Creators outpace AI and social in CMO investment plans, report

Creators are set to lead marketing investments in 2026, according to LTK’s third annual creator marketing study conducted with Northwestern University’s Retail Analytics Council. The report shows that nearly all chief marketing officers plan to increase budgets for creator partnerships, placing the channel above AI-driven search, paid social, and paid search.

The findings highlight a broader shift in how brands view creators. Ninety-seven percent of CMOs plan to expand spending, citing trust as the key driver. The study reports that consumer trust in creators rose by 21 percent year-over-year, positioning them ahead of social ads and celebrities as the most credible source of product recommendations.

Marketers are increasingly deploying creator content beyond social media. According to the study, creator-produced content is now used in display advertising (46 percent), content marketing (44 percent), user-generated content (41 percent), affiliate marketing (38 percent), and connected TV (35 percent). On social media, creators have become central to advertising strategies, with 92 percent of brands using creator content in ads and allocating one-fifth of budgets to boosting it.

Within retail media networks, creator marketing has risen to the second-highest investment priority, up from third in 2024. CMOs identify awareness and brand perception as the greatest benefits creators bring, with awareness reporting a 27 percent increase year-over-year.

The study shows brands shifting from individual campaigns to ongoing creator engagement. Sixty-five percent of CMOs report working with more than 50 creators, while 41 percent partner with over 100. Lifestyle creators are considered most important by 60 percent of marketing leaders.

Frank Dudley, Professor of Marketing Strategy, Northwestern University: "What we’re seeing in this year’s study is a significant shift toward scale. Marketers are no longer experimenting with creators in isolated campaigns; they are bringing creator marketing together into one unified, full-funnel strategy. Going into 2026, creators are becoming the connective tissue across channels, delivering impact from awareness all the way through conversion and loyalty."

Creator strategies now span an average of seven or more departments, including social, media, PR, shopper marketing, and brand. This expansion has led to greater demand for streamlined platforms. The majority of CMOs favor hybrid solutions that combine managed services and self-service tools to oversee partnerships.

Rodney Mason, Head of Marketing, Brand Platform, LTK: "Creator content is number one in marketing investment growth and is now full-funnel, used across all marketing departments. The hyper growth is creating demand to bring creator marketing together all-in-one place to scale impact faster and more efficiently."

To support this shift, LTK announced that next month it will expand its brand platform into a full creator management system. Brands will be able to create and manage profiles, work with creators across all stages of marketing, and access a free version of the platform, with advanced features available for paid users.

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