Course 2025-2026 a.y.

1. Introduction to the Creator Economy

   • Definition, size, revenue, and key statistics

   • Evolution: historical milestones, technological shifts, economic and societal trends

   • Characterization: low entry barriers, competitive landscape, long-tail dynamics

   • Key players framework: influencers vs. creators, consumers, brands, platforms

2. Platform Dynamics

   • Platform purpose and infrastructure: enabling value‐creating interactions, governance models

   • Platform vs. pipeline: network effects, scalability, data-driven feedback loops

   • Role in creator economy: content creation support, management tools, monetization overview

   • Major platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch): content fit, user goals, platform biases

   • Algorithmic curation: discovery mechanisms, filter bubbles, matching value, bias and aversion

3. Monetisation Strategies

   • Direct vs. indirect models: subscriptions, ad revenue, sponsorships, merchandise

   • Creator’s dilemma: balancing monetization tactics with authenticity and audience trust

4. Building a Personal Brand

   • Creatorship as entrepreneurship: motives, typologies (hobby, professional, niche, celebrity)

   • Key drivers: infrastructure, financial support, individual traits (creativity, resilience, experience)

   • Branding principles: authenticity, engagement, niche content strategies

5. Role of Brands and Marketers

   • Collaboration models: sponsored content, performance-based fees, affiliate partnerships, co-creation

   • Luxury industry focus: heritage, exclusivity, brand-creator alignment

   • Impact measurement: reach, impressions, engagement, conversions, ROI, earned media value

   • Tools and dashboards: platform analytics, third-party trackers

   • Case studies: successful (e.g., Loro Piana & Gstaad Guy) and failed collaborations

6. Economics of Influence

   • Influencer tiers: nano, micro, macro, and their relative power

   • Pricing strategies, benchmarks, and comparisons

   • Virality dynamics: content performance metrics and determinants

7. Matching Platforms

   • Framework for aligning creator goals with platform features

   • Criteria: audience demographics, content format, algorithmic tendencies

8. Impact on Traditional Industries

   • Consumer behavior shifts: bypassing search engines, media and advertising disruption

   • Creator-driven changes: fashion, beauty, tech, entertainment (and optional sports/journalism)

   • Strategic discussion: vulnerability of legacy players, potential for creator-led models

9. Legal and Regulatory Challenges

   • Transparency and disclosure guidelines; regional differences (EU, US, China)

   • Copyright, licensing, and intellectual property considerations

   • Platform policies and content moderation frameworks

10. Emerging Trends

    • AI in content creation: personalization, trust concerns, deepfakes, ethics, EU AI Act implications

    • Virtual influencers and digital twins; debate over AI disclosure badges

    • Web3 and decentralization: creator-owned platforms, tokenization, and future ecosystem models

• Introduction to the Creator Economy: Describe the key concepts, historical evolution, and economic significance of the creator economy.

• Platform Dynamics: Explain how digital platforms leverage network effects, algorithmic curation, and open infrastructures to shape content distribution and value creation.

• Monetisation Strategies: Identify and compare major monetisation models available to creators—such as subscriptions, advertising, sponsorships, and merchandise—and evaluate their benefits and challenges.

• Building a Personal Brand: Analyze the principles of personal branding and the individual, environmental, and strategic drivers that contribute to entrepreneurial success in the creator ecosystem.

• Role of Brands and Marketers: Evaluate different collaboration models between brands and creators (e.g., sponsored content, affiliate partnerships, co-creation) and assess their effectiveness using relevant performance metrics.

• Economics of Influence: Discuss the economics of influencer tiers (nano, micro, macro), pricing benchmarks, and the factors that drive virality and content performance.

• Impact on Traditional Industries: Assess how the creator economy disrupts legacy industries (e.g., fashion, media, beauty) and articulate strategic responses for established firms.

• Legal and Regulatory Challenges: Summarize the key legal, regulatory, and ethical considerations—such as transparency, intellectual property, and platform moderation—that affect content creation and influencer marketing across different regions.

• Emerging Trends: Appraise emerging developments (e.g., AI in content creation, Web3 decentralisation) and anticipate their potential implications for future creator-driven markets.

• Analyze platform features and user data to recommend optimal distribution channels for specific content goals.

• Develop a comprehensive monetisation plan that balances revenue objectives with audience engagement and authenticity.

• Design a personal branding strategy by identifying key differentiators, target niches, and content themes.

• Evaluate brand–creator collaboration proposals using performance metrics (e.g., reach, engagement, ROI) to determine strategic fit.

• Assess the legal and ethical implications of influencer campaigns, ensuring compliance with disclosure, copyright, and platform policies.

• Apply economic principles to estimate pricing benchmarks for influencers across nano, micro, and macro tiers.

• Use analytics tools (e.g., platform dashboards, third-party trackers) to interpret content performance data and iterate on creative strategies.

• Collaborate effectively within a team to develop and present a mock creator-driven marketing campaign, demonstrating clear communication and role delegation.

• Critically reflect on emerging trends (AI, Web3) to forecast potential impacts on creator-driven business models.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification
• Competitions/Hackathons

• Lectures: Instructor-led presentations to introduce core concepts, frameworks, and theoretical foundations.

• Case Study Discussions: Analysis of real-world brand–creator collaborations and platform strategies to connect theory with practice.

• Guest Speakers & Industry Panels: Insights from active creators, platform representatives, and marketing professionals on current trends and challenges.

• Workshops & Hands-On Exercises: Guided sessions where students experiment with analytics dashboards, content‐creation tools, and monetisation models.

• Group Projects: Team-based assignments, such as developing a mock creator campaign or platform‐matching proposal, to foster collaboration and project management skills.

• Seminar-Style Debates: Student-led discussions on emerging topics (e.g., AI ethics, Web3) to encourage critical thinking and articulation of diverse viewpoints.

• Peer Review & Feedback Sessions: Structured critique of classmates’ personal branding plans, content prototypes, and campaign proposals to develop communication and evaluative abilities.

• Online Modules & Discussion Forums: Self-paced readings, video modules, and asynchronous forum discussions to reinforce concepts and accommodate remote or hybrid learners.

• Simulations & Role-Playing: Scenarios where students assume roles (e.g., influencer, brand marketer, platform moderator) to practice negotiation, briefing, and compliance decision-making.

• Presentations: Individual or group presentations of research findings, strategy proposals, or case analyses to hone public speaking and storytelling skills.

Assessment & Weighting

• Final Exam (55%): Closed‐book test covering core concepts and frameworks (ILOs: knowledge).

• Group Project (25%): Monetization strategy + presentation (ILOs: application).

• Individual Assignments (20%): Case analysis reports (ILOs: application, understanding).

Group Projects

• What & How: Teams develop a creator monetization strategy.

• Attending: In‐class teamwork; in‐person presentations.

• Verification: Project deliverable and strategic design (ILOs: applying).

Assessment & Weighting

• Final Exam (55%): Closed‐book test covering core concepts and frameworks (ILOs: knowledge).

• Group Project (25%): Monetization strategy + presentation (ILOs: application).

• Individual Assignments (20%): Case analysis reports (ILOs: application, understanding).

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Group Projects

• What & How: Teams develop a creator monetization strategy.

• Non‐Attending: (Individual) Video presentations + detailed business plan outline. 

• Verification: Project deliverable and strategic design (ILOs: applying).

All required academic articles, white papers, and case studies will be compiled and shared by the instructor.

• Before Week 1: An email with a syllabus attachment (PDF) listing all mandatory journal articles.

• Throughout the Semester: Additional readings (e.g., recent industry reports, guest-speaker slide decks) will be posted online at least one week before the corresponding lecture.