NAIROBI, Kenya,Oct 30 – Kenyan businesses are facing growing pressure to demonstrate returns from influencer marketing campaigns as brands shift spending from audience reach and online visibility towards measurable sales and customer engagement.

The shift is expected to reshape relationships between companies and digital content creators, with businesses increasingly seeking partnerships that can demonstrate contributions to commercial objectives rather than relying solely on social media followers and engagement figures.

The changing dynamics of the creator economy were discussed during The Media Shift: Kenya Live summit held in Nairobi on Thursday, which brought together brand executives, content creators and marketing professionals to examine the economics of influencer marketing.

The discussions centered on campaign performance, influencer spending, audience engagement and the use of data and technology to assess the effectiveness of marketing investments.

While social media influence has become an increasingly important component of brand communication, measuring its direct contribution to business performance remains a challenge for marketers.

The industry is increasingly moving towards performance-based partnerships, where creators are expected to contribute to specific business outcomes, including customer acquisition, product awareness and sales conversion.

The shift also raises questions about how brands determine the value of creator partnerships, particularly as businesses compete for consumer attention across increasingly fragmented digital platforms.

Murray Legg, Co-Founder of Webfluential, Albert Makoeng, Chief Executive Officer of Nfinity Influencer, and David Boon, Chief Executive Officer of Expressions Influencer Agency, were among the speakers at the summit.

The discussions also highlighted the wider economic activities supported by the creator economy, which extends beyond content creators to include videographers, photographers, editors, talent managers, digital marketers and creative strategists.

For businesses, the growing ecosystem presents opportunities to develop more structured relationships with creative professionals while improving campaign planning and performance measurement.

The summit also coincided with the launch of Expressions Influencer Agency, which seeks to operate in the influencer marketing space, as well as a new technology tool targeting Kenyan marketers.

The development comes as businesses increasingly incorporate digital platforms into their marketing strategies, creating demand for more reliable ways of measuring advertising effectiveness.