Shahir Muneer, Founder and Director, DIVO (a Warner Company),emphasises that brands must use influencer marketing and AI strategically to build long-term relevance, not just chase short-term ROI
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In a recent LinkedIn post, he reflects on a simple but powerful truth: everyone knows Coca-Cola, yet the brand still spends billions on advertising each year — and that contradiction, he argues, is the point.
At a time when marketing is increasingly driven by performance metrics, dashboards and instant ROI, the world’s most enduring brands continue to invest in something far less immediate: long-term relevance. Over the past decade, digital-first brands have operated in ecosystems built for speed and optimisation, where sales-led campaigns and bottom-funnel efficiency became the norm. Influencer marketing followed a similar path, emerging as a largely execution-focused channel, often used for short bursts of visibility and quick conversions.
But something shifted.
When senior leadership started stepping into influencer and creator conversations,not for scale, but for brand moments,it became clear that this channel was no longer just tactical. It had become strategic. Influencer marketing, like advertising before it, was being redefined as a core brand function.
This is where many brands still get it wrong.
Performance Without Brand Has a Ceiling
Algorithms are powerful, but they are not magic. They can amplify demand, not create it. Without memory, recall, and emotional connection, performance-led campaigns inevitably plateau. You may win efficiency in the short term, but you lose cultural presence in the long run.
This is why nano and micro creators work brilliantly for specific objectives—but macro creators, celebrities, and cultural icons still matter. They drive scale, recall, and top-funnel awareness in ways that no dashboard alone can measure. Much like Coke’s global campaigns, they shape how a brand is remembered, not just clicked.
The AI Parallel
The same tension now plays out with AI in advertising.
AI can generate content faster, cheaper, and at unprecedented scale. Used carelessly, it becomes just another shortcut,optimising output without strengthening identity. Used strategically, however, AI can enhance storytelling, sharpen insights, and free creative teams to focus on what truly matters: meaning.
The question brands must now ask is not can we use AI, creators, or performance marketing,but why.
Brand and Performance Are Not Opposites
The most resilient brands understand this balance. Branding fuels performance. Performance sustains branding. One without the other is incomplete.
In a market flooded with content, sameness is the biggest risk. Brand equity is what allows a company to stand out when algorithms change, costs rise, and attention fragments. It’s what carries trust across generations, platforms, and formats.
The Long View
Coke doesn’t advertise because people don’t know it. It advertises so people never forget it.
That mindset is what today’s brands must rediscover. Whether it’s influencer marketing, AI-driven creativity, or digital media buying, the goal isn’t just efficiency—it’s endurance.
Because in the end, brands that only chase sales may grow fast.
Brands that invest in relevance last longer.And longevity, not virality, is the real competitive advantage.