By Meg Roberts, Founding Director of Meg Roberts PR Ltd
Every year, as brands move into their biggest commercial moments, our feeds turn into a flurry of gift guides, discount codes and carefully staged campaigns.
It is when purchase intent is highest, customers are ready to spend, and brands and creators alike want to make the most of the opportunity.
But something felt different this year. Audiences are tired. They are more selective. And they are beginning to question just how much they are being sold to by their favourite creators, especially with the cost-of-living crisis still very real for so many of us up and down the country. You can feel it in the comments. You can see it in the engagement. You can sense the shift toward creators who slow down, say no a little more often and share content that feels like a genuine conversation rather than another sales pitch.
The creators building momentum right now are prioritising trust over volume and genuine alignment over quick wins. They are choosing to work with brands they truly connect with and only promoting products they actually use. That is where real influence and long-term credibility are built.
A crowded market needs voices that feel real
Peak trading periods are without a doubt the most labour-intensive times for online creators. Big promotional pushes, product launches and campaign deadlines all collide as brands look to maximise their budgets and shift volume.
Creators often feel the pressure to keep posting just to keep up with the pace, cut through the noise and continue to be seen. But here is the thing. Audiences simply do not want to be sold to constantly. They want content that feels real, considered and grounded in someone’s actual real life, not a never-ending stream of ads.
And it is a lot for people to consume. So it makes complete sense that audiences are gravitating toward creators who slow things down. The ones who talk about what they actually use and pick one thoughtful collaboration instead of five random ones.
Authenticity is intentional, and believe me when I say that your followers can tell the difference. It is not worth being any other way. And right now, it is the most valuable asset a creator can build. Focus on realness, and your community will relate and respond.
Spotlight on: Dani Harmer and the power of real influence
A great example of this shift is my client, Dani Harmer. Most of us grew up with her as the iconic Tracy Beaker, so there is so much warmth and connection there already. But what makes her stand out today is not nostalgia alone. It is how grounded, selective and genuinely thoughtful she is with what she shares with her audience online.
Dani tests every product properly before agreeing to promote it. She buys pre-loved fashion for herself and her children and so avoids partnering with brands that do not align with her actual buying habits. She is selective because she genuinely cares about the people who follow her, and she knows they trust every recommendation she puts her name to, and she treats that trust with real care. And that is truly a rare thing these days!
That approach really shows in her results. One of her recent GRWM videos reached more than 700,000 views and brought in more than 4,000 new followers. 96% of views came from returning watchers, and almost 3/4s came from people who were not following her yet.
In an industry that is full of noise, Dani proves that being intentional, honest and aligned beats posting constantly and saying yes to anything with a fee attached. This is exactly why she is landing campaigns with retail powerhouses like Tesco and Boots,
alongside fun and experiential activations with Solar Buddies, Fruitella and Vita Coco. She brings heart, humour and honesty in a way that feels familiar and refreshing at the same time. She does not shout at her audience. She invites them in like an old friend.
The power of nostalgia in modern influence
Nostalgia is fast becoming one of the strongest emotional drivers in influencer marketing, and Dani is a perfect example of why it works when it comes from a genuine place. It is basically a trust-building machine. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside as we smile at memories we have not thought about in years and unlocks little moments from childhood that we did not even realise we had forgotten.
When those feelings are attached to a brand, it feels familiar, and that sense of familiarity builds trust. When we trust, we buy. It really is as simple as that. With the heaviness of today’s news cycle, audiences are turning to creators who make them feel
good about themselves. Dani brings the perfect blend of feel-good nostalgia and authentic, relatable content.
She celebrates the early 00s in a way that feels fun and familiar, while still being firmly part of today’s conversation. She talks honestly about real mum life, career highs and lows and topics like early perimenopause that matter, but perhaps are simply not spoken about enough.
Across the last 28 days alone, Dani has had more than 11 million TikTok views. These moments land because nostalgia makes people feel safe, warm and understood. It connects them to a version of themselves we sometimes miss, which makes it such a powerful tool in modern influence.
Even Jacqueline Wilson is now releasing books for older readers, millennials like me and Dani, who have grown up with her. And I think that says everything about the emotional pull nostalgia has on our generation. For brands, this really matters. When a creator can make people feel something, the partnership becomes more than a campaign. It becomes part of a wider conversation and part of culture, telling a story people genuinely want to follow and be a part of.
Brands are paying attention
Clever PR and marketing teams are noticing this shift. Audiences want recommendations from creators we can trust and content that feels thoughtful, not rushed. We want real stories, not constant sales pressure to buy something else.
This is where boutique agencies like Meg Roberts PR make a real difference. We keep things intentionally small and personal so every collaboration feels aligned. We help creators manage their workload, protect their value and stay grounded in what feels true to them, even during the busiest months of the year.
Overconsumption and ASOS hauls are no longer aspirational. Thoughtful influence is. And here is the important part. Scepticism is not a threat to influencer marketing. It is a sign that the industry is growing up. Audiences are savvier than ever. We spot things that seem off quickly, we see through campaigns that are simply not authentic, and we want creators who can really stand by what they share before we part with our hard-earned cash.
A more thoughtful era of influence is coming
Major advertising campaigns will always play an important role in brand strategy. They drive results and create some of the most memorable work of the year. But the creators who stand out now are the ones who lead with heart. The ones who slow down, choose partnerships that genuinely fit and trust themselves enough to say no to things that do not.
Right now, the creators leaning into nostalgia, honesty and alignment are showing the industry what meaningful influence actually looks like.
Disclaimer: All images are courtesy of Dani Harmer and have been sourced from her Instagram.
