By Brad Canning

Open any social media app or look at any high-profile brand, and you’ll see Australia is firmly in its content-creator era.

In recent years, we’ve witnessed the meteoric rise of influencer marketing, changing the way brands connect to consumers and how they position their products. 

Brands are now using influencer campaigns as a critical part of their marketing and business growth plans – and it’s clear why. 

Australia’s influencer advertising market is projected to reach $889 million this year alone. By 2028, it’s expected to hit more than $1.25 billion. The figures are staggering, and brands are taking notice. 

But with the surge of creator marketing and the droves of influencers turning fun TikTok videos into a career, there has been a pressing need to address the fundamental relationship that influencers have with agencies and brands, as well as with the industry itself.

Enter AiMCO’s Influencer Advisory Sub-Committee. Launched last year, this committee is devoted to supporting the nation’s creator community and addressing the specific challenges it faces. Its mission is to develop stronger frameworks around creator engagement, while also ensuring the sector keeps pace with the ever-changing influencer marketing landscape. 

Until now, the nation’s influencer marketing industry has gone largely ungoverned. There’s no union for influencers and no basic terms underpinning how influencers work with agencies and businesses. The sub-committee is designed to bridge that gap, delving into the specific issues facing Australian influencers and improving the way they work with agencies and brands.

The committee is helmed by some of the nation’s foremost influencers and creators, including Matty J, Nicole Wade, Taz and Alessia, and Jordan Barclay. These are the people at the coalface of the sector, who have built huge social media followings and monetised their content. Critically, the sub-committee is comprised of creators who have pioneered the sector in Australia. They turned making fun social media content into a career before it was cool, putting them in good standing to address what the sector needs to smooth the path for up-and-coming creators. 

Australia is leading the way when it comes to influencer marketing. The sub-committee and AiMCO’s industry-first code of practice and accreditation program for creators and brands recognise the growing position of influencers in the modern marketing mix and the need for clearer protocols around how creators operate.

Importantly, the committee isn’t just about conversation – it’s about driving meaningful change. As a collaborative, we want to use the committee to cement a strong foundation between creators and marketers, ensuring the industry continues to grow in a way that benefits everyone.

In the coming months, the committee will develop best practice guidelines for agencies and brands when working with creators. Its first project was the creation of a tax and compliance information sheet for creators and brands, and we are close to finalising a talent agent checklist for creators seeking representation.

From the outset, both creators and brands need to ensure they are building the right relationships and establishing partnerships that reflect their shared values, mission and audience. Both parties need to have a thorough understanding of their overarching goals and how they will work together to achieve them.

Creative best practice is also key. Brands and agencies must be clear in their briefing, while creators need to be upfront on how they’ll use storytelling, audience engagement and content for promotion. 

Contracts are critical and need to address everything from intellectual property rights to competitor relationships and remuneration. Reporting is also important – both parties need to understand what the ROI of the collaboration looks like. 

As a collective, we are excited. This is just the beginning of influencer marketing in Australia.  We anticipate the sector to grow exponentially over the coming years as more brands realise the benefits of working with well-aligned creators. We need to build a space where creators are supported, brands and agencies understand their roles and responsibilities, and the industry is moving forward as one.

Brad Canning is an influencer and chairperson of the AiMCO Influencer Advisory Sub-Committee 

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