"The influencer marketing industry has, for far too long, relied on social metrics like follower counts, likes and engagement rates as a benchmark of success. These vanity metrics are a proxy at best, and do not provide any real indication as to which talent is right for a brand, or if a collaboration was truly successful at delivering real business objectives."

Neil Waller, chief executive of the influencer marketing agency Whalar, writing on AdAge.com about “Five ways influencer marketing will evolve in 2020.”