Cannes Lions 2026: What creators earn that reach can’t buy

by Experian Marketing Services 3 min read September 16, 2026

Reach tells you how many people saw a creator’s post. It doesn’t tell you whether they trusted what they saw. At Cannes Lions 2026, leaders from Adobe, AdsWizz, Alaska Airlines, Grupo Bimbo, PMG, and Wpromote shared how marketers can assess creator fit, build brand alignment, and decide where artificial intelligence (AI) fits. Watch the conversation below to hear why trust, not audience size, is what makes influence work.

Watch the conversation

How does trust turn creators into real brand partners?

Beyond the buy

Creators work best as genuine partners, not as another line on a media plan, so the strongest results come from brands that choose creators who truly know their category.

Alignment beats a quick bump

Chasing creators for a fast spike rarely pays off, but partnering with people who already love the brand builds results that last.

Brand fit makes creator content feel credible

A large audience means little without true brand alignment, since that’s what keeps a creator’s content from feeling like a paid placement.

Follower count does not capture trust

An audience’s trust in a creator, not their follower count, is what drives influence, and that dynamic is most visible in personal formats like podcasts.

Know what to keep human

Creators earn trust by sharing real experiences, so AI should support that storytelling rather than replace the people behind it.

Featured partners

Adobe – Clare Philips, Director of Social and Influencer
AdsWizz – Anne Frisbie, Senior Vice President of Global Business Development
Alaska Airlines – Eric Edge, Chief Marketing Officer
Grupo Bimbo – Catherine Berger, Vice President of Marketing Transformation and Services
PMG – Chad Stoller, Global Head of Media
Wpromote – Deanna Cullen, Vice President of Media Investment

Want more conversations like this one?

Connect with us to learn more about how brands build creator partnerships that earn lasting trust.

This is one of several conversations from Cannes Lions 2026 on how brands can turn influence into long-term impact. Subscribe to our newsletter to get our next Cannes conversation delivered to your inbox, read our latest marketing insights, and hear from more industry leaders on why trust, not reach, drives influence.

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For more from Cannes Lions 2026, continue with another conversation in the series

What it takes to move patients from awareness to care What commerce media can see beyond a single retailer What streaming media reveals about cross-screen viewing What it takes for brands to become part of the culture

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