Long before “link in bio” became one of advertising’s most valuable calls to action, brands relied on television commercials to sell everything. Whether it was a toy demonstrated by laughing children, a luxury fragrance sold through sweeping shots of the Amalfi Coast or a celebrity endorsement during primetime television, advertising was largely a one-way conversation. But while companies crafted the message as consumers watched, today, that messenger looks different—and so does the business of advertising.
What began as an experimental marketing tactic has become one of advertising’s most dominant strategies: nearly every consumer brand is now working with creators to reach an even greater customer base than traditional advertising would have reached before. And a lot of that has to do with just being personable.
That sentiment seems to be shared across the whole advertising industry as companies increase their creative marketing budgets. A 2026 Influencer Marketing Hub survey found 72.2% of respondents expect influencer marketing budgets to increase by at least 50% this year, underscoring how creator partnerships have become a core part of brands’ marketing strategies.
“Starting about 20 years ago, we began trusting individuals more than institutions,” Lia Haberman, creator economy expert and author of the ICYMI newsletter, told Fortune.
“A faceless corporation has never fit as naturally alongside social posts from neighbors, friends, family and community leaders,” Haberman said.
The uptick in creators changed who consumers trusted
Social media expanded word of mouth from conversations between friends into communities built around shared interests. In turn, consumers increasingly looked to creators whose recommendations felt more personal than traditional corporate advertising.
Bloom Nutrition is one example. Founded by creators Mari Llewellyn and Greg LaVecchia, the company built creator partnerships into its business from the beginning. “We’re a creator-founded brand,” Craig Heyne, VP of Performance Marketing at Bloom Nutrition, told Fortune. “It’s really been a major pillar of our marketing mix overall.”
Beauty, wellness and fitness became early proving grounds because their products naturally fit into creators’ everyday content. Makeup tutorials, workout videos and “get ready with me” routines blurred the line between entertainment and advertising, convincing marketers that creators could build brands, not just sell products.
That shift also changed how brands work with creators. Instead of handing influencers scripts after campaigns are finished, many now bring them into the creative process earlier, from product feedback to campaign concepts. “A lot of brands say, ‘We want you to be authentic,’ and then they give you all their talking points,” Heyne said.
Instead, he said, Bloom gives creators room to make content in their own voice because audiences can tell when recommendations feel genuine. That’s because, Heyne said, social media platforms have made it easier for creators of all sizes to reach audiences, and they’ll elevate sincere reviewers.
“One of the major transitions we’ve seen, one of the most exciting ones we’ve seen, is just how these social platforms are empowering creators of all sizes and types,” Heyne said. “It doesn’t matter if you have 1,000 followers or 100,000 followers. Great content gets served out to everybody.”
Standing out and building trust in a crowded world
With creator marketing becoming the norm, competition has shifted from convincing brands to invest in influencers to helping creators stand out once they do.
“The bar will be much higher for people who make it because they’ll need to be really unique and have a very interesting point of view,” Lindsay Brillson, executive creative director at Pika, told Fortune.
Brillson said AI is helping creators meet those higher expectations by speeding up editing, scripting and production rather than replacing them. “People just need to become more creative in order to be successful,” Brillson said.
Success, however, has introduced another challenge: going viral means they’re no longer seen as your next door neighbor or someone you know and trust.
“Mega creators, like MrBeast or Alix Earle, are turning into the institutions they disrupted in the first place,” Haberman said.
That doesn’t mean influencer marketing is losing relevance. If anything, Haberman believes its next chapter will reward expertise and trust over sheer scale. “The recommendations from trusted sources, influencers who are subject matter experts and employees, will be the ones that actually stick.”
