One out of five Hong Kong Gen Zers is interested in entering the creative media industry to become a content creator, primarily attracted by the opportunities for advertising collaborations and the potential for additional income, according to a recent study.

This trend corresponds with a significant 27.4% year-on-year increase in influencer marketing expenditures, which reached HK$538 million in 2023, finds the Digital Behaviour of the Young Generation study published by the Interactive Advertising Bureau Hong Kong (IAB HK), which conducted an online survey in Q2 2024 of more than 100 Hong Kong Gen Zers, aged 13 to 29.

In 2023, influencer marketing investments surged, according to data from IAB HK’s analytics partner Cloudbreakr, with 1,793 brands using content creators, a 13.8% increase from the previous year. Leading industries making this expenditure were beauty and cosmetics (HK$110.4 million) and luxury fashion (HK$88.3 million), with remarkable growth in sectors like toys and anime (+287.3%), household projects (+93.7%), and travel and hospitality (+69.4%).

“Younger consumers are diversifying their content preferences, prompting brands to tap into wider markets through varied content creators,” says Roger Li, senior director at Yahoo Creative APAC and head of the IAB HK’s content committee. “This shift is evidenced by the continued growth and maturation of influencer marketing. The industry is now poised to advance creative content by forging stronger partnerships and, crucially, leveraging the emerging technology, such as AI [artificial intelligence].”