People, AI & Influencers–Marketing’s new power trio; ads in supporting role: Study

A new report released by Omnicom on Tuesday identifies a fundamental shift in how consumers make decisions — and what actually shapes those decisions. The “Future of Brand Influence” study released on Tuesday finds that influence has moved decisively beyond traditional advertising, consolidating around three dominant forces: People, Artificial Intelligence, and Influencers.

Conducted in October 2025 among 1,000 U.S. adults via Omnicom’s proprietary opt-in research panel, the study underscores a message that communications strategists have long acknowledged but rarely quantified with such clarity: human beings still lead the influence hierarchy, but technology-enabled guidance systems and creator ecosystems are rapidly joining them as equal pillars of cultural and commercial persuasion.

“Consumers say a brand’s advertising has less sway over their decisions than what other sources – including other consumers, AI, and influencers,” noted the study. 

When the researchers asked respondents about what matters more than a brand’s advertising, nearly three-quarters (71%) say what people are saying about a brand matters more. For nearly half of consumers, it is what AI says (45%) and what influencers say (43%) that matter more than advertising when it comes to influencing their opinions and decisions, the study noted. 

Historically, communications planning research has consistently shown that “people” exert the strongest influence on consumer decisions. Family, friends, trusted peers, and expert advisors continue to be the most credible sources for recommendations, reassurance, and validation. Omnicom’s latest findings reinforce that reality — but also indicate that what qualifies as “people influence” is expanding.

Trust-driven human interactions remain central, yet they increasingly coexist with non-human counterparts in ways consumers now accept as natural. The lines between human advice, human-like AI input, and content created by influential personalities are blurring — marking a transition from a simple hierarchy of influence to a complex influence ecosystem.

AI, a Trusted Decision Partner

Artificial Intelligence is not merely a tool assisting brand marketers — it is now a direct participant in consumer choice. The study shows that AI-powered recommendations, assistants, and agents are becoming embedded across shopping journeys, content selection, and everyday life decision-making.

This marks a material acceleration from previous years, moving AI from curiosity and hype toward functional reliance. Consumers increasingly treat AI as both an advisory system and a decision-support companion — something that not only informs choices but actively drives them.

Influencers: hybrid cultural agents 

The report designates Influencers as a standalone pillar — separate from “people” and separate from AI. This classification is deliberate. Influencers today are hybrid cultural agents: part human voice, part media channel, and increasingly augmented by AI-enhanced production, amplification, and even synthetic personalities.

Influencers command authority, authenticity, and highly engaged audiences — but they also operate as structured, data-optimized marketing systems. Their power lies not only in credibility, but in scalability, frequency, and precision.

Advertising Still Matters — But It Follows Influence

Perhaps the most provocative takeaway is that traditional advertising no longer leads the influence chain. Instead, it increasingly plays a reinforcing role — supporting and amplifying influence rather than originating it. Advertising is becoming part of a broader influence framework where people, AI, and influencers initiate momentum, and brand communications sustain and convert it.

However, the study points out that Ads are a brand’s first line of offense in driving influence but consumers’ ability to block, opt-out of, or skip ads altogether interferes with this communication path, another force that can mitigate advertising’s influence. Ad blockers, ad-free subscription tiers, device ID signal loss (e.g., IDFA and cookies), and VPNs interrupting location-based targeted ads are all ways consumers can limit or disable advertising.

Censuswide found that 52% of adults were using ad blockers in 2024 and eMarketer cited 37% of US consumers running ad blockers on their smartphone in that same year. Accordingly, there is a notable cultural movement to modulate individual.

The study suggests that marketers must rethink influence not as message distribution, but as an ecosystem of voices shaping consumer judgment. Influence is now participatory, distributed, and hybrid — powered simultaneously by human trust, machine intelligence, and creator-driven cultural authority.

A useful metaphor proposed in the analysis frames today’s marketplace as a stage filled with microphones: consumers themselves hold powerful ones, AI assistants are increasingly tuned and prominent, and influencers command spotlight microphones calibrated for scale and impact, while brands remain part of the chorus — still important, but no longer the only or even the dominant source of persuasion.

What This Means for Marketers

For marketers, the implications are both strategic and structural. Influence strategy now takes precedence over traditional media planning, because audiences are persuaded by credibility ecosystems rather than sheer exposure. Identity, trust, and authority have become the real currency, outvaluing impressions and reach metrics. Artificial intelligence must therefore be positioned as an influence channel in its own right, shaping perception, discovery, and decision-making rather than being treated merely as an operational tool. 

Influencer programmes, too, need to mature beyond sponsorship deals to become disciplined, data-led “influence engineering,” where networks, narratives, and trust flows are intentionally designed. In this environment, advertising can no longer operate in isolation; it must embed itself within an influence-first architecture where brand voice, third-party advocacy, community validation, cultural relevance, and AI-driven interaction work cohesively to shift behaviour.

Together, these shifts redefine how brands earn attention, build persuasion, and create sustainable competitive advantage.