APAC creator economy tipped to hit US$1.2 trillion by 2030

Creator-led marketing across Asia Pacific is projected to generate US$1.2 trillion in commercial contribution by 2030, up 1.4 times from 2025, as authentic content becomes a measurable driver of brand and business performance.

New research from TikTok’s The Art and Science of Authenticity whitepaper points to a structural shift from polished brand storytelling toward creator-led content that directly shapes consideration and purchase behaviour.

The data shows nine in 10 consumers in APAC say authentic content influences their purchase decisions, while 76% are more likely to search, click or add a product to cart after engaging with content that feels genuine. At the same time, three in four consumers now skip content that appears overly polished or inauthentic.

For marketers, the implication is clear: authenticity has shifted from a creative style choice to a performance lever.

“In today’s post-perfection era, influence belongs not only to top-tier creators, but to anyone who feels real,” Chew Wee Ng, head of business marketing, Asia Pacific, said.

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While creator marketing has traditionally been associated with beauty, fashion and lifestyle, the research shows rapid expansion into gaming, financial services, apps and consumer electronics, where creators are increasingly used to explain complexity, build trust and influence high-consideration purchases.

This reflects a broader evolution in creator impact: from generating attention to driving commercial outcomes.

The study also points to growing sophistication in how brands operationalise authenticity. Tools that analyse multiple consideration signals and map consumer journeys are enabling marketers to test, optimise and adapt creative in near real-time, tying creator content more directly to performance outcomes.

At the same time, AI-generated content (AIGC) is emerging as a major accelerator of creative scale. Two in three consumers across APAC say they want creators and brands to use AIGC in content creation, and TikTok users show 1.5 times higher interest in AIGC-enhanced content than users on other platforms.

Rather than replacing creators, AI is increasingly being used to streamline production and versioning, allowing human creativity and creator participation to remain central.

One example cited in the research saw a global FMCG brand generate 2,000 images in three days and more than 330 creator-led campaign videos, using AI-assisted creative tools to scale platform-native content.

The growth trajectory is also reflected in creator participation. The number of monetised creators on TikTok grew 1,267% year-on-year as of Q3 2025, making it one of the fastest-expanding creator ecosystems globally.

Case studies from across the region illustrate how creator-led commerce is translating into real business impact, including Vietnamese creator Jayni, who drove 87x revenue growth and 94x commission volume between 2024 and 2025, and Thai creator Turk, who turned an accidental recording into a thriving jewellery business.

For brands, the opportunity is no longer simply to “work with creators,” but to connect creators, content and commerce into one system that makes authenticity scalable and accountable.

As growth pressure intensifies across APAC, the research suggests the brands that win will be those that treat creator-led authenticity not as an experiment, but as core infrastructure for modern marketing.