AdParlor Newsletter: Edition #14
Hey creators, marketers, and trend-chasers,
We’re back and blooming, baby! May is here, the campaigns are heating up, and the creator economy? She’s in her main character era ✨
At AdParlor, we’ve always kept you in the know, serving up the freshest insights to help you not just keep up, but actually win in this fast-moving space. Whether you’re struggling to find your perfect creator match (yep, even with those bigger budgets) or trying to crack the code on AI-powered AR magic, we’ve got the receipts and the real talk.
This month, we’re spotlighting the big shifts shaping the industry: how immersive tech is changing brand experiences, why creator-led marketing might just be the new standard in search, and what’s actually driving growth in retail (spoiler: influencers are eating). 🤑
So grab your go-to iced drink, turn your out-of-office mindset off (sorry), and let’s make this May the month you level up your influencer game.
We’ve got the tea. You just have to sip it. 🍵
~ The Editors
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In this edition, you’ll find:
- Creator Economy trends you NEED to know
- Event & Podcast Recs
- Creator Spotlight: The Influencer Olympics
- Zia’s Paid Media Playbook
- Case Study: How Influencers Fueled 26% Growth at Rocky Mountain’s Stores
- How to Work with Influencers: Your Ultimate Guide for 2025
Creator Economy Trends You Need to Know
The creator world moves fast – blink and you might miss the next big thing. From AI-generated influencers to platform shakeups, we’re serving up the juiciest trends you need to know to stay ahead of the game.
Why Brands Are Still Struggling to Find “The One” (Even With Bigger Budgets)
Marketers are pouring more money than ever into creator marketing – According to an eMARKETER report, 77.7% have upped their budgets this year. But plot twist: 43.9% say their biggest headache is still finding the right creators to partner with. According to new research from eMarketer and Spotter, the era of one-off #sponsored posts is fading fast. Brands are craving deeper, longer-term relationships with creators who actually vibe with their mission, not just their follower count. Here’s the thing: while discovery tools are better than ever, the real challenge is compatibility. Aligning creator content with brand strategy (a struggle for 28.1% of marketers) and balancing authenticity with brand requirements (27.3%) are where things get messy. As Jasmine Enberg, eMarketer analyst, puts it: “Gut feeling and vanity metrics just don’t cut it anymore.” And let’s be real, Gen Z and Millennial consumers can smell inauthenticity from a mile away.
That’s why brands are shifting from reach-at-all-costs to relevance and resonance. More than a third (37.4%) of marketers now say finding long-term creator partners is their top tactic. It’s about creators who build loyal fandoms and can move the needle, not just the likes. Our take? This shift is great news for creators who are ready to go deeper with brands, and for brands willing to invest time in matchmaking, not speed dating. Think sustained ambassador programs, collaborative product drops, and campaigns where the creator’s voice leads the story, not just reads a script. As the research shows, 61.9% of marketers say the best creator content is the kind that weaves brands into authentic narratives. So, if you’re still swiping right on creators based only on follower count – bestie, it’s time to rethink your type.
Snap’s Immersive Glow-Up: AR, AI, and Our Pet-Finding Filter Moment
Snapchat is out here proving it’s not just about silly filters anymore, it’s building a playground where brands can create immersive, participatory experiences that Gen Z actually wants to engage with. Their latest moves? Sponsored AI Lenses that drop users into branded, AI-generated scenes, and AR-powered vending machines (like the one with L’Oréal in London that gamified hair care). Snap is connecting these moments across camera, content, and creators, creating depth – not just reach.
And we’ve been part of this glow-up! At AdParlor, we teamed up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to create a custom Snapchat Lens that helped users find their furry BFFs. Through playful AR, pet lovers could “meet” adoptable animals and connect them with their forever homes, turning a simple swipe into a heartwarming (and actionable) moment. It’s a prime example of Snap’s ethos: blending digital fun with real-world impact. Snap’s push is about lowering creative friction while upping personalization. Their new integrations with platforms like Later make it easier for brands to find Snap creators and manage cross-platform campaigns more efficiently. And with tools like Snap Schools, they’re even helping brands and creators co-create better, more authentic content.
The big takeaway? Snap isn’t chasing mass attention, it’s serving up memorable micro-moments that users want to share. For brands willing to experiment, it’s a golden sandbox. Our advice: lean into the co-creation wave. Think beyond flat ads, and tap into AR, AI, and creators who can bring your brand to life in interactive, joyful ways.
Hype List: Must-Attend Events & Pod Recs
Skip the FOMO, here’s your VIP pass to the hottest creator marketing events and binge-worthy podcasts. Whether it’s an IRL conference or a listen-on-2x-speed kind of day, we got you. This list was independently curated by our Editors for this edition of AdParlor’s Newsletter, we’re not sponsored by any feature.
Why Influencer Marketing is No Longer a Measurement Blind Spot
WHEN: June 11, 3pm EST
As the marketing industry continues to evolve, and as brands increasingly rely on influencers and influencer power in the marketplace, a new measurement blind spot has emerged – or has it? Unlock tips and tricks on how to effectively measure influencer marketing’s impacts at the right stage of the funnel, as well as learn how mature brands are thinking about influencer marketing’s role in the marketing mix.
The State of Influencer Marketing 2025: Benchmarks, Insights, and Trends
WHEN: ON DEMAND
Get to know the latest influencer marketing benchmarks and trends as well as the most popular topics on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok from the State of Influencer Marketing report by HypeAuditor. Businesses are constantly challenged to keep up with the continuous development of social media platforms, shifts in user behavior, and new influencer marketing trends. HypeAuditor’s annual State of Influencer Marketing report helps brands and agencies stay ahead of their competition and revamp their future marketing campaigns.
From Diapers to Dances – Kimberly-Clark’s Influencer Strategy Gets Real
WHEN: ON DEMAND
Toilet paper, tampons, tissues, and… TikTok? In this episode of Creator Economy Live, Keith and Brendan sit down with Megan Narcisi and Lauren Staff from Kimberly-Clark – home to household brands like Huggies, Kleenex, and Kotex – to talk about what it really takes to make everyday products pop on social. From wild agency stories to building a center of excellence in a corporate giant, they spill all.
If You’re Not Using AI in Marketing, You’re Already Falling Behind!
WHEN: ON DEMAND
In this episode, we are thrilled to host Tiffanie Petett, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Influential. Tiffanie and her team are revolutionizing influencer marketing by connecting brands with the right creators through smart, data-driven strategies. With a proven track record of working with brands like Walmart, Ford, and DoorDash, Tiffanie shares incredible insights into the intersection of AI, social data, and influencer marketing. She also delves into her personal journey, how she ensures brand safety, and what the future holds for influencer marketing.
Creator Spotlight: Our Favorite Influencer Campaigns This Month
We’re shining the ring light on an influencer campaign that absolutely ate this month. What made it work? What can brands learn? And most importantly, how do we copy their homework?
When it comes to influencer marketing, Coachella isn’t just a music festival – it’s the Olympics of IRL events. Brands bring their A-game, influencers prep like it’s fashion week and finals season rolled into one, and social feeds everywhere transform into a dizzying parade of curated desert looks, exclusive parties, and envy-inducing experiences. Welcome to Coachella 2025: where campaigns go viral or go home.
This year, brands didn’t just show up – they showed out. From exclusive festivals-within-the-festival to interactive pop-ups and celeb-packed house parties, the winning activations were the ones that blurred the lines between IRL experience and social content gold. Whether through immersive AR, trend remixes, or exclusive product drops, these campaigns mastered the art of making festival-goers and at-home followers alike feel part of the moment.
Let’s break down the influencer activations that truly understood the assignment at this year’s “influencer Olympics.”
1. Revolve Festival: The Influencer Olympics
Revolve once again proved its dominance in the influencer marketing arena with its exclusive Revolve Festival. The event featured high-profile performances by Cardi B and Lil Wayne, attracting a slew of celebrities and influencers, including Julia Fox, Lisa, and Charli D’Amelio. The festival’s curated experiences, from luxury lounges to brand activations by partners like 818 Tequila and Rhode Skin, created a buzzworthy atmosphere that translated into significant social media visibility.
Why it worked: Revolve’s strategy of combining exclusive experiences with influencer participation created a FOMO-inducing environment that amplified brand reach and engagement.
2. Poppi’s “CoachEARLEa” with Alix Earle
Poppi collaborated with influencer Alix Earle to create the “Poppi House,” an immersive experience drenched in the brand’s signature lemon-lime aesthetic. Earle’s enthusiastic promotion, including coining the term “CoachEARLEa,” led to viral TikTok content and widespread user-generated content across social platforms.
Why it worked: By focusing on a single, charismatic influencer, Poppi created a cohesive and authentic brand experience that resonated with festival-goers and online audiences alike.
3. Pinterest’s “Ready, Set, Remix” Activation
Pinterest’s activation invited guests to explore and personalize popular trends from its platform. The space, inspired by Pinterest’s collage feature, allowed attendees to remix their festival look with trend-inspired accessories and become part of a live art installation.
Why it worked: Pinterest effectively bridged the gap between digital inspiration and real-world expression, offering an interactive experience that encouraged creativity and social sharing.
4. Adidas x Bad Bunny’s “Campus Wild Moss” Launch
Adidas partnered with Bad Bunny to launch the “Campus Wild Moss” sneakers through a spring-inspired pop-up greenhouse. Festival-goers had the exclusive opportunity to purchase the new release before the general public, creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity.
Why it worked: The activation capitalized on Bad Bunny’s massive fan base and the festival’s high-energy environment to drive product hype and immediate sales.
Zia’s Paid Social Playbook
Zia’s got the keys to the paid social kingdom – this is where influencer marketing meets cold, hard performance data. If you’re not amplifying your creator content the right way, you’re just leaving money on the table.
Things to keep an eye out for:
WWith so many changes going on all around us, from changing customer purchase patterns to the increasing role of AI in our daily lives, it is important for advertisers to keep a close eye on the evolution of paid media platforms to ensure their campaigns continue to follow best practices and perform efficiently.
- Google Ads announced AI Max for search campaigns (currently in Beta), which is a powerful combination of advanced targeting with real-time creative adaptation capabilities.
AP POV: AI Max would help advertisers go beyond the traditional keyword strategies, giving them an opportunity to capitalize on untapped high-intent searches that they were previously missing out on. Pairing it with real-time creative customization would increase relevance and conversion.
- ChatGPT announced the addition of “shopping features like search.” Now, when ChatGPT detects shopping intent in the query, it would present products to users based on the query, saved memory (past likes and dislikes), and custom instructions like “I want affordable options.”
AP POV: ChatGPT is now going beyond just answering questions to influence how shoppers discover products. For brands, it is now more important than ever to take their product ranking and rating seriously as it is one of the major factors ChatGPT uses to select products to include/exclude from the results.
- Google expanded its search theme limit to 50 in Pmax campaigns, giving advertisers more control over targeting while enjoying automation
AP POV: Having 25 search themes was challenging, especially for advertisers that had broad product lines or diverse customer segments. Increasing the limit now gives them more control over the targeting while also enjoying the added advantage of Performance Max.
Is creator-led marketing the new standard in search?
Search is no longer just about “Google it;” in fact, the premise of “search” being synonymous with “Google” is no longer valid. Historically, Google and other search engines would be the main source of how consumers would discover products, but today, Gen Z discovers products from TikTok videos, reddit threads, YouTube shorts, or community forums. Also, this behavior of Gen Z has spread and influenced older generations too, introducing Millennials, Gen X, and even Boomers to new search behaviors and bringing forward TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube as legitimate search platforms.
Another catalyst to this has been the increasing use of AI in our daily lives. While AI has made our lives easy in so many ways, it has also increased the amount of information and misinformation out there, so now people look towards people whom they trust rather than ads from big corporations.
AP POV: Creator-led content is not just a trend (as most of us might have thought two years ago), but it’s the new baseline of how people now discover products. Brands need to understand this and realign their marketing strategies. Social platforms such as TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube are no longer just secondary platforms where people share videos and pictures but primary discovery engines. In order for the brands to be noticed and trusted, it is important for them to have a social media strategy that isn’t driven by state-of-the-art graphics and animations but is driven by real user experience, creator-driven conversations, short-form videos, and community discussions, which would naturally position them during vital discovery moments.
Case Study Feature:
To make National Caramel Apple Day unforgettable, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory teamed up with AdParlor to launch an influencer campaign that blended organic storytelling with paid amplification. The result? A 26% year-over-year lift in caramel apple sales and an 8% overall sales boost.
See how creators helped RMCF drive sweet success – get the full case study HERE
From the Desk of…
Welcome to “From the Desk Of” – a unique feature section where the talented minds at AdParlor share their insights, expertise, research, & experiences with our readers. We love a good dose of creativity so you’ll see these topics change from month to month with a consistent focus on innovation, strategy, and creative in the paid social industry.
Influencer marketing isn’t just for beauty brands and iced coffee anymore. In this guide, Chase Fortune breaks down how to work with creators in 2025 – from finding the right fit to building full-funnel strategies that drive real results (not just vanity metrics). It’s less “vibe check” and more “performance marketing, but make it cool.”
TL;DR: Creators are still the MVPs of digital marketing, but the game has changed. Today, it’s all about strategic alignment, multi-platform storytelling, and combining organic content with paid media. Whether you’re working with nano or macro influencers, it’s not enough to go viral – you need a plan that drives ROI. Chase walks you through how to do exactly that.
Whether you’re building an influencer program from scratch or trying to level up your next campaign, this is your blueprint. Read the full guide HERE