Roundtable: What will influencer marketing look like in 2026?

Influencer is now considered a key element of the media mix; no longer an add-on, but a central part to a campaign strategy. At the same time, there is still confusion over what it includes, whether it's driving results, and what it might look like in future. We're combatting challenges such as saturated platforms, consumer distrust, perception issues, and the infiltration of AI content on platforms leading people to "switch off" and try to end the doomscroll. Given all of this, and all of the new tools and practices, what do we think influencer marketing will look like in 1 year's time? From how brands work with creators, how they're scaling, how they're creating content, and how they're integrating new technology and tools. This roundtable will discuss the current influencer marketing landscape and challenges faced by brands and creators, then look at how we predict these changing over the next 12 months and how marketers can prepare.