IAB Launches Trusted Creator Brand Deal Initiative to Build the Infrastructure Behind the Creator Economy's Next Phase of Growth

New Research Identifies Seven Opportunity Areas, From a Common Definition of a "View" to Fee Disclosure

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Creator media budgets are expected to reach $44 billion this year, but the systems for measuring, contracting, and paying creators have not kept pace. Today, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the leading trade organization for the digital advertising ecosystem, released The Creator Economy's Next Chapter, the first research report from its Trusted Creator Brand Deal Initiative. The report identifies seven opportunity areas for the industry to address challenges that could slow the creator economy growth.

The research confirms gaps the creator ecosystem  has long recognized, and the Initiative moves immediately from findings to action. IAB's Creator Economy Board and committee will now form targeted working groups to address measurement standards. The measure of success is a simple shift: when industry leaders are surveyed in the future by similar research, the obstacles at the top of their list should look completely different than they do today.

"Creator marketing has largely won the argument about whether it belongs in the marketing plan. What it needs now is the infrastructure to scale," said James Douglas, VP, Experience Center, IAB. "The people closest to this work told us where the friction is, and more than half said they would help build the solutions."

Seven Opportunity Areas  for a Stronger Creator Economy

Drawn from two waves of research by the IAB Creator Economy Board and FrontRow Research, including a survey of 53 industry leaders, the findings are directional, but their message is consistent. The aim is not to standardize creators or set prices, but to build shared definitions and expectations that let buyers, sellers, and measurement partners compete and innovate on a common foundation.

The research data pointed to seven opportunity areas for the industry to consider:

• Fix measurement at its foundation: 67% named measurement as the top problem, and a common definition of a "view" was the most-requested standard (66%).
• Model contract clauses: Usage rights are the top friction clause (61%).
• Consider the benefits of prompt payment terms: 60% agree longer payment terms cause cascading harm, and only 6% disagree.
• Equip senior leaders and finance with an evaluation playbook: 94% report at least occasional conflict with senior leadership over creator decisions, with budget allocation hit hardest.
• Propose optimal brand operating models: 80% agree media and creator buyers work independently, often limiting the full value of creator campaigns.
• Make performance data easier to share: 58% say withheld results limit shared learning, though access and data quality are cited almost as often as withholding.
• Make fee disclosure the default: 74% agree opacity persists partly because some in the industry benefit from it, and the report calls on buyers to lead fee disclosure efforts.

IAB Prioritizes Measurement Standards in 2027

IAB will work to define core metrics across platforms, from views to impressions, reach, and watch time, and will build a Creator advisory body to guide the work, in line with the IAB Experience Center's 2027 roadmap.

Working alongside the Media Rating Council (MRC) and engaged industry bodies, IAB plans to convene platforms and measurement providers to establish common definitions for views, impressions, reach, and watch time. This work will lay the foundation for more consistent reporting and help brands and agencies better evaluate creator marketing performance across platforms.

"The creator economy has grown up faster than the infrastructure to support it, and the window to act is now, while demand is strong and the industry is willing," said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. "If we wait, the same friction points will get set in stone and undoubtedly inhibit future growth."

IAB is inviting creators, brands, agencies, platforms, publishers, ad tech partners, commerce and retail media teams, legal teams, measurement providers and talent representatives to join the Initiative's working groups and help shape the standards.

To download The Creator Economy's Next Chapter and get involved, click here.

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and collaboration of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

SOURCE Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)