Consumers who say they trust creator recommendations are 2.5 times more likely to make a purchase based on that recommendation than those who don’t share that sentiment, according to a new Deloitte report on brand-creator collaborations. The finding is part of Deloitte’s “2026 Digital Media Trends” survey, which polled 3,518 U.S. consumers in May 2026, and it anchors the report’s broader argument: brands still treat creator partnerships as one-off campaigns even though the data increasingly favors sustained relationships.
The report notes that global ad spending continues shifting from traditional media toward creator and social platforms, but the brand-creator collaboration model has largely stayed transactional, built around single campaigns and deals rather than ongoing partnerships.
Daily, Habitual Engagement
Sixty-five percent of U.S. consumers overall say they engage with creators or creator-led content across platforms, and among that group, about 60% do so daily. Roughly 70% of consumers who engage with creators say they return regularly to content from the same creators, which Deloitte frames as a deliberate choice rather than coincidental viewing. Forty percent cite a creator’s focus on a topic they’re personally interested in as a top reason for following that creator.
Generational splits are pronounced. Fifty-four percent of Gen Z consumers and 48% of millennials say social media content is more relevant to them than traditional content such as TV shows or movies, compared with 30% of Gen X and 15% of boomers. Personal connection follows a similar pattern: 48% of Gen Z and 47% of millennials say they feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities or actors, compared with 26% of Gen X and 12% of boomers.
Purchase Behavior
About 60% of U.S. consumers who engage with creators have made a purchase primarily based on a creator’s recommendation or sponsorship in the last six months, according to the report. That share rises to nearly 75% among Gen Z and millennial consumers, who Deloitte says make an average of three creator-influenced purchases in that same window.
The report also measured how specific consumer attitudes correlate with purchase behavior, drawing on a subset of 2,270 consumers who engage with creators. Purchase likelihood was 2.5 times higher among consumers who say recommendations from trusted creators influence them, 2.0 times higher among those who consider creator-led ads more authentic than traditional ads, and 1.2 times higher among those who repeatedly engage with the same creators, each compared with consumers who did not hold those views.
More than half of consumers who engage with creators say recommendations from creators they trust make them more likely to consider and buy from a brand, and 45% say creator-led ads feel more authentic than traditional advertising. Deloitte notes that some consumers remain resistant to creators promoting or selling products, which the report frames as a reason authenticity and fit matter in how brands structure these partnerships.
Deloitte’s Recommendations
The report lays out three considerations for brands moving from single deals toward strategic, longer-term creator partnerships.
The first is brand fit: identifying creators with strong alignment and shared audience segments rather than defaulting to follower count. Deloitte suggests artificial intelligence can help brands apply brand-fit criteria at scale to surface aligned micro- and nano-influencers who might otherwise be difficult to find, and argues that platform marketplaces have room to move beyond facilitating transactions toward helping brands and creators align around audience affinity and predicted performance.
The second is creative latitude: giving creators room to integrate a brand into their existing content formats, such as tutorials, unboxing videos, reviews, and demos, rather than dictating the approach.
The third is relationship continuity: extending creator partnerships across multiple platforms, campaigns, and moments rather than confining them to single deliverables tied to a product launch. Deloitte points to longer-term contracts and better performance-tracking tools as mechanisms that could give brands, advertisers, and creators more visibility into engagement and return on investment over time.
The report concludes that creators have built long-term, intentional relationships with their audiences, and that brands have an opening to build similar durability into their own creator partnerships rather than treating each campaign as a standalone transaction.
Image source: Deloitte The full report can be found here
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Consumers who say they trust creator recommendations are 2.5 times more likely to make a purchase based on that recommendation than those who don’t share that sentiment, according to a new Deloitte report on brand-creator collaborations. The finding is part of Deloitte’s “2026 Digital Media Trends” survey, which polled 3,518 U.S. consumers in May 2026, and it anchors the report’s broader argument: brands still treat creator partnerships as one-off campaigns even though the data increasingly favors sustained relationships.
The report notes that global ad spending continues shifting from traditional media toward creator and social platforms, but the brand-creator collaboration model has largely stayed transactional, built around single campaigns and deals rather than ongoing partnerships.
Daily, Habitual Engagement
Sixty-five percent of U.S. consumers overall say they engage with creators or creator-led content across platforms, and among that group, about 60% do so daily. Roughly 70% of consumers who engage with creators say they return regularly to content from the same creators, which Deloitte frames as a deliberate choice rather than coincidental viewing. Forty percent cite a creator’s focus on a topic they’re personally interested in as a top reason for following that creator.
Generational splits are pronounced. Fifty-four percent of Gen Z consumers and 48% of millennials say social media content is more relevant to them than traditional content such as TV shows or movies, compared with 30% of Gen X and 15% of boomers. Personal connection follows a similar pattern: 48% of Gen Z and 47% of millennials say they feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities or actors, compared with 26% of Gen X and 12% of boomers.
Purchase Behavior
About 60% of U.S. consumers who engage with creators have made a purchase primarily based on a creator’s recommendation or sponsorship in the last six months, according to the report. That share rises to nearly 75% among Gen Z and millennial consumers, who Deloitte says make an average of three creator-influenced purchases in that same window.
The report also measured how specific consumer attitudes correlate with purchase behavior, drawing on a subset of 2,270 consumers who engage with creators. Purchase likelihood was 2.5 times higher among consumers who say recommendations from trusted creators influence them, 2.0 times higher among those who consider creator-led ads more authentic than traditional ads, and 1.2 times higher among those who repeatedly engage with the same creators, each compared with consumers who did not hold those views.
More than half of consumers who engage with creators say recommendations from creators they trust make them more likely to consider and buy from a brand, and 45% say creator-led ads feel more authentic than traditional advertising. Deloitte notes that some consumers remain resistant to creators promoting or selling products, which the report frames as a reason authenticity and fit matter in how brands structure these partnerships.
Deloitte’s Recommendations
The report lays out three considerations for brands moving from single deals toward strategic, longer-term creator partnerships.
The first is brand fit: identifying creators with strong alignment and shared audience segments rather than defaulting to follower count. Deloitte suggests artificial intelligence can help brands apply brand-fit criteria at scale to surface aligned micro- and nano-influencers who might otherwise be difficult to find, and argues that platform marketplaces have room to move beyond facilitating transactions toward helping brands and creators align around audience affinity and predicted performance.
The second is creative latitude: giving creators room to integrate a brand into their existing content formats, such as tutorials, unboxing videos, reviews, and demos, rather than dictating the approach.
The third is relationship continuity: extending creator partnerships across multiple platforms, campaigns, and moments rather than confining them to single deliverables tied to a product launch. Deloitte points to longer-term contracts and better performance-tracking tools as mechanisms that could give brands, advertisers, and creators more visibility into engagement and return on investment over time.
The report concludes that creators have built long-term, intentional relationships with their audiences, and that brands have an opening to build similar durability into their own creator partnerships rather than treating each campaign as a standalone transaction.
Image source: Deloitte
The full report can be found here
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