The French creator economy market now weighs between 7 and 8 billion eurosaccording to several estimates. An already significant figure, but which only reflects part of the economic reality of a sector in full structuring.
Guests on FW. MEDIA, Manuel Diazfounder of Influx, and Wallerand Moullé-Berteauxco-founder of The Pencil Groupshared their reading of an ecosystem in the process of changing scale. Behind the popularity of influencers and social platforms, they describe a deeper transformation with the emergence of a new industry of content distribution, prescription and, gradually, business creation.
The real issue is no longer just the audience, but is now about trust, affinity and ability to transform a community into an economic asset.
A market worth several billion euros… but still very underestimated
The figure of 7 to 8 billion euros often cited for France mainly concerns advertising revenue and advertiser investments. However, this estimate excludes a growing share of the value generated by the ecosystem: derivative products, brands created by creators, events, merchandising or services.
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“This figure includes almost exclusively the advertising market. It does not integrate everything that the creators build behind it: products, businesses, brand extensions,” recalls Wallerand Moullé-Berteaux. Another data which nuances the perception of the sector, more than half of the market does not come from web stars. According to analyzes shared during the show, 55% of the value would be generated by creators with between 1,000 and 100,000 subscribers. Despite its appearances, the creator economy is less a market of superstars than a niche market and engaged communities.
The power of affinity rather than reach
This fragmentation explains why traditional marketing logic works poorly in this world. In classic advertising, performance is based on audience power. In the creator economy, value often comes from elsewhere.
“In this world, we don’t just buy reach. We buy affinity and prescription power,” explains Manuel Diaz. Smaller but highly engaged communities can be more effective than massive audiences.
For brands, this requires a profound transformation of influence strategies. It is no longer a question of finding the most visible creator, but of building a real influential media plancombining several profiles. One creator can serve notoriety, another credibility, a third conversion.
TikTok has reshuffled the creative cards
The most structuring development of recent years comes largely from TikTok. The Chinese platform has introduced a major change: the number of subscribers no longer guarantees the distribution of content.
“TikTok has shifted the value of the account towards the ability to produce content regularly,” analyzes Wallerand Moullé-Berteaux.
This shift had several consequences:
- a relative reduction in entry barriers for new creators
- increased pressure on quality and consistency of production
- a permanent redistribution of positions in the ecosystem
Meta and Instagram have since adopted similar logics. The creator economy now rewards consistency and creativity more than seniority.
A new grammar for brands
For advertisers, the challenge is not only to identify the right creators. It’s also about accepting a change in posture.
“Many brands still arrive with briefs designed as if for an advertising agency. And it doesn’t work,” observes Manuel Diaz. Unlike traditional media, creators don’t just sell advertising space. They engage their personal credibility with their community. The partnership must therefore be based on a logic ofendorsement : a credible recommendation consistent with the creator’s universe.
This requires brands to first clarify their own territory. “Companies must become brands again, and a little less advertisers,” continues Manuel Diaz. In other words: define a clear DNA, an identifiable discourse and assumed values before seeking to collaborate with a creator.
The creator economy as a response to the crisis of confidence
This transformation is also part of a broader context: the decline in trust in traditional media.
“Creators have a direct relationship with their audience. This relationship often creates more support,” believes Wallerand Moullé-Berteaux. Far from institutional media formats, creators are establishing more horizontal and embodied spaces of expression. This does not mean that they replace traditional media. But they now occupy a central place in the formation of opinion and the circulation of information.
The next step: creators become entrepreneurs
If advertising remains a pillar of the economic model today, it no longer constitutes its main horizon.
Three major sources of income now structure the ecosystem:
- partnerships with brands
- programmatic advertising on platforms
- products and businesses launched by creators
This third component is experiencing the fastest growth.
Examples like Ciao Kombucha from Squeezie, InShape Nutrition of Tibo InShape or the brands created by American designers illustrate this evolution. In this configuration, the creator becomes an entrepreneur, and this radically changes the relationship with advertisers.
“The day a designer earns more with his own brand than with partnerships, he no longer has any reason to promote the products of others,” underlines Wallerand Moullé-Berteaux.
For brands, this implies a long-term strategy, namely build alliances before creators themselves become potential competitors.
When communities come off the screen
Another notable development: the translation of digital communities towards physical experiences. The project Legend Toura Zéniths tour organized by the media Legend, is an illustration of this. The first dates are sold out and could bring together more than 160,000 spectators. A phenomenon comparable to GP Explorer of Squeezie, events born on the Internet capable of mobilizing tens of thousands of participants in the real world.
The creator economy is therefore not limited to platforms, it also becomes an events and cultural industry.
A still young industry
Despite its rapid growth, the ecosystem remains in a structuring phase. The platforms are mature. Creators are only beginning to turn their influence into businesses. For Manuel Diaz, the creator economy is only his adolescence. The coming years should see the emergence of new hybrid models combining media, brands, communities and businesses.
In this new balance, attention will remain a central resource. But the real rarity will be in the ability to build a lasting relationship of trust with a community, and transform it into economic value.
