Creator Economy Operating Models: The Marketer’s Framework

Creator marketing is no longer niche. It’s now an established part of the marketing mix, with 86% of brands working with creators* and UK creator marketing spend projected to surpass £1bn by the end of 2026.** 

But the structures around it haven’t kept pace. Our research with members of ISBA’s Creator Marketing Forum and Media Leaders group, who together represent over £1.75bn of annual UK advertising spend, found that 48% still manage creator marketing in an ad hoc way, and only 9% treat it as core to their marketing strategy. 

As creator marketing commands bigger budgets and boardroom attention, businesses are leaving growth opportunities on the table because they haven’t made critical decisions about ownership and responsibility. In almost a quarter of businesses, responsibility is scattered across several teams, and not a single business in our research gave creator ownership to its media team. 

This whitepaper gives you a framework to identify and embed the right operating model for your business and creator strategy, using diagnostic questions to guide your thinking. 

Proving value is marketers’ biggest challenge: 59% say they can assess creator ROI only ‘somewhat confidently’, largely because creator activity sits outside the frameworks used to measure the rest of their marketing. From measurement to securing stakeholder support, we share how to prove the value of creator marketing and secure the mandate to operationalise it effectively within your business. 

The right approach depends on size, role, investment and ambition. There is no one-size-fits-all model. 

Bolt-on is a flexible, ad hoc solution that activates creator marketing around specific campaigns or moments. 

Channel is an always-on presence in the marketing mix, often supported by a retained agency, which raises questions around data ownership. 

Core is a structural part of how the brand goes to market and, with high investment, can be built entirely in-house. Measurement here enables connected reporting and allows creator marketing to sit alongside every other channel and be evaluated on equal terms.