THE NEW INFLUENCER BATTLEGROUND: How parasocial psychology, storytelling and measurement are reshaping the creator economy. Download our report now.
The New Influencer Battleground
As UK spend in the creator economy passes £1bn, Smoking Gun's landmark new report tackles one of brand marketers' biggest conundrums - how to prove the value of influencer marketing.
59% of brand marketers are still struggling to prove the business value of influencers. Are you one of them?
Smoking Gun’s strategic research and insight division, The Intention Unit, introduces The New Influencer Battleground – a landmark report that gives marketers the tools to design and evaluate creator storytelling with greater clarity.
Developed in collaboration with behavioural psychologist Dr Eleanor Bryant, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Bradford, it presents a framework that bridges the gap between performance-led influencer marketing and brand storytelling that builds long-term trust and advocacy. It focuses on four core drivers of influence: meaning, credibility, connection and action.
Bringing together campaign data, behavioural science, and narrative theory, the report also features input from leading expert including Scott Guthrie, Director-General of The Influencer Marketing Trade Body. Plus commentary from senior talent leads at M&C Saatchi, and case studies from Smoking Gun campaigns for PZ Cussons’ Original Source and Philips, demonstrating how the framework drives both resonance and results.
“Creator influence is not just a media effect, it is a psychological one. When audiences feel emotionally connected to creators, stories are processed more deeply, remembered for longer and more likely to shape behaviour.
“Understanding these mechanisms allows brands to evaluate influence in a way that reflects how people actually think, feel and decide, rather than relying solely on surface-level signals.”
Eleanor Bryant, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Bradford
