Creators Take Center Stage at Advertising Week New York
Advertising Week New York has a lofty goal: Help facilitate $100 million in deals between brands and creators.
While that sounds like a lot of business for an industry conference that runs for four days next week (October 5-8), several factors are working in its favor.
First, Advertising Week hired digital content creator Dhar Mann (27.7 million followers on YouTube; 48 million on Facebook) as its first Chief Creator Officer. Mann is scheduled to open the conference with a session all about asking companies to commit a portion of their marketing budgets to the creator economy.
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Second, Advertising Week expects at least 2,500 creators to attend this year's conference, up from about 1,000 in 2025. For context, more than 20,000 marketers, advertisers, and publishers attended Advertising Week New York last year.
It will also dedicate a great deal of programming to educating both sides of the equation about how they can better work together.
"We're trying to demystify the entire creator economy for brands and the whole brand world for creators," said Ruth Mortimer, global president of Advertising Week.
The conference’s $100 million goal aligns with how marketers are spending their money.
Research firm Emarketer estimates U.S. marketing spend on creators and influencers will reach $15.7 billion in 2028, up more than 70% compared to 2024.
Last year, WPP Media forecast creator-driven platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, were on pace to attract more advertising dollars than traditional media channels for the first time.
