New research from Billion Dollar Boy shows that while creators are being briefed to build brand love, the boardroom still wants numbers. So, what will it take to fix the measurement mismatch?
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
You’ve hired the talent. Set the brief. Watched the engagement roll in. But when it’s time to show results? The metrics don’t match the mission.
Research from creator marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy reveals a major mismatch between what marketers want from creator campaigns – and what they’re measuring to prove it. And that disconnect could be holding the whole channel back.
According to the survey of 2,000 senior marketers across the UK and US, the top three goals for creator campaigns are:
Increasing brand awareness (41%)
Reaching new audiences (37%)
Driving sales and conversions (35%)
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So far, so full-funnel. But while briefs focus on brand, success is still being measured by legacy performance metrics. ROI and customer acquisition top the list, ahead of brand sentiment, engagement and share of voice.
Return on investment (60%)
Customer acquisition and retention (60%)
Brand sentiment and perception: (59%)
“That’s a structural gap,” says Simon Harwood, global effectiveness director at Billion Dollar Boy. “Marketers are often briefing campaigns to build brand equity, but evaluating them as if they were pure performance plays.”
It’s not just a measurement mismatch – it’s a creativity killer. Without the right frameworks, creator marketing risks being pigeonholed: tasked with doing it all, but not resourced or assessed in a way that reflects its hybrid strength.
And as budgets scale (71% of US marketers and 52% of UK marketers now spend over $1m annually), so does the urgency to get this right. The research calls for better systems to track full-funnel outcomes – not just bottom-line conversion.
“Without the right expectations, resourcing and measurement in place to support both goals, creator marketing is being set up to fall short,” says Harwood. “The reality is that impactful creator content can deliver both short-term sales and lasting brand-building effects. Measurement needs to be set up to fully evaluate both types of outcome.”
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Align your brief and your benchmark: Set the goals upfront. If the goal is awareness, optimize for brand metrics – not last-click sales.
Build the right stack: Top-of-funnel campaigns need brand metrics, not just sales data. Invest in measurement that matches the funnel and tools that can help track both emotional and commercial impact in one place.
Protect creativity at all costs: Performance pressure is real – but squeezing creator content into old-school ROI boxes kills what makes it work.
Want more creator tips, tools and trends? Head to our full Social Media for Drummies guide.
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Billion Dollar Boy
Billion Dollar Boy is an influencer marketing agency based in London, NYC & NOLA. We harness the power of influencers to win hearts, catch eyes and reinvent...