There's a certain irony in watching an industry built on human connection become increasingly dependent on machine learning. In 2025, the success of influencer campaigns will hinge less on follower counts and more on whether you can appease the algorithmic gods that govern our digital attention economy.

As the influencer marketing landscape takes off and evolves faster than anticipated, a new trend is gaining momentum on TikTok - de-influencing. This is where creators share their negative opinions on products and actively discourage their audience from buying them. While this may seem counterintuitive to the traditional promotion tactics of influencer marketing, it is a reminder to brands that influence does not always equate to advocacy.

Undoubtedly, influencer marketing is earning its place at the global marketing table with enthusiasm. Our industry has been heralded as a democratic, game-changing lightning rod, empowering social media users across many categories like food, fashion, beauty, sports, health, and pets – the list goes on. These verticals make sense because they resonate. 

As the concept of the metaverse and ways of doing business in it mesmerizes brands and agencies alike, influencer marketing could hone in on how advertising and conducting commerce is being done in this new world where new rules are being set. 

TikTok made a splash when it established the first creator fund less than a year ago. In its wake, all major social networks quickly followed suit. In fact, creator funds are all the rage right now as platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest are poised to position themselves at the crest of the biggest wave on the social media horizon: the creator economy.

An influencer brief is everything — the foundation on which a successful campaign will be made or not. Here are practical tips on nailing your influencer briefs to ensure long-term collaboration.

Influencer marketing has long departed the murky netherworld between PR and marketing. A consequential discipline in its own right, it has increasingly proved a potent tool for not only moving the needle on brand perception, reputation, and lift but also for flat-out driving sales. That’s why influencer marketing should now sit at the core of any multi-channel marketing approach.

The global pandemic thrust the industry’s chaotic payment structure back into the spotlight when brands paused or stopped their campaigns. The pandemic has also resurfaced realities about a gender pay gap. In light of the #BlackLifeMatters movement, we are also hearing public complaints of a racial pay gap. Let's take a detailed look at how much money influencers should charge brands for their work and what brands should offer.

Demands are shifting, and new habits can disrupt how brands connect with consumers. Both brands and creators need to output the right content in order to succeed post-COVID.

In the era of social distancing, our notion of retail stores has changed. Popping into a store isn’t about leisurely browsing anymore. It’s neither experiential nor tactile. Out-of-home is currently out of favour, and experiential is in RIP mode. So, almost overnight, brands have had to figure out how to do business during both the current lockdown and a post-pandemic world by adopting a digital-first strategy. 

Media budgets came to a screeching halt at the beginning of the pandemic and influencers were affected tremendously because campaigns were halted, postponed, or canceled altogether. The challenge for them was to pivot – particularly for those that had a big focus on travel, which was no longer possible. Many influencers’ bread and butter income prior to the outbreak came from travel and events to showcase the ‘picture perfect’ lifestyle that brands were keen for their audience to see. Then, almost overnight, we saw influencers quarantining inside with the rest of the world.

Normally, at this time of the year we’d be gearing up for spring cleaning. We’d survey the closet space, roll up our sleeves,  and begin making room for the season’s most anticipated ritual: a warm-weather shopping spree. But in these plague-ridden times, our shopping priorities have completely shifted from summer sandals and blouses to toilet paper in bulk. 

With events canceled, Out-of-home currently out of favor, and Experiential in RIP mode, brands have to figure out how to do business in a post-pandemic world. 

Cast your mind back to the start of 2020. A brand-new decade. Endless opportunities that would come our way, because of course, they would! The term ‘Social Distancing’ was yet to figure into our everyday lexicon. Such optimism, right? Four months in and the landscape is dramatically different. A global pandemic has forced the world inside and online 24/7.