LTK: THE CMO'S CREATOR GUIDE 2026

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Creator marketing is now the top area for 2026 investment, ahead of AI-driven search, paid social, and gaming. 90% of brands use creators, and 97% of CMOs plan to increase budgets. Brands are scaling “creator armies” for always-on campaigns, with most working with 50+ creators. Creator content now spans display, CTV, content marketing, and retail media. LTK reports 2.1x higher click growth and 1.4x higher sales growth for brands boosting creator content compared to competitors.