The Daily Influence: 20 creator-brand partnerships that defined 2025

This year marked a turning point for the creator economy, as brands moved away from one-off influencer deals towards deeper, longer-term partnerships.

From Netflix’s push into creator-led programming to Unilever’s expanding commitment to social-first advertising, the past 12 months revealed a sector in transition: more mature, more scrutinised, and increasingly intertwined with wider economic and cultural shifts.

This list highlights 20 creator-brand collaborations that helped define how influence operated in 2025.

The selection draws on TDI Dealbase data alongside editorial analysis from The Daily Influence. TDI Dealbase tracks creator–brand partnerships across markets and categories to provide context on where the industry is heading.

Industry signalling and trend forecasting

In 2025, creator partnerships became one of the clearest indicators of where media, advertising and technology are heading, as mainstream platforms increasingly turned to digital-native talent to secure audiences and relevance.

Ms Rachel x Netflix

In January, Netflix partnered with children’s creator Ms Rachel to bring her preschool content to the streaming platform, extending her reach beyond YouTube into a more traditional TV-style environment for families. The deal marked the start of Netflix’s effort to compete more directly with YouTube for family viewing time.

Mark Rober x Netflix

In August, Netflix announced a partnership with YouTube engineer and inventor Mark Rober, confirming plans to develop creator-led programming alongside the licensing of his existing YouTube specials. The deal reinforced Netflix’s shift towards backing creators with proven global audiences, positioning digital-native talent as an increasingly important part of its premium content strategy. That direction became clearer later in the year when Netflix underlined the scale of its ambitions with an $83bn swoop for Warner Bros Discovery assets – a move that sharpened its creator-led showdown with YouTube and highlighted how central creator-driven IP has become to its long-term positioning.

Molly-Mae Hague x Persil & Comfort

In May, Unilever tapped Molly-Mae Hague to front the launch of its “Pure Heaven Scent” sensitive laundry range in a deal reportedly worth seven figures. Featuring Hague alongside her daughter, the partnership followed Unilever’s pledge to direct half of its advertising spend to social media, with CEO Fernando Fernandez later noting the company had worked with nearly 300,000 creators globally.

Jake Paul x OpenAI (Sora)

In October, Jake Paul revealed his role as an investor and advisor to OpenAI’s Sora team, becoming the first celebrity cameo user of the AI video generator. Thousands of AI-generated videos featuring his likeness circulated online within days. The partnership sparked debate around consent and the role creators play in normalising emerging technologies.

Creators in the boardroom

If earlier years were defined by creators launching their own brands, 2025 was the year they moved into formal leadership roles inside established companies.

Vivian Tu x SoFi

In November, SoFi appointed creator Vivian Tu as its first Chief of Financial Empowerment, formalising a relationship built around financial education and trust. The role went beyond promotion, positioning Tu as a public-facing leader with long-term influence.

Leah Kateb x Skylar

In July, Skylar named Love Island USA star Leah Kateb as Chief Creative Officer and re-founder as part of a full brand refresh. Rather than positioning her as an ambassador, the brand handed Kateb creative control over its next chapter, a clear shift towards creators shaping brand identity from the inside.

Steven Bartlett x Stan Store

In May, Steven Bartlett became co-owner of creator-commerce platform Stan Store, adding another stake to his growing portfolio of media and technology ventures. The deal reflected a growing appetite among top creators to invest in the infrastructure underpinning the creator economy.

Controversial collaborations and brand risk

As creator partnerships grew more prominent in 2025, the consequences of poor judgement became harder to ignore.

Huda Mustafa x Huda Beauty

In September, Huda Beauty partnered with Love Island USA alum Huda Mustafa on the EasyBake Duo launch, initially described as the brand’s most-requested collaboration. The partnership ended weeks later following a TikTok Live controversy involving racist language from a caller. The fallout highlighted how quickly influencer-led campaigns can become brand-risk case studies.

Matt Rife & Heidi N Closet x e.l.f. Cosmetics

In August, e.l.f. Cosmetics launched a satirical campaign featuring comedian Matt Rife and drag queen Heidi N Closet. The campaign was pulled within days following backlash over Rife’s past jokes, prompting e.l.f. to issue a public apology. “We heard you,” the brand said in a statement, acknowledging it had “missed the mark” with parts of its community.

AMP Collective x Target

In July, Target partnered with Kai Cenat and the AMP collective to launch its exclusive men’s care line, TONE. While ambitious in scale, the campaign landed amid mounting backlash over Target’s pullback from DEI initiatives, with critics questioning the timing and intent of the partnership. The episode served as a reminder that creator collaborations do not exist in a vacuum, and that even the biggest names can be pulled into wider political and cultural disputes shaping how brands are perceived.

Sunny Dé x Supré

In October, Australian retailer Supré collaborated with 14-year-old creator Deja Clark’s label Sunny Dé on a Y2K-inspired capsule collection. The partnership drew criticism following its launch event, with attendees and viewers pointing to a lack of visible diversity, reflecting rising expectations among younger audiences around representation and accountability.

Ari Kytsya x Urban Decay

In July, Urban Decay named OnlyFans creator Ari Kytsya as a brand ambassador for its “Battle the Bland” campaign. Campaign groups criticised the move, arguing it could normalise adult-content platforms for young women. Others saw it as a return to Urban Decay’s disruptive roots, highlighting an ongoing divide over who gets visibility in mainstream beauty.

Representation and cultural credibility

In a year when conversations around diversity and inclusion became quieter, representation did not disappear and instead became more closely tied to credibility and lived experience.

“Bus Aunty” x Burberry

In August, Burberry cast TikTok creator Bemi Orojuogun, known as “Bus Aunty,” in its Back to the City campaign celebrating London culture. A mental health nurse by profession, Orojuogun built a cult following through videos filmed inches from moving buses. The Burberry campaign brought that world into focus by styling Orojuogun on a London bus, putting a much-loved creator at the heart of a campaign about the city itself.

Anjeni x M·A·C

In October, Anjeni Khusul collaborated with M·A·C on a makeup edit released around Diwali and sold via the brand’s website. The edit was curated by Khusul and reflected products and shades she regularly uses in her content, with a focus on wearability for South Asian and deeper skin tones. While the collaboration attracted debate around how cultural moments are communicated, it stood out for grounding that moment in actual product choice rather than surface-level symbolism.

Aisha Asunramu x The Beauty Crop

In May, The Beauty Crop collaborated with beauty creator Aisha Asunramu on a lip kit designed for deeper skin tones. The idea emerged after Asunramu flagged the lack of sufficiently deep lip liner shades while filming content with the brand, prompting further discussion around product development. The collaboration showed how creators with lived experience can influence product decisions when brands treat long-term relationships as a source of insight rather than just distribution.

Toni Bravo x Tower 28

In July, Tower 28 launched its first influencer-led product collaboration with TikToker Toni Bravo after an extended development process. Bravo, the self-proclaimed “CEO of blush,” co-created two high-pigment powder blush shades designed to deliver bold colour payoff across deeper skin tones. Like Aisha Asunramu’s collaboration, the deal showed how smaller creators with tightly engaged audiences can shape product decisions when brands value trust and lived expertise over raw reach.

Unusual and institution-led collaborations

Some of the most interesting creator partnerships of 2025 came from outside traditional brand marketing.

MrBeast x The Rockefeller Foundation

In November, Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast)’s charity arm, Beast Philanthropy, launched a partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation, linking the world’s most-followed creator with one of philanthropy’s longest-established institutions. The collaboration sought to leverage Donaldson’s influence with younger audiences to support the Foundation’s global development work. An unconventional pairing, the partnership illustrated how even legacy organisations are increasingly looking beyond traditional channels and experimenting with creator partnerships to reach the next generation.

Mia Rose McGrath x HMRC

In September, HMRC, the UK’s tax authority, partnered with British financial creator Mia Rose McGrath to explain tax responsibilities for side hustles. The campaign marked a rare collaboration between a government body and a creator and showed how public institutions are borrowing creator trust to modernise communication.

Trend-setting and celebrity blurring

By the end of 2025, the line between creator and celebrity had become increasingly thin.

Alix Earle x Frame

In January, a viral TikTok moment questioning Alix Earle’s skinny jeans sparked a full collaboration with Frame. Earle pitched the idea directly to the brand, turning online debate into a commercial product. Later that year Earle’s influence expanded beyond social media, moving into mainstream television via Dancing with the Stars.

IShowSpeed x Beats by Dre

In December, Beats by Dre partnered with livestream creator IShowSpeed in its first major campaign with a streamer. Known for its history of celebrity and athlete endorsements, the brand’s move into livestream culture reinforced how top creators are now positioned alongside mainstream stars.

An industry coming of age

Taken together, these collaborations show a creator economy that has grown up as it heads into 2026. The past year has laid the groundwork for changes around AI, platform influence and the blurring of creator and celebrity, all of which will shape not just who gets the biggest deals next, but the kind of partnerships brands choose to build.