Influencer Marketing Works — Until It Doesn’t: The Trust, Fraud, and Regulation Wake-Up Call

Influencer marketing has undeniably transformed brand communication. In his 2022 article “L’efficacité du Marketing d’Influence,” Ilan Taïeb Lefebvre makes a strong case: influencers offer reach at a lower cost than traditional media, they feel more credible, and they can generate a higher ROI than “classic” tactics.

I agree with the diagnosis — but I strongly disagree with the implicit conclusion many marketers draw from it: that influencer marketing is naturally effective as long as you pick the “right” creator. In 2025, the problem is not influence itself. The problem is what influence has become: a crowded, semi-regulated, fraud-exposed attention market where “trust” is no longer a given.

This rebound article argues one central idea: influencer marketing is still powerful, but it has shifted from a “communication shortcut” to a “risk-managed discipline.” If you don’t adapt, the channel doesn’t just underperform — it can damage brand equity.

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1) The trust advantage is real — but it’s eroding

The original article highlights a key mechanism: influencers benefit from parasocial relationships, which makes audiences more receptive to recommendations.
That remains true. But the ecosystem evolved: sponsored content is now ubiquitous, and audiences have become more skilled at detecting persuasion.

A practical consequence: trust is no longer a channel feature; it’s an execution outcome.
The “influencer effect” depends increasingly on:

• the creator’s consistency over time (not one-off posts),

• the fit between creator identity and product truth,

• and disclosure clarity (because hidden ads backfire).

The channel is not dying — it’s maturing. And mature channels punish shortcuts.

2) The fraud problem isn’t marginal anymore

Influencer marketing grew fast because it looked measurable: views, likes, engagement rate, CPM equivalents. But those numbers are also the easiest to manipulate.

Even academic research has explored how fake followers and questionable signals can distort perceived credibility and effectiveness.
In parallel, industry surveys keep pointing to how common influencer fraud is for brands (fake followers, fake engagement, misleading performance reporting).

Here is the polemic part: if your influencer strategy still relies on surface metrics (followers + likes + “nice content”), you are essentially budgeting for noise.
The channel still works — but only when measurement moves closer to outcomes:

• lift studies (awareness, consideration),

• attributed sales / tracked conversions (where relevant),

• incrementality tests,

• and whitelisting / paid amplification controlled by the brand. 

3) Regulation changed the game: “influence” is now a compliance topic

In 2022, it was already recommended to disclose partnerships — but in many markets, the rules have become much stricter and more enforceable.

• In France, the June 9, 2023 law specifically targets commercial influence and fights influencer abuses (including the obligation to clearly identify advertising). 

• In the US, the FTC updated its guidance on endorsements and disclosures (material connections must be clear and visible).

• At EU level, consumer authorities have also actively pushed transparency against hidden advertising, with dedicated resources and enforcement actions. 

This creates a strategic shift: influencer marketing is no longer “just marketing.” It’s marketing + legal + reputation management.

Polemic conclusion: the cost of a bad influencer campaign is no longer limited to wasted budget — it can become a public compliance issue.

4) The real “efficiency” today: creators as a media system, not as a one-shot endorsement

The strongest part of the 2022 article is its insight that younger audiences are harder to reach via traditional advertising.
That is exactly why influence still matters — but it must be redesigned around how attention works now. What is working best in 2025 is less “buy a post” and more:

A) Creator partnerships that look like continuity

Long-term collaborations reduce the “ad feeling” and build credible repetition. Brands stop renting attention and start building “familiarity.”

B) UGC and micro-creators as performance assets

Often, the highest ROI comes from content that can be reused (with proper rights) across paid social, landing pages, and CRM. The creator becomes part of your creative pipeline.

C) Hybrid strategies: influence + paid amplification

Creators generate native content; brands amplify the best pieces with controlled targeting and measurement. This is where influence becomes scalable.

D) “Trust engineering”

The best campaigns now include:

• explicit disclosures,

• proof of use (not just claims),

• comparison, demos, “why I chose it,”

• and even room for nuance (a perfect review looks fake).

In other words: influencer marketing still works — but its center of gravity moved from “reach” to credibility mechanics.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing still delivers results, but the conditions for success have changed. What used to be a simple lever—pay a creator, publish a post, count engagement—now operates in a market shaped by disclosure rules, inflated metrics, and audience fatigue toward sponsored content. In 2025, the brands that win are not the ones buying the most visibility, but the ones engineering credibility: selecting creators for genuine fit, building repeatable content systems, measuring real impact beyond vanity KPIs, and protecting brand safety. The channel is not weaker; it is stricter. And that shift forces marketers to move from “influence as a shortcut” to “influence as a managed ecosystem.”