SocialChain, the social strategy and creative practice of Brave Bison, recently acquire the influencer marketing agency The Fifth from News UK. We sat down with Oliver Lewis, CEO & Founder of The Fifth to discuss the most significant developments in the sector.
What’s driving change in the influencer marketing space right now?
There are a few major shifts underway, but the most significant is the need for influencer marketing to stop operating in silos. It must be far more connected to the broader creative, distribution and social media plans. That’s exactly why this deal makes sense, SocialChain and The Fifth coming together brings reputation, strategy and client expertise under one roof, creating a more integrated and impactful proposition.
Crucially, creator-led content is no longer just a piece of the puzzle, it’s becoming the centre of it. We’re seeing a move from creators being seen as a bolt-on to being the creative engine that drives full paid strategies. This partnership gives us the platform to push that further and build out a truly connected, tech-enabled service for our clients.
You talked about creators moving to be central players in marketing activity, how big a shift is this?
It’s transformational.
For years, social and creator strategy has been viewed as a secondary layer, often an afterthought. But we’re now at a cultural and industry inflection point where creators aren’t just relevant, they’re essential. Their content isn’t just being amplified, it’s becoming the creative itself, setting the tone across paid, earned and owned channels.
You can see this evolution clearly in areas like branded entertainment. We’re seeing the ‘YouTubification’ of media, with longer-form, creator-first content shaping new formats. And it’s not just about big YouTubers.
The most powerful creators today are often community leaders with deep influence over specific cultural spaces. This relevance and authenticity is what makes them so valuable to brands.
How are brands, agencies and publishers adapting to this new creator-first world?
We’re seeing big structural changes. There’s growing awareness of the need for regulation, standardisation and a shared language within the creator economy. That’s a key focus of our work with the influencer trade association IMTB, and partnerships with CAP, ASA and ISBA.
We recently helped author ISBA’s code of conduct, which is a vital step towards protecting creators and formalising their role in the supply chain.
One big issue right now is payment terms. Creators are increasingly acting as true partners in campaigns, not just freelancers. But the commercial infrastructure hasn’t caught up yet. As campaigns grow in size, we need to ensure creators are paid on time and treated fairly, especially as larger budgets introduce more complex procurement processes.
Measurement is another area maturing fast. For influencer marketing to grow, we need full-funnel, standardised benchmarks. Right now, creator-led media isn’t measured in the same way as TV or digital out-of-home.
Once we fix that, we’ll unlock even more investment and credibility.
Do you think creators will start to impact more traditional channels, like TV and out-of-home?
Absolutely and in many ways, they already are. Creator-driven ideas are starting to move up the chain, from social into digital out-of-home and even TV. That inversion is fascinating.
Rather than traditional agencies pushing work downstream to social, we’re seeing social-led creative set the tone for larger campaigns.
As a result, I expect social and creator-first agencies will start winning more major creative accounts. We’re also seeing creative agencies consolidate and invest in social and influencer talent and The Fifth becoming SocialChain’s dedicated influencer arm is a perfect example of that.
This space is consolidating fast, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more major acquisitions in the next six months.
How is AI impacting your work and the broader creator space?
AI is a powerful enabler, not a replacement. We use it to enhance our creative capabilities, allowing us to test and scale ideas much more efficiently. For example, we’ve built a tool called Creative Fluency that tests creator content against benchmarks to identify what works, whether that’s tone of voice, camera angles or production values. It’s invaluable for strategic planning and storyboarding.
But we don’t believe AI can replace the human creativity at the heart of this industry. Authentic, culturally relevant content is driven by human experience. We’re experimenting with AI influencers at the edges, but for now, the most impactful work still comes from real creators.
And what about B2B influencer marketing? Is that starting to catch up?
It’s still an untapped opportunity, but we’re getting there. LinkedIn has become a much stronger platform for creators, and that’s opening the door for business influencers to build meaningful audiences. The formats and talent pool are growing, and we’ve already seen strong results in B2B campaigns, especially in tech and media.
The challenge is about identifying and nurturing B2B creators who understand how to produce engaging content at scale.
These aren’t traditional presenters or entertainers, but founders, CMOs and experts with valuable perspectives. If we can help them unlock their creative voice, B2B influence could become a major force but it’s going to take time, investment and the right platforms to support it.
