Forbes Launches First Creator Upfront in Partnership With Walmart

Business publisher Forbes is teaming up with Walmart to host the first Creator Upfront this October in Los Angeles, an extension of Forbes’ Top Creator franchise and a reflection of the swelling investment in influencer marketing.

The two-day event will give 20 to 25 creators an opportunity to pitch marketers and agency executives on their value as potential brand partners, according to Forbes assistant managing editor Steve Bertoni. 

It will showcase the creators in between breakout sessions and fireside chats, which will feature Walmart executives and key members of the Walmart Creators program.

“There are so many influencer and creator events, but here business and networking are at the core,” said Forbes sales director Hannah Davidson. “What differentiates this is that we are creating a two-sided marketplace.”

The event mirrors the format of a standard upfront presentation, in which publishers pitch marketers and agency executives on the strength of their content slate. In this iteration, creators and influencers will have the opportunity to make a case for why companies should work with them.

The Creator Upfront is another sign of the growing relevance of influencer marketing, which accounted for $34 billion in spend in 2023, according to Statista. Creators often point to their high rates of engagement as a reason for brands to work with them, but the sheer number of influencers can make it challenging for marketers to choose appropriate partners. 

By curating a few dozen top figures, Forbes helps solve this problem of oversaturation for brands. The event also acts as an extension of Forbes’ Top Creators franchise, offering the publisher another touchpoint to monetize its editorial coverage.

The Creator Upfront rationale

The event, which will be held at NeueHouse, will be an invitation-only gathering of around 300 creators, agency executives, marketers and related professionals, according to Davidson.

It will not be ticketed, as its primary source of revenue will come from the seven-figure Walmart sponsorship. At the moment, Forbes is still exploring the possibility of additional brand partners.

The roster of creators, which has not yet been set, will draw prominently from Forbes’ Top Creator list, which typically releases in October. Potential attendees include Mr. Beast, Emma Chamberlain and the D’Amelio sisters, according to Bertoni.

Forbes compiles its Top Creator list using a proprietary formula. The publisher weighs the earnings of potential honorees—this accounts for 50% of the weight—along with their follower count, engagement rate and Forbes Entrepreneur Score.

The Forbes Entrepreneur Score, which ranges from 1 to 4, rewards entrepreneurial creators over those that have, for example, made their money selling a preexisting product.

Despite the size of the creator economy, this is the first event of its kind, according to Mae Karwowski, founder and chief executive at influencer marketing firm Obviously. The speed with which the sector has grown has left the industry working to catch up. This year, for instance, is the first time Cannes will feature a dedicated festival for influencers.

“There is a strong desire from both parties to have a stronger relationship with one another,” Karwowski said. “This makes a lot of sense, and I think we will see more events like this.”

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Forbes’ franchise extension strategy

The event demonstrates the multichannel approach Forbes brings to its editorial franchises, according to Bertoni.

The publisher starts with a list—such as its 30 Under 30 or Billionaires List—then follows it with editorial features, a live event and a community. 

The strategy enables the publisher to offer sponsors multidimensional ownership of a specific subject, while the community element creates an ongoing pool of alumni that Forbes can tap from time to time.

For its Creator Upfront, Forbes partnered with Walmart, which is promoting its recently launched Walmart Creator network.

Through the network, creators of any size can promote Walmart products and earn affiliate revenue when they generate sales, according to Jordana Beck, director of influencer marketing and Walmart Creator.

Walmart Creator only came out of beta last October, and it has a long way to go before it approaches the scale of competitor programs like Amazon Creator, according to Karwowski. But its vast selection of products, combined with its thousands of physical storefronts, make it an appealing partner for creators.

“Partnering with Forbes was an easy choice,” Beck said. “They have built trust in the space, and we’re both making big bets on creators.”