The latest study shows what Poles really think about influencers and it changes the perspective of brands

Emotions around influencers have been building for years, from admiration to skepticism. The latest study prepared by Y&LOVERS for the Brandlift agency shows that the real attitude of Poles towards creators is more complex than either extreme, and brands can draw very specific conclusions from the data.

Influencers? Acceptance is growing, even if not everyone likes them

The headline numbers look contradictory at first. 66% of Poles declare that they do not have a particular liking or trust for influencers. At the same time, 73% believe there is nothing wrong with creators earning money from collaborations with brands.

That second number is the important one. It signals a real shift: audiences no longer treat sponsored content as inauthentic by definition. Paid collaborations are increasingly read as a legitimate professional practice, the way people accept that a magazine carries advertising or that an athlete wears a sponsor's logo. The question audiences ask is no longer "is this paid?" but "is this honest and useful?".

Influencers as modern self-made people

More than half of respondents, 54%, find the stories of some creators inspiring, and the share rises among people aged 18-44. Creators are increasingly perceived as contemporary entrepreneurs: people who built communities and businesses through originality, persistence and expertise rather than inherited advantage.

For brands this perception matters, because it changes how audiences weigh a creator's product recommendations. A recommendation from someone seen as a self-made professional carries the credibility of earned success, not the suspicion of a rented face.

A source of trends and shopping inspiration

The research also confirms that influencers work as trend filters. Thanks to creators, 54% of Poles learn about new products and trends, and among the 18-44 group the figure rises to 64%. For a large share of the market, creator content has quietly become the primary product-discovery channel, ahead of traditional advertising and often ahead of search.

What does this mean for brands?

Four practical conclusions follow directly from the data.

• Transparency pays off: open, clearly disclosed collaborations are accepted, so there is no upside in disguising them.
• Authenticity is still the currency: creators with genuine narratives strengthen brand messaging instead of diluting it.
• Nano and micro influencers gain even more: their proximity to audiences drives the relatability and credibility the study describes.
• Recommendations and discovery are key: product-focused campaigns align naturally with how consumers already use creator content.

Conclusions for influencer marketing strategy

Brands should treat influencers as cultural partners who establish trends, motivate behaviour and influence purchasing decisions, not as media slots with faces. Given the growing acceptance of commercial partnerships, the strategic opportunity is long-term, genuine collaboration with nano and micro creators: the segment where trust, proximity and discovery meet.

That is exactly the model NanoBuzz runs for brands across Europe: coordinated campaigns built on many small, trusted voices, with recruitment, logistics and verifiable reporting handled by one operational partner.