Does creator marketing replace classic media and advertising?

No, and no serious player claims it does. What we do see is that the media mix is shifting. Classic channels still play their role, but no longer as the main course. Creator marketing is becoming a fixed layer rather than an experiment alongside.

The pattern is clearly visible among the largest advertisers. Unilever shifted 50% of its marketing budget to social and influencer marketing in 2025, away from traditional TV channels. According to The Drum, micro-influencer rates in Europe have risen by around 30% since that announcement — a direct result of the competition for creators now flowing in.

What remains, and why:

• Hero moments via big names or classic media. A launch, a sponsorship, a broad campaign moment. Classic media still works there — it builds awareness at scale.
• Daily visibility via creator content. Continuous presence inside specific communities. Creator marketing works better there than a TV spot that flashes by once.
• Targeted community activations via squads or niche campaigns. When you don't want to reach the entire population, but want depth inside a specific group. That's where concentration is the right form.

Each layer does something different. Hero names generate reach. Mass creators generate repetition. Squads generate saturation within a community. Bet everything on one layer and you miss the other two.

The art is in the mix. Which ratio fits your brand, your market, your moment? That depends on where you are in the lifecycle, how large your audience is, and how deep you want to be in a specific niche.

As always in marketing: the channel shifts, the principle stays. People buy from those they trust. The only question is who carries that trust today — and increasingly, it's someone without a logo on their forehead.