If you spent any time last week at Cannes, you surely noticed the increased presence of creators. Along with a ton of major professional athletes, YouTubers like Callum Ryan and Grace Wells were prominent fixtures at spots such as Whalar Beach. 

To date, the creator economy has been touted for its breadth and depth - as in, it creates opportunities for every group and every niche interest. But according to the Wall Street Journal, many creators are struggling to get by. Which makes you wonder - at least from a media and advertising perspective - are we settling into a more star-centric, maybe top-heavy market, where Mr. Beast and his brethren thrive, and the curly hair influencer needs a day job?

The challenge there is - there are a ton of creators with really big, if not Beast followings. Is the ad buy not big enough? Or are there not enough ad dollars to go around?

If the latter is the case, the natural place for creators to turn seems to be shopping - first and foremost, the fast-growing TikTok Shop. Taking a cut of purchases that occur thanks to your content sounds great for the average creator - but does that give with the common refrain at Cannes, that every creator needs to be authentic, and avoid becoming a walking billboard?

Dig Deeper With These Links:

• Social-Media Influencers Aren’t Getting Rich—They’re Barely Getting By - Sarah E. Needleman & Ann-Marie Alcántara [WSJ]

• Why Creators Are Flocking To TikTok Shop - Katie Salcius [Forbes]

• Walmart is strengthening its No. 2 position in retail media search behind Amazon - Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf [eMarketer]

• Research Briefing: Amazon faces retail media competition from Walmart and Target - Catherine Wolf [Digiday]