The big picture: The rapidly expanding creator economy is driving large enterprises to internalize influencer and content marketing programs, moving away from traditional agency models. This strategic pivot aims to gain greater control, improve performance, and enhance agility in digital advertising.

Why it matters: This shift significantly increases the volume and complexity of managing independent contractors, posing new challenges for corporate HR, talent acquisition, and procurement leaders in terms of compliance, payment, and operational integration.

Between the lines:

• The broader creator economy is projected to reach $191 billion in 2025, up from $156 billion in 2024.
• Influencer marketing spend is estimated to grow from $24 billion in 2024 to $32 billion in 2025.
• In-housing creator programs requires substantial change management to adapt enterprise procurement and accounts payable systems for a high volume of independent contractors.

Staffing & HR impact: Managing a large, specialized contingent workforce of creators introduces new HR compliance risks and operational overhead, impacting internal processes for onboarding, payment, and talent relations. Staffing leaders must develop robust strategies to integrate these roles while ensuring regulatory adherence and efficient workflows.

The bottom line: The direct engagement with independent creators is becoming a core component of enterprise talent strategy, necessitating advanced internal systems and specialized HR expertise.