For the first time, ad revenue from user-generated content and platforms will exceed the amount earned from professionally produced content this year, according to WPP Media’s global president of business intelligence.

What changed?

Relatably, when the economy is turbulent, brands feel better spending money on Facebook than paying a lot to a fancy shop. But, “While it’s true we are seeing brands begin to pull back in marketing expenditure as a whole, the creator economy is surging,” Kenny Gold, head of social, content and influencer at Deloitte Digital, told Bloomberg.

That trend is on full display at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, one of the major advertising events of the year, where execs and content creators are meeting this week to discuss burgeoning opportunities. “The appetite for brands and agencies to really sit with some of these top creators and truly dig in is at an all-time high,” said David Freeman, the head of digital media at CAA.

Hold the mayo

While influencers already dominate the skincare and makeup industries, creators are booking lucrative deals with household goods brands. Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said the conglomerate would hire 20 times more influencers to pursue a social-first marketing strategy, citing that consumers feel “suspicious” of corporate branding.

Making content about disinfectant wipes probably didn’t draw creators to the field, but it could help them stay. This year, Cannes Lions expanded the “Lions Creators” programming it piloted in 2024 to teach influencers more tools of the trade. Cannes Lion VP Ed Davidson said that a huge reason influencers signed up for the festival is to figure out, “‘How can I keep this thing going and build a real business?’”

Zoom out: The global influencer marketing industry is expected to grow by 36% between 2024 and 2025, to $33 billion, according to Statista data.—HVL

Minnesota lawmakers targeted in “politically motivated attack”; suspect apprehended. Authorities say that around 2am local time on Saturday, Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times at their home in Champlin, and that the same attacker then went to the house of State Representative Melissa Hortman in nearby Brooklyn Park, where he murdered her and her husband, Mark. Police engaged the suspect at Hortman’s home. He fled, but left a vehicle flashing lights that contained a manifesto listing 50 to 70 names of potential targets, many of whom were abortion rights supporters. Police caught the alleged shooter, 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, on Sunday evening after a manhunt that lasted more than 24 hours. The Hoffmans survived and underwent surgery to treat their wounds; John was shot nine times; Yvette, eight.

Army birthday parade, No Kings protests, took place on Saturday. More than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks filed through Washington, DC, on Saturday evening for the 250th Birthday of the US Army Grand Military Parade and Celebration. “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too,” President Trump said at the event. The parade coincided with the president’s 79th birthday, a detail that irked some critics. A coalition of over 200 groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), labor unions, and progressive advocacy groups, organized the “No Kings” counter-programming, which featured protests in all 50 states that the ACLU estimated were attended by 5 million people. The No Kings website said that its activities were aimed at “people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.” The Secret Service had estimated that 200,000 people would attend the DC parade, but did not provide a final figure.

⏸️ New guidance instructs ICE to pause arrests at farms, hotels, restaurants. The change reportedly stems from lobbying by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who spoke with the president on Wednesday regarding farmers’ reports of work stoppage and lost productivity due to ICE raids. On Thursday, Trump posted to Truth Social that “our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers” away from farms, “with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.” The New York Times reported that, following the post, “some influential Trump donors” lobbied the admin to ensure that restaurant workers were included in any policy changes. Raids at other types of work sites, like garment factories, which sparked the Los Angeles protests, are still permitted under the new guidance.—HVL

Universal’s live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon swooped into theaters this past weekend with a lot on its back:

• It cost $250 million to produce and market.
• If the film succeeds, there will be plenty of blue sky for sequels. The original animated franchise consisted of three feature films and two TV series.
• The IP is a linchpin of Universal’s new Epic Universe park, where one of its five themed worlds is How to Train Your Dragon—Isle of Berk.

So far, so good. How to Train Your Dragon easily won the weekend box office, raking in about $84 million domestically.

Hollywood loves recycling

Besides Sinners, the 2025 box-office leaderboard reads like a list of sequels, prequels, remakes, and other IP adaptations. Live-action PG movies in particular have been the sweet spot. Warner Bros.’s A Minecraft Movie, based on the video game, hit theaters in April and is the No. 1 release of this year’s domestic box office to date. And Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, released in late May, is already No. 2.—BC

G7 leaders gather in Canada: President Trump and other heads of state are meeting in Alberta for the annual G7 summit—the first of Trump’s second term. The Israel–Iran conflict is expected to dominate the agenda, but the global economy and tariffs will also draw considerable attention, with Trump’s self-imposed July 9 trade-deal deadline fast approaching. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to join the summit on Tuesday.

The Fed meets as inflation and the labor market cool: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is expected to hold interest rates steady following the central bank’s Wednesday meeting, continuing a wait-and-see approach due to the fog of uncertainty hanging over the economy. That could provoke an angry response from President Trump, who recently called Powell a “numbskull” for not lowering rates already. Yet a growing number of analysts say the Fed could start thinking about dropping rates soon, given that inflation has stayed cool and the labor market is showing signs of weakness.

Democratic primary voting starts in NYC: Early voting is now open in New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor, ahead of Primary Day itself on June 24. (There isn’t a Republican primary this year.) It’s been an ultra-expensive, contentious, and closely watched race for the next leader of the country’s biggest city, with issues like affordability and public safety at the forefront. Leading the pack of 11 candidates are former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, a moderate, and Democratic Socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is not joining the primary and will run as an independent in the November general election. NYC will use a ranked-choice voting system for the second time in a primary. Learn what that means here.

Everything else:

• This week’s Paris Air Show, the world’s largest commercial aviation trade event, will take on a more somber note than usual, following last week’s deadly Air India crash.
• The Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder are tied 2–2 heading into Game 5 of the NBA Finals tonight.
• The Florida Panthers are one win away from back-to-back Stanley Cups. They play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Tuesday.
• US retail sales numbers are out on Tuesday.
• Markets are closed on Thursday for Juneteenth. US National Parks are open, though, and admission is free.
• Friday will be the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.
• Disney–Pixar’s newest film, Elio, and zombie horror sequel 28 Years Later both hit theaters on Friday.
• After six years of promising, Elon Musk says Tesla’s robotaxi service will tentatively launch in Austin, TX, this Sunday.

Air travel could be facing some stiff headwinds as it enters the typically busy summer season, according to the Financial Times. In the past 90 days, fewer passengers traveled through US airports than the year before. Americans of all income levels also cut their spending on lodging and airfare year over year, according to a Bank of America analysis, though lower-income households trimmed their travel budgets the most.

On the flip side, you can catch some good deals: Plane tickets and hotel rooms are cheaper than usual this time of year.—BC