Most brands are still treating influencer marketing as a binary choice: invest in brand building or chase performance. That thinking is outdated and it’s costing real revenue. A few years ago, the playbook was simple: hire a big name, get exposure, hope it converts. That era is over. Audiences are smarter, trust is harder to earn, and creators who’ve built genuine communities are becoming the most valuable media channel in the market. This session is about that shift and why brands that keep forcing the trade-off between brand and performance will keep losing to those who don’t.