This is the golden age of content creation — 2023 is the year of the creator economy.

Estimated to be worth more than $100 billion as of July 2022, content creation has proven its value, especially when it comes to powering marketing for brand building.

Companies continue to make big investments in the creator economy with 75 percent of marketers leveraging the community to amplify products and services — a number expected to reach 86 percent in the next three years.

The creator economy has proven two things: that anyone can garner fame online and that influence and popularity can be monetized. It’s direct-to-consumer, accelerated.

Thanks to social media and Web 2.0, YouTubers, podcasters, photographers, and bloggers are redefining how we create, share, and consume content. They’re setting a new standard for creativity, redefining celebrity, and in doing so, building some of today’s most exciting consumer brands.

“Creators have a huge platform and are able to connect with their followers. They have the ability to listen to the consumer, learn what they want, and create a product that aligns with their needs,” ForceBrands’ Senior Director of Client Strategy and Operations Jessica Tully said. “It’s imperative that creators hire the right executive leaders with industry experience to help them scale their brands. Through the years, we’ve worked with individual creator brands to understand their unique vision for growth, develop a deep understanding of their needs, and identify talent that makes an impact.”

Read on as we share some of the most innovative creator brands on our radar:

MrBeast

As YouTube’s first billionaire and an award-winning digital content creator, Jimmy Donaldson (dubbed MrBeast) has amassed more than one hundred million followers on YouTube by regularly posting videos of expensive stunts. His success on the platform led to the launch of several ventures including MrBeast Burger, a virtual American restaurant, and Feastables, a chocolate bar company he introduced in 2022.

Kinship

Clean beauty brand Kinship offers cruelty-free products that are created by scientists and industry experts. Founded by beauty industry veterans Alison Haljun, a former marketing executive at Benefit Cosmetics, and Christin Powell, a co-founder of Juice Beauty, Kinship is one of Gen Z’s most beloved brands. The company’s first investor was Tiffany Zhong, dubbed “the Gen Z whisperer,” who, in addition to offering financial support, helped Haljun and Powell connect more deeply with Gen Zers — their target audience.

Loverboy

Founded by entrepreneur and reality TV star Kyle Cooke, Loverboy’s sparkling hard teas and premium canned cocktails have a cult-like following, especially among fans of the Bravo shows “Summer House” and “Winter House,” both of which star Cooke. “We are a complete outlier in our space in that we’re profitable and haven’t had to spend a penny on marketing. It’s a true testament to the power of the brand and its integration with the show,” Cooke told ForceBrands in our exclusive interview with him. “We’re a digital-first alcohol supplier. Not many brands can say that.”

Archer Roose

Archer Roose — named after a rebel world traveler of the Gilded Age — delivers artisan-quality wine at an affordable price point. The idea for the canned wine company was born over dinner when Marian Leitner-Waldman, co-founder and publisher of the literary magazine Explosion-Proof, met her husband David Waldman, co-founder of award-winning winery Pheasant’s Tears. Together — and with the help of actress, writer, producer, and Chief Creative Officer Elizabeth Banks — they set out to democratize fine wine.

CALIROSA

CALIROSA is a category-creating tequila that’s aged in red wine barrels and aims to bottle the feeling of being with friends and family watching the sun sink below the Pacific. Owned by Maroon Five’s frontman Adam Levine, who is involved with every aspect of the brand, CALIROSA’s pink-hued tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico by the Real family, longtime producers of high-quality tequila since 1942.

In a world where creators can build their own following, anyone can be a celebrity. Creators will continue to push boundaries and drive the creator economy with their innovative ideas, creative visions, and unique voices.

Whether it is through collaboration or sponsorship, aligning with the right creator can bring an authentic and engaging audience for brands.

Interested in building your brand with a creator or scaling your creator brand? Reach out to us to start the conversation.