The Creator Conundrum

A recent report from influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy explores a growing tension in creator-driven campaigns: the disconnect between creative ambition and performance expectations. For pharmaceutical marketers increasingly engaging creators to support health education and brand trust, the findings point to the need for more nuanced measurement strategies.

The research, based on a survey of 2,000 senior marketers across the US and UK, reveals that while creator campaigns are often designed to build awareness and trust, they are frequently evaluated using bottom-funnel metrics such as ROI and acquisition.

Two Lists, One Problem: When Goals and Metrics Don’t Match

The survey of 2,000 senior marketers in the US and UK reveals a common mismatch between what creator campaigns are designed to achieve and how their success is measured.

What Marketers Aim to Achieve:

• Raise brand awareness (41%)

• Reach new or underserved audiences (37%)

• Encourage engagement or conversions (35%)

How Success Is Measured:

• Return on investment (60%)

• Customer acquisition and retention (60%)

• Brand sentiment (59%)

This gap creates a problem. While the intent behind creator campaigns is often to build trust, connect emotionally, or expand reach, marketers frequently judge them by hard performance metrics typically reserved for sales-focused advertising. That misalignment can lead to reduced funding or premature judgment—penalizing campaigns not because they failed, but because...