The creator economy is no longer just a niche corner of the internet — it’s reshaping the foundation of brand marketing and digital influence. 

“Creators are going to start chipping away at media budgets from a brand standpoint,” says Clair Sidman, VP of Marketing at Collective Voice, in a revealing look at the future of digital marketing. 

Clair’s insights from the White House conference include AI integration, fair pay disputes, election year content surges, and how the industry changes at breakneck speed.

A Voice for Creators

With a background spanning L’Oreal, venture capital, and TikTok, Clair brings a unique perspective to her role at Collective Voice.

“One of my passions is the creator economy,” she says. “It’s what led me to my previous role at TikTok. It’s what led me to social media.”

In her current role, Clair empowers creators to produce authentic content while maximizing their business value. 

Collective Voice offers affiliate marketing and brand partnerships, providing creators with multiple revenue streams and allowing experts like Clair to directly innovate and address creators’ challenges. 

“I love that this allows me to see and hear the creator’s challenges and then quickly be able, within my organization, to build products and solutions to help lay the groundwork for them,” Clair explains.

White House Conference Signals Shift in the Creator Economy

Collective Voice partnered with leading creator Lissette Calveiro, who attended last month’s White House Creator Economy Conference. 

The conference marked a shift in focus from platforms to creators and underscored the growing influence of creators in both the media and business spheres.

“It’s just really amazing to see the administration kind of take note of some of those issues for the first time,” Clair tells us. “We’re seeing the emergence of creators as their own media powerhouses, not only from a brand media mix standpoint but also side by side [with traditional media].”

Clair highlights two key takeaways from the conference. 

First, creators have become formidable media entities capable of amplifying their voices and leading meaningful societal conversations. 

Second, they are essentially small business owners, contributing significantly to the economy.

“It’s no longer niche,” Clair emphasizes. “As we talk about the spending power of generations, we should also look at the influential power of media and creators as business owners and being able to write their path.”

The conference also addressed the need for government support in the creator economy. 

Clair believes the government’s role should extend beyond regulating tech platforms to include initiatives that directly benefit creators: “Government should provide aid and assistance with public-facing initiatives like healthcare [and] easier loan approvals.”

She adds, “There needs to be a conversation and inclusion of the people that power those platforms. Without creators, those platforms have nothing.”

AI: A Double-Edged Sword

Artificial intelligence’s impact on the creator economy is profound and complex. 

“AI is so interesting because its influence is undeniable,” she states. “It’s like the buzzword of 2024.” 

However, she emphasizes that AI isn’t new to the creator world, as algorithms have long driven social media platforms. The recent shift, she explains, is the emergence of generative AI.

This evolution brings both opportunities and challenges. 

On the positive side, AI offers creators tools for efficiency and creativity. 

“In terms of automation and being able to speed up content creation and caption writing, like all of their everyday work, that can be so manual,” Clair explains. “There’s so much that AI systems are now able to help speed up the efficiency of how they can run their business.”

However, AI also poses significant risks, particularly regarding misinformation and plagiarism. Clair highlights the need for legislation to protect creators’ intellectual property, drawing parallels to recent discussions in the entertainment industry. 

“Collective Voice stands firmly against any measures that threaten creators’ jobs or undermine their meaningful parasocial relationships between creators and their audiences,” she asserts.

Ethical AI integration in creator marketing is another critical concern. 

Clair points out the risks of AI-generated content misrepresenting creators or misconstruing their words. 

“Will a creator ask, ‘Am I going to be misrepresented? Is someone going to take my likeness? Is somebody going to misconstrue my words?’” she explains.

To address these challenges, Collective Voice supports creators by helping them understand and apply ethical AI practices. This includes ensuring proper disclosures, respecting privacy, and using AI to help creators better understand their audiences. 

“We’re using AI to help understand the behavioral aspects and to help creators understand the behavioral aspects of their community,” Clair tells us.

Fair Pay: The Cornerstone of a Thriving Creator Economy

Fair compensation has become a crucial issue in the creator economy. 

“At the heart of Collective Voice’s value is creator pay equality,” Clair states. “Creators need to be able to make a living doing only this.”

Clair highlights a disturbing trend in the industry: “We found that white influencers are paid 29% more than their BIPOC counterparts. That is a major problem.” 

The disparity underscores the need for transparent compensation practices in the creator economy. 

To address these issues, Clair advocates for data-driven approaches and transparency.

“We use data to benchmark our rates both in-network and out-of-network,” she explains. “We collaborate directly with creators and their teams on rates and strategies, especially for flat fee campaigns.”

The push for fair pay is part of a broader trend toward professionalizing the creator economy. Clair believes this professionalization is necessary for achieving fair compensation. 

“It’s the scale of the economic impact that’s going to help open the door to the legislation, which will help support and give those protections and rights,” she argues.

The industry vet also emphasizes viewing creators as small business owners.

“Our goal is always to stay competitive while maximizing both the commissions for the creator and the take-home earnings while optimizing that ROI for brands,” she explains.

Mental Health Challenges in Social Media

The industry’s growth has increased attention to social media’s mental health impacts, with Clair highlighting the need for balanced approaches and protective measures.

“I’m incredibly proud of our Surgeon General for coming out and taking a stance,” she states, referring to recent calls for legislation around social media platforms. 

Clair advocates for addressing misinformation, privacy concerns, and age-gating to protect younger users.

While acknowledging social media’s positive aspects, she emphasizes the need for responsible use. “Social media can be aspirational and inspirational,” she notes. “But with great power comes great responsibility.”

Clair points out social media’s global nature and connective power but cautions against the ease of negative behavior in online spaces. 

“The separation in the phones has allowed us to enter a world where there’s less of those protections,” she explains.

The entrepreneur calls for societal action to address these challenges, stressing the importance of education in fostering respectful online engagement.

Election Year Amplifies Creator Content and Influence

As the election year unfolds, its impact on influencer content and brand partnerships becomes increasingly apparent. 

“Creators are embracing election-related content, and it’s causing a noticeable increase in content in general,” Clair reveals. 

According to a recent Collective Voice study, preliminary findings show that 61% of consumers have observed more election-related content from their favorite influencers, rising to 70% among those aged 25 to 54 – the core voting demographic.

Clair anticipates a particularly “noisy” last quarter of the year leading to the election. This reflects creators’ growing comfort with using their platforms to engage with political topics and their audiences’ interest in hearing these perspectives.

“Consumers and communities are interested in hearing what [influencers] say,” Clair notes. 

While full details are yet to be released, she hints at interesting findings regarding brands’ involvement.

The Future of Creator-Driven Marketing

Clair envisions a future where creators are the linchpin of brand relevance.

“Creators truly are the voices for the brands as brands lose trust,” she explains. “Relevancy is the backbone of marketing for the next ten years, and with that, creators are the ones that deliver that relevancy for brands.”

Clair predicts that technological advancements, particularly AI, will be crucial in empowering creators. 

“It’s going to be automation of processes. It’s going to be streamlining the brand creator relationship through partners such as Collective Voice to move again at the speed of culture,” she notes.

However, challenges remain. Clair emphasizes the need for fair pay and transparency in the industry. 

“If there’s less stress on creators knowing their value or having to haggle for their value, then it’s going to open up the creativity,” she argues.

Regarding future goals, Collective Voice focuses on innovating new products to help creators earn, enhancing support systems and tools, and fostering growth opportunities for emerging talent. 

With 57% of Gen Zers expressing interest in becoming creators, Clair sees a bright future for the industry.