From fame and followers to fortune: How person-brands capture value in the creator economy

Person-brands are key market actors in the creator economy, yet we lack a comprehensive understanding about how they capture the value they create. This research answers how by analyzing over 100 person-brands across diverse markets. We develop a novel framework for theorizing value capture by introducing the concept of value capture mode. We then detail three modes—Advertiser, Entrepreneur, and Professional—each involving unique strategies, resource bundling practices, activities, and risks. Our research reveals how person-brands bundle resources from value networks in the creator economy comprising audiences, brands, and platforms. It further explains how person-brands grow value capture through concentration, mode-spanning, and field-bridging approaches, providing insights into value network expansion and extraction by person-brands. We offer recommendations and research avenues for three key actors in the creator economy: person-brands, organizations, and platforms. For person-brands, we recommend targeting high-return opportunities through scalable, recurring, aligned, and recursive activities, and optimizing network positions by building communities, balancing centralization and diversification, establishing direct communication channels, and developing independent platforms. For organizations, we suggest investing in person-brands as partners rather than marketing tools, with specific strategies for each mode. For platforms, we recommend providing tailored tools and features to support person-brands’ value capture efforts in each mode.