Influencer marketing is having a moment. And by “moment,” I mean it’s ballooned into a $24 billion industry where everyone is pretending to be authentic while customers quietly unfollow, brands loudly overspend, and agencies insist the answer to everything is “a multi-channel activation with lifestyle creators who really speak Gen Z.”
Meanwhile, the average consumer is sitting at home thinking, “Why is my favorite baking YouTuber suddenly trying to sell me crypto?”
Welcome to influencer marketing in 2025: the house is bigger, but the foundation is cracking, half the walls are fake, and someone definitely bought their followers from a guy running an Instagram farm out of a garage.
According to the research by Duffek, Eisingerich, and Merlo, authenticity—not aesthetics, not algorithms—is the actual currency that matters. And while 88% of consumers say it’s important, nearly half believe influencers are about as real as a reality-TV plotline.
The paradox: brands are investing more money than ever while customer trust leaks like a defective Stanley cup knockoff.
So let’s talk about how to fix it—with snark, receipts, and the occasional side-eye at brands who believe authenticity can be produced by a legal department.
CHAPTER 1: The Influencer Trust Crisis — AKA “Why Is This Person Holding a Skincare Serum Like It’s a Bomb?”
Let’s start with the obvious: customers aren’t dumb.
They know when an influencer has never touched a product before the paycheck arrived. They know when a caption has been proofed by 12 people and one nervous intern. They know when a creator’s “OMG I love this” energy is actually “I really hope this covers my rent.”
Influencer marketing has exploded, but authenticity has imploded. Consumers now detect fakery with the precision of a bloodhound that went to finishing school.
The HBR researchers interviewed 185 people across continents—brands, agencies, creators, and consumers—and the conclusion is clear:
Authenticity isn’t a trait. It’s a group project.
Which is adorable, considering most brand-influencer relationships feel like a group project where one person does all the work, one person claims credit, and one person disappears entirely until the night before the deadline.
Authenticity emerges only when five elements align:
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Expertise
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Connectedness
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Integrity
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Originality
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Transparency
If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Influencer marketing has evolved from “hot person holding object” to “complex relationship ecosystem with emotional, creative, and moral implications.”
Which, ironically, makes it more stable than half the dating apps.
CHAPTER 2: Expertise — The Art of Knowing What You’re Talking About (Revolutionary, I Know)
Let’s address the first element of authenticity: expertise—or as brands often interpret it, “How many Olympians can we afford?”
But here’s the twist: the Olympian isn’t who customers trust. Consumers often put more faith in:
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the amateur runner documenting their training,
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the mom reviewing strollers after actually using them,
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the random guy on YouTube who has somehow reviewed 147 air fryers.
The people with consistent, real-world experience, not curated perfection.
Example: Jackie Aina, the Blueprint
Jackie Aina didn’t need a PhD in Makeup Artistry from Harvard Beauty School (not a real institution, but give it time). She built trust by showing up for years, reviewing products with the honesty of someone who has no patience for nonsense, shade ranges, or marketing spin.
Her expertise is lived, not manufactured.
The Volvo x Chriselle Lim “Wait… Why?” Moment
Volvo wanted eco-friendly cred and thought, “Let’s call a luxury fashion influencer.”
Followers collectively blinked. Chriselle Lim had no established relationship with sustainability content, making the campaign feel like a vegan influencer promoting a steakhouse.
The internet was not fooled.
The Canon x Emma Chamberlain Win
Emma Chamberlain is not a professional photographer, but she uses Canon cameras. She talked about them before being paid. Her followers already believed the relationship existed.
That’s authenticity: a partnership that reflects reality, not a boardroom fantasy.
CHAPTER 3: Connectedness — Because “High Engagement” Isn’t the Same as “Actually Liking You”
Brands worship metrics the way ancient civilizations worshipped the sun. Likes, shares, impressions—these are the modern hieroglyphics executives pretend to understand.
But followers don’t trust influencers because of numbers; they trust them because of mutual connection.
You know… actual human interaction.
The Kylie Jenner x SugarBearHair Saga
This was the campaign equivalent of using a bazooka to open an envelope.
Kylie had enormous reach but zero connection to her audience around wellness supplements. The result?
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Lots of impressions
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Lots of eyerolls
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The birth of memes mocking the influencer vitamin era
Reach without relevance is like a billboard in the desert: technically visible, strategically useless.
The Sephora Squad Model
Sephora didn’t just hire influencers—they hired conversationalists.
Live Q&As. Real-time responses. Personalized advice. Community participation.
Connectedness isn’t broadcasting; it’s bonding. The difference is subtle, like comparing a TED Talk to a group chat that roasts you lovingly.
CHAPTER 4: Integrity — The Courage to Admit You Like Money Without Selling Your Soul
Integrity sounds noble, but in influencer-world it’s more practical than philosophical.
Consumers don’t hate sponsored content. They just hate being treated like they won’t notice it’s sponsored.
You don’t lose trust by making money.
You lose trust by trying to hide that you're making money.
This is where many influencers panic, whisper “ad” in microscopic font, and hope nobody gets mad. But transparency builds trust.
Podcasters on Patreon: The Honesty Advantage
They say things like:
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“This episode is sponsored.”
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“Here’s why.”
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“Also, please support us because microphones are expensive.”
And guess what? Audiences appreciate it.
Samantha Ravndahl: The Patron Saint of Saying No
She openly rejects deals that compromise her values.
Brands flock to her anyway.
Her audience respects her for it.
Integrity: shocking how well it works when you actually use it.
CHAPTER 5: Originality — Where Creativity Goes to Die in Most Brand Briefs
Originality is where influencer marketing either becomes art… or becomes a PowerPoint deck disguised as content.
Brands have a habit of scripting influencer content like they’re writing a hostage negotiation message:
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“Say these seven talking points.”
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“Show the product from three angles.”
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“Use these exact phrases.”
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“Smile, but not too much, but also look natural, but also make it aspirational.”
Creators hate it. Consumers hate it. The algorithm hates it. Even the product probably hates it.
Example: The Influencer Who Told Starbucks ‘No Thanks, I’ll Make It My Way’
Instead of making a glossy ad, she pitched real content: her actual morning coffee routine.
It felt organic because it was organic.
Originality cannot survive when a brand sends 12 pages of instructions and a sample caption written by someone who still uses Facebook unironically.
Colgate x Sabrina Brier
She used her own comedic voice—sharp, weird, memorable. People loved it.
Poppi’s Vending Machine Disaster
Poppi sent giant branded vending machines to influencers’ homes.
Because nothing says “authentic” like a comically oversized soda dispenser blocking someone’s kitchen.
The posts looked identical. The internet roasted them. A TikTok creator called it “out-of-touch BS.” The brand later thanked people for the feedback.
Iconic marketing this was not.
CHAPTER 6: Transparency — Because Perfect Influencers Are Suspicious and Slightly Boring
Customers don’t expect influencers to be saints.
They expect them to be honest.
But brands get scared:
“Oh no, what if she admits she uses a competitor?”
“Oh no, what if he says the product isn’t perfect?”
“Oh no, what if we appear… human?”
The horror.
Victoria Magrath’s Dyson vs Redken Moment
She promoted one product without pretending the other didn’t exist.
This works because consumers live in reality, unlike some marketing departments.
The Humble Admission Effect
Research shows that a small negative detail actually increases trust.
It’s like when someone says, “This moisturizer is great, but the scent is weird for approximately seven seconds.”
Suddenly… believable.
Flawless messaging is suspicious.
Human messaging is trusted.
CHAPTER 7: The Five Ways Brands Destroy Authenticity in Under 24 Hours
Let’s summarize the most common brand mistakes with the bluntness they deserve.
1. Hiring influencers who have never heard of the product.
If the influencer has to Google the brand, it’s already over.
2. Confusing follower count with actual influence.
An audience of millions does nothing if those millions are bots, bored teenagers, or people who followed in 2016 and forgot.
3. Over-scripting until the content feels like an HR training module.
No one wants to watch “How to Apply Lipstick: Corporate Compliance Edition.”
4. Hiding financial incentives like it’s forbidden knowledge.
Sponsored content is fine. Sneaky content is not.
5. Treating influencers like ad placements instead of people.
They have creative instincts, emotional connections, and, horrifyingly for brands, opinions.
CHAPTER 8: The Co-Creation of Authenticity — Or, “Why Everyone Is Responsible When This Goes Sideways”
Authenticity is not something an influencer simply “has.”
It’s something created between:
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influencers
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brands
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agencies
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followers
And just like any relationship with four parties, it’s complicated.
Consumers value:
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integrity
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transparency
Influencers value:
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originality
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expertise
Brands value:
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reach
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message control
This is why influencer marketing feels like a group text where everyone is arguing about different things.
When these priorities clash, trust breaks.
When they align, magic happens.
Brands must stop pretending they own authenticity.
They don’t.
They borrow it—from creators who have spent years building it—with the fragile hope of not breaking it within a single campaign.
CHAPTER 9: What Brands Should Actually Do If They Want Trust (Novel Idea, I Know)
Let’s turn this research into actual practical guidance.
1. Choose influencers with documented, consistent experience in the relevant niche.
Not aspirational experience.
Not “I once used this product in 2019.”
Actual experience.
2. Prioritize interaction over impression counts.
A creator with 80k engaged followers is more valuable than one with 4 million passive scrollers.
3. Encourage transparency.
Disclosures shouldn’t be microscopic footnotes written in the same color as the background.
4. Give influencers creative control.
A brand is not hiring a spokesperson.
They’re hiring a storyteller.
If you don’t trust their voice, don’t hire them.
5. Allow flaws, nuance, and human messiness.
Perfection is a red flag.
A tiny negative makes the positive believable.
And customers appreciate a brand that lives on the same planet they do.
CHAPTER 10: The Future — AI, Trust, and the Death of the “Perfect” Influencer
Even as generative AI infiltrates influencer work—from scripting interviews to polishing content—originality can survive.
Some creators openly say they use tools like custom GPTs to research faster or brainstorm ideas.
This isn’t cheating; it’s evolving.
What matters is that the creative voice remains human, distinct, recognizable.
In the near future, authenticity will win because customers crave what algorithms can’t fake:
human imperfection, unfiltered perspective, and emotional connection.
That’s the gold standard.
And it always has been.
CHAPTER 11: Final Take — Influencer Marketing Can Absolutely Work… If You Don’t Treat Customers Like They’re Idiots
In the end, authenticity isn’t magic. It’s maintenance.
Brands must stop trying to control every pixel, every sentence, every micro-expression. Influencers must stop fearing that honesty will scare away opportunities. Consumers must keep demanding transparency (don’t worry—they will).
The truth is simple:
Influencer marketing works when people trust the person talking and the brand supporting them.
When the five authenticity pillars align—expertise, connectedness, integrity, originality, and transparency—brands don’t just sell products.
They build relationships.
They build credibility.
They build communities.
But when brands force influencers into rigid talking points, hide financial motives, or mistake aesthetics for authenticity, customers see straight through it.
And then they unfollow.
And no amount of paid reach can win them back.