I came across a piece of research this week that stopped me mid-scroll.

Andrew Tindall shared new findings from the IPA (The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) and WPP that made me scrap the issue I had planned and start writing this instead.

If, like me, you’ve never heard of the IPA, they run large studies that track which channels drive sales and profit over time. They combined 220 studies across £133m of creator spend, covering 28 markets, 36 categories, and 144 brands.

And, it turns out, creator campaigns have some of the best long-term ROI of any marketing channel. Not just good engagement or solid sales for a few days, but actual lasting results over time.

From my perspective as a brand marketer at a company that builds influencer marketing software and hears from thousands of brands, this feels both obvious and true.

We see brands invest a little in influencer marketing. When they don’t see sales within a few months, they call the whole thing off. They treat the channel like Google Ads: put in this much, expect that much back.

Both the research from WPP and Andrew’s own research for System1 suggest that the real impact shows up later. It comes as brand awareness, preference, and ultimately an uplift in sales.

Yes, influencer marketing is a full-funnel channel. So if we focus primarily on measuring short-term sales, we’ll continue to miss the longer-term payoff.

Today, I'd like to share some of the shifts I believe we need to make in our approach based on this new information.

Shift #1: Move from short-termism to bothism

Most influencer programs are built around short-term numbers. The link clicks, the discount code redemptions, and the sales that show up in the first few weeks. They’re easy to track and easy to report.

But if creators have long-term impact, those same metrics are only showing part of the picture.

It’s the classic tension between performance and brand: one is measurable immediately, the other takes time. So more money, effort, and attention go to performance, while Brand (with a capital B) becomes a “nice to have.”

But Brand isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the must-have that keeps performance running effectively month after month. 

Andrew says, “Creators are brand builders, not salespeople.” What he means is that creators can build memories the way traditional TV ads do. But more and more, we’re using creators like door-to-door salespeople.

Part of the shift is redefining what “success” means inside your company. Instead of only proving a campaign ‘worked’ in week one, look for signs it’s sticking: like more searches, repeat mentions, or creators returning to work with you.

Those things might not appear in the performance dashboard, but they’re still proof of progress. And if you invest consistently — with enough time and budget — the returns compound. Because when people already know and like your brand, your performance campaigns convert more easily. 

Shift #2: Bring back creative direction (not scripts!) 

The IPA study also found something interesting, but not surprising.

ROI from creator campaigns swings wildly. Some brands see huge results; others barely see a blip. (And spend doesn’t explain the difference.)

According to their research, Andrew Tindall’s team at System1 believes that the reason influencer marketing results are so varied is due to the creative quality. Because emotional creative leaves stronger brand memories, the stuff that drives future sales.

He argues that we’ve let creators do the bulk of our thinking for far too long. I only slightly disagree. From what I’ve seen, some marketers give too much freedom, others over-control (the much-panned script-reading approach), and a few have already cracked it. 

They give direction, not rules, based on the brand story. 

It’s the difference between saying “make something fun with our product” and “we want people to associate this brand with comfort, confidence, or adventure.”

When marketers bring that kind of clarity, creators have more to build on. The content still feels authentic, but it’s anchored to an idea that builds brand equity.

Influencer content stops being just another random sponsored post in a series of random sponsored posts. Creator content becomes an extension of your brand story.

Shift #3: Brand early and often (Ouch!)

This one stings.

Andrew’s testing found that creator videos showing the brand in the first few seconds triple brand outcomes compared to those that don’t.

But most creators (and many marketers) still believe that branding early ruins the content. They wait until halfway through or the very end, hoping people won’t notice it’s an ad.

The truth is, audiences already know. We know they know because we’re audiences too. We can usually spot a sponsored post before the #ad even appears.

When the creative is strong, the brand’s presence doesn’t break the story; it helps it stick. Branding early doesn’t make content less authentic. I’d argue it makes it more authentic — you’re being transparent with your audience.

Additionally, in many countries, advertising regulators require creators to clearly indicate that it’s an #ad early on.

You can still tell a story, make people laugh, or be emotional while being clear about who it’s for.

Does it feel like we’ve hit a turning point? It seems to me that we’ve outgrown the era of pretending creator content isn’t advertising. Is the next step making sure it’s good advertising?

Shift #4: Move beyond discount codes 😱

If we’re serious about treating influencer marketing as a full-funnel channel, the next step is to move past our dependence on discount codes. If we only measure success by codes, we keep the channel stuck in short-term mode. 

Before you throw rotting veggies at my head, hear me out!

BURGA decided to break that habit.

On Wednesday, October 29, Rugilė Paleviciute, BURGA’s Director of Global Partnerships, will share the top 4 changes her team made as they moved beyond the “discount-code era” toward a more balanced strategy across performance, brand awareness, and loyalty.

I’ll be there, as usual, taking notes and ducking from any tomatoes that come my way.

🍅 RSVP here - it’s free!

Until then, happy rethinking!
Eleni Zoe xx
Brand @ Modash. Say hi on LinkedIn or visit Modash.

Extra credit

A few more things worth your time:

• ​This groundbreaking research proves we’ve been using creators wrong all this time (The original column that inspired this issue from The Drum)

• How to prove brand awareness campaigns are working (A previous issue of ROI)

• The 2025 Return on Influence Survey (Take 2 min to share to shape the direction of this thing you’re reading!)

📌A NOTE ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST READ

The tips in this newsletter might not be right for your specific case. Use good judgment when deciding whether to take advice from the internet—even mine. My team and I survey & interview influencer marketers whose advice and observations come from their direct experience. ROI is meant for you to connect the dots and be inspired or challenged to think about your influencer marketing in a way you haven’t before.