Creators or Influencer Marketing? Here’s Where Smart Brands Are Placing Their Bets

A couple of months back, Unilever announced its decision to promote influencer marketing by spending 50 percent of its media ad spending on social platforms. The simple reasoning behind the decision is that brands think social media platforms and an influencer-first policy help create strong connections with consumers.  

However, in today’s algorithmic era, the platform actually matters less than who you choose to present your brand. Unilever is still planning campaigns with influencers around Instagram or TikTok. You might want to rethink that.  

Emarketer and Spotter have produced a report that suggests creators (not platforms, not influencers) are emerging as the most valuable assets in a brand’s marketing toolkit.  

While algorithms shift, engagement tanks, and platform loyalty grow thinner, marketers can deliver across the full funnel—from awareness to conversion—by leveraging creators.  

Let’s dive deep into the coming age of symbiotic relationship between creators and marketers that help brands to achieve full-funnel marketing.  

Influencer marketing is cool, but creators build empires

Not all influencers are creators, and not all influencer marketing is built to last. But creators? They’re stacking loyalty, not just likes.

An influencer might grab quick attention for a sponsored post, but a creator builds an ecosystem.  

They produce content consistently, have a distinctive voice, and nurture a community that trusts them. They establish themselves as entertainers competing for attention with traditional media channels.  

Ms. Rachel is the most significant name in the creator world. She is not an influencer but a creator whose programs run on YouTube and give competition to many other shows curated for children and young ones on different platforms.  

Influencers such as Kardashians-Jenners are not content creators. They influence their followers’ buying decisions with authentic shout-outs to products and brands.  

The distinction between the two professions couldn’t be subtle for marketers. They are visible. Short-form content is the power move for influencers, while creators compete for attention and engagement with long-form content by exploring the depth of a topic.  

Brands must not treat both branches as identical. They should take advantage of each with the right strategies rather than misaligning tasks.  

Vineet Pathak, vice president of Spotter’s ad sales research, insights, and measurement, explained it simply:

“Creators are producing professionally made, long-form content that is typically viewed in a more attentive setting, such as on a CTV in your living room. Influencer content is more short-form, UGC-style content that is typically mobile-first.” 

A stable relationship should be established for long-term growth, and creators should fit the bill. 

Influencer marketing: A hot mess for marketers

Even as budgets grow, marketers face real challenges when working with creators. The most significant pain point is finding the right partner. In the report, 43.9 percent of marketers said identifying the right creators is their top hurdle. Nearly half the industry is struggling with a critical step in the process. 

And it’s not just discovery.  

Many respondents cited difficulty aligning creator content with brand strategy, balancing authenticity with brand requirements, and lacking tools to evaluate performance. Finding the right person for your brand isn’t easy, and influencer marketing often feels like dating apps for brands: swipe, pray, repeat.

Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at eMarketer, put it best. “Creator discovery has largely been solved, but identifying the right partners remains a top challenge,” she said.  

Marketers want creators who feel like an extension of their brand. They want collaborators, not just content providers. That level of alignment takes time, data, and a more strategic approach to selection. 

Creators can deliver more than awareness 

For a long time, creators were seen only as top-of-funnel tools. Great for awareness, light on action.  

But that’s just a half-truth. Creators are no longer just top-funnel fluff. They’re closing deals, not just pulling views. Welcome to full-funnel influencer marketing 2.0.

Today’s creators are full-funnel drivers. According to the survey, 27.3 percent of marketers now measure the value of creator partnerships based on conversions and sales. That’s more than double the percentage of people who rely on impressions or reach. 

Jasmine Enberg summarized this evolution perfectly.

“The beauty of creator content is that it is one of the few forms of media that can drive everything from awareness to action,” she said.  

And it’s true. A single creator video can spark interest, guide research, and close a sale — especially when that content is distributed across multiple touchpoints like YouTube, CTV, and even out-of-home placements. 

The report also found that marketers who increase their creator budgets the most successfully integrate creator content across their full strategy. They don’t isolate creator marketing in one department; they embed it throughout the brand experience. 

What brands really want from creators (Hint: It’s not just follower count)

Once brands find the right creators, their expectations are clear. They want content that feels real. Not overly scripted.  

Not just another product placement. According to the report, 61.9 percent of marketers define creator marketing as content that is deeply integrated into the storyline of a creator’s work. Another 61.9 percent value custom ads were made in collaboration with the creator.  

That shows a real preference for authenticity and creative partnership. 

Long-term loyalty is also rising in importance. Marketers are stepping away from one-off deals and looking for ongoing partnerships. They want brand advocates who won’t promote a competitor the next day. That shift matters because creator loyalty leads to audience loyalty. And when audiences trust the creator’s message, they’re more likely to trust the brand behind it. 

Creative freedom is another expectation, even when marketers are focused on lower-funnel tactics like conversions. The report cites that honest product reviews are among the top ways creators influence purchases.  

That means brands must let creators speak honestly if they want real impact. 

Creator-first, not channel-first 

It’s time for brands to stop chasing platforms and start investing in people. A creator-first strategy means building campaigns around the talent and letting the distribution follow. That flexibility opens doors across emerging platforms, traditional media, and everywhere in between. 

As Vineet Pathak noted, “Marketers recognize that creators aren’t just producing buzzworthy and high-value content. They are creating loyal and lasting fandom within their ecosystems.”

That fandom translates to attention. And attention, when nurtured, leads to conversions and long-term customer value. 

The data supports this. One-third of marketers in the survey said compatibility with the brand was the most important reason for continuing to invest in a creator. It’s not about going viral. It’s about going deeper. 

The takeaway is clear. In 2025, successful marketing is no longer about showing up in the right place at the right time. It’s about showing up with the right voice. Creators are more than content producers.  

Cut to the chase 

Creators are bridges between brands and communities. They offer relevance, trust, and the ability to perform across every funnel layer. Bottom line: Influencer marketing needs a creator-first glow-up.

Because in 2025, it’s not the platform that defines your success. It’s the person behind the post.