For decades, brands relied on celebrity endorsements as the fastest route to establishing credibility. But for Gen Z, that formula is failing as they are turning away from famous faces, choosing instead to trust creators who feel familiar and accessible. This shift is no longer just a passing trend—it is forcing companies to fundamentally reconsider their brand partnerships, a reality reflected in nearly every recent study of the generation’s spending habits.
The trust gap is big and getting bigger.
The numbers differ from study to study, but they all point the same way. Gen Z consumers are about twice as likely to trust a brand that partners with creators they already follow than one that relies on celebrity endorsements. Some research puts the gap even higher, with Gen Z more than three times as likely to trust a product recommendation from a micro-influencer than from a celebrity.
A 2026 study found less than a quarter of younger consumers believe celebrity promotions are true, compared to nearly two-thirds who trust recommendations from creators in their own community.
Bigger is no longer better
What’s interesting here is that Gen Z isn’t just replacing one kind of famous person with another; trust is shifting specifically toward smaller accounts. Trust in online creators has surged since 2022, however, with that trust moving away from the biggest names and toward smaller, niche voices.
Majorities of both Gen Z and Millennials now say they trust smaller creators more than mega-influencers. Another report attributes it to fatigue: viewers say they are tired of seeing the same big names attached to every campaign, which pushes brands toward less obvious, more niche partnerships.
Authenticity is doing the heavy work
When exploring why Generation Z favours content creators over traditional celebrities, the justification typically centres on authenticity rather than audience reach. Many individuals in this group find raw, authentic content to be far more impactful than highly produced advertisements. They express a clear preference for seeing how products fit naturally into everyday routines over standard sales pitches. Corporations established by creator-founders, Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee serves as a prominent case study, deliberately prioritise mutual relatability and community development over the manufactured sophistication of conventional celebrity branding.
It’s not unconditional; reviews still beat out influencers
But the trend is not a free-for-all for any creator. And a 2026 credibility study found that Gen Z actually trusts customer reviews and independent research more than influencer-driven brand messaging. While a majority of Gen Z said influencer content impacts how they perceive a brand’s credibility, even more named customer reviews as their number one trust signal.
The lesson isn’t that celebrities lost, and creators won, outright. It’s that Gen Z’s trust hierarchy got more layered. Real people (creators, reviewers, and other customers) consistently beat anything that looks like a paid, top-down campaign.
Like this story? get the next one in your inbox.
What this means for brands
You can see the practical change already in where marketing dollars are spent. Spend is moving from mega-influencers to micro- and nano-creators with smaller, tight-knit, often local audiences, based on the reasoning that a smaller, more connected following converts better than a huge but distant one.
The data poses a tough question for brands still relying on celebrity faces: does the campaign look like advertising, or does it look like something a friend would actually send you? For Gen Z, that distinction is often the whole decision.
