The 3 Influencer Marketing Misconceptions That Could Hurt Your Brand

Influencer marketing experts share the most common misconceptions about their field.

BY ANNABEL BURBA, EDITORIAL ASSISTANT @ANNIEBURBA

Illustration: Getty Images

When Stephen Titus and his co-founders launched London-based influencer marketing agency Faved in 2022, the creator economy was still proving itself. While major consumer brands had been going all in on influencers for years, much of the business world questioned the value of creator-led advertising campaigns.

“We as a platform—and as an industry—often had to go to brands and convince them of the power of influencer marketing,” he says.

But over the last few years, that changed, according to Titus. The CEO rarely has to sell the idea of partnering with creators to prospective customers anymore. “Businesses are self-evangelized on creator marketing,” he says. Ad spend data backs this up. In 2022, brands planned to spend $18.4 billion on creator economy ads in the U.S., according to a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. In 2026, the firm expects that figure to reach $43.9 billion.

But people still get plenty of things wrong about influencer marketing. Here’s what Titus and other agency founders say are the most common misconceptions they encounter during conversations with executives and founders.

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Misconception 1: Influencer marketing doesn’t work for high-intent products

While many business owners now know how valuable influencer marketing can be, Titus reports that a number of them still think it only works for “impulse purchases” like protein powders and supplements. 

“A lot of people hold themselves back because they feel that their product isn’t suited to influencer marketing,” he says.

While Titus admits that he’s biased, he adds that, based on the data Faved measures across brands in different categories, “there is no product to which influencer marketing doesn’t apply, just as much as there is no product to which paid media or Google or Facebook doesn’t apply.”

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