Rahul Titus is the Global Head of Influence at Ogilvy, leading the world’s largest and most successful influencer marketing team. Under his leadership, Ogilvy has become the leading and most awarded influencer marketing agency over the past six years. Titus also heads top influencer teams within WPP Open X for over 200 brands across 195 countries, including services for The Coca-Cola Company.
In anticipation of his visit to Sarajevo and his lecture at the 12th Branding Conference, organized by Via Media and set to take place on November 15th in the Mirza Delibašić Hall, we spoke with Titus about the events that shaped the industry, the major challenges he faces, and his predictions for the future.
As a pioneer in this field, can you share your experiences on how influencer marketing has evolved and the key moments that shaped the industry?
I am very proud to have been a part of the creator economy since its beginnings, when influencers were referred to as bloggers and vloggers. It’s incredible to see how quickly things have evolved. What I love about my job is that industry changes happen so fast, and you constantly have to be on your toes. The key moment in the democratization of content came when TikTok took over the market— for the first time, follower count no longer mattered. Quality content once again became the only truly important metric, and this remains true today.
How do you balance working with influencers of different profiles, from celebrities to micro-influencers?
At Ogilvy, we believe there is a time and place for celebrities just as much as there is for micro-influencers. Each brings a unique perspective, audience, engagement level, and most importantly, impacts the campaign in different ways. There is no one-size-fits-all model in creator marketing, and it’s crucial that brands invest the time to align strategic decisions with their goals. Generally, celebrities bring massive reach, while micro-influencers achieve better engagement with hyper-personalized content. However, these rules aren’t fixed, especially in the context of TikTok.
What role do technology and artificial intelligence play in developing influencer marketing strategies?
As an industry, we have two choices – either fight AI or work with it. At Ogilvy, we have chosen to embrace AI and all its advantages to ensure higher-quality influencer marketing for our clients. AI is already integrated into our infrastructure through Influence O, Ogilvy’s CMS for influencer marketing, enabling our teams to be faster and more efficient and freeing up time to focus on tasks AI still cannot perform, such as creative work or contract negotiations. We are also witnessing AI entering the creator world through virtual influencers or digital twins, but we approach this process cautiously.
What are the biggest ethical challenges you face in influencer marketing?
The fundamental principles that haven’t changed over the past 14 years, since influencer marketing became a standalone discipline, are trust and authenticity. People trust other people more than brands. This is the core reason why marketers use influencer marketing, and if influencers lose their audience’s trust, the entire industry could be jeopardized. Ethics is becoming increasingly important due to the rapid industry growth and AI advancements; thus, balance is key to maintaining and enhancing trust and authenticity.
Given the pace of development in social media and digital culture, how do you think influencer marketing will change in the coming years?
With 80% of brands planning to increase investment in the creator economy, 2025 will be another excellent year. We have already seen the growth of influencer marketing in wellness and B2B sectors in recent years. In the future, I predict AI will play a larger role in automating infrastructure and impact content and how it’s presented on social media. We will also see influencer marketing grow as a key channel in areas like government communication and sports marketing. In 2025, mere social media presence won’t be enough – it will be necessary to create culture, not just follow trends, and creators will be key for brands to succeed in this mission.
The new edition of the Branding Conference takes place under the slogan Brand New Humanity, and Rahul Titus will speak about the evolution and future of influencer marketing. Other speakers include Hugo Faustino, the digital strategist behind campaigns for Netflix and Nike; Igor Mladinović, co-founder of the region’s first agency dedicated exclusively to socially responsible campaigns; Riccardo Fregoso, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Creative Italy; and Kremena Yordanova, marketing strategist behind campaigns for Adidas and Reebok.
Tickets for this event, which addresses the future of advertising and the creative industry, are available until November 14 at www.branding.ba.
