Is Influencer Marketing officially dead in 2026? The era of paying for posts and chasing reach is breaking down. Influence hasn’t disappeared, but it has shifted, out of platforms and into people. In this episode, we unpack why the traditional digital marketing playbook is no longer fit for purpose, and how leading brands are reorganising around Brand Advocacy activating customers, creators, and communities as a measurable growth engine, not a one-off tactic.

We discuss the huge shift from "buying attention" to "earning trust" and reveal the exact team roles you need to hire (and fire) to succeed in this new landscape. If you are a CMO or marketing leader still relying on 2024 tactics, you might be wasting your budget.

In this episode, we cover:

The "Death" of traditional influencer marketing
The current state of brand advocacy in 2026
Why your digital marketing team structure is failing you
How to pivot from paid reach to community led growth
Actionable steps to turn customers into your best marketers

Listen to the full conversation to future-proof your brand strategy.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Brand Advocacy in 2026

00:46 Reflecting on 2025: The Rise of Advocacy

02:35 The Decline of Influencer Marketing

05:01 The Future of Marketing Teams

07:27 The Importance of Community Building

09:58 The Shift in Social Commerce

13:09 Unlearning Old Marketing Strategies

17:10 Effective Brand Advocacy Approaches

20:35 The Difference Between Paid Influencers and Earned Advocates

21:09 Top of Funnel vs. Bottom of Funnel Advocacy

22:04 The Importance of Culture and Commercial Creators

23:10 Brands Underutilizing Their Advocates

23:45 Understanding and Activating Advocates

26:22 Channel Strategies and Creator Engagement

29:12 The Role of CMOs in Advocacy

36:19 Building a System for Compounding Growth

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CONNECT WITH PAUL & VERITY

Paul: www.linkedin.com/in/paulkarcher/

Verity: www.linkedin.com/in/verityhurd/

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Influencer Marketing is Dead: Here is What Replaced It