Decision Marketing at 15: Rise of creators, warts and all

In 2010, the concept of the creator economy and influencer marketing barely existed in the UK; fast forward 15 years and it is now a multibillion-pound discipline, embraced by many of the world’s leading brands. This transformation from early blog-post gifting to a highly regulated, AI-driven powerhouse reflects a seismic shift in how British consumers discover and trust products.

This “journey” began with niche lifestyle bloggers and early YouTubers like Zoe Sugg, Alfie Deyes, and Tanya Burr. In the early 2010s, these creators were often seen as “real people” sharing hobbies, with brand partnerships typically limited to “gifted” products.

The launch of Instagram in 2010 accelerated this by moving the focus from long-form text to aspirational visuals. By 2014, these creators had realised their reach could command significant fees, shifting the model from informal gifting to the “paid post” phenomenon.

Within the past few years, the industry has grown at breakneck speed. In 2024, the UK influencer market reached a valuation of £1.8bn, with head-turning projections suggesting it could grow at a 29.5% annual rate to reach over £17.8bn by 2033.

Key drivers of this growth include the rise of the micro-influencer, with UK brands increasingly favouring those with between 10,000 and 100,000 followers for their so-called “authenticity”. Currently, 93% of UK marketers work with micro-influencers, the highest rate in Europe.

It is claimed that more and more brands are also diverting spend from the traditional media to creator content, while the rise of TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping has shortened the “marketing funnel” from discovery to purchase. One recent study claimed that 69% of UK consumers have purchased a product after seeing it promoted by an influencer.

Many household names have integrated influencers into their core strategies, with the likes of Gymshark building its global brand almost entirely through long-term creator partnerships, while Marks & Spencer appointed Rochelle Humes as a mental health ambassador, tapping into her celebrity activism for its YoungMinds partnership.

Adidas UK is another advocate, using elite athletes like long-distance runner Sabastian Sawe to promote specific performance products such as the London Marathon collection. Meanwhile, Unilever has tapped up Molly-Mae Hague to push its Persil and Comfort brands and rival Unilever has used Vogue Williams to promote its Fairy brand since 2021.

Even so, the industry is still suffering from “growing pains”, with the Advertising Standards Authority being forced to take action almost on a weekly basis, deploying its AI-powered monitoring tool to crack down on undisclosed ads. In fact, in May this year, an ASA report found that 43% of influencer ads were still undisclosed or inadequately labelled. The fashion and travel sectors were flagged for particularly poor compliance. The ASA Influencer Guidance strictly requires labels like #ad to be prominent; terms like “gifted” or “affiliate” are no longer considered sufficient on their own.

At the same time, the rise of “finfluencers”, creators discussing financial products, prompted a major crackdown by the Financial Conduct Authority. In 2022, alone, the regulator forced firms to amend or remove 8,582 promotions – a 14-fold increase on the previous year – with finfluencers a constant thorn in the FCA’s side.

In 2024, it charged a raft of creators – who have a total of 4.5 million followers on Instagram – over allegations they were paid in relation to the promotion of unauthorised investments.

The accused – The Only Way is Essex star Lauren Goodger, Love Island contestants Biggs Chris, Jamie Clayton, Rebecca Gormley and Eva Zapico, Towie’s Yazmin Oukhellou, and Geordie Shore’s Scott Timlin – pleaded not guilty in July 2024, but a major trial is scheduled for early 2027.

And, in June this year, the FCA led an international effort to protect users from illegal financial promotions. Under new FCA Financial Promotion rules, influencers promoting high-risk investments without proper authorisation or clear risk warnings can face criminal charges.

Even so, the influencer juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Today, the UK market is the most mature in Europe, characterised by high tech adoption and a shift towards long-term brand ambassadors rather than one-off posts.

But while authenticity remains the most valued trait for most UK marketers, the industry faces ongoing challenges in measuring the true ROI of the activity and maintaining trust in a saturated market.