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

by Experian Marketing Services 3 min read September 16, 2026

Why trust is the real creator currency

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.

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

Contact us

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.


Latest posts

Score a touchdown with Experian’s football audience playbook

Discover data-driven strategies to win big with football audiences this postseason, such as sports enthusiasts, college fans, 21+ viewers, and more, using Experian’s 2,400+ syndicated audiences across top advertising platforms.

January 7, 2025 by Lucy.Simmonds@experian.com
Experian’s new data marketplace enhances addressability across CTV, display, and mobile

Introducing the Experian data marketplace. Discover a new addition to our portfolio of data-driven activation solutions.

January 6, 2025 by Experian Marketing Services
How new OpenRTB specs support transparent identity resolution

Discover how the latest OpenRTB 2.6 specs bring transparency to ID bridging, ensuring trust and effective identity resolution for a sustainable programmatic future.

December 18, 2024 by Budi Tanzi, SVP, Product