Most Australian organisations investing in creators still lack a dedicated creator budget, yet 77% plan to spend more. That mismatch is the problem behind AiMCO’s measurement initiative. Money is moving faster than proof. If your CFO asked tomorrow what creators returned last quarter, could you answer with something other than views? This piece breaks down what AiMCO is doing and how to prepare your own case for creator budget impact.
What AiMCO actually launched
The Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) has convened its first dedicated working group on measurement and marketing effectiveness. It is chaired by Hypetap founder and group CEO Detch Singh. The group will look at measurement standards, the data brands need to evaluate creator campaigns, and how influencer activity can be represented in marketing mix modelling (MMM).
It meets monthly and draws on AiMCO’s brand and industry members. Managing director Patrick Whitnall was candid about the timeline. Nobody expects to solve this in the first session.
That candour matters. Industry bodies often announce frameworks with fanfare and deliver a PDF eighteen months later. A monthly cadence with brand-side demand suggests a working process, not a press moment. Still, treat it as a signal of direction, not a standard you can cite in a board deck yet.
The gap it is trying to close
The core complaint is simple. Most creator measurement still rests on reach, views and engagement supplied by the platforms themselves. AiMCO wants to connect creator activity to business metrics, the way TV, out-of-home and digital video are already judged.
The numbers from the inaugural State of Creator Marketing report, produced with the Marketing Association of Australia, show how wide the gap is. According to the AiMCO and MAA findings reported by LBB:
- 84% of surveyed organisations currently invest in creator marketing, and 77% plan to increase investment over the next two years.
- Only a quarter have a dedicated creator budget. Most funding comes from brand budgets (63%) or PR and communications budgets (39%).
- 92% use platform analytics and 58% use creator-supplied reporting, both of which the report calls self-reported and bounded by individual platforms.
- 64% see shared measurement standards as the number one priority for industry bodies, and 7 in 10 believe a recognised certification framework would significantly lift market confidence.
Creator spend is growing without its own budget line, and it is being judged on data the platforms and creators grade themselves. That is a weak position when finance starts asking questions.
Why the budget line matters more than it looks
Here is the part many teams miss. When creator money comes out of brand or PR budgets, nobody owns the return. Brand teams judge it on awareness. PR teams judge it on coverage. Neither is set up to defend it against performance media in a planning round.
A dedicated line changes the conversation, because a line has to justify itself. We made a similar argument in funding measurement first: if you are about to ask for more, carve out the measurement spend before the media spend.
The report also shows creators are mostly bought as a brand tool. Brand building (80%) and culture relevance (76%) lead the objectives, while performance and sales measures rank fifth at 51%. So proof cannot just mean last-click sales. It needs to cover brand lift and consideration too.
How leading advertisers already frame it
Nestlé offers a useful reference. Melissah Toomey, its head of beverage marketing, told Marketing-Interactive that creators are considered the same way as other channels: start with the brand problem, set objectives, measure against them. She said softer metrics help optimisation, but brand uplift and ROI show business effectiveness. Nestlé looks at longer-term brand measures alongside creator ROI through market mix modelling, which puts creators on the same footing as TV, OOH and digital video.
Note what that does not say. It does not say views are useless. It says views are an optimisation input, not the proof.
Scale raises the stakes too. The Marketing-Interactive report notes that L’Oréal has disclosed it works with approximately 500,000 creators globally and that Unilever is pushing influencer marketing further into its brand-building strategy. At that volume, anecdote cannot hold the program together.
What MMM can and cannot do for creators
MMM is the obvious destination, and it is also where programs stumble. Models need consistent, granular inputs: spend by period, by platform, by content type, with clean timing. Creator programs often have invoices in a spreadsheet, usage rights buried in contracts and posting dates that drift.
Garbage in, flat coefficient out. If the model cannot see creator activity clearly, it will credit something else, and your channel looks like it did nothing.
This is why our piece on fixing creator data matters here. Standards from AiMCO may eventually define the inputs. You can structure your own data now so you are ready when they do.
A practical checklist before standards arrive
- Separate the budget. Give creator spend its own code, even if funds still come from several teams.
- Tag every deliverable. Record creator, platform, format, date, fee and usage rights in one place, consistently.
- Pair each campaign with a business metric. Brand lift, branded search, new-customer rate or repeat purchase, chosen before launch.
- Go beyond views. Track retention and completion alongside reach. See our notes on completion rate and on watch time and search lift.
- Audit your cost base. Effective cost per deliverable means little if agency fees are opaque. Start with markup audits.
- Feed the model. Give your MMM team creator data on the same cadence as other channels.
None of this requires new software. It requires discipline and someone accountable. Teams that lack that person should consider the roles outlined in our look at influencer team architects.
Risks and limits to keep in view
First, this is an Australian initiative. The structure is portable, but benchmarks will not be. Do not import local figures into a global business case.
Second, the report is survey-based and reflects what organisations say they do, not audited practice. Treat percentages as directional.
Third, governance is uneven. A majority of respondents (58%) have a formal policy for working with creators, while a further 42% are still working on policies or lack any at all. 29% said they had experienced brand safety issues. Proving impact is pointless if a compliance failure erases it. On disclosure, DLA Piper’s note on the AiMCO Code of Practice points to the AANA Code of Ethics, which says advertising material should be clearly distinguishable as such. Tight contracts help here, as covered in our piece on contracting for proof.
Do not wait for a certification framework. The brands that arrive at the standard with clean data will shape it. The rest will adapt to it.
FAQs
What is AiMCO’s measurement initiative?
It is a working group convened by the Australian Influencer Marketing Council to examine measurement standards, the data brands need to evaluate creator campaigns, and how influencer marketing fits into marketing mix modelling. It meets monthly and is chaired by Detch Singh of Hypetap.
Is there a published standard yet?
No. AiMCO’s managing director has said progress will take time. AiMCO has also said it is relaunching its metrics and measurement committee with the Marketing Association of Australia and plans to repeat its study annually.
Why are platform metrics not enough to prove creator ROI?
They are self-reported and bounded by each platform. Reach, views and engagement help optimise content, but they do not show brand uplift, incremental sales or contribution relative to other channels.
Can marketing mix modelling measure influencer marketing?
Yes, if the inputs are clean. Nestlé says it uses MMM alongside longer-term brand measures to put creators on the same footing as TV, OOH and digital video. You need consistent spend and timing data by platform and format.
What should brands outside Australia take from this?
The pattern, not the benchmarks. Give creator spend its own budget line, tie each campaign to a business metric, and structure data so it can feed a model. Those steps help in any market.
How should I structure a creator budget case for finance?
Show spend by objective, the business metric each campaign targets, effective cost after agency fees, and results from lift or MMM where available. Be explicit about what is measured and what is estimated.
Next step: this week, pull your last three creator campaigns into one sheet with spend, dates, usage rights and one business metric each. That sheet is the foundation for any MMM input or budget defence.
Top Influencer Marketing Agencies
The leading agencies shaping influencer marketing in 2026
Agencies ranked by campaign performance, client diversity, platform expertise, proven ROI, industry recognition, and client satisfaction. Assessed through verified case studies, reviews, and industry consultations.
Moburst
-
2
The Shelf
Boutique Beauty & Lifestyle Influencer AgencyA data-driven boutique agency specializing exclusively in beauty, wellness, and lifestyle influencer campaigns on Instagram and TikTok. Best for brands already focused on the beauty/personal care space that need curated, aesthetic-driven content.Clients: Pepsi, The Honest Company, Hims, Elf Cosmetics, Pure LeafVisit The Shelf → -
3
Audiencly
Niche Gaming & Esports Influencer AgencyA specialized agency focused exclusively on gaming and esports creators on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Ideal if your campaign is 100% gaming-focused — from game launches to hardware and esports events.Clients: Epic Games, NordVPN, Ubisoft, Wargaming, Tencent GamesVisit Audiencly → -
4
Viral Nation
Global Influencer Marketing & Talent AgencyA dual talent management and marketing agency with proprietary brand safety tools and a global creator network spanning nano-influencers to celebrities across all major platforms.Clients: Meta, Activision Blizzard, Energizer, Aston Martin, WalmartVisit Viral Nation → -
5
The Influencer Marketing Factory
TikTok, Instagram & YouTube CampaignsA full-service agency with strong TikTok expertise, offering end-to-end campaign management from influencer discovery through performance reporting with a focus on platform-native content.Clients: Google, Snapchat, Universal Music, Bumble, YelpVisit TIMF → -
6
NeoReach
Enterprise Analytics & Influencer CampaignsAn enterprise-focused agency combining managed campaigns with a powerful self-service data platform for influencer search, audience analytics, and attribution modeling.Clients: Amazon, Airbnb, Netflix, Honda, The New York TimesVisit NeoReach → -
7
Ubiquitous
Creator-First Marketing PlatformA tech-driven platform combining self-service tools with managed campaign options, emphasizing speed and scalability for brands managing multiple influencer relationships.Clients: Lyft, Disney, Target, American Eagle, NetflixVisit Ubiquitous → -
8
Obviously
Scalable Enterprise Influencer CampaignsA tech-enabled agency built for high-volume campaigns, coordinating hundreds of creators simultaneously with end-to-end logistics, content rights management, and product seeding.Clients: Google, Ulta Beauty, Converse, AmazonVisit Obviously →