Regional Analysis

Asia and Oceana Creator Economy Market Drivers:

Rise of Social Media and Video Platforms: The rapid growth of social media and video platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok etc. in Asia Pacific is a major driver for the creator economy. These platforms are enabling individual creators to build a large follower base, showcase their talents, and monetize their content. Creators are partnering with platforms to earn advertisement revenue, receive sponsorship deals, sell merchandise etc. The low barrier to start creating content is leading to many new entrants in this space.

For instance, TikTok has over 300 million monthly active users in Asia Pacific. Short form video content has become hugely popular. A cohort of young creators have risen with millions of followers. Thus, social media and video apps are empowering the creator economy growth.

Smartphone and Internet Penetration: The improving internet accessibility and rising smartphone adoption in Asia Pacific is allowing wider reach for creators. With mobile phones and cheap data plans, online video streaming and social media usage has increased tremendously even in lower tier cities and towns.

For example, India which is experiencing a massive surge in creator culture adding over 40 million new internet users every year. Cheaper phones under $100 combined with affordable mobile data prices have unlocked a massive new user base for creators. Thus, the technology infrastructure is enabling the creator economy's rise.

Brands Leveraging Influencer Marketing: Brands across Asia Pacific are leveraging influencer marketing by partnering with creators. This presents a lucrative monetization avenue for creators. Marketers are shifting budgets to influencer campaigns which deliver better engagement and ROI compared to traditional advertising.

The adoption of influencer marketing is high in countries like China, Japan, South Korea, India, Thailand, Indonesia etc. Sectors like fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel are leading in influencer marketing spends. The focus on social commerce is also enabling influencer-led product sales. Thus, brand promotion is a key creator economy driver.

Support Infrastructure and Enablers: The creator economy is being supported by the emergence of new tools, platforms and enablers. Creator economy focused companies are providing solutions for creator profiling, campaign tracking, monetization, analytics etc. Payment gateways are enabling seamless tipping, donations. Co-working spaces focused on content creators are coming up.

Overall support infrastructure like creator media production professionals, managers, agencies, events etc. has developed. Government programs supporting local creators have also emerged. Such infrastructure growth is enabling individuals to smoothly pursue creator careers.