Why we created United Influence
Over the last few years it has become clear that the way people discover, trust and connect with brands has fundamentally changed.
Audiences frequently discover brands through creators, communities and trusted voices rather than through traditional advertising alone. Consumer behaviour has shifted, platform behaviour has shifted, and expectations around authenticity, trust and relevance have shifted with it. When nearly half of Gen Z consumers now use TikTok as a search engine, creator partnerships can no longer be treated as a tactical add-on to marketing strategy. They increasingly sit much closer to the centre of how audiences discover brands, form opinions and make decisions.
Yet despite the rapid growth of the creator economy, much of the industry still operates in a tactical way. Too many partnerships are still built around short-term visibility spikes, follower numbers and isolated campaign moments rather than long-term strategic alignment or measurable business value. Many brands still approach creator partnerships as media buying opportunities rather than relationship building.
At the same time, internal marketing teams are under increasing pressure to remain culturally relevant while also proving commercial effectiveness to leadership teams. This is the gap United Influence was created to bridge.
We founded United Influence on the belief that creator, partnership and audience activity should be approached with the same strategic thinking and commercial rigour as any other long-term marketing investment. Too often, creator activity is still viewed as something tactical or experimental that is difficult to measure properly. In reality, modern influence increasingly shapes how audiences discover brands, form opinions, build trust and make decisions.
People now discover restaurants through TikTok before Google. They buy products because someone they trust has used them consistently over time. They follow creators whose taste, lifestyle or perspective feels aligned with their own.
The strongest partnerships stay with audiences because they build familiarity over time. They help brands remain culturally relevant, but they also create something more valuable: trust. That requires a more thoughtful and strategically aligned approach.
Having worked extensively both brand-side and alongside talent, we have seen first-hand the disconnect that often exists between leadership teams and the creator landscape. Many brands understand that influence matters, but far fewer know how to integrate creator partnerships meaningfully into long-term brand strategy.
Equally, many creators have built highly engaged communities and strong audience trust, yet are still approached through short-term transactional partnerships that fail to unlock meaningful long-term value for either side.
We believe the future of this space will belong to brands and creators who think more carefully about alignment, audience understanding and long-term partnership value. That means moving away from purely volume-led thinking and towards partnerships that feel credible, strategically connected and commercially effective.
It also means recognising that influence does not operate in isolation anymore. Modern audiences move fluidly between creators, platforms, brands, communities, hospitality spaces, events, recommendations and cultural moments. The strongest partnerships understand that ecosystem and operate within it naturally.
United Influence was built to operate differently.
We see our role as strategic interpreters and connectors, helping brands navigate an increasingly fragmented landscape while helping creators build meaningful long-term value. In turn, that creates partnerships that are more commercially effective, culturally relevant and strategically aligned.
Our experience spans brand strategy, hospitality, destinations, partnerships, sport, entertainment and commercial marketing. That broader perspective matters because modern influence no longer sits neatly within a single discipline. It increasingly shapes perception, consideration, trust and long-term brand relevance.
The strongest partnerships today are often not the loudest ones. They are the ones that feel naturally aligned to audiences and genuinely reflect the brand values of all parties.
We created United Influence because we believe the future of brand partnerships should feel more thoughtful, more aligned and ultimately more valuable for everyone involved.