How AI-generated content is forcing Brands to go all-in on Creators and Founder-Led Marketing
AI-generated content has officially tipped over — there’s now more content online created by AI than by humans for brands. Some people you're trying to reach aren't just overwhelmed, they're tuning out.
Over the last few years, I've seen trust shift away from polished brand content and toward people — creators, founders, employees, and experts — who actually show up as themselves. And that's not stopping.
HubSpot’s SVP of Marketing, Kieran Flanagan said that in 2026, creators are going to become a bigger and bigger part of your marketing strategy.
Let's look at 3 quick reasons why:
Creators are the “human signal” in the noise.
Personality, lived experience, and a clear point of view cut through any AI-saturated landscape. Creator-led channels like YouTube, TikTok, and right here on LinkedIn become real brand assets, not just nice-to-have platforms.
Founder-as-creator beats the brand account.
As taught in my training and content, we've been seeing more businesses and organizations intentionally growing the founder’s audience faster than the brand's. I often point out examples of LinkedIn company pages getting far less engagement than their leadership team's personal LinkedIn posts. Buyers want to hear from a person they can learn from and trust, not just a logo (so many videos of me saying this).
Creators make paid ads/media work harder.
With Meta and Google acquisition costs always/still on the rise, creator-driven ads and partnerships often perform better — more engagement, trust, and better context around the message. It's to the point where I've seen many brands trying to fake/imitate the vibe of UGC/organic content. Just last week Gary Vee had a video about using creator content and the best-performing organic content as ads, rather than creating specific fresh ad creative.
This isn’t new, I know. Influencer and creator marketing has been rising for years as some forms of traditional ads lose their edge.
What’s changed is the urgency, Kieran says.
Creator-led and founder-led storytelling isn’t a test channel or an afterthought. It’s becoming core to brand trust.
Brands can’t just push campaigns. They need to intentionally cultivate and support relatable, trusted voices around the brand.
What’s next?
Think about who those voices are for your organization or brand right now, and how you can give them more space to lead.
If you're looking for support with Content Strategy or Brand Strategy in 2026, reach out anytime.
