81% in a Dentsu survey favor relatable creators over celebrities. Who answered?

Dentsu Creative asked 1,950 marketing leaders in 14 countries, and 81% said relatable creators perform better than celebrities. MADTimes reported the findings. But look at who answered and what they were asked, and this 81% doesn't promise small creators a bigger share.

What question does Dentsu's 81% answer?

The 81% answers a question asking whether authentic, relatable creators perform better than celebrities. The survey appears in Dentsu Creative's 'Making it Real' 2026 Global CMO (chief marketing officer) Report. It was conducted in April 2026 among 1,950 marketing leaders in 14 countries.

In the report, this item is labeled 'small creators.' But the question itself asked about authentic, relatable creators, and nano creators (creators with very small audiences) were only given as an example. The report also includes the view that a group of these creators can help brands show up in AI-generated answers.

The report's overall direction is worth a look too. According to MADTimes, it sums up this year's changes in marketing in 10 points. One is that getting real results is starting to matter more than how fast a company adopts AI. Another is that as automation spreads, brand distinctiveness, human creativity, creators and communities, and offline experiences become more valuable.

Does the APAC 87% include Korean marketers?

It doesn't. On the same question, Asia-Pacific (APAC) respondents came in even higher at 87%, but that number comes from marketers in Australia, China, and India.

Korea isn't one of the 14 countries surveyed at all. So it's hard to read the 87% as what Korean marketers think.

Does the 81% measure actual performance?

No. The 81% doesn't measure actual performance. It comes from a survey asking marketing leaders whether they believe it. You can see this by comparing Dentsu Creative's press release with the news coverage.

Every company that responded also has 50 or more employees. One-person brands, run by a single owner, aren't part of this survey.

How did the same APAC marketers view AI influencers?

Among Asia-Pacific respondents, 59% said they would look at AI influencers and AI customer service agents first. They named these as priorities for 2026 through 2027.

In the same Asia-Pacific responses, 57% named creator and influencer collaborations as a priority. Side by side, the two numbers show creator collaborations and AI both on the priority list.

Can the 81% alone guarantee a place for small creators?

Not really. The 59% who named AI influencers and AI customer service agents as priorities are the same Asia-Pacific marketers behind the 87% who said authentic, relatable creators are better.

So the same marketers think highly of relatable creators but are looking at AI first. That means the 81% figure alone doesn't show that small creators' share will grow. When you cite this number, it's more accurate to also say who answered and what they were asked.

Key takeaways

• Read the 81% as a survey of what marketing leaders think, not a measure of performance.
• Korea isn't one of the 14 countries surveyed, so don't treat the APAC 87% as a figure for the Korean market.
• Remember that every company that responded has 50 or more employees, so the survey doesn't cover one-person brands.
• When citing this number, also note that 59% of the same Asia-Pacific respondents named AI influencers and AI customer service agents as priorities.