27.01.26
News
Influencer
Key takeaways at a glance
- Trust and long-term creator relationships are shaping how influence converts
- Creator-owned IP partnerships are delivering depth, credibility and longevity
- Earned-first, entertainment-led moments are driving cultural cut-through
- Cultural responsiveness matters, but judgment now outweighs constant reactivity
- Creators are influencing decisions across sectors far beyond lifestyle
- Commerce is evolving through affiliates, hybrid fees and live formats
Influencer marketing is changing in step with how people actually spend their attention. Audiences are settling into creators they enjoy and trust, following them across podcasts, long-form video, Lives and private communities rather than dipping in and out of endless feeds.
What this means for brands is simple. Influence now sits closer to content, culture and commerce than ever before. It requires patience, clarity and a better understanding of how trust is built over time. Grounded in the creator landscape we work within every day, these six shifts reflect where influence is heading and what brands need to focus on to stay culturally relevant and commercially effective in 2026.
- Trust Becomes a Growth Engine
Trust is doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to influence. Audiences are more selective about who they listen to and are far more likely to act on recommendations from creators they feel genuinely connected to.
That connection is built through familiarity and consistency. Creators who show up regularly, speak with confidence and engage openly with their communities tend to influence decisions in a way highly produced brand messaging struggles to match. This is especially clear in longer formats such as podcasts, YouTube series and Lives, where creators have the space to explain, compare and contextualise.
As Mischa Joslin, Director of Influencer at b. the agency, explains: “Proximity matters more than polish. A recommendation from someone you trust carries more weight than anything a brand can manufacture.”
This is why organic word-of-mouth is finding its footing again. Brands are investing in spaces where conversation feels natural, including podcasts, creator-led Telegram channels, micro-Discord servers, specialist Reddit threads and private group chats. When products are introduced thoughtfully into these environments, recommendations tend to travel further and carry more credibility than public-facing posts.
- Creator-Owned IP Becomes the New Partnership Model
Creator partnerships are becoming deeper and more collaborative. Rather than commissioning isolated deliverables, brands are working with creators who help shape ideas, creative direction and, in some cases, product thinking.
Creator-owned IP partnerships work because everyone has skin in the game. Creators are more invested in the outcome, audiences can sense that investment, and brands benefit from sustained relevance rather than a brief spike in attention. These collaborations often show up as recurring content series, co-created formats or long-term creative worlds that grow over time.
Across beauty, wellness and lifestyle, this approach is setting a higher bar for impact. The focus is shifting towards building platforms that can evolve across channels, rather than relying on single moments to do all the work.
- Earned-First Creativity Takes Centre Stage
Creative cut-through is increasingly coming from moments that feel lived-in rather than overly designed. Brands are leaning into earned-first ideas that give creators something real to react to, not something tightly scripted to deliver.
Micro pop-ups, surprise drops and unexpected activations are being used to spark conversation. These moments are planned with distribution in mind, allowing creators to capture the experience in their own voice and translate it naturally across feeds, stories and group chats.
The setup itself is only part of the story. The real impact comes from how creators interpret what they experience, adding commentary, humour or context that makes the content feel worth sharing. When done well, these moments travel far beyond the original activation and continue to circulate long after it ends.
- Culture Over Calendar
Being culturally responsive still matters, but audiences are far less forgiving of brands that jump on everything. People can tell when a brand genuinely understands a moment and when it is simply chasing it.
Brands are prioritising creators who spot meaningful cultural signals early and know which ones are worth engaging with. That means quicker decisions, fewer layers of approval and a real willingness to back creator instinct. In the right moment, this can include short turnaround content or reactive formats such as TikTok Shop Lives triggered by sudden demand.
As Mischa notes: “Creators who understand the rhythm of the internet bring a different type of impact. They do not wait for cultural moments. They recognise them as they emerge.”
The brands cutting through are the ones that know when to move fast and when to leave a moment alone.
- The Creator Economy ExpandsIntoNew Sectors
Influence is extending well beyond traditional lifestyle categories. Audiences are increasingly turning to creators for guidance on – finance, mortgages, education pathways, professional development and so much more, often valuing clear explanation and lived experience over traditional advertising or search results.
Creators who can break down complex topics in an accessible way are becoming trusted voices in these spaces. This is opening new opportunities for brands, including B2B businesses, to work with creators who can humanise industry concepts and build understanding through storytelling.
For brands entering these sectors, success comes from partnering with creators who combine subject knowledge with credibility and relatability, rather than familiarity alone.
- Commerce and Compensation Evolve
Influencer marketing is under more commercial scrutiny than ever. Brands want clearer links between creator activity and performance, while creators expect compensation structures that reflect the value they deliver.
Hybrid fee models are becoming more common, blending fixed payments with affiliate revenue or performance-based bonuses tied to reach, views or conversion. Affiliate adoption continues to grow across categories, with platforms such as LTK increasingly expected within creator briefs.
Live commerce is also gaining momentum. TikTok Shop Lives are developing into high-impact moments where creators act as presenters, educators and product experts, influencing real-time purchasing decisions. In practice, this forces brands to rethink how they talk about products, price them and sell them in real time.
What this means for influencer strategies in 2026
The year ahead will favour brands that take a joined-up approach, move with intent and build relationships that feel credible and well judged.
In practice:
Integration is essential
Creator activity needs to connect directly with wider brand, social and content strategies.
Commercial proof matters
Affiliate uplift, live commerce analytics and performance-based contracts will increasingly shape investment decisions.
Community requires intention
Creators with genuine community influence consistently outperform those with scale alone.
Cultural relevance drives growth
Impact comes from choosing the right moments, not reacting to everything.
Agility remains a differentiator
Brands that move quickly and thoughtfully will stand out in a fast-moving cultural landscape.
Ready to strengthen your influencer strategy for 2026?
Our sister agency SUMMER. partners with brands to build culturally fluent, commercially focused creator programmes that drive trust, relevance and measurable growth. Get in touch to start the conversation: team@thisissummer.co
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