Back in 2023, Clark Influence forecasted several key shifts for influencer marketing in 2024, including the rise of creators beyond social media platforms, the evolution of creators into "employees," and the transformation of influencers into full-fledged "creators."
A year later, we’re excited to see that these predictions have already started to come to life.
We've witnessed top influencers expanding their reach beyond traditional social networks.
For instance, @lenamahfouf has appeared in TV campaigns for brands like Uber and Vinted, while @justezoe has become the face of Caudalie. Léna Situations has taken on the “Head of Friday” role for Old El Paso and HR Director for Camaïeu—proof that the shift from creator to employee is already happening!
The most intriguing shifts are in the AI sector, where "creAItors" like Antton Racca, are pushing the boundaries of possible angles. Using Artificial Intelligence, Racca has adapted his content to reach international audiences by translating his speech and even syncing his lip movements to match different languages.
So, what can we expect from influencer marketing in 2025? Here are our predictions…
I. THE APOTHEOSIS
In 2025, the idea of grandeur will take center stage in influencer marketing. Creators will embrace larger-than-life formats, symbolizing the rise of influence beyond the "small" screen and showcasing their success and monumental status through signature moments of apotheosis. For many influencers, the journey began around 2015—when creators began to evolve beyond lifestyle and gaming content—so by 2025, we’re approaching the ten-year milestone of this industry’s growth.
But it's more than just a number; it's a feeling.
After a decade, the most established creators now truly feel more mature, influential, and legitimate as the pioneers of this sector. They are stepping into their own, creating spectacular content highlighting their stature and legacy.
For example:
Absurd but true! An influencer has found himself a member of the European Parliament. Dissatisfied with the political climate in his country, Fidias Panayiotou, a YouTube personality specializing in stunts and pranks, was elected last June. Since then, he's been sharing his daily life and behind-the-scenes footage of his daily life in Strasbourg on his Instagram, TikTok and YouTube (each targeting hundreds of thousands, if not millions of subscribers).
NY-based YouTuber, Anthony Po has been making headlines again and again all throughout the year thanks to his anonymous ultra-viral events. In June, he faked an alien invasion in Florida. A couple months later, his “Cheeseball Man” racked up tens of thousands of posts and millions of views online. Recently, he organized a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in Washington Square and accidentally created a worldwide trend of “celebrity doppelgangers" competitions in many major cities.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her YouTube channel, Montreal-based art superstar, Marianne Plaisance, organized a “Marianne Fest”: a festival highlighting various local businesses, partners and other artists who have helped popularize its online channel. Thousands of people attended.
So, 2025 is poised to bring some truly extraordinary projects from the most “established” creators.
II. DISCONNECTION
As our digital presence grows more intense, a countertrend of disconnection is emerging—a response to the need for focus and renewal. Some creators are stepping back intentionally to reconnect with their creative core. We live in an age where we are constantly bombarded by information and content, and with the rise of artificial intelligence, this overload is only set to increase.
According to Europol, by 2026, "90% of online content will be generated or altered by artificial intelligence," contributing to the "information fatigue" that already affects over half of the French population, according to a study by the Fondation Jean-Jaurès. With this, some will likely choose to disconnect rather than drown in an ocean of bots, opting to step away from the chaos to recharge.
Today’s creators are essentially content machines, constantly having to innovate, adapt, and stay ahead to capture the fleeting attention of online audiences that are growing tired faster than ever seen before.
And so it continues... "faster, further, louder." Yet, people are beginning to hit their breaking point, with mental health consequences that reflect a deeper existential questioning. This leads to a strong desire for meaning, a need to slow down, and a growing urge to reconnect with more straightforward, authentic things—a natural craving for peace and tranquility.
For example:
The Austrian Tourist Board perfectly captures this trend in its latest influencer campaign. Called #IAMAUT, the campaign swapped out its content creators and instead offered influencers the opportunity to experience a vacation in Austria. They handed over their social media accounts to "AUTfluencers"—locals who shared genuine, authentic views of the country—while the original creators took a step back, fully disconnecting and enjoying the experience in peace.
Huge names in the influencer landscape announced their retirement, while others temporarily stopped creating content to take care of their mental health. MatPat from Game Theory, animation wizard MeatCanyon, Léon Hendrix, Tom Scott…
Therefore, disconnection is becoming a strategic decision: an opportunity to create more meaningful content, address the demand for authenticity, and align one’s personal brand with a more sustainable lifestyle. Stepping back will be a defining trend in 2025!
III. REINVENTION
In 2025, we will see creators embrace a reinvention of all sorts. No longer satisfied with just one format, they will venture into multiple areas, expanding their reach and adding depth to their editorial voice.
In today’s creative economy, the focus on the "journey" has blurred our understanding of authenticity. Influencers are maturing, and audiences have grown accustomed to seeing the personalities they follow evolve—whether through motherhood, personal transformations, or newfound passions. While the idea of influence used to be about maintaining a consistent personal identity, today the new "real" branches of adaptability and the idea of reinventing yourself.
Creators now face the challenge of balancing reinvention with authenticity: they must evolve to attract new followers while staying true to their unique style to retain their original fanbase.
To name a few:
Last year, former entertainment-oriented Quebec content creator, Cassandra Bouchard, completely changed her editorial approach following the birth of her first child. Today, she still continues her humorous formats, but intersperses them with more personal videos on her new life as a mom, advice and formats that resonate strongly with parents.
In Canada specifically, we saw a huge array of creators launch their own podcasts: a perfect way for them to complement their more “impression-friendly” content (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) with more intimate formats. Them being specifically aimed at these influencers' core ultra-fan audience. A few examples among many, Adam Wylde & Jax Irwin’s Left on Read, Marc-Antoine Delage and his mother’s Mere et Fils.
Influencers are technically professionals too! Around the world, content creators are venturing onto LinkedIn. The use of this platform is primarily to legitimatize their activity and position it as lucrative and even noble. It is also being used to reach an audience that is drastically different from their usual subscriber base on their other networks. Laura Whaley, 4M followers Toronto-based superstar on TikTok, has found a niche for herself on LinkedIn, by republishing her skits on corporate life.
This drive for reinvention and diversification marks the new frontier of influence: by 2025, creators will go beyond their traditional role to become true content entrepreneurs.
IV. AI: STRONGER THAN EVER!
There’s no doubt about it: artificial intelligence tools are becoming both more accessible and more powerful. And influence is no exception. According to YouTube, 92% of video creators now use generative AI in their creative process. Whether it’s for editing videos, translating content to reach a broader audience, brainstorming ideas, or creating graphic assets...
AI is not just simplifying and speeding up the creative process but also enhancing the content. Graphically. Audibly. It’s optimizing everything through advanced predictive analytics. In short, AI has firmly established itself as a key tool in the creator’s toolkit. For some, it’s an invaluable ally in elevating their digital presence; for others, it unlocks possibilities for content creation that were once out of reach.
Various AI-driven profile types are gaining popularity, particularly AI-fluencers—fictional personas co-created with text-to-image software like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion, who maintain active social media presences. One of the most popular AI-fluencers, Aitana Lopez from Barcelona, has amassed over 330,000 followers on Instagram. In mid-October, the German Tourist Board launched its own AI-fluencer, Emma.
On Instagram, AI artists are creating a buzz! These "prompt wizards" combine different image-generation tools to craft surreal videos. A few notable profiles include: Liberaitor (65K), who uses AI to place “monsters” in realistic settings; Bennett Waisbren (474K), who distorts human bodies using AI; and Daryl Anselmo (303K), who creates 80s-inspired sketches filled with eccentricities.
Throughout 2023 and into 2024, several ultra-viral trends have been driven by AI. The PS2 Filter has gone viral on TikTok, transforming images into 90s video game-style graphics. More recently, a wave of fashion influencers embraced a Pika.art effect that "morphs" visuals like modeling clay, gaining immense popularity.
Even social media platforms themselves are incorporating AI tools. In September, YouTube introduced a text-to-video tool within the Shorts creation tab. On the same platform, Google Gemini integration helps creators brainstorm content ideas. Meanwhile, Instagram began testing a tool in October that automatically translates audio in creator videos.
V. BEYOND "NICHE": THE RISE OF SUBVERSIVE CREATORS!
As the average internet user’s attention span continues to fragment, “For You” feeds on platforms like Instagram and TikTok are becoming more competitive than ever. With AI and user-friendly editing tools making content creation accessible to almost anyone, automated content farms are multiplying, slowly edging out creators who struggle to maintain visibility amid ever-changing algorithms.
In 2025, creators will need to “double down on creativity” to compete not only with semi-automated accounts but also to reconnect with an audience that’s becoming increasingly scattered. Unconventional or niche editorial voices, irreverent tones, edgy humor, and self-deprecating content will become essential survival strategies. To stand out, influencers must think outside the box—perhaps even becoming “subversive” in the process.
Once considered niche, absurdity and "weird core" are now mainstream on social media. Creators like Zac Bulle in Quebec, Gianluca Busani, Jericho Mencke, Frankie Lagana, and Ivy Bloom are racking up hundreds of thousands, even millions, of views per video on TikTok.
These subversive influencers are particularly popular with brands in the US. Marc Jacobs, for example, maintains a special relationship with Gen Z through “unconventional” collaborations. Sylvanian Drama, Nara Smith, Izzy & Emma, Lewsi Saunderson—designers with unusual editorial concepts.
Jools Lebron, the creator behind the "very demure, very mindful" trend, quickly became a viral sensation. This led to collaborations with several major brands, including Netflix, Verizon, and Lyft. Each of these partnerships produced hundreds of thousands of views and engagements.
To amplify their stunt with Michael Cera during the Super Bowl, CeraVe partnered with dozens of creators, all of whom embraced the campaign's self-deprecating tone.
Trends are becoming increasingly bold and irreverent. For example, the “hear me out cake” movement had creators sharing their most embarrassing crushes, often veering into the absurd. A more recent trend, “suspect is...,” has friends and family poking fun at each other's quirks and habits.
To gain traction and visibility on social media in 2025, brands must embrace less conventional, less "brand-safe" collaboration models. With algorithms becoming more unpredictable and content volume continuously increasing, surprise and originality will drive what goes viral. The old rules of safe, predictable content are being tossed aside.
CONCLUSION :
In 2025, Clark Influence predicts a major shift in influencer marketing, where creators constantly evolve their image and platforms. From the quest for grandeur to embracing disconnection, the reinvention of creativity, the rise of AI, and the emergence of subversive influencers, the industry is more dynamic, daring, innovative, and diverse than ever before.
Clark Influence, an agency of enthusiasts who know how to help you convey your message on social networks
We'll find the best content creators to act as ambassadors for your industry.
If you'd like us to find you the talent capable of embodying your company's image via a turnkey local influencer marketing campaign : contact us! : info@clarkinfluence.com.
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