Alessandro Bogliari co-founded The Influencer Marketing Factory (IMF) in 2018 with only $1,500 and a vision to improve brand-creator collaborations. 

And within just six years, his agency expanded to manage campaigns for Fortune 500 companies across three continents, earning recognition among Inc. 500’s fastest-growing companies.

This growth coincides with major shifts in marketing investments as companies redirect traditional media budgets toward creator partnerships. Organizations previously skeptical of creator marketing now establish dedicated departments for these initiatives.

Alessandro recognized this potential early. Throughout his leadership at the IMF, he witnessed the industry advance from basic campaign implementation to data-driven performance analysis.

“Finally, influencer marketing is not nice to have anymore,” says Alessandro. “It’s a must-have. Brands understand the importance of influencer marketing in a way that they now see from a very mathematical and financial point of view.”

Alessandro notes significant budget reallocation from traditional advertising to creator partnerships, with some companies shifting entirely from billboards and TV to creator-focused strategies. With this perspective, he’s welcoming the next phase of the creator economy with arms wide open: helping traditional industries like banking and insurance navigate social media through strategic creator partnerships.

The Three Phases of Creator Marketing

Alessandro identifies three distinct periods in the creator economy’s development, each requiring different agency expertise and strategies.

Phase One: Market Education (Pre-2019)

Phase one occurred around ten years ago, when, as Alessandro notes, people were asking, “What is influencer marketing?” During this initial period, agencies focused on explaining fundamental concepts to hesitant brands. 

In this period, the IMF was born with the goal of distinguishing itself through early adoption of trends and expertise to strengthen its market position.

Phase Two: Implementation (2019-2022)

Phase two occurred five years ago when brands started requesting “lists of influencers.” As companies began testing creator partnerships, they sought guidance. 

During this phase, the IMF transformed from a TikTok-focused agency into a comprehensive social media partner. Rather than having brands work with multiple specialized agencies, they developed capabilities to execute campaigns across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube simultaneously. 

They grew their team to around 20 people and expanded their services to include creative concept development, influencer identification, and full campaign management.

Phase Three: Performance Measurement (2022-Present)

The ongoing phase three is “What will be the ROI of the campaign?” with Alessandro noting that “everything got just a bit more serious about taking it to the next level.” 

The agency responded to this demand for measurable results by developing a comprehensive analytics approach. They expanded beyond basic campaign management to offer paid media amplification of successful organic content, ensuring maximum ROI.

Most significantly, they pioneered a hybrid model integrating influencer campaigns with brands’ broader marketing strategies, providing measurement tools and strategic frameworks to prove campaign effectiveness. Alessandro reveals that this approach helped convince even traditional B2B sectors like banking and insurance to embrace creator partnerships.

Strategic Development: Comprehensive Creator Services

The IMF’s growth reflects maturing client understanding through several key developments that transformed its approach to creator partnerships.

Their platform focus remains strategic amid industry expansion. “Instead of offering 10 different social media platforms, let’s do three very well: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube,” Alessandro explains, adding that this concentrated approach enables deeper platform expertise while maintaining flexibility. “Of course, if some clients want to experiment with Lemon8, RedNote, or Flip or whatever, we’re always open to it,” he adds.

Campaign integration has become more sophisticated. “You have to actually love to do it and want to do it because people can hear — You can feel the emotion if it’s just a cash grab or if someone has an emotion they want to put out into the world,” Alessandro emphasizes.

The agency combines paid media promotion of successful organic content with broader marketing initiatives. “Let’s do something that is integrated instead of a one-off activity because I don’t think brands are looking for that anymore,” Alessandro explains.

This integration extends to client relationships. “IMF is an extension of your team,” Alessandro notes. “We understand your brand. We come in; we are on your Slack channel. We are there for you.” 

According to Alessandro, this approach contrasts with common industry practices: “Some of these other agencies try to get every client possible and just do volume, and what happens later, you try to manage everything. You’re not doing a good job to any of your existing clients.”

Traditional Industries Enter Creator Marketing

The agency shows innovation in its expansion to new sectors. “Finally, I can slowly see a bit more of the B2B opening,” Alessandro notes. “Especially now, thanks to LinkedIn and a few more traditional companies that are talking about banking and insurance, they’re finally understanding.”

Demographic changes drive this transition. Alessandro explains, “Right now, yes, the money is coming mostly from older people, but millennials have started saving and investing. Gen Z is the next one, and in 15-20 years or so, it will be Gen Alpha. You cannot think about banking, insurance, and everything like you did for the past 100 years.”

These sectors present unique challenges: “When it comes to B2B on LinkedIn, as of now, there are just a few platforms out there where you can find influencers. And I get it, they’re pickier, right? Because they are professionals, they do have an authority in the space. They cannot just say yes to everything.”

Future Direction

Alessandro anticipates industry consolidation: “I think that after all this gold rush… we’re gonna see all the bad actors – agencies not doing their job well, brands that are not paying on time, creators that are not seeing the big picture – everyone that is like there for the gold rush I think is gonna go away from the picture.”

The IMF prepares for this next phase through what Alessandro calls the “white glove service.” He explains, “We are that good hybrid between very young people who understand everything on social media… But at the same time, we had that professionalism that helped us understand Fortune 500 needs.”

“That’s what brands need – that guidance to bring you to the next level, understanding what is next.”