Weekly Report: Creators are betting on equity over paid partnerships

This week on Ad Age Insider's Weekly Report: creators like Alix Earle are increasingly chasing equity stakes instead of traditional brand deals, and what it reveals about creators becoming long-term business partners rather than just marketing assets. Plus, Popeyes names Stagwell's Anomaly as its new U.S. Creative Agency of Record following a sales decline and roster overhaul; Equinox pulls an AI-generated out-of-home ad after Asian creators call out racist and sexist stereotypes; Apple quietly expands its ad terms to run beyond its own properties and rolls out an AI-powered bidding tool; and Lego and Olivia Rodrigo launch a global scavenger hunt built around Lego vinyl records. Host Parker Herren breaks down what each story means for marketers navigating creator ownership models, AI representation risks in campaign production, agency roster overhauls, and the tension between privacy positioning and ad revenue growth. Subscribe for weekly industry news roundups, plus biweekly deep-dive conversations with Ad Age reporters. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~Inside the rise of creator-brand equity deals—and how they're reshaping creator marketing ~Popeyes names Anomaly its US creative agency as part of a broader roster overhaul ~Equinox pulls AI ad after creators call out racist Asian stereotypes ~How Apple's ads business could move beyond the App Store and its other properties ~Lego and Olivia Rodrigo send fans on a brick-built vinyl treasure hunt