The forecasted growth of creator marketing globally is undeniable. In 2020, influencer marketing was a $10 billion industry. In just five years, it has grown by 200 per cent and is projected to surpass $30 billion in 2025.
The momentum does not stop there, Statista forecasts it will hit $60 billion by 2030, equating to around 4 per cent of global advertising spend.
Yet despite this meteoric growth, influencer marketing is still misunderstood, particularly here in Australia. It is often treated as a tactical afterthought, a line item funded by leftover budget, rather than a core component of the media mix. And that needs to change.
To unlock the full potential of influencer marketing, we must start treating it with the same strategic rigor, data-driven planning, and accountability as any other media channel.
For every creator-led campaign that earns headlines and awards, there is an undercurrent of industry scepticism: questions around authenticity, transparency, and impact. In many cases, this is a symptom of how the channel is used and measured.
One of the root issues is a lack of robust research proving influencer marketing’s effectiveness. At OMG, we wanted to change that. So, we partnered with Amplified Intelligence to conduct Australia’s first study into creator attention. We explored how creator content performs against brand-owned social video ads when it comes to active attention.
We examined ten campaigns across sectors including Auto, FMCG, Government, and Services, running on Instagram and TikTok. We measured both passive and active attention, emotional engagement, short-term lift, and long-term mental availability.
The results were compelling:
- Creator content drives more attention: On average, creator-driven content delivered 116 per cent more active attention than brand video ads – increasing from 3 seconds to 6.5 seconds.
- It enhances both short and long-term impact: Creator content saw a 21 per cent lift in STAS (Short-Term Advertising Strength) and a 9 per cent lift in Mental Availability.
- Context matters: When creator content aligned with culturally relevant or event-driven moments, active attention jumped 246 per cent – from 3 to 10 seconds – with a 55 per cent lift in STAS.
What this highlights is that creator content is not just a “nice to have,” it can act as a force multiplier. It doesn’t replace brand creative, it elevates it. Each plays a distinct and complementary role, and when used together, the impact compounds. Research from Meta supports this, integrating creator content through partnership ads, alongside BAU campaigns, can reduce CPAs by 19 per cent and increase brand lift by 71 per cent.
Creators don’t just drive awareness, they capture attention, influence behaviour, and enhance performance across the funnel. But only when we treat influencer marketing with the same strategic intent, creative investment, and media rigour as every other channel.
So, what can we improve to ensure influencer marketing gains the respect at the boardroom table it deserves? If we are heading toward a $60 billion global market, there are four key shifts we must make to maximise its potential:
- Reframe influencer marketing as a driver of media effectiveness: Stop treating it as a last-minute add-on. Consider creators in the planning process early, aligned with the role of comms, clear KPIs, and a defined job to do. The attention data speaks for itself. This is about moving influencer marketing from “tactical” to transformational.
- Use paid media to scale and amplify: Relying on earned reach alone is a gamble. Paid amplification is essential to drive consistency, scale, and cost efficiency. Our research shows that when creator content is supported by paid amplification, it delivers 4:1 more efficient outcomes than organic-only efforts. That’s media working smarter.
- Build strategic creator partnerships with mutual value: Invest in mutually valuable partnerships where both brand and creator benefit, aligned on purpose, shared goals and creative trust. Today’s creators are culture-makers, with deep audience understanding and a unique point of view. Strategic partnerships mean tapping into that, not just renting reach, but co-creating relevance. This kind of relationship requires clarity and simplicity: one strong message, one clear role in the broader campaign. Then give creators the space and trust to bring it to life in their own way.
- Shift measurement from outputs to outcomes: Vanity metrics still dominate too many reports. Follower count or likes do not tell the real story. Focus instead on business impact: attention, actions, recall, emotional response, brand lift. These are the metrics that matter and will deliver impact to the bottom line.
Influencer marketing is no longer on the fringe, it is at the forefront of culture, attention, and commerce. The challenge (and the opportunity) is whether we treat it as such. With the right strategy, structure, and sophistication, creators can be one of the most powerful tools on a modern media plan.
It’s time we start planning accordingly.
