We Are Social has published a new report, Next Gen Influence, revealing the five trends defining a new era for brand and creator collaborations. The report shines a spotlight on the creators who are making waves and standing out as well as what brands should know about the next generation of influence.
The first trend is ‘the right to reinvention’ as creators are recording and sharing their journeys and transformations online. One such creator is Julie Vu — Big Brother Canada’s first transgender houseguest — who shares content that portrays her trans evolution.
‘Relatable realism’ is another trend that viewers are celebrating, featuring aspirational content that promotes calmness and stability over luxury and glamour. We Are Social identified @hart_of_shetland as a driver of this trend, with the creator being a former city-dweller who now lives on the Shetland islands and makes ethical crafts.
The third trend, ‘influential allies’, highlights audiences’ increasing scepticism surrounding philanthropy as many view it as a way to gain more attention and followers. As such, creators are now turning away from philanthropic work and creating content that challenges the status quo. An example of an influential ally is Kahlil Greene, a creator who uses TikTok to share forgotten historical truths.
We Are Social’s report also identified ‘credible creativity’ as a trend, focusing on what they call ‘very online’ communication modes. Increasingly, brands are adopting the communication styles of creators, leaning into humorous and entertaining content. The report uses the Marc Jacobs and @sylvaniandrama partnership as an example of this.
The final trend, ‘extreme influence’, underlines the difficulty many creators now face when trying to stand out. With so much content now available, the next generation of creators is turning to the ‘unusual and extreme’. Max Webb is one of the creators who are pushing boundaries to stand out.
Mobbie Nazir, Global Chief Strategy Officer at We Are Social, discussed the report’s findings in a press release: ‘The creator economy is growing rapidly, driven not only by platforms but by the individuals working in those spaces. They are finding ever more creative and distinct ways to engage audiences at scale. In this continuously evolving ecosystem, keeping up with the latest movements can be hard for brands. Our Next Gen Influence report maps out not just the surface-level shifts, but the deeper motivations impacting brand-creator collaborations in the long term.’
Read the report on We Are Social’s website here.
Featured image: We Are Social
