NeoReach Plans 2027 Intelligence Report on What Brand Marketers Will Fund, Measure and Change

Creator recommendations already move consumers. The harder question for 2027 is what senior marketing leaders will do with that influence: where budgets will move, which programs will scale, and how executives will determine whether creator investment is producing a commercial return.

NeoReach is developing the concept for a new enterprise intelligence report, provisionally titled The State of the Influencer Marketer 2027. The proposed research is intended to go beyond forecasts about platforms and formats to examine the decisions being made inside brand marketing organizations.

The initiative would combine perspectives from senior brand and marketing executives with NeoReach’s first-party campaign experience and relevant external research. Its aim is a practical account of the priorities, operating constraints and measurement questions shaping creator marketing—not another collection of predictions disconnected from how brands allocate resources.

From creator influence to the decisions behind the budget

NeoReach’s published Creator Impact Report 2026, developed using a 1,050-person U.S. consumer survey conducted by Statista and a separate NeoReach survey of 539 creators, found that 55% of surveyed U.S. consumers had taken a real-world action following a creator recommendation. Forty-five percent reported making at least one purchase per month based on creator recommendations. Those figures describe self-reported behavior, not campaign-attributed conversion rates.

The research also exposed a gap between what audiences respond to and how creator programs are structured. That finding raises a second set of questions: how are senior marketers responding? Are they moving budget into always-on partnerships, changing their measurement approach, using creators deeper in the funnel, or simply buying more of the same?

The planned 2027 report would address that brand-side decision layer directly, examining how marketing leaders translate consumer behavior and creator capability into investment decisions, operating models and accountable performance.

Five questions shaping the 2027 research agenda

• Where is enterprise creator investment going? The report is intended to examine planned budget changes, priority categories and the relative role of launch campaigns, long-term partnerships and creator-led media.

• What does successful measurement look like? It would explore whether leaders prioritize reach, brand effects, qualified demand, sales, incrementality or customer value—and what evidence they actually have to defend those decisions.

• How is AI changing influencer marketing operations? The proposed scope covers AI in research, creator discovery, content workflows, planning and measurement, including which applications are producing real operational value.

• Who owns the creator channel inside large organizations? The research would assess team structures, agency responsibilities, procurement, creator relations and how creator programs integrate with media, commerce and brand teams.

• Which partnerships are built to last? It would examine creator-brand fit, credibility, usage rights, recurring relationships and how marketers balance creative freedom with compliance and commercial objectives.

These are research questions, not published findings. NeoReach intends to refine the scope and disclose the sample, fieldwork, segmentation and evidence limits when the research is completed.

Building on NeoReach’s established research work

The proposal follows NeoReach’s wider investment in original creator-economy research. Its Creator Earnings Report 2025 surveyed more than 3,000 creators to examine the economics behind creator careers, including the gap between market growth and individual earnings. Its Creator Impact Report 2026 added consumer behavior and creator perspectives to the question of what influences action.

A 2027 study focused on the marketer would complete an important part of that picture. Rather than asking only what consumers do or what creators experience, it would ask what the people responsible for budgets, agencies, channels and business results are planning to change.

The proposed methodology would triangulate executive interviews or survey responses with clearly defined, aggregated NeoReach campaign observations and independent industry sources. Any comparisons would need to distinguish reported intentions from actual spend and separate measured campaign outcomes from directional opinions.

Brian Sorel on making creator intelligence useful to decision-makers

“Brand leaders are being asked to explain not just why creators matter, but where investment should go and what it should deliver. The point of this research is to understand the decisions behind those budgets: what marketers are changing, what they can measure and where the evidence is still incomplete. If we can bring those perspectives together with real campaign experience, the result should be useful in a planning meeting—not just interesting to read.”

Brian Sorel | Chief Operating Officer, NeoReach

Research designed for the executive conversation

The initiative is also being considered as part of NeoReach’s broader approach to connecting with senior marketing decision-makers. Alongside digital publication, the planning discussions have included targeted distribution to large-brand marketing teams, selective printed editions and opportunities to continue the research conversation at executive gatherings.

That approach would make the report more than a download. It could provide a common evidence base for conversations between agency specialists, brand leaders and their peers—linking the intelligence NeoReach develops to the real-world relationships it is building through private executive events.

The report title, fieldwork, participation process, release timing and distribution format remain in planning. Brands interested in sharing their perspective on the 2027 research priorities can connect with NeoReach at https://neoreach.com/contact/.

About NeoReach

Founded in 2013, NeoReach is a global influencer marketing agency and creator intelligence company providing campaign strategy, creator discovery, content production, paid amplification and performance measurement. The agency also publishes original industry research, including its Creator Earnings and Creator Impact reports. Learn more at https://neoreach.com/insights/.