Influencers vs. digital advertising: who will win?

Comparing digital advertising and influencers has become increasingly common—especially when it comes to prices and results. Having close insight into both sides of the equation—those who create the content (influencers) and those who pay for it (brands)—we’re sharing a few insights on why comparing the costs of digital ads and influencer marketing can be misleading, and how to better understand what you’re really paying for when you work with influencers.

Let’s compare the incomparable

A fresh creative idea, strong visuals, persuasive copy, and the right ad settings—and voilà, you have a solid digital advertising campaign that drives sales. If the technical setup is done correctly, you can even track your return on investment in real time. In practice, such ideal results don’t happen every time, but the principle is clear: digital advertising gives brand managers peace of mind because the results are laid out in black and white, and the campaign can be managed and adjusted at any moment.

But what about influencers? Success requires similar ingredients—great creative ideas, high-quality execution, and the right audience selection. However, brand managers have far less control here: content creation is handled by the influencer, and the success of a single piece of content doesn’t depend on how much money was invested. Instead, it depends on whether the chosen influencer aligns with the brand’s values and goals, and how creatively they approach the task. Measuring the results of influencer marketing campaigns is also more complex than with digital advertising, as the impact isn’t immediate. Still, evaluating ROI is absolutely possible—and it’s something we do every day.

So if there’s less control and results can be unpredictable, why do brands allocate such a large share of their marketing budgets to influencers—when they could instead invest in traditional digital advertising? There’s more than one answer:

Brand awareness. The logic is simple: high-quality content that spreads organically has enormous potential to reach new users, often requiring a smaller investment than digital advertising to achieve comparable results.

Audience loyalty and trust. Influencers have an emotional connection with their followers—one that’s built over much longer than a single advertising campaign. Appearing in an influencer’s content means getting the chance to communicate directly with their audience. A trusting influencer audience is far more likely to trust the brand featured in that content as well. It’s like a personal recommendation that reaches not just one person, but thousands.

The opportunity to gather feedback. Not every brand manager thinks about this aspect, but collaborating with an influencer creates ideal conditions for dialogue. If the content is engaging enough, audiences will share their impressions and experiences—providing valuable inspiration for product improvement or future communication.

Sales start with awareness—that’s exactly why influencer marketing is so strategically important. Once awareness is established, the effectiveness of digital advertising increases as well. And with well-planned campaigns, it’s also possible to design actions where influencers generate sales directly—for example, through discount codes.

That’s why influencer communication should be evaluated differently from digital advertising campaigns. When assessing the success of collaborations with influencers, we don’t look only at sales, but also at reach, engagement, and qualitative indicators such as feedback and reviews.

What makes up an influencer’s fee?

Marketing specialists usually recommend allocating 25–35% of the marketing budget to brand awareness. So if a large share of that budget goes to influencers, it’s only natural to want to justify their fees—and we have to admit, this is a topic we discuss with clients very often.

Let’s say you reach out to two content creators. One offers to execute a simple advertising campaign—a series of Reels and Stories—for €600, while the other asks for twice as much. Why such a difference in pricing? The answer lies in the following components:

Visibility and follower count. Public recognition and social media fame don’t always go hand in hand, just like reputation, but both factors matter and influence pricing. Don’t be surprised if, after collaborating with an influencer once, you receive a significantly higher quote the next time—profiles that grow quickly tend to see the sharpest price increases.

Social media performance metrics. A large follower count doesn’t always deliver the results you’re hoping for. That’s why it’s important to request content performance analytics from an influencer, showing how much of their audience is actually active and what engagement levels their content typically generates. The stronger these metrics, the more justified a higher fee for the influencer’s content becomes.

Content formats and additional services. Posting a single photo with a call to follow the advertised brand is simple, so it’s only natural that static content costs less for clients. Creating a Reel with a complex storyline, bold creative choices, and professional execution takes significantly more time—even if the final video is only a few seconds long. Remember: it’s not the duration that matters, but the viral potential. So evaluate Reel pricing not by length, but by creativity.

Usage rights. Purchasing an influencer integration doesn’t automatically give you the right to reuse that content in your ads, on your website, or elsewhere. Each additional usage scenario comes at an extra cost. This is because image rights are protected by law, and using someone’s likeness for commercial purposes must be explicitly agreed upon in the contract.

Exclusivity (non-compete). By signing a one-off collaboration agreement with an influencer, you can usually expect that for about a month, no similar integrations featuring competitors’ products or services will appear on their profile. However, if you want your competitors to stay out of an influencer’s communication for a longer period, you’ll need to pay extra—after all, you’re asking the creator to give up other collaboration opportunities.

P.S. A similar logic applies when evaluating UGC creators’ pricing: instead of focusing on fame, it’s worth considering the value of their creative style and how well the content is executed technically.

Building an influencer marketing budget

So, we’ve convinced you—you’ll use influencers to build brand awareness. But how should you allocate the budget dedicated to them? There are many possible formulas, but we recommend assigning the largest share to safe bets—proven influencers—a smaller portion to experiments, and the remaining budget to relationship-building activities, such as gifts.