Influence 2026: creativity, performance and the end of the classic funnel

What are the key trends and challenges for influencer marketing in France today?

Fanie Genovese: The market is increasingly splitting in two major directions.

The first is strongly focused on creativity. Here we are talking about creators in the broad sense. The term “influencer” now covers very different profiles: lifestyle creators, but also highly niche educators who build a real economy around their content within their specific field. These profiles develop a genuine vision and strong storytelling, and they continue to build their value on that creative capacity.

The second direction is linked to the massive rise of social selling and social shopping. We are seeing another type of profile emerging, building their community around a much more conversion-driven logic. Their influence relies more on their ability to generate sales, with an approach that can resemble teleshopping, filtered through their personality and their curatorial power.

These are not two completely separate worlds. Highly creative creators can promote products, and social selling profiles can be inventive in how they present them. But they are still two different economies, with distinct value logics.

I would also put these trends into perspective with the massive arrival of artificial intelligence. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok or YouTube remain “creator first” and continue to reward authentic storytelling. This creates a form of resistance to AI-generated content or fake personalities. On the other hand, for profiles that are very performance and sales driven, AI can become an accelerator to optimise content designed to convert.

Clémence Pluijm: I would add another dimension: the growing expectations of audiences.

Already at the start of this year, we can see a very clear difference in content quality. Consumers are far more demanding. We are no longer simply talking about “influence” as we did in the era when reality TV personalities sold products through stories. We are truly talking about creators with a vision.

Today, we are looking more to collaborate than to impose. We seek profiles that stand out, that bring something innovative and that tell a story. Even with formats such as carousels, every slide must say something, create a hook and make people want to discover what comes next. We are no longer in a simple product placement logic or a basic affiliate link without storytelling.

There is also market saturation, with a huge number of profiles ranging from nano to macro. The battle for attention is stronger than ever, which naturally pushes towards higher quality and stronger storytelling.

Does this increased demand mean brands need to give up more control over content?

Fanie Genovese: Yes, and that is a real point of friction.

What attracts brands to influencer marketing, beyond performance, is also the economic logic. Compared with a traditional advertising campaign, the costs are very different. A national TV campaign involves extremely high budgets: agencies, creatives, production, sets, travel, media buying. We are talking about tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros before the campaign even airs.

With influencer marketing, you are in a way outsourcing the creative production. Whether it is a creator with several million followers or a micro creator with 2,000 followers, you benefit from turnkey content produced in their universe, distributed to their community, often at a lower cost than a traditional campaign.

But for that to work, the brand has to accept an external perspective. It has to collaborate rather than smooth out the message. If the brand is willing to do that, it wins across the entire process: lower production costs, organic distribution through the creator’s community and faster execution.

However, this does not mean abandoning branding. It would be a strategic mistake to rely only on influencer marketing. A brand must continue to define its own vision and editorial line. Influence is a powerful lever, but it cannot be the only strategy.

Should we still think about influencer marketing using the traditional funnel?

Clémence Pluijm: This is something we often discuss with our clients. The traditional funnel — top, middle, bottom — is becoming less and less relevant as we know it.

Today, content can convert at the very first exposure. Someone may see a piece of content once, at the right moment, through the right creator and with the right wording, and buy immediately. In other cases, it might take fifteen exposures before the purchase happens.

Both realities coexist. We have to work with that. It is not a theoretical desire to “reimagine” the funnel, it is the market that is forcing this reshaping. If we refuse to accept it, we miss opportunities.

How can the impact of influencer marketing be measured in this context?

Fanie Genovese: I actually think it is less complicated than people say. We already have a huge number of KPIs.

The real question is always: what are our objectives and what resources are we putting behind them? Measurement only comes afterwards.

Some brands want to connect specific content directly to sales using codes or tracked links. Others, particularly more established brands, will focus more on share of voice, engagement, EMV, or the share of traffic coming from social media.

The level of granularity depends on the resources and the strategy. It is not about inventing new KPIs at all costs, but about choosing those that make sense in relation to the objectives.

The real challenge lies in understanding models that are evolving very quickly. Tools have become increasingly automated, especially on the paid side. Human intervention is now mainly focused on the creation and production of assets. Strategic thinking needs to evolve accordingly.