The rise of “de-influencing” reflects a growing consumer demand for authenticity and mindful consumption, challenging brands and influencers to adjust their strategies.
Rather than posing a threat, this trend allows brands to reinforce trust and credibility by embracing transparency and aligning with values that resonate with their audiences. The shift emphasizes authentic content, honest product reviews, and a focus on value over volume, prompting brands to rethink their marketing approaches to stay relevant.
We asked a panel industry experts share their insights on how brands can navigate the de-influencing movement, adapt to evolving consumer expectations, and maintain trust in an increasingly skeptical marketplace.
The trend of ‘de-influencing’ reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior toward mindful consumption—but it doesn’t necessarily change how brands can and should interact with their communities.
Instead, it presents an opportunity to reinforce the fundamentals of effective marketing. Create a genuinely impactful product, align it with the right voices, and connect with a community that truly resonates with it. Those principles remain unchanged.
De-influencing doesn’t mean consumers have stopped looking for recommendations; it means they are seeking more genuine, transparent, and value-driven content. Brands should focus on deepening their relationships with Creators who genuinely believe in their products. Consumers are still consuming; they’re just more discerning.
What we have been hearing from young people on our team and in our community suggests that the de-influencing trend might be here for a while. Young people have long opposed consumerism, all while engaging in it.
The thing that makes this moment different, and why young people are falling into this movement, is that inflation, the instability of the job market, and competition in the creator space are giving young people a moment to pause and reflect on what is motivating their purchases.
One of our team members took a strong stance, stating that they wouldn’t buy water from an influencer even if they were dying from thirst. My 14-year-old daughter echoed this sentiment, sharing that her high school geography teacher is cautioning them against consumerism. It’s also my belief that young people are increasingly inclined to rebel against products endorsed by influencers. This rebellion is a clear indication of the changing dynamics of consumer influence. It is important to note that younger Gen Z still seem to be susceptible to influencer influence.
As our social strategist reminded me, ‘one thing younger kids do well is spend their parent’s money. De-influencing means nothing to them.’ We have seen this coming for a long time. The advent of the ‘ad’ hashtag all but killed the power of the influencer. Mega deals also meant that you would have influencers peddling products that had competing values, i.e., a health nut promoting Frosted Flakes.
For this reason, our strategy has long been to encourage clients to supplement any influencer work with micro-influencers or people of influence, as we like to call them—people with engaged followers who actually use the products they peddle. Their audiences trust their perspective, and we find much more engagement with these types of campaigns. What we strongly suggest is that people diversify and look at any communication strategy holistically.
That likely means some influencer content that spans macro-micro and engaging UGC content where it’s a mirror image of the consumers themselves. We also find that consumer review content depicting an authentic consumer journey impacts purchase intention and brand affinity. As long as social platforms continue to pressure people to buy through TikTok shops, ads, and sponsored posts, there will be a counter-culture, a space for de-influencing content that challenges people to make purchasing intentional.
I expect de-influencing to continue. Essentially, de-influencing allows creators and influencers to speak their truth and call out brands that don’t align with their values.
While influencers may have previously avoided this due to concerns about future brand deals, de-influencing and cancel culture have become significant parts of the consumer landscape. Brands must work harder than ever to be authentic and meet consumer expectations.
As always, we encourage our clients to be transparent and open with their influencer partners, welcoming feedback to address their audiences’ needs better. We also work with our clients to identify and address any potential issues that could lead to negative backlash, ensuring we are well-prepared when going to market.
I think it’s a fair statement to make that we will always see de-influencing, but that it will be cyclical and look a little different each time. It will follow after times of over-consumption (typically Q4) or after we see trending products become mass-produced by multiple entities.
Gen Z has brought the toxicity of fast fashion, lack of sustainability, and overconsumption to light, and in an economy that doesn’t favor Gen Z financially, they won’t be quick to forget where they’re spending their money. We’ve always advised our creators to give honest assessments on products and share as much of their life as they’re willing.
De-influencing’ as a trend is about tackling overconsumption and focusing instead on the products that truly do make a difference in someone’s life or bring joy.
It doesn’t mean brands and content creators can’t promote products; it just means that they should adjust their messaging to focus more on value than just purchasing products. For content creators, sharing the brands and products they love is a huge part of their business, so the ‘de-influencing’ trend is really a means of centering the products that creators authentically love and use regularly, rather than featuring a product just for the sake of a paid partnership.
Whether that’s partnering with brands on campaigns or sharing affiliate links to products, creators should be selective about the brands and products they feature on their page, focusing on items that they use and enjoy, in order to maintain that trust with their audience. Brands can maintain that consumer trust by partnering with creators who are organic fans of their brands and crafting marketing campaigns that highlight the value of their products through storytelling rather than in-your-face selling.
De-influencing is likely to remain an important trend as consumers increasingly seek authenticity and transparency from both brands and influencers. However, this trend ultimately reinforces a fundamental truth in influencer marketing: consumer trust is earned, not bought.
The most successful influencers have built loyal followings through consistently creating engaging, valuable content over time. This allows them to establish genuine connections and credibility with their audience.
For brands, tapping into this existing trust requires careful alignment rather than simply paying for endorsements. At Humanz, we’re focusing on facilitating partnerships between brands and influencers who truly share core values and audience interests. When there’s an authentic fit, the trust influencers have cultivated with their followers can extend naturally to the brands they collaborate with.
This approach leads to more impactful, believable content that resonates with audiences. We’re also encouraging brands to embrace transparency and allow influencers creative freedom to speak honestly about products, including potential drawbacks. This aligns with the de-influencing ethos of providing balanced perspectives rather than overhyped promotions.
Ultimately, maintaining consumer trust in the age of de-influencing comes down to prioritizing genuine value alignment between brands, influencers, and audiences. By facilitating these authentic connections, we believe influencer marketing can continue to be a powerful tool for building lasting brand-consumer relationships.
A trend at its core is temporary, something that rapidly gains traction and provokes cultural conversations on social media, but ultimately dissipates and users shift their attention to a new trend.
While the de-influencing trend has had a longer lifespan than others, it won’t stick around forever, especially as brands aren’t putting the type of ad spend behind it that typically extends a trend’s reach and longevity.
Although the de-influencing trend might seem concerning, brands don’t necessarily need to be worried. Instead, they should stay informed in order to adjust their content and messaging accordingly. The trend promotes sustainability and prioritizes well-made items that last, at a time when people are struggling with a cost of living crisis and shifting away from overconsumption.
Brands should keep this in mind and focus on their sustainable practices to connect and resonate with consumers rather than pushing flashy selling tactics. Brands should also continue engaging with their consumers honestly by listening and understanding what motivates them, which helps maintain trust.
Online audiences, especially younger consumers, can easily spot insincere marketing, and since purpose often guides their purchases, brands targeting this demographic need to align with their values and needs. Lastly, this trend could actually be good for smaller, lesser-known brands, as with this trend many creators are still influencing but are just shifting their focus to promoting dupes or supporting small businesses.
On the de-influencing topic, we are seeing: brands prioritizing additional data points beyond follower count, such as audience demographics and engagement rate; brands working with creators for longer periods of time / longer partnerships (multiple collaborations rather than just one); creators being more innovative / authentic with the content they produce.
Working in an influencer marketing agency, I can say from experience that this trend has not had a critical impact on the industry. My experience is supported by data showing the global growth of influencer marketing—ad spending in the Influencer Advertising market is forecasted to reach US$35.09 billion worldwide by 2024.
However, we shouldn’t pretend that de-influencing has never existed. On the contrary, it has highlighted gaps in the industry that need addressing, prompting brands to reassess their influencer marketing strategies to make them as transparent and honest as possible.
For instance, collaborating with influencers on a long-term basis allows creators to provide a more balanced view of a brand. It’s important to remember that in today’s world, where cookies are disappearing, and artificial images and deepfakes are prevalent, consumers are growing increasingly mistrustful of the information they encounter online.
This makes the person-to-person approach more valuable than ever. That’s why authenticity and transparency from influencers are becoming more important and popular in the digital world. De-influencing is also a sort of influencing. The difference is that influencers in this case still try to impact your decision-making by providing their review on the product.
So it is important from a brand perspective to stay open and transparent. If the review has facts behind it, treat it as valuable feedback and an opportunity. Update the product and tell about it to the audience.
De-influencing is more than a fleeting trend; it reflects a deeper consumer desire for honest, transparent marketing.
By modifying strategies to focus on authenticity, genuinely engaging with audiences, and embracing transparency, brands can navigate this trend successfully and maintain consumer trust in the long run.
This movement is driven by increasing consumer skepticism towards overly promotional content, influencer credibility issues, and a broader demand for authenticity in marketing. Here’s why this trend is here to stay and how strategies can be adjusted to maintain consumer trust:
1. Shift Toward Authenticity and Transparency
Consumers are becoming more savvy and skeptical of traditional influencer marketing tactics. De-influencing resonates because it prioritizes honest, sometimes critical reviews over paid promotions, creating a more genuine connection with audiences.
2. Increased Accountability and Social Awareness
With rising concerns about overconsumption, sustainability, and ethical marketing, consumers are demanding more accountability from brands and influencers. De-influencing taps into this sentiment by encouraging more mindful purchasing decisions.
3. The Rise of Micro and Nano-Influencers
These smaller creators often drive the de-influencing trend because their content feels more relatable and less commercial. This movement aligns with a broader shift towards valuing real, unfiltered opinions over glossy endorsements.
4. Consumer Desire for Trustworthy Content
TikTok users, in particular, value content that feels real and unfiltered. De-influencing content often includes honest product reviews, which helps build trust and resonate more deeply with viewers.
Like many micro-trends from TikTok, the de-influencing trend had its moment, and the internet has moved on.
But while the term ‘de-influencing’ isn’t trending, I do think creators have noted how much their audience appreciated the general concept. Creators need to build trust with their followers, and the general public is already skeptical of influencer recommendations.
David Adler is an entrepreneur and freelance blog post writer who enjoys writing about business, entrepreneurship, travel and the influencer marketing space.
The rise of “de-influencing” reflects a growing consumer demand for authenticity and mindful consumption, challenging brands and influencers to adjust their strategies.
Rather than posing a threat, this trend allows brands to reinforce trust and credibility by embracing transparency and aligning with values that resonate with their audiences. The shift emphasizes authentic content, honest product reviews, and a focus on value over volume, prompting brands to rethink their marketing approaches to stay relevant.
We asked a panel industry experts share their insights on how brands can navigate the de-influencing movement, adapt to evolving consumer expectations, and maintain trust in an increasingly skeptical marketplace.
Lizzy Bilasano, VP Creative Strategy, Whalar
The trend of ‘de-influencing’ reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior toward mindful consumption—but it doesn’t necessarily change how brands can and should interact with their communities.
Instead, it presents an opportunity to reinforce the fundamentals of effective marketing. Create a genuinely impactful product, align it with the right voices, and connect with a community that truly resonates with it. Those principles remain unchanged.
De-influencing doesn’t mean consumers have stopped looking for recommendations; it means they are seeking more genuine, transparent, and value-driven content. Brands should focus on deepening their relationships with Creators who genuinely believe in their products. Consumers are still consuming; they’re just more discerning.
Hope Farley, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Producer at Adolescent Content
What we have been hearing from young people on our team and in our community suggests that the de-influencing trend might be here for a while. Young people have long opposed consumerism, all while engaging in it.
The thing that makes this moment different, and why young people are falling into this movement, is that inflation, the instability of the job market, and competition in the creator space are giving young people a moment to pause and reflect on what is motivating their purchases.
One of our team members took a strong stance, stating that they wouldn’t buy water from an influencer even if they were dying from thirst. My 14-year-old daughter echoed this sentiment, sharing that her high school geography teacher is cautioning them against consumerism. It’s also my belief that young people are increasingly inclined to rebel against products endorsed by influencers. This rebellion is a clear indication of the changing dynamics of consumer influence. It is important to note that younger Gen Z still seem to be susceptible to influencer influence.
As our social strategist reminded me, ‘one thing younger kids do well is spend their parent’s money. De-influencing means nothing to them.’ We have seen this coming for a long time. The advent of the ‘ad’ hashtag all but killed the power of the influencer. Mega deals also meant that you would have influencers peddling products that had competing values, i.e., a health nut promoting Frosted Flakes.
For this reason, our strategy has long been to encourage clients to supplement any influencer work with micro-influencers or people of influence, as we like to call them—people with engaged followers who actually use the products they peddle. Their audiences trust their perspective, and we find much more engagement with these types of campaigns. What we strongly suggest is that people diversify and look at any communication strategy holistically.
That likely means some influencer content that spans macro-micro and engaging UGC content where it’s a mirror image of the consumers themselves. We also find that consumer review content depicting an authentic consumer journey impacts purchase intention and brand affinity. As long as social platforms continue to pressure people to buy through TikTok shops, ads, and sponsored posts, there will be a counter-culture, a space for de-influencing content that challenges people to make purchasing intentional.
Lisa Tristano Martin, Group Director, PR & Influencer Marketing, Amp
I expect de-influencing to continue. Essentially, de-influencing allows creators and influencers to speak their truth and call out brands that don’t align with their values.
While influencers may have previously avoided this due to concerns about future brand deals, de-influencing and cancel culture have become significant parts of the consumer landscape. Brands must work harder than ever to be authentic and meet consumer expectations.
As always, we encourage our clients to be transparent and open with their influencer partners, welcoming feedback to address their audiences’ needs better. We also work with our clients to identify and address any potential issues that could lead to negative backlash, ensuring we are well-prepared when going to market.
Abigayle Parker, Director of Sales and Accounts, The Creator Society
I think it’s a fair statement to make that we will always see de-influencing, but that it will be cyclical and look a little different each time. It will follow after times of over-consumption (typically Q4) or after we see trending products become mass-produced by multiple entities.
Gen Z has brought the toxicity of fast fashion, lack of sustainability, and overconsumption to light, and in an economy that doesn’t favor Gen Z financially, they won’t be quick to forget where they’re spending their money. We’ve always advised our creators to give honest assessments on products and share as much of their life as they’re willing.
Sarah Boyd, Co-CEO & CRO at The Digital Department
De-influencing’ as a trend is about tackling overconsumption and focusing instead on the products that truly do make a difference in someone’s life or bring joy.
It doesn’t mean brands and content creators can’t promote products; it just means that they should adjust their messaging to focus more on value than just purchasing products. For content creators, sharing the brands and products they love is a huge part of their business, so the ‘de-influencing’ trend is really a means of centering the products that creators authentically love and use regularly, rather than featuring a product just for the sake of a paid partnership.
Whether that’s partnering with brands on campaigns or sharing affiliate links to products, creators should be selective about the brands and products they feature on their page, focusing on items that they use and enjoy, in order to maintain that trust with their audience. Brands can maintain that consumer trust by partnering with creators who are organic fans of their brands and crafting marketing campaigns that highlight the value of their products through storytelling rather than in-your-face selling.
Roee Zelcer, CEO of Humanz US
De-influencing is likely to remain an important trend as consumers increasingly seek authenticity and transparency from both brands and influencers. However, this trend ultimately reinforces a fundamental truth in influencer marketing: consumer trust is earned, not bought.
The most successful influencers have built loyal followings through consistently creating engaging, valuable content over time. This allows them to establish genuine connections and credibility with their audience.
For brands, tapping into this existing trust requires careful alignment rather than simply paying for endorsements. At Humanz, we’re focusing on facilitating partnerships between brands and influencers who truly share core values and audience interests. When there’s an authentic fit, the trust influencers have cultivated with their followers can extend naturally to the brands they collaborate with.
This approach leads to more impactful, believable content that resonates with audiences. We’re also encouraging brands to embrace transparency and allow influencers creative freedom to speak honestly about products, including potential drawbacks. This aligns with the de-influencing ethos of providing balanced perspectives rather than overhyped promotions.
Ultimately, maintaining consumer trust in the age of de-influencing comes down to prioritizing genuine value alignment between brands, influencers, and audiences. By facilitating these authentic connections, we believe influencer marketing can continue to be a powerful tool for building lasting brand-consumer relationships.
Sophie Crowther, Talent Partnerships Director, Billion Dollar Boy
A trend at its core is temporary, something that rapidly gains traction and provokes cultural conversations on social media, but ultimately dissipates and users shift their attention to a new trend.
While the de-influencing trend has had a longer lifespan than others, it won’t stick around forever, especially as brands aren’t putting the type of ad spend behind it that typically extends a trend’s reach and longevity.
Although the de-influencing trend might seem concerning, brands don’t necessarily need to be worried. Instead, they should stay informed in order to adjust their content and messaging accordingly. The trend promotes sustainability and prioritizes well-made items that last, at a time when people are struggling with a cost of living crisis and shifting away from overconsumption.
Brands should keep this in mind and focus on their sustainable practices to connect and resonate with consumers rather than pushing flashy selling tactics. Brands should also continue engaging with their consumers honestly by listening and understanding what motivates them, which helps maintain trust.
Online audiences, especially younger consumers, can easily spot insincere marketing, and since purpose often guides their purchases, brands targeting this demographic need to align with their values and needs. Lastly, this trend could actually be good for smaller, lesser-known brands, as with this trend many creators are still influencing but are just shifting their focus to promoting dupes or supporting small businesses.
Neal Jean, Co-Founder and CEO, Beacons.ai
On the de-influencing topic, we are seeing: brands prioritizing additional data points beyond follower count, such as audience demographics and engagement rate; brands working with creators for longer periods of time / longer partnerships (multiple collaborations rather than just one); creators being more innovative / authentic with the content they produce.
Dimitri Morgulis, Head of Business Development at HypeFactory
Working in an influencer marketing agency, I can say from experience that this trend has not had a critical impact on the industry. My experience is supported by data showing the global growth of influencer marketing—ad spending in the Influencer Advertising market is forecasted to reach US$35.09 billion worldwide by 2024.
However, we shouldn’t pretend that de-influencing has never existed. On the contrary, it has highlighted gaps in the industry that need addressing, prompting brands to reassess their influencer marketing strategies to make them as transparent and honest as possible.
For instance, collaborating with influencers on a long-term basis allows creators to provide a more balanced view of a brand. It’s important to remember that in today’s world, where cookies are disappearing, and artificial images and deepfakes are prevalent, consumers are growing increasingly mistrustful of the information they encounter online.
This makes the person-to-person approach more valuable than ever. That’s why authenticity and transparency from influencers are becoming more important and popular in the digital world. De-influencing is also a sort of influencing. The difference is that influencers in this case still try to impact your decision-making by providing their review on the product.
So it is important from a brand perspective to stay open and transparent. If the review has facts behind it, treat it as valuable feedback and an opportunity. Update the product and tell about it to the audience.
Kathi Donaczi & Andy Timothy Hochbichler
De-influencing is more than a fleeting trend; it reflects a deeper consumer desire for honest, transparent marketing.
By modifying strategies to focus on authenticity, genuinely engaging with audiences, and embracing transparency, brands can navigate this trend successfully and maintain consumer trust in the long run.
This movement is driven by increasing consumer skepticism towards overly promotional content, influencer credibility issues, and a broader demand for authenticity in marketing. Here’s why this trend is here to stay and how strategies can be adjusted to maintain consumer trust:
1. Shift Toward Authenticity and Transparency
Consumers are becoming more savvy and skeptical of traditional influencer marketing tactics. De-influencing resonates because it prioritizes honest, sometimes critical reviews over paid promotions, creating a more genuine connection with audiences.
2. Increased Accountability and Social Awareness
With rising concerns about overconsumption, sustainability, and ethical marketing, consumers are demanding more accountability from brands and influencers. De-influencing taps into this sentiment by encouraging more mindful purchasing decisions.
3. The Rise of Micro and Nano-Influencers
These smaller creators often drive the de-influencing trend because their content feels more relatable and less commercial. This movement aligns with a broader shift towards valuing real, unfiltered opinions over glossy endorsements.
4. Consumer Desire for Trustworthy Content
TikTok users, in particular, value content that feels real and unfiltered. De-influencing content often includes honest product reviews, which helps build trust and resonate more deeply with viewers.
Taylor Loren, Thinkific Creator
Like many micro-trends from TikTok, the de-influencing trend had its moment, and the internet has moved on.
But while the term ‘de-influencing’ isn’t trending, I do think creators have noted how much their audience appreciated the general concept. Creators need to build trust with their followers, and the general public is already skeptical of influencer recommendations.