A few years ago, creator marketing was an experimental footnote. Today, it’s not only its own budget line, it’s a multiplier that strengthens other initiatives, from experiential activations to retail partnerships and paid media.
Creator marketing is maturing into professional partnerships and established channels for brands, while marketers also try to preserve the agility and sense of discovery that makes them an effective brandbuilding tool.
In their 2026 budgets, the question for marketers is not whether to invest in creator marketing, but how, said Jason Weber, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and head of sales (West Coast/Central) of Open Influence. The creator marketing agency has seen the sector evolve from the days 12 years ago when Weber said brands could not get a handle on a channel where content disappeared in 24 hours, like Instagram stories.
“Most brands do see the power and effectiveness of creator marketing,” said Weber. “It’s changed brands, it’s shaped brands, it’s grown brands. It’s what made some of these challenger brands.”
Marketers now have a more established view of the creator segment as they prepare next year’s budgets, but they still need to coordinate teams and focus on goals to make the most of those investments, said Weber.
“They have to invest more intelligently and build that brand affinity and drive growth for brands,” he said. “The emphasis that we’re seeing is definitely changing, from short-term virality-focused campaigns to long-term strategic partnerships that focus on building an authentic connection.”
Creator marketing is no longer just an investment pulled from the line in the marketing budget set aside for experimenting, said Weber. “Twelve years ago, it was an experimental thing. he said. “Today, creator marketing has become a robust industry. It lives and breathes. It’s on everyone’s budgets now.”
But the practice of harnessing creators is often spread across teams such as brand managers, digital marketing, social media and even separate influencer teams.. Brands are working with multiple types of agencies as well, from PR agency, to full service social, and even a digital media agency, all handling influencers. These practices need to consolidate a uniform approach with guidelines on how to handle creators to maintain the brand voice, said Weber.
Building partnerships
It comes down to establishing stable, long-term partnerships with creators, starting with the budget process, said Weber. Building those partnerships requires brands to treat the creators as strategic partners and allow them to have freedom, instead of dictating every aspect of their content. Brands also have to build trust through transparency and maintaining communication with them.
Once working with a creator, it’s important for the brand to engage with that creator’s content, by reposting and commenting on that creator’s posts. Additionally, brands should provide some value to their creators beyond just compensation. Some will host experiences or exclusive events to build on the brand love that’s part of the relationship.
And perhaps as important, if not more, is maximizing that content value, says Weber, “having it live and breathe outside of social.” Creators love to see their content spotlighted on other platforms, whether the brand uses it in an email, digital banner or billboard. There are many ways brands can leverage that investment in content, he said.
Working with creators is not the hard sell it used to be, but new sectors are also emerging, in user-led platforms such as Reddit and Substack. “Brands aren’t there enough,” said Weber, but those platforms are good channels for harnessing fandom and building a loyal and engaged fan base in a different format. But like artificial intelligence before them, these platforms are still considered experiments for brands, said Weber.
“For 2026, brands should be thinking about these platforms genuinely, not just as like another social media channel, but as a strategic investment in community-building and long term brand advocacy,” said Weber. “They should 100% be part of the marketing budget.”
Creator marketing has matured to the point of being mainstreamed, and now it needs to be operationalized, said Weber. When budgeting, the brand needs to focus on its goals—whether it seeks to improve sales, return on ad spend or another metric—and what platforms it wants to use (whether it’s on social platforms like YouTube and TikTok, user-generated content sites like Reddit and Pinterest or channels outside social media).
“How do we find that marriage?” asks Weber. It starts with the brand’s goals and key performance indicators.
“We have clients that come with large budgets and have 15 different KPIs, and it’s about figuring out what KPI is going to work and creating that strategy in different silos.” says Weber. “It is taking that holistic budget, learning what your KPIs are, and then shaping it into platform-specific strategies.”
However, Weber noted that, as the budgeting process moves along, brands should still leave a little room to experiment and maneuver. Creators and social platforms are fast-moving and trends change.
“We want you to be part of the narrative and the discussion on a weekly, daily basis. And that’s not an easy thing to do,” Weber said. He noted that Open Influence has a weekly trends call for clients, so they can stay up to date with culture and adjust programs, as needed.
“We also encourage clients to try out of the box solutions whether that is a new creator or platform. The industry is moving quickly, and so is the consumer. It is our job to predict what’s next.” Weber added.
