The news: Brands are ramping up influencer investment and creator rates are skyrocketing following Unilever’s commitment to allocate half of its advertising budget on an “influencer-first” strategy.

Numerous influencer and social agencies “unanimously” claimed a notable increase in client spend on influencer marketing since Unilever’s announcement, per sources cited by The Drum. Sources also commented that creator rates have followed a similar trend, with micro-influencer rates increasing by as much as 30% YoY.

• Some examples include influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy, which reported a 22% increase in clients’ spending YoY between May and July 2025. The agency found 71% of US marketers and 52% of UK marketers are now investing over $1 million annually in creator marketing.
• Per Dentsu Creative’s UK CEO, smaller influencers with 10,000 to 50,000 followers can now ask for rates on a similar level to mega-influencers with more than 1 million followers.