Influence Weekly
Join us as we dive deeper into the latest trends, insights, and stories from the world of influencer marketing and the creator economy. Our podcast brings you exclusive interviews with industry leaders, in-depth analysis of key topics, and a behind-the-scenes look at the stories that matter most to our community.
Influence Weekly
Creator Economy News: Google Tracks Creators, Lowe's Goes Creator-Built & More (Aug 2026)
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In this August episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene break down three stories that signal how seriously the broader economy—from tech platforms to universities to major retailers—is now taking the creator economy as infrastructure:
🔍 Google Gives Creators Search Data for the First Time: Google launched Platform Properties inside Search Console, letting creators see how their social posts perform in Google Search and Discover—no website required. It's the third creator-focused tool Google has shipped this year, and Nii reads it as a strategic move: Google knows it can't be a text-only search engine in an AI world where consumers are going straight to YouTube for answers. The real opportunity isn't just knowing what you rank for today—it's using that data to build content franchises around commercially valuable search terms before other creators catch on.
🎓 Arizona State Launches a Bachelor's Degree in Content Creation: ASU's Cronkite School of Journalism is offering a full four-year degree in content creation this fall, covering video and podcast production, audience analytics, and personal branding—with a graduation requirement to actually grow a following. The internet made fun of it immediately. Nii's take cuts through the noise: this isn't about minting the next Mr. Beast. It's the creator economy's USC film school moment. The degree is for the editors, the talent managers, the analytics leads, and the short-form specialists that every creator organization needs but has no systematic pipeline to hire from.
🔨 Lowe's Opens Product Co-Creation to 30,000 Creators: Lowe's Creator Into the Blue program invites creators to pitch product ideas directly to design, sourcing, and merchandising teams—with a real shot at getting on shelves. Applications open September 1, and ideas will be scored on virality potential and impulse-buy price point. Nii sees the promise but wants proof: 30,000 applicants and a contest format feels more like a sweepstakes than a genuine commitment to creator partnership. The model he actually finds compelling is Jordan Howlett's Chief Creator Officer role at Blenders—one creator in the room during executive sessions, shaping product and marketing decisions from the inside.
From Google nudging creators toward search-driven content strategies to a university formalizing the creator economy's support workforce to a retailer testing whether co-creation can work at scale—this episode covers the infrastructure moments that matter heading into Q4.
The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.