Humanz Strategy Lead Highlights Shift To Influencer Led Marketing As Trust Becomes Key Currency

Michael Cost, head of strategy and client development at Humanz, gives insight into why influencers are no longer just a marketing add-on—but the driving force behind brand relevance and trust in 2026. (Image supplied)

The funnel is breaking

Today, the funnel is breaking. Not because marketing stopped working, but because people changed, attention fragmented, and trust became the real currency. In 2026, the brands that win are not the ones shouting louder, although paid media has certainly made this possible.

They are the ones building relevance through real human connection, at scale.

That is exactly why creators and influencers have become the new golden thread of marketing.

Social was never for brands

There is a misconception that still shapes how many organisations allocate budgets and structure teams: that social media was created for brands.

I know this will break your heart, but it was not. Social media was built for people. Brands moved in after the fact, trying to earn space in places they were initially not designed for. But this does not stop the humanification of brands on social and the mimicking of influencers.

“Social Media wasn’t made for business, it was made for people.” – Neal Schaffer

Enter influence 2.6

We have entered what I call Influence 2.6, the latest Influencer Software update.

A new era where creator marketing is no longer a channel or a campaign add on. It is becoming the infrastructure of modern brand building.

What defines Influence 2.6:

Advocacy has become standardised: Influencer marketing has matured. Expectations are clearer. Deliverables are more structured. Measurement is increasingly tied to business outcomes, not vanity metrics. Well, that is if you have the right technology partners. #ShamelessPlug

Creators are shaping all social content: Creators do not just post, they shape the creative language of platforms.

Creators set the tone, create the trends, and decide what is platform worthy.

Influencer marketing is no longer a line item: Budgets are growing but, more importantly, they are shifting.

Brands are increasingly integrating creators across the full marketing mix, not isolating them inside social or PR.

The connection circle

The traditional funnel assumes audiences move in one direction. But modern journeys are no longer linear. Attention is fragmented and trust is the new currency.

People discover, doomscroll, forget, rediscover, ask friends, watch reviews, scan comments, wait for payday, see a creator again, click, abandon cart, come back later, buy in store and only then maybe post about it.

The journey now needs multiple touchpoints to convert. Although we suggest a full funnel approach with advocacy, the funnel has changed significantly.

This is why the future is better represented as a connection circle a loop where content feeds community, community feeds trust, and trust drives action.

Brands need to attract audiences, engage them, and reward them.

In this circle, the goal is not just conversion. The goal is connection that compounds, through:

• Content that sparks relevance.
• Community that builds belonging.
• Creators who translate brand value into human truth and peer to peer sharing that becomes a powerful distribution engine.

Community is not built

But first, we need to understand community.

One of the biggest mistakes brands make is believing they can build a community like a campaign. Another is thinking a database equals a community.

Great brands do not force communities. They create the conditions for them to form and evolve, acting as a catalyst rather than a controller.

Creators are essential because they do not enter communities they usually created them. They already speak the language and have trust.

As Pierre Cassuto says: ‘Influencers are hosting parties, and brands need to try and get invited to these parties.”

The golden thread

We’re moving from broadcast to peer to peer influence. Creators sit at the centre of this shift, connecting paid and organic, social and traditional, and online with real world conversation.

Influencer marketing is no longer something you add on it is something you design around.

The golden thread is the constant presence of creators connecting awareness, engagement, and conversion. They are the link between what people notice, trust, talk about, buy, and recommend.

In a world where trust is the new currency, creators are among the most efficient trust builders brands can invest in. This is why it is critical to have a partner who can measure the full connection circle.