The growing influence of creators and influencers in Nigeria’s marketing ecosystem has created a new challenge for brands, which is how to determine what influence is actually worth.

Afanide Uwem, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of All Seasons Zenith Nigeria, has called for greater transparency, accountability and standardisation in the pricing of influencer marketing, arguing that the sector has matured faster than its valuation system.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Uwem observed that creator and influencer marketing has moved from an experimental communications tactic to a major component of brand investment, driven largely by the growing trust consumers place in people and personalities.

He, however, noted that despite increased professionalism, larger budgets and more sophisticated campaigns, pricing remains largely uncertain, with follower counts often serving as the primary basis for determining what creators charge.

According to Uwem, audience size alone does not necessarily translate into business value. He pointed out that a creator with 20,000 highly engaged followers could generate stronger commercial results than another with 500,000 followers, while influencers with similar audience sizes can demand significantly different fees for comparable deliverables.

The All Seasons Zenith chief executive also questioned the practice of approving multimillion naira influencer budgets without an accepted industry benchmark for valuation.

Uwem argued that the sector should begin moving beyond the question of how many followers a creator has to a more commercially relevant consideration: what business outcome the creator can deliver.

For him, influence should be assessed by its ability to generate awareness, consideration, sales and growth rather than being reduced to audience numbers.

He consequently identified four areas he believes require greater attention as Nigeria’s creator economy expands: transparent pricing, independent verification of audience and engagement data, stronger emphasis on business outcomes and industry benchmarks that can help brands and creators establish fair value.

Uwem further maintained that the next stage of growth in influencer marketing would depend less on the pursuit of bigger audiences and more on accountability, transparency and measurable results.

His position places the pricing question at the centre of the industry’s next phase, as brands increasingly seek evidence that their creator investments are translating into tangible commercial outcomes.