Influencer Marketing Is Changing: Why “Mega or Nano?” Is the Wrong Question — Brand Investment Strategy in an Age of Polarization
Session Overview
Influencer marketing budgets are becoming increasingly polarized. At one end, brands are investing heavily in a small number of mega creators. At the other, they are spreading budgets across dozens of micro and nano creators — while the middle is steadily disappearing.
Consumer attention is polarizing as well, divided between one-second short-form moments and hour-long deep content. Creator earnings are following the same pattern, concentrating among a small group at the top while the rest of the market becomes increasingly fragmented.
But the shift goes far beyond budget allocation. Influencers are no longer simply media channels for brands. Creators are building brands of their own, competing for consumer attention and market share, while AI-generated and virtual creators introduce new pressure on pricing and production.
At the same time, platforms are becoming powerful spaces for search, discovery, culture and community. Brands now need to think beyond follower counts and ask which creators can genuinely build trust, cultural relevance and lasting relationships with audiences.
Bringing together perspectives from global brand marketing, the creator business, creator networks and global platform communications, this session explores how brands should rethink influencer investment as the creator economy becomes increasingly polarized.
The real question is no longer “mega or nano?”
As creators become both partners and competitors,
brands need to move beyond follower counts
and build investment strategies around trust,
relevance and long-term value.
Speakers
Today, as CEO of Synergy Pharm, he directly manages influencer budgets for the company's dermocosmetics brand.
He also leads the Global Influencer Council (GINCON), a network of approximately 390 creators across 70 countries, working to build a fairer and more sustainable creator ecosystem.
Having experienced both sides of the table — allocating influencer budgets as a brand operator and representing creator interests — he brings a unique perspective to the changing influencer economy.
As CEO of Sandbox Network, he is expanding creator influence beyond advertising into IP licensing and commerce.
By connecting creator networks with data and content production capabilities, he focuses on building sustainable business models for the creator economy.
Working at the intersection of global strategy and local culture, she develops communication approaches that connect Spotify with media, creators, and culturally influential fan communities.
Through these relationships, she helps shape a distinctive Spotify brand experience in Korea while connecting global brand direction with the dynamics of the local music and creator ecosystem.