Letting go of control: The future of influencer marketing
For years, brand managers clung to control. Campaigns were scripted, talent was briefed line by line, and consistency across channels was paramount. But as social platforms have matured, influencer marketing has evolved into something different: a space for creators to reach audiences in the way they know best.
That was the central theme at The Drum Live 2025, where senior voices from Unilever, social agency Our Own Brand (OOB), and influencer marketing platform Hypetap debated why the most successful brand–creator partnerships are built on trust and autonomy.
From control to stewardship
As Unilever’s chief marketing officer for beauty and wellness, Leandro Barreto described, the old approach to brand management no longer fits reality. “Our role in building brands is more stewardship rather than control. I had to learn this idea,” he said. Stewardship here means holding firm on the brand’s core identity while allowing creators to interpret it for their own communities.
Barreto advises starting from a place of clarity before letting go: “Know your brand fundamentals and then you can surrender control to people to use that brand.” His point: fundamentals anchor the brand; creators supply the cultural translation.
A recent example is Vaseline’s “Verified” campaign, which invited more than 450 global creators to test unexpected beauty hacks – from extending perfume wear to protecting lips before spicy snacks. Instead of policing every frame, the brand gave room for interpretation and discovery. As Barreto put it, “influencers are hired to drive authenticity, credibility, and authority.” The results? Millions of organic views and shares, reflecting exactly what happens when brands take risks.
Authenticity by design
Creator-led content works because it feels genuine. Sarah Fulford-Williams, co-founder of Our Own Brand, framed it simply: “People love content that feels real, independent and raw,” she said. That requires loosening the grip – “letting people interpret your brand – not being prescriptive, not briefing – and getting them [the influencers] to do what they do best.”
In practice, that means resisting the urge to over-script. The agency supplies brand values and guidelines, the creator supplies voice and context. The outcome is work that audiences recognise as authentic because it speaks their language.
Risk, reality, and reward
Letting creators lead is not risk-free, and the panel acknowledged as much. “Yes, there are risks. I think we can mitigate these risks, but the biggest risk is not seeing the change,” Barreto said. In a feed that no brand can truly control, clinging to old models is the larger gamble.
Fulford-Williams was equally direct about the human factor: “Working with creators is a risk. You will work with people who aren’t working for your brand. You work with people who will surprise you.” But that surprise is often the spark that separates forgettable posts from culture-worthy moments. As she noted, the payoff for “giving people permission to interpret the brand is that your brand shows up in unexpected quality, which is so hard to do.” And the upside compounds: “The fundamental truth is that there are so many overwhelming positives to letting people show you what your brand means to them in a way that you will not expect.”
Frameworks that protect freedom
This doesn’t mean that influencers shouldn’t be properly vetted. Detch Singh, chief executive officer of Hypetap, outlined a pragmatic safety net: “You can do so much to qualify creators properly,” he said. “You can check brand safety around topics that you want to make sure aren’t covered or have an inclination not to cover. And then also having a briefing and approvals. Brand safety can work pre, during, and post.” In other words, set clear boundaries, align values, and maintain checkpoints without dictating the creative act itself.
The new era of influence
The conversation at The Drum Live pointed to a larger industry reset. “We’re in a new stage of influencer marketing right now,” Barreto said. It’s less about polished perfection and more about credible partnership, brands as stewards of meaning, creators as interpreters of that meaning for their communities.
The takeaway for marketers is straightforward: define your fundamentals, choose partners whose values align, agree on the guardrails, and then let creators do the job audiences trust them to do. The work may be more surprising, but it will also be more real, more resonant, and more likely to travel.
Agencies like Our Own Brand are leading the way with influencing marketing, developing a diverse network of trusted creators, dubbed the “Creator Collective”, and other agencies will likely follow as the demand for UGC grows.
