Key stat: 28% of worldwide consumers say they need to see a creator promote a product 3 to 4 times before making a purchase, according to a March 2025 impact.com and EMARKETER survey. Beyond the chart: Engagement rate (55.4%) and conversions or sales (54.0%) are the top metrics used by marketers when considering creator partnership ROI, according to a February EMARKETER and Spotter survey.
I'm the creative lead of a direct-to-consumer brand in India with a background in design education and professional experience in the creative field. Over time, I've realised that my inclination toward strategy and creative thinking has helped me solve larger customer-centric problems through design and create meaningful business impact. At the same time, it has taken me a while to grasp the other side of the equation - the marketing metrics, numbers, and data that drive business decisions.
Firstly, the campaign led to audience fatigue, over-saturating their most engaged customers while ignoring potential new ones. It also resulted in product tunnel vision, whereby the brand stopped promoting its full product range, so missed cross-sell opportunities. Similarly, innovation stagnation meant that new product launches struggled because the algorithm only promoted proven winners. Lastly, it also led to market share erosion, with competitors capturing new customers that the brand had ignored.