Niche is the new mainstream: Marketing in an AI-saturated social landscape

Social feeds are saturated with content – both original and AI-powered. In this competitive attention landscape, brand activations and traditional advertising are struggling to cut through. Simply getting a brand name out in the market is no longer enough to build loyalty. The touchpoints that make a difference to consumers now revolve around trust, reliability, and authenticity – and this is affecting campaign strategy. 

AI ads are filling the same role as vintage hand-drawn ones: visual, but uninformative 

AI reduces authenticity and trust among younger generations, with studies by Interactive Advertising Bureau and Sonata Insights finding Gen Z nearly twice as likely as Millennials to view AI ads negatively. MIDiA’s Q1 2026 quarterly consumer survey shows that approximately  one in four consumers say too many ads for a product make them dislike the brand behind it, and one in five use an ad blocker. With no true-to-life photographs or genuine human testimonials, AI videos, in a sense, revert to the hand-drawn ads of the 1920s: all ideal, no verifiable substance. There is no way to guarantee a product will look, feel, or act the way an AI ad suggests. Advertising has always struggled with the gap between sales pitch and truth, and AI widens this substantially. 

This translates to virtual creators as well. The initial hope of virtual influencers being able to act as brand spokespeople has faded, with niche creator agencies like Billo seeing brands scrap AI influencer endeavours and seeking out real creator partnerships instead. 

The role of creators as un(official) brand ambassadors

If AI ads are the modern equivalent to1920’s advertorial illustrations, then original creators on social media are the digital revival of the person working at the beauty counter or in the outdoor sports shop who can point you in the right direction when you’re overwhelmed by choice. 

There has always been a role for the trusted human advisor who’s tried the product and knows which one to recommend, but as high street shopping ceded to online orders, a gap was left in the sales chain that social creators have begun to fill as relatable and reliable sources of recommendation. This is reflected in MIDiA’s Q1 2026 quarterly consumer survey data that reveals roughly one in five under-45 consumers are more likely to trust a product recommended by a creator they follow. 

The caveat here is that paid sponsorships may reduce trust in a creator themselves (MIDiA’s Q1 2026 quarterly survey) as they reduce the verifiability of a creators’ claim.

Niche creators therefore have a better chance of weathering the mix of trusted user opinion and official sponsorship. If a mainstream beauty creator touts the benefits of a different product in each video, it becomes hard to tell which one they actually use in their day-to-day life. If a niche makeup artist who does very specific special effects looks swears by two or three sponsored products throughout most of their videos, their followers can trust there is an authentic connection between user and product and will be more likely to follow their recommendations. 

There is still a role for served ads to build brand awareness and recognition. However, there is an opportunity to strengthen relationships on the ground with niche creators acting as brand ambassadors. A brand’s final step of the sales journey used to be the salesperson on the floor. Today, those people are all creators posting to TikTok and Instagram, sharing the products they are passionate about and swear by. In the digital-first environment, brands need to form deeper relationships with these creators to cut through the AI clutter and deliver brand reliability that matters to the modern consumer.