Are They Stealing Brand Deals?

September 4, 2025

Welcome to Created, the newsletter that’s more reliable than your mom liking all of your IG posts. Here’s what we got today:

Inside Look: VTubers Stealing Brand Deals from Real Creators?

Virtual YouTubers, better known as “VTubers,” aren’t just anime avatars anymore.

They’re racking up half a billion watch hours, driving a $6B market, and landing brand deals with McDonald’s.

So what does that mean for us mere mortals? Especially with the rise of studios like Hololive, which manages 88 VTubers.

Will the pie keep growing or are VTubers taking money that previously went to human creators?

Sign of the Times

VTubers have been around for a while. But this year, they’re starting to get big money.

Perfect example: Hololive signed sponsorships with McDonald’s, Kura Sushi, and iBuyPower.

Oh, and they even struck a deal to have their VTubers livestream from a LA Dodgers game.

Some brands are skipping humans altogether and building avatars of their own:

Why Brands Love VTubers

Un-cancellable: Infinite flexibility and no worry of sponsoring a creator who may do something stupid to tarnish the brand.
Gen Z treatment: Gamers, anime fans, and Gen Z treat VTubers like real personalities having grown up with them.
Easy Globalization: VTubers can instantly speak any language. No Rosetta Stone needed.

The Big Question

Brands only have so much budget. So allocating dollars to VTubers could dry up sponsorships for human creators.

But it’s not happening yet. After all, it takes a while for big companies to make such a bold move.

Plus, real creators still offer the one thing avatars can’t: human relatability.

So humans, rejoice. We’re not being replaced…yet. But just wait until Gen Z gets old enough to control the budgets.

How Local Restaurants Are Turning Into YouTube Sets

Social media is already flooded with food content: Mukbangers, celebrity chefs, recipe tutorials…we’ve seen it all.

But recently, we’ve seen the rise of the waiters, delivery workers, and hosts getting in on the action too.

Forget studio lights and Food Network plating.

People want the mess, the sweat, the chaos — think The Bear, but in real life.

And some restaurant workers are turning that into millions of views.

Bakers, Bartenders, and Beyond

Gio Lucas (248K): Went viral posting gritty family meals and prep clips from NYC kitchens.
Brooki (708K): Turned her Brisbane bakery into a viral brand with nearly 3M followers, lines out the door, and a bestselling cookbook.
Virginia’s Smashers Burgers (17.8K): the restaurant’s 21-year-old owner staged a mock kitchen robbery — and pulled 100x more views than usual.

Our Take

For years, chefs tried to escape the chaos of service for polished Food Network kitchens. Now, the chaos is the content.

And that goes beyond food:

Whatever your “day job” is, that behind-the-scenes reality might be your biggest differentiator.

Because in a sea of polished content, it’s the mess that stands out.

🎯 Weekly Roundup: Thumbnails

Why we love these YT thumbnails:

1. Complex chart laid out across a notebook instantly signals deep research (Ross Harkness)
2. $60,000 per gallon of crab blood? You have to know why (Odd Animal Specimens)
3. ‘Sports Tech’ + arrows highlighting tiny tech makes you click to see more (MKBHD)
4. Wrestling an alligator mid-water creates high-stakes tension (Lexie Limitless)

🚀 Weekly Outlier

This video by Worcester Terrariums has 2.5M views, which is 25 times higher than the channel’s average. Here’s why it took off:

Unusual Pet: A wholesome 14-day bonding arc… with a spider. Earl’s personality makes you feel surprisingly invested.
Narrative Framig: Clear structure with mini goals and setbacks (like Earl refusing food, then trying again) keeps viewers hooked.
Big Emotions: Jumping spiders are niche — but this video makes them feel endearing, smart, and even relatable.

🏆 The Created Referral Program

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Refer 1 friend: you’ll get my Infinite Ideas book. It’s my 8 best tips to find viral ideas for your next upload.

Refer 5 friends: you’ll get my Top 50 Thumbnails book. It includes a detailed breakdown of why they work so you improve your packaging.

Trust me, these books are packed with more tips than most paid courses.

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👋 See You Inside

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– Jon

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