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Does it really make sense for that creator to represent your brand?

Like what you read? Here’s more like it!

“Put your hand up if you have knowingly interacted with a virtual influencer"

,Clare Dobson asked the audience. A few hands went up.  

“Put your hands up if you not knowingly interacted with a virtual influencer?” 

“Is anyone following a virtual influencer right now?”

Clare is the global platform and influencer lead at Wavemaker. Her job is really to work with top global clients helping them reach audiences on global platforms with a particular focus in influencer marketing.  She’s there, basically, to help them push the boundaries, to move  forward and think about innovating all the time.

And that’s why she was here too, on this morning of the 14th of May in the Lumiére London underwood. She was delivering the keynote in front of the managers of household brands, great cutting-edge agencies and content creators we love.

This was the kick off to “AI: Hype or Reality ? The future of Creator Marketing” an exclusive event where handpicked guests gathered for some honest, unfiltered conversation, and insightful talks.

Reality: the Virtual Influencer is already here.

Clare Dobson’s keynote mindboggling facts like 35% of respondents to one US survey purchased a product recommended to them by a Virtual  Influencer

. Over the last five years, Virtual Influencers have closed deals with Ikea Japan, been signed up by talent agency CAA and even played Coachella! 

For brands, the fact that these influencers don’t age, don’t sleep and (perhaps more importantly) don’t have scandals is a powerful plus. 

For consumers in Gen Z and Gen Alpha, they provide entertainment, company and community. These young people are increasingly online, plugged in 24/7: 

1 in every 2 of them would trust an influencer as much as they trust their parents.

Clare frames it in a way that makes it easier for us olds to understand:

For a kid born into this generation, the prospect of them bumping into Binky Felstead is just as likely as bumping into DJ Angelbaby. So why should they consider them all that different?

As the Virtual Influencer market blossoms and as these young people start to get buying power, it will be worth A LOT. By 2030, it will already be worth around 111 billion. 

Hype: the basic infrastructure of Influencer marketing means it’s unscalable.

, Influencer Marketing was hard to scale. We’ve written about it 

TL;DR: a lot of other Marketing Channels you can put more money in, gain more eyeballs. Almost without having to increase your team. WIth influencer marketing, growth has been very hampered by the fact that to start scaling up investment in Creators, you’ve always had to hire A LOT of people - so we’ve seen things like:

Enter Universe. AI agents like this will be shifting the equation—not by replacing humans

, but by multiplying their output. The critical insight that most miss is that any new technology must adapt to human workflows, not the other way around. Which is why Universe works in your WhatsApp or Company slack.

Hype: Some Creators are rushing to use AI in the fear of becoming outdated. Others are terrified they will be replaced.

The real threat isn't AI replacing creators, but having revenue stolen by deepfakes, algorithms deciding who gets discovered, and losing hours to creator briefs that can be shortened to minutes with the aid of AI tools. 

The strategic move isn't choosing sides. 

It's understanding that AI is a leverage multiplier, not an identity replacer. 

The creators who win will treat AI like any other tool. 

“I absolutely love AI. It’s literally my lifeline at the moment. Not to take the creativity from myself, but to spark some ideas. But I’ll always give it my touch and make it more me.”

Ellie Boatman, professional rugby player, says she uses AI to get the boring but necessary parts of the work out of the way fast: 

“It’s more about how productive it makes me in terms of caption automating and things like that.”

She says: As someone who trains full-time, has four hours of training to do, then obviously finding ways to make things as efficient as possible are important.

“I’ve grown my audience and my brand in women’s rugby in a very raw way, and so fans want to see me on my instagram and TikTok pages be very human”

This is the final insight we’ll leave you with: the more artificial the space becomes, the more authenticity will matter.

Want to know more about Universe?

London’s Top Minds in influencing got together. These are their Top 3 takeaways:

In influencer marketing, the hardest part isn’t finding profiles with good reach. It’s not even matching audience data or creative style with your brief. The real challenge—the one that matters most—is answering a single question:

Does it really make sense for this person to represent your brand?

Credibility isn’t built in a spreadsheet or during a photo shoot. It’s built through coherence, and validating that takes more than aesthetics, engagement, or demographics.

The case: a gluten-free brand and the search for real alignment

A food brand was planning a campaign focused on gluten-free products.

They had a clear idea of their audience, the tone, and a well-filtered list of creators who, on paper, looked perfect: right sociodemographics, solid metrics, brand-aligned aesthetics, and active communities.

But before activating anyone, the team asked the one question that really mattered:

Does this creator truly represent what we stand for?

That’s where Universe came in. Through a simple prompt to the assistant, they started with the basics:

“Has this creator mentioned any competitors in the past few months?”

In seconds, Universe delivered not just a yes or no, but how many times, when, and in what format—posts, Stories, Reels. Even expired content, like Stories, was taken into account.

Universe doesn’t just show you data—it interprets it.

It highlights whether the mentions were one-off or part of a sustained relationship. That insight alone helped the brand eliminate creators who, on paper, seemed like a good fit.

No ties to competitors? Then, are they relevant?

Some creators had no visible connection to competitors. But that wasn’t enough.

The next question was all about relevancy. Do they talk about the topic?:

Do they really talk about gluten? Are they credible on the topic? Does it appear in their content as a personal concern or just a passing reference?

Universe analyzed their recent content and identified how often “gluten” appeared, in what context, and how it was framed—informative, casual, personal, or superficial.

had a genuine, ongoing relationship with the topic

. Not because a brand asked them to talk about it, but because it’s part of their life and voice.

And after Relevancy, you could keep asking more and more questions until you cleared all doubts. For example, are you worried about their Resonance as well? Just ask universe for an evaluation of how well the audience reacts to, and engages with, when influencers talk about the topic!

From someone who fits to someone who represents

With all that insight, the brand made a confident choice.

They didn’t just go with metrics or look and feel. They picked a creator who had already been speaking—authentically—about gluten-free living.

The result wasn’t just a credible campaign. It was a coherent one.

And in a world full of transactional influencer posts, that’s a real differentiator.

And today, this kind of analysis takes seconds

Universe is a conversational assistant designed to help brands and agencies make smarter, faster decisions in influencer marketing.

If you want to get started with something simple, try 

 a free tool that tells you whether a creator has mentioned your brand or competitors recently.

It’s just a small piece of what Universe can do.

But it’s already enough to improve your decision-making.

” mused Tiago Vilarinho, from our Customer Success team, the other day.

It can be hard to create a real team spirit. 

 bonding happens over shared space and spontaneous convos”, he wrote. 

And that’s why the Nomad Office was so important to him.  

Once or twice a year, the company rents a house for a long period of time and you can come to live for a few days, or even weeks, hanging out with colleagues and getting some work done from a different setting. This year’s ran from April to June.

“And the outcome?” He asks. And he answers:

Maria de Vicente also shared her thoughts

“Back from a few days in our Nomad Office in Sardinia — and reminded once again how lucky I am to work at a place that truly gets it.

Twice a year, we leave our screens behind (just a little) and spend time together in a beautiful place somewhere in the world — not for team building, not for productivity, just to be human and enjoy together.

Leading a team in a fully remote SaaS comes with its own challenges. 

But every time we meet, I’m reminded of how lucky I am to have found these people. Not just because we share a strong sense of purpose at work, but most importantly because they’re exceptional humans. We laugh, we support each other, and we face challenges side by side — because we know it’s the only way through.

For me, this experience isn’t about a change of scenery. It’s about building trust, sharing the journey, and creating space for real connection, growth, and appreciation.

, Manuel Albuquerque, our CEO, explained how the Nomad office had been an alternative to going back to the office full time. A way to keep the company remote, but connected. And now, he sees that validated:

“The team more than doubled from the last time we had a Nomad office- and so A LOT of people had never experienced it and you could hear the buzz and feel all the anticipation: people wandering what it was like, how things were, and so on. And then you see them get there and they have an amazing time and I got so many messages validating this vision of ours.”

“They text me saying how much they love this culture that we’ve created, how unifying it was for new team members,” he says. “That is the best part of these Nomad Offices, I think.” 

And the funny thing is: everybody’s so happy about the emotional, bonding, cultural aspects of the Nomad Office - that nobody even mentions that it was held on a spectacular beachside mansion, with grandiose views of the Med, in warm, welcoming Sardinia.

This year’s Nomad office: the best one yet?

Scaling is legendarily hard to do when you’re working with creators. Too many moving parts, too many platforms. “Hard to plan, harder to manage, almost impossible to track,” they say.

Want to learn how you can scale your Creator Marketing campaigns without having to hire a dozen new interns or outsourcing it to some ridiculously expensive consultancy?

Without breaking a sweat or breaking the law?

Primetag – A Framework for Scaling Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns

Scaling Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns Made Easy

What if you could understand exactly what your competitors are doing in Creator Marketing — in under a minute?

Universe is our AI-powered conversational assistant with access to over three billion pieces of content from Instagram and TikTok.

 All you have to do is ask. No briefings, no spreadsheets, no waiting around.

Here’s how we do it. (You can copy the prompts and run the same analysis with your own brand.)

Imagine we are running (pun-intended) an athletic brand. Maybe it’s underarmour, maybe it’s Puma. And we want to know how Nike and Adidas are doing with their Creator Marketing strategies.

1. Competitive analysis: Estimated Media Value, mentions, and engagement

To start, we simply asked Universe the following:

“Can you compare @nike and @adidas in the UK market on Instagram during 2024, including EMV, number of mentions, and total engagements?

Here’s what Universe returned in just a few seconds:

Universe doesn’t just show you numbers. It analyzes, compares, and takes you straight to the details. It adds links so you can see exactly which posts generated each metric, explore the actual content, and understand the context.

And on top of that, it generates charts, insights, and conclusions ready to share or present.

2. Content Strategy: Sponsored vs Organic, Content Type, and Influencer Profiles

To understand how each brand is executing their strategy, we asked Universe to break it down in three different ways:

“Compare the brands with three additional breakdowns: sponsored vs. organic content, content types, and influencer types”

As you can see, Universe not only gives you high-level metrics — it also breaks down 

, from the kind of influencers they work with to the formats they rely on and the balance between paid and organic efforts. 

To understand what kind of content is truly resonating with audiences, we asked Universe:

“What are the top 5 posts mentioning each brand, ranked by engagements?”

Universe not only shows you the top 5 — it also includes 

, so you can see exactly what was posted, by whom, and how it performed.

4. What Are the Key Topics in Sponsored Content for Each Brand?

Mentions are one thing — but understanding 

 reveals their true strategic priorities. So we asked Universe:

“What topics are being discussed in sponsored content mentioning @nike and @adidas on Instagram and TikTok in the UK during Q4 2024?”

, helping you understand what kind of stories brands are pushing — and how those stories are being amplified through paid media.

, so you can see the creative, the creator, and the engagement in one click.

Sometimes the most powerful insight comes from 

. The same brand can have very different positioning, volume, and engagement depending on the market. So we asked Universe:

“How many times were @nike and @adidas mentioned in each of the following markets on Instagram in 2024? UK, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, USA, Germany, Mexico, and Brazil.”

Universe is powered by Primetag’s proprietary database,

 giving it access to billions of structured and geo-located influencer marketing posts across more than 110 countries. 

This means you can run accurate, cross-market comparisons instantly

This analysis is just a sample. Universe adapts to your needs:

What used to take days of work now takes just seconds.

Universe gives you presentation-ready data to help you make fast, evidence-based decisions — not just gut calls.

📈 A full analysis in seconds — and that’s just the beginning

What you’ve seen in this article is just a glimpse of what Universe can do. Behind each answer is the power to explore 

If it lives in Instagram or TikTok data, 

Universe can help you find it, understand it, and act on it.

Get Your Own Competitive Report — For Free

Hey thanks for reading! To give you a little taste of what Universe can do for you, we’ll send you a 

customized report just like the one in Block 1

, with Share of Voice, EMV, mentions, and engagement — comparing the brands you choose, in the market you care about, and for the time period you need.

Want to see how your brand stacks up against the competition?

This is how Universe analyzes your Competitors (and we’ll send you one report for free)

When it comes to influencer marketing, everyone wants to believe their brand is ahead of the curve — strategic, data-driven, in control. But behind closed doors, the reality is often very different.

“My agency only gave me last year’s competitive report in the following April.”

“I have no idea what my competitors’ collaborations are actually about.”

“I don’t have the resources to analyze my competitors as often or as thoroughly as I’d like.”

These are real, genuine quotes. And they’re not rare: they’re the kind of confession we hear every week. And it has helped us realize that even the most cutting-edge brands 

are flying blind when it comes to their competition

And the worst part? It’s not for lack of interest: it takes too much time, demands too many resources, and most tools out there don’t do a particularly good job.

Everything in our life is super fast. Gathering intel isn’t.

The reality of today’s marketing world is brutal. Every single day, 

launching campaigns, collaborating with creators

… and you’re still there, waiting for the next quarterly report. If it arrives.

And you can’t afford to be chasing down another Excel file.

What if you could just ask a question and get answers instantly?

That’s not a dream anymore. It’s Universe.

Welcome to a new era for competitive analysis

Universe is an AI-powered Agent built specifically for 

 from Instagram and TikTok, Universe automatically and conversationally analyzes this massive amount of data quicker than you can make a cup of coffee.

With charts. With insights. With benchmarks. With time back in your day.

 Speed: What used to take days now takes minutes.

 Depth: It doesn’t just give you numbers. It gives you context and conclusions.

 Conversational: You don’t need to figure out how to ask. Just type your question.

 Smart: It suggests analyses you hadn’t even thought of.

 Flexible: You can fine-tune your analysis by content type, creator tier, campaign, or time frame.

You’re about to walk into a leadership meeting. 

How you and your Brand can stay ahead of the competition (without losing your mind)

Whenever I read news or LinkedIn posts where the CEO of an agency announces, “We won a new client and are hiring 17 new team members,” I get a bittersweet feeling.

On one hand, it’s incredible to see a company grow, invest in the industry, and develop talent. But on the other hand, I can’t help but wonder: where will all these new hires go if the agency loses that client? Or how many agencies held back from that pitch because they didn’t want to risk 

We live in an era of transformation on multiple levels. One of the most significant, and the one I resonate with most, is the ability to humanize a brand. That’s exactly what a Content Creator or Influencer does.

Instead of traditional B2C (business-to-consumer) communication, we now operate in a B2C2C model (business-to-creator-to-consumer).

A Creator fosters a personal, human connection, delivering a message that feels one-to-one, yet reaches thousands or even millions. That’s why the influencer marketing industry has grown nearly 30x in the past decade.

AI has been part of our lives for over 50 years, often unnoticed. But only now are we witnessing the 

democratization of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

: with minimal investment, a laptop, and an internet connection, anyone can build a product, conduct complex data analysis, or create an assistant.

This democratization benefits everyone, especially businesses that now market themselves as AI-powered. Many went from barely understanding AI to positioning themselves as industry experts overnight. So, the real question is: 

How do we separate the good from the ugly? 

How can anyone in this space genuinely leverage AI? 

The answer is simple. I call it the success triangle:

The Marketing Discipline Most Impacted by AI

AI is set to transform both our personal and professional lives. However, its impact won’t be uniform. While some processes will see incremental improvements, others will undergo 

When applied to marketing, certain disciplines will experience a far greater impact in terms of

 than others. Take a look at the graph below:

In the chart, the X-axis represents MEDIA investment: the further right, the higher the spend. The Y-axis measures the staff required to deploy that media. Naturally, one might assume that as media investment increases, so does the team needed to manage it. But is that really the case?

When we compare disciplines like TV, Digital, and even Paid Social, increasing investment from $1M to $10M doesn’t mean a 10x increase in team size. In fact, these channels are highly efficient—the number of resources required to deploy $1M versus $10M remains nearly the same. The workload scales non-linearly.

Influencer Marketing tells a completely different story. The staffing needs grow at a steep, linear rate. A brand investing $1M in influencers typically requires a team of 3-6 to manage the campaign. But at $10M, that team often jumps somewhere between 15 and 30!

No other marketing discipline demands this level of heavy lifting to deploy media. Unlike traditional channels, where content is centrally created and distributed, Influencer Marketing operates at scale through individuals, each with their own voice, platform, and creative approach. A single campaign might involve hundreds of creators collaborating with a brand within days or weeks, leading to extreme fragmentation in execution.

Why traditional creative workflows can’t keep up with decentralized content creation

This dispersed, highly customized content creation model makes it nearly impossible to scale efficiently using traditional workflows. The media buy isn’t consolidated, and the output isn’t controlled by the brand or a creative agency - it’s shaped by independent voices, each with their own audience dynamics and creative outputs.

too staff-intensive, too complex, and too complicated

. Even when it makes sense to invest, the sheer operational load makes brands hesitant to scale up.

And it already has 3Billion+ Content Pieces worth of data.

With Universe, Primetag is redefining the Industry Paradigm. 

We believe the current way of working in this industry is flawed. With Universe, Growth in Creator Media will be possible, scalable and - more importantly - sustainable.

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