Digital marketing trends food and beverage brands cannot ignore in 2026
The specific 2026 digital marketing trends most relevant to food and beverage brands, prioritised for visual discovery and retail media coordination.
5 min read
AI's influence on influencer marketing spans two genuinely distinct developments: the emergence of fully AI-generated virtual influencers as a content format, and the more widespread, practical use of AI-assisted tools for finding and vetting genuine human influencer partners.
Virtual influencers: a genuine but niche format
Fully AI-generated virtual influencers have found genuine traction in specific categories, particularly where a fully controllable, consistent brand persona is valuable — but this remains a relatively niche format compared to genuine human influencer partnerships for most businesses.
AI-assisted influencer discovery and vetting
- Identifying relevant influencers based on genuine audience overlap and engagement patterns.
- Detecting fake or purchased followers and engagement, covered further in our influencer fraud and vetting guide.
- Predicting likely campaign performance based on historical partnership data.
The most immediately valuable AI application in influencer marketing is not the flashy virtual influencer format — it is the quiet, practical work of catching fake engagement before you pay for it.
Genuine risks worth taking seriously
Virtual influencer content and AI-assisted matching both raise disclosure and authenticity questions — audiences increasingly expect transparency about whether content is genuinely human-created, and blurring this line risks real trust damage if discovered.
A practical approach for most businesses
Use AI-assisted vetting tools to improve genuine human influencer partnership quality, reserve virtual influencer investment for specific, well-considered use cases rather than a default choice, and maintain clear, honest disclosure practices throughout.
Frequently asked questions
Do virtual influencers perform as well as human ones?
Performance varies significantly by category and audience — some categories have seen genuine success, while many audiences still respond more strongly to authentic human creators.
How reliable are AI-assisted follower fraud detection tools?
Reasonably reliable for catching obvious fraud patterns, though sophisticated fake engagement can still evade detection — combining AI tools with some manual review remains the more thorough approach.
Should virtual influencer content be disclosed as AI-generated?
Increasingly yes, given growing platform and regulatory expectations around AI content disclosure, and given the trust risk of audiences discovering non-disclosure independently.
If you want help navigating AI's role in your influencer marketing strategy, talk to our team.
The takeaway
Use AI-assisted vetting tools specifically to check for fake or purchased followers before any partnership — this remains one of the highest-value, lowest-risk applications of AI in influencer marketing currently available.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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