Influencer Marketing: Building Trust in the Creator Economy

De-influencing, distrust and digital regret: how brands can stay credible in the creator economy

 

Have you ever found yourself doom-scrolling through social media only to see a favourite influencer caught in controversy – whether for promoting a dubious product, making a tone-deaf comment, or, like Cyan Boujee, facing backlash for aligning with Russia’s controversial Alabuga Start programme? 

 

These incidents are no longer isolated. They spotlight the urgent need for greater transparency, ethical guardrails, and smarter partnerships between brands and influencers. In a fast-evolving digital ecosystem, working with a strategic agency is no longer optional; it’s essential. 

 

Not long ago, celebrities were distant figures, polished icons that were unreachable. Today, influencers and celebrities are our friends in digital. They live in our phones, shape our thoughts, have the audience by the ear and blur the lines between friend, expert, and salesperson. With just a smartphone and a social following, influencers are now commanding attention, income and in many cases, power. 

 

“The rise of South Africa’s influencer economy has transformed how brands connect with audiences. Ad spend is shifting to creators, and consumers increasingly trust influencer recommendations over traditional advertising and media,” says Bradly Howland, CEO of Alkemi Collective, a communications and marketing agency in Cape Town.  

 

According to Matter Communications, 69% of consumers trust influencer recommendations, and they are more likely to make a purchase through social media. So yes, influencer marketing should absolutely be part of your brand’s strategy—but not at the cost of credibility. 

 

While influencers can drive engagement and sales, today’s audiences (especially Gen Z and millennials) are more discerning. They’re not just watching, they’re interrogating. They can sniff out transactional content in seconds and are quick to unfollow when partnerships feel inauthentic or misaligned with values. 

 

This growing scepticism has sparked the rise of de-influencing: a movement where users encourage others not to buy certain products, especially when promoted by influencers who appear disingenuous or profit-driven. 

 

“We’re seeing consumers demand more accountability and alignment. Influencer marketing can’t be about reach and impressions alone,” says Howland. “It needs to be rooted in shared values, long-term trust, and genuine connection.” 

 

“At Alkemi, we’ve been tracking these shifts and advising clients accordingly. From building robust influencer guidelines and vetting processes to rolling out real-time response frameworks, we help brands navigate everything from product backlash to creator controversies without compromising on brand integrity,” he explains. 

 

 

But even the best crisis plan is just a starting point. As the creator economy matures, the future of influencer marketing lies in intentional storytelling, authentic alignment, and ethical influence. Brands need to prioritise creators who reflect their values, who are invested in the communities they serve, and who see their platforms as more than just ad space. 

 

“The brands that will thrive are the ones that embrace this shift,” says Howland. “In a world where attention is fleeting, trust is the most powerful currency you can earn.” 

 

Influencer marketing isn’t dead. But the old rules no longer apply. It’s time to stop chasing virality and start building value. 

CMO Role: The Future of Marketing Leadership

The decline of the CMO is a strategic misstep for business 

By Bradly Howland 

CEO: Alkemi Collective 

President: Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa 

 

The CMO role is undergoing a significant shift. New research from Forrester confirms a downward trend that many business leaders have failed to take seriously.  Fewer than 60% of Fortune 500 companies now have a marketing leader reporting directly to the CEO, down from 63% in 2024. The number of executives still holding the actual title of “Chief Marketing Officer” has slipped below 50%. While these percentages may appear marginal, they reflect a more consequential erosion of influence. The traditional authority and centrality of the CMO are being dismantled - and quietly, in plain sight. 

 

This is not just a change in reporting lines or nomenclature. It is symptomatic of a wider strategic misjudgement that risks undermining long-term brand value, customer trust, and market competitiveness. At a time when brands are navigating unprecedented complexity, economic instability, and social expectation, sidelining marketing is a high-risk move. 

 

Over the past decade, the role of the CMO has been steadily carved up. Newer titles (Chief Growth Officer, Chief Customer Officer, Chief Digital Officer) have emerged, each assuming a fragment of what was once a unified portfolio. As responsibilities have splintered, so too has the strategic power once concentrated in the CMO’s office. In many organisations, marketing now sits further from the centre of influence, relegated to execution rather than leadership. 

 

The reality is that marketing has evolved far beyond its traditional creative brief. It is no longer just about generating demand or managing campaigns. Marketing today sits at the intersection of trust, technology, purpose, and performance. It connects internal strategy with external perception, translating company values into experiences that resonate with stakeholders - customers, employees, investors, and communities alike. 

 

Excluding marketing leadership from strategic conversations creates a vacuum in this space. Disconnected brand narratives, reactive communications, and inconsistent customer experiences are all downstream consequences of that exclusion. The risks are not theoretical. They manifest in reputational damage, declining relevance, and missed growth opportunities. 

 

The fragmentation of the CMO role has also weakened internal alignment. When customer insight, data interpretation, channel strategy, and brand narrative are managed across separate leadership tracks, businesses lose the coherence needed to drive sustained performance. Clarity of voice, purpose, and positioning becomes harder to maintain. 

 

This trend is particularly concerning given the increasing scrutiny placed on companies’ ESG performance. Purpose is no longer optional, it is a business imperative. Stakeholders now expect consistency between what a company says and what it does. Without a strong marketing leader at the executive table, ESG risks becoming superficial, performative, or misaligned with broader strategy. 

 

A capable marketing leader brings not just storytelling, but substance. They are responsible for aligning internal culture with external expectation, managing reputational risk, and embedding brand trust into every customer and stakeholder touchpoint. These are essential leadership functions, not peripheral tasks. 

 

South African companies are not immune to these shifts. In fact, many are navigating even more fragile trust dynamics - across economic lines, historical legacies, and increasingly vocal stakeholder groups. Local brands must manage global competition, social responsiveness, and technological adaptation simultaneously. Strong marketing leadership is not a luxury in this context. It is foundational. 

 

This shift also coincides with rapid advancement in data analytics, automation, and AI. These tools offer extraordinary insight into customer behaviour, but they require strategic interpretation. The human judgment to turn raw data into commercially intelligent decisions still resides with leadership. Removing marketing from the top table means removing the function best positioned to make meaning of those insights. 

 

The responsibility does not rest solely with the C-suite. Marketers must also show up differently. It is no longer enough to be creatively talented. The profession must consistently demonstrate impact in business terms; market share, revenue growth, customer lifetime value. Influence is earned through credibility, clarity, and commercial fluency. 

 

Within PRISA, the repositioning of communication professionals as strategic advisors has become a core focus. As an institute, we are working to elevate professional standards and reinforce the strategic value of communications, PR, and marketing in the business ecosystem. This is not about chasing relevance. It is about restoring rightful influence - through rigour, capability, and measurable impact. 

 

The CMO role is not disappearing because it is obsolete. It is shrinking because its value is being misunderstood, both externally and internally. The role must evolve, certainly. But it should evolve into something even more powerful, not more peripheral. 

 

Business leaders who fail to recognise this shift risk operating with a strategic blind spot. The brand voice, customer trust, ESG credibility, and cultural alignment that marketing leads are uniquely positioned to manage cannot be delegated down or divided across competing roles. 

 

There is still time to course correct. Boards and executive teams must reevaluate how marketing is represented at leadership level. Marketers must assert their value more boldly and speak in terms that drive business confidence. 

 

The need has never been greater. The companies that succeed in the years ahead will not be those with the flashiest campaigns. They will be the ones with the clearest sense of purpose, the strongest customer alignment, and the courage to put marketing where it belongs… at the heart of business strategy. 

South African PR Agency | Public Relations

Questions and Answers 

By Bradly Howland
CEO: Alkemi Collective

 

Tell us a little bit about your PR company?
At Alkemi Collective, we see ourselves as more than just a PR agency, we’re an integrated marketing communications partner. 

From PR to content marketing, social media, and brand strategy, we help brands tell real, human stories that build trust and drive business results. With offices in Cape Town and Joburg, we’re proudly independent and proudly South African. 

  

What industry does your company provide PR to?
We work across multiple sectors, including financial services, health, technology, and public sector. We’re sector fluid, but people-focused, because at the end of the day, every industry comes down to relationships. 

  

What does being in the PR sector mean to you?
For us, it’s about helping businesses earn their voice and their place in society. It’s not just about reputation management, it’s about building trust, shaping narratives, and helping organisations show up in authentic, credible ways. 

  

What do you love most about being in the PR sector?
The impact. When done right, PR is invisible infrastructure, quietly enabling businesses to operate, governments to connect, and communities to engage. It’s also a sector that constantly evolves, keeping us sharp, creative, and human. 

  

What does this year’s World PR Day theme ‘Building Bridges & Navigating Polarisation’ mean to you?
This year’s World PR Day theme is a clear call for communicators to step up. Our profession has a responsibility to move beyond hype and performative slogans. We’re in the business of making sense of complexity, creating clarity, and helping organisations behave in ways that earn trust. That requires us to think critically, act ethically, and commit to work that matters. 

  

What do you love most about being in corporate communications in Africa?
Africa is a continent of complexity and possibility. What we love most is the need to constantly adapt,  understanding local contexts, navigating cultural nuances, and helping African brands tell their stories both locally and globally. No two days (or campaigns) are ever the same. 

  

How does your PR organisation have a role to play in shaping business, governance, and society?
We believe communication is a strategic tool. Whether it’s helping a business secure its social licence to operate, supporting government agencies with public education, or managing crises, our role is to help organisations engage transparently and meaningfully. The work we do builds trust, and trust builds economies. 

 

How important are platforms such as Bizcommunity to you and your clients' presence in the business media?
Platforms like Bizcommunity are essential. They give us access to industry peers, decision-makers, and the broader business landscape. For our clients, Bizcommunity offers a credible platform to share thought leadership, insights, and celebrate their milestones. 

 

What has been your company’s greatest achievement to date?
Every client win matters to us,  from launching national campaigns to securing hyperlocal media stories that shift perception. But if we had to choose, our greatest achievement is staying true to our values while evolving as an agency. In a fast-changing industry, that’s something we’re proud of.