The Rise of Super Spenders and the Fall of Empty Views

Digesting VidCon, Cannes and the Decline of the SuperFan. Branding and marketing matter, but aren’t enough.

Author

Jim Louderback
June 23, 2025

This Week: Cannes vs. VidCon, my VidCon wrap up, and two insightful studies that lay out why branding and marketing matter – but aren’t enough – in the search for revenue, attention and connection.

Hi, I’m Jim Louderback and this is my weekly creator economy newsletter. If you’ve received it, then you are either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you.


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💡 TOP STORIES

CREATORS ARRIVE AS THE ATTENTION ECONOMY FRAGMENTS. NOW WHAT?

At both VidCon and Cannes last week, one message rang loud and clear: in today’s attention economy, not all views (or viewers) are created equal. McKinsey’s new Attention Equation study backs it up with hard data: just 10% of media consumers drive over 50% of spending, and focused, intentional viewing dramatically outperforms passive scrolls.

VidCon leaned into this shift with tactical sessions on AI, monetization, and direct-to-fan revenue. Cannes, meanwhile, spotlighted the brand side — with big-picture talk about capturing attention in a fragmented world. The takeaway? If you’re still chasing raw views, you’re playing last year’s game. The winners are creators who turn attention into action.

Creators have arrived on the global media stage. Now’s the moment to prove why they’re the most effective engine for ROI in a disrupted, oversaturated media landscape.

DATA: NOT ALL VIEWS ARE CREATED EQUAL

Focus on super spenders, not super users.  That’s the fascinating conclusion from a new McKinsey study, finding that the quality of attention, not quantity, is a better focus for media businesses.  McKinsey breaks attention into two parts: 

  • The commercial quotient (how much a viewer can spend) 

  • The attention quotient (how focused they are and why they’re watching). 

Together, these explain why some content earns way more per view than others.

Key stat: The top 10% of time spent only accounts for 20% of media spend. But the top 10% of spenders drive 50% of the money. Their new “Attention Equation” model is designed to help media companies in the era of abundance.

Building a media company around your channel?  Focus on three key attention segments: content lovers, interactivity enthusiasts and community trendsetters.   And explore formats that scale value and attention, including games, books and live experiences that can scale value along with views.  The full report is available to download at the above link as well.

WHAT I LEARNED AT VIDCON

A great four days of content, connections and collaborations.  I moderated four sessions along with hosting and moderating the invite-only four-hour “Leadership Summit”, spending time with creators, industry leaders, politicians and even Snoop Dogg’s son!  Here are a few things that stood out.

Surprising New auto-dub Language: YouTube recently added 11 new auto-dub languages, bringing the total to 20. Lost in the noise? Ukrainian was one of them. With fewer than 40 million native speakers, it’s an unusual choice… but symbolically powerful. Now, videos from Ukraine’s front lines will be more accessible worldwide. Props to Big Red for the subtle stance.

But Is MLA Ready for Prime Time?  At my multi-language panel, the consensus was: YouTube’s AI-based translation isn’t the best localization tool. Captions still outperform MLA, and human translation (at $30–$40/min) or platforms like Linguana are often preferred. But the panel agreed that YouTube’s built-in tool remains a useful way to test new markets. 

Recovering From Paywall Disaster:  A year ago, YouTube channel Watcher Entertainment nearly ruined its community by switching off its free YouTube channel and moving all its content to a paid video on-demand platform. An overzealous response from fans and trolls painted a picture of disaster.  But to Watcher’s credit, they quickly pulled back, and at the same time created the model for subsequent channels to add SVOD without alienating their existing community. I caught up with co-founder @Steven Lim, and their resilience is a lesson in what not to do... and how to recover when you do.

AI Can't Fake Impact, or ROI

Tubular mined millions of data points to reveal key differences between AI-generated and human-crafted content on YouTube. The AI-driven gaming channel Hopper churns out far more videos than top human-led channels—but those human creators earn 5–10x more views and engagement per video. AI may win on volume, but when it comes to ROI, a single human-made video is likely 10x more valuable.

Their session also highlighted how adjacent content can supercharge brand campaigns: beauty brands partnering with food creators saw a 3x boost in engagement. And while mobile dominates YouTube in total views, TV accounts for 42% of total watch time.

Streamers Go Shopping: Tubi announced its first slate of creators joining the AVOD service, and named @Rich Bloom as its new GM.  Rich was at the leadership summit and also hosted a great dinner Thursday night.  Tubi is officially open for business.  But they’re not alone. I also ran into an Amazon FireTV exec scouting partners for their new creator-focused section. Expect Mr Beast episodes to be among the first featured, so that after enjoying a Beast Games 2 episode, you don’t have to leave the platform to enjoy more Beast.

Shorties Got a peek into off-the-record monetization strategies at the Summit. Chatted onstage with the business brains behind Smosh and Mythical on Thursday and walked away convinced they’re poised for massive growth. Heard more promising updates on how Tubi and Vimeo are stepping up their creator game. Caught up with @Abbie Sheppard from Agentio… love how they’re building pricing and ROI consistency into brand partnerships (as a platform, not an agency). Got a good laugh when a YouTube exec flashed me a photo of Neal Mohan in shorts at Cannes (pun absolutely intended). And YouTube’s keynote? Best it’s been in years, thanks to @Kevin Allocca—always a standout.

VIDCON VS. CANNES: WHO DID IT BETTER?

Two creator economy juggernauts went head-to-head last week: VidCon in Anaheim and Cannes Lions in the south of France. I didn’t make it to Cannes, but I spent four packed days at VidCon and spoke with folks who did both. Here’s how they stack up:

Organization:
VidCon’s app wobbled, printed schedules were MIA, and even the marquee “YouTube Algorithm” session had the wrong room listed. Long lines and security slowdowns didn’t help on day one.  That said, not a single person I talked to actually attended an official Cannes session.
Winner: Incomplete

Creators:
Cannes brought in 100+ top-tier creators via sponsors and many more through its curated Creator Pass. VidCon, though, was creator city: 6,000+ on the creator track, 250 featured, and thousands more roaming around. At VidCon, almost everyone’s a creator.
Winner: VidCon

Platforms Most Used by Attendees:
VidCon = YouTube, TikTok, Instagram.
Cannes = LinkedIn and WhatsApp.
Winner: Push

Attendees:
Cannes was a brand-and-agency bonanza, though many senior execs reportedly passed their passes to juniors. VidCon showcased the whole stack: fans, founders, creators, startups, strategists.
Winner: Dealer’s choice, but VidCon showcased the full ecosystem.

Content:
Cannes was polished, brand-focused, and rich with glitzy agency pop-ups. VidCon more practical: a creator MBA, AI tips, algorithm insights and monetization strategies.
Winner: Push — strategy vs. tactics.

Location:
Cannes has rosé and Riviera sunsets. VidCon has churros and Disneyland.
Winner: Push

Weather:
Anaheim brought peak SoCal perfection. Cannes? Heat, humidity, and sweaty linen.
Winner: VidCon (at least this year)

Face of the Event:
Hank Green returned to VidCon. Michael Kassan reappeared at Cannes. Both were present, but neither owned the moment.
Winner: No One

Final Score:
It’s a draw. Cannes wins if you’re chasing brand dollars and strategic partnerships. VidCon wins if you want to full-stack creator economy – with fans. Think of it like Sundance vs. Comic-Con — ideally, you go to both. Just not in the same week, please.

DATA: THE STATE OF THE CREATOR ECONOMY

Epidemic Sound surveyed 3,000 “professional content creators” in the U.S. and U.K., finding that 61% now work full-time making content. Nearly all are preparing for platform disruption—which likely explains why so many are leaning into direct-to-fan monetization. Unsurprisingly, these creators also see music as a key driver of engagement, brand recognition, and discoverability.  What counts as “professional”? Anyone creating content full-time, as a side hustle, or while working for a brand or agency.  Download the full report here.

😎 OPEN SAUCE

Just about to release my line-up for Open Sauce’s “Industry Day” on July 18th.  It’s killer, featuring a unique mix of creators, industry experts and surprising voices, featuring the first public appearance of QVC’s new president @Alex Wellen, a rare speaking engagement from @Kevin Kelly, thoughts from Patreon’s COO and much more. 

💡 PLATFORMS

YOUTUBE

META

TIKTOK

LINKEDIN

💡 QUIBIS

OTHER CREATOR ECONOMY

  • SEO for Podcasts: New free tool helps you create SEO friendly titles and descriptions.

  • Outliers Rule: Want to grow views?  Focus on outliers, according to @Brendan Kane.  This came up during an off-the-record discussion at VidCon too.

  • Patreon Raises Prices: As they lean more into being a total media platform, Patreon streamlines pricing to a flat 10%.  

  • Tubi Leans In To Creators:  The popular AVOD TV service just announced a bunch of new creators launching on the platform along with its new president @Rich Bloom – who is tasked with building out the creator space.

  • Another Meaningless List: Congrats to everyone who made the latest Forbes list… recognition always feels good. But let’s be real: Forbes lost its editorial credibility years ago, especially when it comes to valuing creator businesses. Kind of like the Egg McMuffin I scarfed down at the Irvine airport this morning, headed back from VidCon. Satisfying on the way down, but a little questionable in “hindsight”.

  • Hire Storytellers, Not YouTubers:  That’s Ryan Hashemi’s advice for building creator-first organizations.

OTHER CREATOR ECONOMY

📊 DATA

Digital Consumer Trends: Deloitte’s annual UK digital report  offers useful insights for global audiences. Key takeaways: trust is eroding, attention is getting harder to earn, and creators should focus on retention, not just subscriptions. A useful reminder that building long-term loyalty matters more than short-term growth.


📍 Where’s Jim? Next week – revisiting 2025 predictions – trends for the second half of the year – and then Open Sauce in San Mateo, CA (near San Francisco).

100% written by me – no human or AI ghostwriters were involved in the production (except for the cover art!).

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