Creators outpace brands in social media discovery

The findings come from research by social-first agency Born Social and market research agency The Mix Global, which also highlights growing challenges for brands seeking to stand out online.

Creators are becoming more influential than brands in social media discovery among young Americans, with 50 percent of consumers who recently discovered something on social platforms attributing it to creators or influencers, compared with 34 percent who discovered it through brand content.

The research found that 64 percent of young Americans surveyed believe brand posts are becoming so similar that they blend together. The findings point to a shift in how consumers discover, evaluate and choose brands, with creators, online communities and artificial intelligence increasingly influencing brand perceptions.

Born Social identifies the rise of the headless brand

Born Social describes this development as the rise of the headless brand: a brand whose identity is increasingly shaped by external voices, including creators, communities, search engines and AI, rather than solely by its own communications.

As consumers increasingly use AI to research products and evaluate purchasing decisions, creator content, reviews and online discussions are playing a greater role in determining which brands gain visibility and recommendations.

The findings are published in Brand Built Different: Equity, Evidence and the Rise of the Proxies, a report examining how consumers discover and assess brands through social media, creators, communities, search and AI.

Young consumers favour authentic branded content

Based on a survey of 2,019 US adults aged 18–34 and 13 in-depth interviews with creators and consumers, the report also challenges the assumption that younger audiences reject advertising altogether.

While 45 percent of respondents said they do not mind being sold to on social media, 68 percent prefer branded content that does not feel like an advertisement. The findings suggest that the way brands communicate matters more than the presence of advertising itself.

Creator partnerships also highlight the importance of authenticity. Some 44 percent of respondents prefer sponsored content delivered in a creator's own style, compared with 11 percent who favour the brand's style. Another 32 percent prefer a combination of both approaches.

Born Social calls for distinctive brand building

Callum McCahon, Chief Strategy Officer, Croud and Born Social: "Think about the last time you bought something in a category you knew nothing about. Chances are, you didn't start with the brand. You asked people, watched reviews, searched social or turned to AI for recommendations. That's increasingly how brands are being built, whether marketers like it or not.

"That doesn't mean the fundamentals of brand building have changed. Distinctiveness still matters enormously. But brands need to stop confusing control with consistency. The question isn't whether you can control every conversation about your brand. It's whether you've built something distinctive enough for other people to carry forward."

To address this shift, Born Social proposes its Equity × Evidence model, which combines brand distinctiveness with the proof consumers need to feel confident about their choices.

The agency argues that brands must build recognition beyond their own channels while ensuring that external conversations reinforce their identity and credibility.

Creator partnerships need to build lasting brand recognition

Liv Wedderburn, Head of Influence, Born Social: "Putting a brand in front of a creator's audience doesn't automatically make it relevant. The real test is whether people remember the brand behind the content, and whether something distinctive about it sticks.

"That means moving beyond rigid briefs and perfectly controlled messaging. Brands need to give creators something recognizable to work with, but enough freedom to make it their own. Otherwise, you're just renting someone's audience rather than building something that lasts."

The report also calls for marketers to reconsider how they evaluate social and creator marketing. While reach, views and engagement indicate how far content travels, they do not necessarily show whether consumers remember the brand behind it or whether it influences purchasing decisions.

Born Social recommends measuring whether campaigns strengthen brand recognition, shape consumer perceptions and generate trust beyond the duration of individual campaigns.

The Mix Global highlights the importance of external influence

Tash Walker, Founder, The Mix Global: "For too long, there's been a gap between how people discover brands and how we measure what drives their influence. Today, simply understanding how consumers perceive your brand in isolation isn't enough.

"As influence increasingly sits beyond a brand's own channels, marketers need to understand not just their own cultural equity, but the equity of the creators, communities and platforms consumers are turning to. Understanding those relationships is key to understanding how brands build relevance today."

The full report can be accessed here

www.bornsocial.com

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