Influencer Marketing Budgets Rise As Brands Demand Proof

Influencer marketing, once a flashy experiment on the periphery of brand budgets, has become one of the most resilient and scrutinized investments in the marketing world as 2026 unfolds. Despite economic pressures leading many brands to trim their overall marketing spend, a striking 87% of global chief marketing officers (CMOs) say they plan to maintain or even increase their influencer marketing budgets this year, according to the Samy’s Marketing Trends 2026 report. This steadfast commitment signals a fundamental shift: influencer marketing is no longer a side hustle for brands—it’s the main event.

But what’s really driving this resilience? The answer is layered, and it’s not just about reach or follower counts anymore. As Business of Fashion reports, the sector is being transformed by richer performance data, evolving monetization models, and a consumer base that’s grown increasingly skeptical of overt selling. The days when brands could simply throw money at the biggest influencers and expect magic are gone. Now, brands want proof—real numbers, real results, and real trust.

“These findings are straight from CMO’s mouths—influencer marketing is no longer an experimental channel, but one that is a fundamental part of a brand’s marketing strategy,” says Juliet Howes, influencer marketing director at Samy. “But to function properly in a brand’s ‘social universe’, it cannot work in isolation.”

Indeed, the numbers bear her out. While 33% of marketers cite key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting as their biggest challenge, nearly as many—30%—point to integration and strategic alignment with wider marketing and social media activity as top concerns for the year ahead. Marketers are recognizing that influencer marketing can’t be separated from the broader ecosystem; over half of CMOs believe data integration needs improvement, with data inconsistencies and unclear ROI being the biggest barriers. Yet, there’s progress: 64% of marketers say influencer marketing is already aligned with their social strategies.

This evolution is happening on the ground, too. In Australia, brands are moving away from short-term influencer bursts and toward building long-term creator ecosystems, as reported by Mediaweek. Sharyn Smith, founder and CEO of Social Soup, explains, “There are a couple of layers to it. A big part is the investment brands make in finding, matching, onboarding, educating and building relationships with creators. That takes time, so it makes sense to work with those creators long term to really see the ROI, rather than starting from scratch with every short-term campaign.”

Smith points to the example of Aldi’s long-running creator program, now in its eighth year. Some creators have been with Aldi the entire time, and engagement rates have soared from about 3% to nearly 10%—well above industry benchmarks. “When there’s an authentic alignment between a creator and a brand, audiences respond more over time,” Smith notes. “The relationship comes first, and the content follows.”

But it’s not just about longevity. Brands are also learning that micro and mid-tier creators—those with 10,000 to 50,000 followers—often deliver stronger ROI than their macro counterparts. “That bigger creators are always better is one of the biggest assumptions marketers need to rethink,” Smith says. “Time and again, we see stronger ROI from working with a large group of micro or mid-tier creators rather than a single macro creator.”

As this landscape matures, measurement is under the microscope. Many brands are still focused on basic metrics—likes, comments, shares—but Smith argues that’s not enough. “We need proper pre- and post-campaign research around brand awareness, consideration and brand equity. Engagement alone doesn’t tell you whether perceptions are actually shifting.” She adds that engagement behaviors have changed, especially among younger audiences, with metrics like saves, sentiment, and utility now offering more meaningful insights than traditional likes or comments.

Meanwhile, the relationship between brands and creators is evolving from transactional campaigns to longer-term collaborations. Diana Pearl, in conversation with Business of Fashion, explains, “Having more data has totally changed the game. It really is incredibly varied today and there is no one baseline KPI. It’s really just about what are your goals and who’s the best to help you achieve that.” Pearl also highlights the growing importance of trust: “Trust is the most important thing. If you don’t have your audience’s trust, nothing else matters.” Brands are no longer just buying visibility—they’re buying the relationship between creator and audience. “You’re not just hiring this person for their following… you hire them because they’re a creator. They create great content. They know how to engage an audience.”

Creators themselves are adjusting to this new reality. Rather than relying solely on brand deals, they’re diversifying their revenue streams—think affiliate marketing, subscriptions, and owned platforms. Pearl points out, “Affiliate marketing really provides that base foundational income that you can rely upon.” Platforms like Substack, she adds, bring back “some of that intimacy and community that they felt was missing in this TikTok/Instagram world.”

On the corporate side, agencies are responding to these shifts by reorganizing their influencer operations. Omnicom Media Group, for example, recently appointed Stevie Johnson as Head of Creo in the UK—a newly created senior role overseeing influencer marketing capabilities across the network’s UK agencies, as reported on February 4, 2026. Johnson, who brings over a decade of experience in the creator economy, is tasked with overseeing the strategic development and delivery of integrated influencer solutions, aligning creator activity with broader media planning and activation. “Influence has never been more integral to the digital landscape than right now, underpinning how brands grow from discovery through to conversion,” Johnson states.

To support this strategy, Omnicom has consolidated its influencer marketing capabilities globally under the Creo brand, offering AI-powered tools like a Creator Briefing Tool using Google Gemini, a Creo Influencer Agent for creator selection, and the Omni Creator Performance Predictor leveraging Meta API access to anticipate Instagram content performance. These tools have already been deployed for campaigns with brands such as Mountain Dew, Delta, and State Farm, underscoring the growing sophistication and data-driven nature of the industry.

Despite the optimism, marketers acknowledge there’s still work to be done. According to the Samy’s Marketing Trends 2026 report, 28% of marketers believe they need to completely rethink their influencer marketing approach, and 45% say they need to strengthen collaboration with micro influencers. Only a small minority—15%—feel their current strategy doesn’t need any changes.

As 2026 progresses, one thing is clear: influencer marketing is no longer a wild experiment or a numbers game. It’s a nuanced, data-driven discipline that demands integration, accountability, and above all, authenticity. Brands that succeed will be those that build real relationships—with creators, with audiences, and with the data that ties it all together.