Some Of The Most Controversial Moments By Creators In 2022

December is when you’re managing your marketing campaigns for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year, and other festival sales. And you’re looking forward to kicking back and spending quality time with your loved ones. December is a fun, mixed bag, isn’t it, marketers?
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This month usually has me thinking about all that came to pass in the soon-to-be “last year.” What moments stood out, what changed the course of history, and what moments added pizzazz? This year, I started working for affable.ai, a marketing technology company at the forefront of the creator economy. My understanding of influencer and creator marketing has deepened quite a bit.

We live in the age of influencer marketing, and someone new is joining the ranks every day. Influencers, with their large and engaged following, have been able to drive huge amounts of brand visibility and build relationships with their fans. While influencer marketing has been around for quite some time, 2022 was one such year where many moments by creators and influencers were headlines for days.

Here are some of the most memorable influencer marketing moments that rocked 2022.

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Elon Musk buying Twitter

It all started back in March when Elon began to criticize Twitter openly and questioned its policy on free speech.

After rumors and public claims by both parties about Elon being offered a position on the board, on April 14, 2022, Elon tweeted that he offered to buy Twitter for $43 billion and take the company private.

Finally, on October 28, Elon officially became the new owner of Twitter, and the rest is history.

What’s unique about this is the fact that this was a very public series of events.

Now, aside from being (at the time of writing this) the richest person in the world, he’s also one of the more prolific of his billionaire counterparts when it comes to being someone who has a more recognizable personal brand on social media. The sentiment around all this is neither here nor there, but what we musk acknowledge (see what I did there? 😏) is that Elon is one of the most influential individuals in the world today. This ordeal with money up the wazoo and massive changes at Twitter has been one of my favorite events of 2022.‍

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MrBeast’s restaurant opening draws a massive crowd

While not his first, the opening of MrBeast Burger, a restaurant franchise by YouTube powerhouse Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, Forbes Creator #1, drew in a crowd of over 10,000 people on its opening day!

It's not new for creators to launch their product lines and partner with big-name brands. Not many can claim to have as strong a follower base as MrBeast. With over 116 million loyal subscribers on YouTube, MrBeast has gone from creating content and generating revenue from said content to building a business empire. From his culinary ventures, MrBeast has generated over $100 million in revenue since 2020! Truly someone who lives up to their username.

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Sidemen charity game raises over £1 million

There aren’t many who aren’t familiar with the YouTube group Sidemen. With over 17 million subscribers, the group consists of Josh Bradley, Simon Minter, Tobi Brown, Ethan Payne, Vikram Barn, Harry Lewis, and arguably their most popular member, KSI. Although they’re known for their brilliant and entertaining video skits, they were in the headlines this year for a charity football game (or as some call it, “soccer”) they organized in September.

This charity match saw big names like iShowSpeed, Noah Beck, MrBeast, and many more join the Sidemen for a YouTube All-Stars game of football. While it was a thrilling and thoroughly entertaining game, with the Sidemen winning 8-7, some of the numbers outside the game were also very impressive.
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• More than 27,000 fans swarmed The Valley football ground, home to Charlton Athletic F.C.
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• The YouTube live stream drew 2.6 million concurrent viewers.

In the end, the event raised over £ 1.08 million for charity! That right there is the embodiment of the power of the creator economy. If you are a football/soccer fan and spare time, I recommend watching the highlights.
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I believe 2022 was a great year for the creator economy.  There were defining moments that will affect marketers, creators, and consumers for years to come. However, the sway and influence that creators have and the impact they can have on not just their audience but also on brands and economies was there for all to see. I can only wait with bated breath on what 2023 holds for us.

Check out our 2023 influencer marketing trends report to discover what the coming year will look like in terms of the creator economy, metaverse, nano influencers, and a lot more!

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