NFTs can function as a form of advertising for

71、 creators by raising awareness of their brand through distribution.Likewise,NFTs can be used as a means of boosting follower loyalty by incentivizing increased engagement with that creators content or community.Ensuring security and trust:Because NFTs rely on blockchain technology,digital assets can

72、not be fabricated,providing creators and their followers with a higher degree of security over intellectual property.16Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsMethods In May 2022,we surveyed 400 creators within the United States to learn more about their c

73、reative work,their goals,and the challenges they face.We included creators with audiences from 5,000 followers to more than 1 million followers and sampled widely across subject matter and industries.17Creator economy in 3D:Maximizing opportunities between platforms,brands,and creatorsGet in touch C

74、hristine CuttenPrincipal,Influencer Marketing Lead,Marketing TransformationDeloitte Consulting LLP Dennis OrtizPrincipalSocial Commerce Practice Leader and Advertising,Publishing,and Social Platform Sector LeaderDeloitte Consulting LLPKenny GoldManaging Director,Head of Social,Content and Influencer

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