ISBA releases creator economy framework

ISBA and the Responsible Marketing Advisory have joined forces to develop the first creator economy framework designed to help marketers scale their influencer activity

The framework will be used to help marketers decide who should own creator marketing in their business, whether they should build in-house teams and how to prove its value to key stakeholders. 

The move follows news UK creator revenue is set toexceed the £1bn markfor the first time in 2026, rising 26% to £1.217bn. As brands spend more on creators, the framework is intended to help them manage that investment

The guidelines set out three operating models giving brands a structured way to make decisions within their influencer marketing

The first is ‘bolt-on’, a flexible approach that activates creators around specific campaigns and moments. Secondly, the ‘channel’ model reflects an always-on presence in the marketing mix, often supported by a retained agency. Thirdly, a ‘core’ approach sees creators as a structural part of how the brand goes to market, measured alongside every other channel on equal terms

The aim is for brands to pick the right approach that suits them. Diagnostic questions throughout the paper are designed to help marketers assess where they are today, while also showing how measurement can move beyond reporting to become an organisational capability that informs better investment decisions. 

Chief strategy officer at Responsible Marketing Advisory, Alice Brady, explains the goal “isn’t for every business to adopt a one specific creator governance model”, but for brands to “create the right one for their needs, building in the flexibility to evolve the model and adopt new technology to support future growth”

ISBA director of media and advertising relations, Bobi Carley, explains creator marketing “now commands serious budgets”, but the “structures around it haven’t kept pace”, adding that ownership happens “by default and value is hard to prove”

“Partnering with Responsible Marketing Advisory let us combine our Creator Marketing Forum’s insight with real operating model expertise, giving members a practical way to make those choices deliberately,” she says

The framework was developed with members of ISBA’s Creator Marketing Forum and Media Leaders group, who together represent over £1.75bn of annual UK advertising spend. The work responds to ISBA research revealing 48% of brands still manage creator marketing in an ad-hoc way, while only 9% treat it as core to their strategy, with ownership of influencer within businesses equally unclear

In almost a quarter of businesses, responsibility is scattered across several teams and not a single business in the research gave creator ownership to its media team

Additionally, ISBA’s research found 59% say they can assess creator ROI only “somewhat confidently”, which they put down in part to there not being set frameworks and ownership within their business

In July, ISBA and the Influencer Marketing Trade Body announced aformal partnershipto combine their focus on the creator economy, while IAB UK launchedthe UK’sfirst industry-backed creator qualificationin May, signalling greater professionalisation of influencer marketing. 

Marketing Week will continue to explore the creator economy in future articles in ourInfluencers Explored series

Source: www.marketingweek.com