Influencer marketing used to mean paying someone famous to hold your product and smile. I know because I was in the room when that model was still the default, and I've watched it unravel in real time since. The global influencer marketing industry crossed $32.6 billion in 2026, up from $1.7 billion a decade ago. Average reported annual budgets grew 171% year-on-year, with nearly two-thirds of that new spend reallocated from traditional digital channels. Brands aren't experim