New research from IAB Australia has found that 61% of Australians discover brands through creators, with the figure rising to 85% among people under 40, highlighting the role of creator marketing in the country’s digital advertising landscape.
Released through the Creator Connect report on 16 September, the research examines how creator content influences brand discovery, consumer decision-making and trust across Australia and international markets.
“Creator marketing is now a mainstream part of the media mix,” said Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia.
“This data shows creators genuinely shape how consumers find and weigh up brands. The job now is building on that through partnerships people see as credible and transparent.”
Brand reputation and expertise influence consumer decisions
The report found that brand reputation was the strongest consideration for Australians assessing creator recommendations, cited by 86% of respondents. A creator’s expertise followed at 84%, while 74% considered how entertaining the content was.
The findings also showed a generational difference in brand discovery. While 85% of Australians under 40 said they discovered brands through creators, the figure was 21% among those aged 60 to 70.
IAB Australia reported that disclosing paid partnerships had a modest negative effect on consumers’ intention to act on recommendations, with a strong brand reputation offsetting much of that effect.
The research also found that everyday people sharing their experiences were trusted more than celebrities across all five markets surveyed: Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Mexico.
Australian consumers cautious about AI-driven discovery
The report identified differences in how consumers use artificial intelligence to discover creators. Among Australian AI users, 23% had discovered a new creator through an AI-generated result whom they subsequently followed, compared with 64% in India.
Le Roy said the international findings highlighted the importance of credibility in creator partnerships.
“Consistent across all global markets is that credibility beats reach,” she said. “Brands get better results backing creators with a proven track record than chasing the biggest audience.”
The findings suggest that trust and transparency remain important considerations for brands assessing creator marketing opportunities, particularly as AI-generated recommendations become part of the discovery process.
Investment and measurement remain industry considerations
IAB Australia’s research also highlighted differences between the types of creator content Australian consumers find relevant and the categories attracting the largest advertising budgets in the United States.
Travel, food and fashion were the categories in which Australians said creator content mattered most, while retail and consumer packaged goods accounted for leading US creator marketing investment.
The report cited US creator marketing advertising expenditure of US37billionin2025,forecasttoreachUS43.9 billion in 2026. It also identified return on investment as the leading challenge for agencies working in creator marketing, ahead of attribution and reach.
Patrick Whitnall, managing director of the Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO), said the findings reflected the growing connection between influencer marketing and digital advertising.
“Creators now sit at the heart of how Australians discover and choose brands, and its trust, that makes that influence work,” Whitnall said.
The Creator Connect report draws on research involving Australian and New Zealand consumers, audiences across five international markets, and advertising decision-makers in the United States. The full report is available through IAB Australia.