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Background:
Influencer marketing in 2026 is a different beast. Once dominated by follower counts and splashy sponsored posts, the industry is now being shaped by richer performance data, new monetization models, and growing consumer skepticism toward overt sales.
As BoF publishes a new case study on the maker economy, Diana Pearl joins presenters Sheena Butler-Young and Brian Baskin to explain how makers and brands are adapting to a more disciplined, competitive and AI-saturated landscape.
Key insights:
- One of the most profound shifts in influencer marketing is the way success is measured. Where follower size once acted as a rough measure of reach, brands now have access to detailed data that shows who is actually driving traffic and sales. Pointing to platforms like ShopMy and LTK that allow brands to see “what exactly creators have done for them,” Pearl says visibility has changed spending decisions. She explains, “Having more data has totally changed the game. Things are incredibly varied these days and there isn’t one basic KPI. It’s really just about what your goals are and who can best help you achieve them.”
- As consumers grow wary of constant sales, trust has emerged as the defining asset that creators bring to brands. “Trust is the most important thing,” says Pearl. “If you don’t have the trust of your audience, nothing else matters.” What brands are really buying is not visibility, but a relationship. “What a creator really brings to the table isn’t necessarily the size of their following; it’s the relationship they have with their audience,” Pearl explains.
- As the industry professionalizes, creators are actively reducing their reliance on separate revenue streams. Affiliate marketing, subscriptions and proprietary platforms are becoming increasingly important for sustainable maker companies. “Affiliate marketing really provides that basic income you can rely on,” says Pearl. Substack, meanwhile, offers something brands can’t. She explains, “It brings back some of the intimacy and community that they felt was missing in this TikTok/Instagram world.” This diversification also changes the balance of power. “They don’t want to be too dependent on one particular partnership,” says Pearl. The result is a creative economy that is less fragile – and less easily dictated by brand budgets.
- Pearl states that the relationship between brands and makers is shifting from transactional campaigns to longer-term collaboration. As makers become central to fashion and beauty marketing, brands are changing how they collaborate with them – and what they ask them to do. Brands can no longer dictate terms “like they used to,” Pearl says, because creators are now “recognized as a very important piece of the marketing puzzle.” That recognition also changes what brands value: “You’re not just hiring this person for their followers… you’re hiring them because they’re a creator. They create great content. They know how to captivate an audience.”
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