Creator spending is climbing fast, and the agency of record model is bending around it. Creator led media spend growth is no longer a side budget line. It is pulling mandates, fees, and accountability away from the agencies that held them for decades. If your AOR contract still treats creators as a sub-line under social, you are already behind.
The money has outgrown the old org chart
Start with scale. The IAB projected that creator ad spend would reach $37 billion in 2025, up 26% year over year, nearly four times faster than overall media growth. The same report expects creator ad spend to reach $44 billion in 2026. It also found that 48% of creator ad buyers now call creators a “must buy”, ranking them just behind paid search and social.
Marketing Dive’s coverage of the IAB’s latest outlook adds the shift in behavior. It reports that brands are moving from one-off campaign partnerships to an always-on approach that blends micro, affiliate, and performance creators.
Always-on changes everything. One-off campaigns can live in a project budget. Always-on programs need a standing owner, a measurement plan, and a seat in annual planning. That is what an AOR does.
What is actually happening to the AOR brief?
Digiday reported that brands are spending between $1.5 million and $2 million on creator agency of record deals, according to executives it interviewed. Those executives also described a change in the pipeline. Holly Bent of Billion Dollar Boy told Digiday that AOR requests were probably 25% or less of RFPs in the past, while now the majority are AOR requests and campaign-based asks have become rare.
The Cirqle’s founder described roughly a tenfold rise in creator AOR RFPs. Whalar’s co-CEO pointed to Virgin Atlantic naming Whalar its creator agency of record, and to Haleon’s three-year deal with Collectively.
Notice what the briefs ask for. Not just sponsored posts. Episodic YouTube content built with creators at the table. Creator thinking pulled upstream into brand platforms. Ownership across teams, regions, and product lines.
The question is no longer whether a creator AOR exists. It is whether it replaces your social agency, sits beside your creative shop, or gets quietly buried under both.
Digiday’s reporting suggests all three happen. In some cases creator AORs replace traditional social agencies. In others they work in tandem with creative and media shops. Collectively’s Natalie Silverstein noted that original ideas sometimes come from the creator agency rather than the creative agency.
Where holding companies and talent agencies fit
The incumbents know this. Forbes framed the fight in its description of a column on CAA, WME, and Reign Maker Group building creator businesses and new holding companies to win brand budgets while WPP and Omnicom consolidate.
So you now have three kinds of bidders:
- Specialist creator agencies with deep talent relationships and fast production.
- Holding company creator units that can bundle media, data, and creative.
- Talent-side players with access to roster IP and entertainment-style deal structures.
Each has a different conflict profile. A talent-owned shop recommending its own creators is a different animal from an independent. Ask who gets paid when you pick a creator, and ask in writing.
Creators themselves are blurring the lines too. Our piece on creators becoming agencies covers how to vet a vendor that was a talent partner last quarter.
Five scope questions before you sign
An AOR deal at that price point deserves the scrutiny you give a media agency. Here is the checklist I would run.
- What is exclusive? Does the AOR own all creator work, or only paid partnerships? What happens to your in-house team and your affiliate program?
- How are fees built? Retainer, commission on creator fees, or both? Hidden markups are the classic leak. Our guide to auditing agency markups shows how to calculate effective cost.
- Who owns usage rights? Long-term programs generate content that works as paid creative. Pricing that properly matters, as we explain in our note on pricing usage rights.
- What data do you get? Raw access, or a monthly deck? You want creator-level performance in your own warehouse.
- How does AI change the work? Automation in sourcing and reporting should lower cost. If it does not show up in the fee, ask why. See how agentic AI redraws roles in influencer ops.
Measurement is the weak joint
Bigger budgets attract bigger questions from finance. Digiday’s sources said the C-suite is now involved, and that brings expectations on performance, not just reach.
Yet the industry still lacks a shared currency. Even the definition of a “view” varies by platform and by vendor. That is a real problem when your AOR reports on views and your CFO asks about incremental sales.
Build the measurement plan before the contract, not after. Three practical moves:
- Fund measurement first. Our argument in fund measurement first applies doubly when one vendor both executes and grades its own work.
- Track retention and search lift alongside reach. Watch time and search lift tell you far more than raw views.
- Separate execution from verification. Use an independent party or your internal analytics team to validate results, which is the logic behind the creator ROI proof push.
Should you appoint a creator AOR at all?
Not always. A creator AOR makes sense when you run creator programs across multiple markets or product lines, when internal headcount cannot keep up, and when leadership wants creator work tied to brand and performance goals at once.
It makes less sense if your spend is small, your program is a single-product affiliate play, or you already have strong in-house operators. In that case, a lean team plus project-based specialists may cost less and move faster. Our look at why creator programs need operators can help you decide what to keep internal.
A middle path also works: a one-year pilot with a defined scope, a clear exit clause, and quarterly reviews against agreed metrics. Three-year terms like Haleon’s can work, but only with performance gates.
FAQs
What is a creator agency of record?
It is an agency appointed to run a brand’s creator and influencer marketing on an ongoing basis, rather than campaign by campaign. The mandate typically covers strategy, creator sourcing, contracting, production, and reporting across teams and regions.
How much do creator AOR deals cost?
Digiday’s executive sources put creator AOR deals at $1.5 million to $2 million. Your number will depend on scope, markets, and whether creator fees are included or billed separately.
Will a creator AOR replace my social agency?
Sometimes. Digiday’s sources said creator AORs replace traditional social agencies in some cases and work alongside creative and media agencies in others. Define who owns ideation, paid amplification, and community management before you sign.
How fast is creator ad spend growing?
The IAB projected $37 billion in 2025, up 26% year over year, with $44 billion expected in 2026. That growth rate is nearly four times that of the broader media industry, according to the same report.
What should I look for in an AOR contract?
Check exclusivity, fee structure and markups, usage rights ownership, data access, conflict-of-interest disclosures, and exit terms. Also require creator-level reporting you can verify independently.
How do I measure a creator AOR’s performance?
Agree on metrics before kickoff. Combine reach with watch time, search lift, and sales or pipeline outcomes where possible, and validate them with your own analytics rather than relying only on agency reporting.
Before your next AOR review, pull every creator contract and fee line across agencies and in-house teams into one sheet, then decide which scope belongs under a single owner. That audit will tell you whether you need a creator AOR or just tighter control over the spend you already have.
Top Influencer Marketing Agencies
The leading agencies shaping influencer marketing in 2026
Agencies ranked by campaign performance, client diversity, platform expertise, proven ROI, industry recognition, and client satisfaction. Assessed through verified case studies, reviews, and industry consultations.
Moburst
-
2
The Shelf
Boutique Beauty & Lifestyle Influencer AgencyA data-driven boutique agency specializing exclusively in beauty, wellness, and lifestyle influencer campaigns on Instagram and TikTok. Best for brands already focused on the beauty/personal care space that need curated, aesthetic-driven content.Clients: Pepsi, The Honest Company, Hims, Elf Cosmetics, Pure LeafVisit The Shelf → -
3
Audiencly
Niche Gaming & Esports Influencer AgencyA specialized agency focused exclusively on gaming and esports creators on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Ideal if your campaign is 100% gaming-focused — from game launches to hardware and esports events.Clients: Epic Games, NordVPN, Ubisoft, Wargaming, Tencent GamesVisit Audiencly → -
4
Viral Nation
Global Influencer Marketing & Talent AgencyA dual talent management and marketing agency with proprietary brand safety tools and a global creator network spanning nano-influencers to celebrities across all major platforms.Clients: Meta, Activision Blizzard, Energizer, Aston Martin, WalmartVisit Viral Nation → -
5
The Influencer Marketing Factory
TikTok, Instagram & YouTube CampaignsA full-service agency with strong TikTok expertise, offering end-to-end campaign management from influencer discovery through performance reporting with a focus on platform-native content.Clients: Google, Snapchat, Universal Music, Bumble, YelpVisit TIMF → -
6
NeoReach
Enterprise Analytics & Influencer CampaignsAn enterprise-focused agency combining managed campaigns with a powerful self-service data platform for influencer search, audience analytics, and attribution modeling.Clients: Amazon, Airbnb, Netflix, Honda, The New York TimesVisit NeoReach → -
7
Ubiquitous
Creator-First Marketing PlatformA tech-driven platform combining self-service tools with managed campaign options, emphasizing speed and scalability for brands managing multiple influencer relationships.Clients: Lyft, Disney, Target, American Eagle, NetflixVisit Ubiquitous → -
8
Obviously
Scalable Enterprise Influencer CampaignsA tech-enabled agency built for high-volume campaigns, coordinating hundreds of creators simultaneously with end-to-end logistics, content rights management, and product seeding.Clients: Google, Ulta Beauty, Converse, AmazonVisit Obviously →