Is bigger no longer better in the APAC influencer scene?

Influencer marketing in APAC is growing up, and growing sharper. According to AnyMind’s "State of influence in APAC 2026" report, the region is moving decisively toward performance-led campaigns, with creators increasingly positioned as conversion engines rather than just awareness drivers. At the same time, audiences are demanding more transparency, more authenticity, and more utility from the people they follow.

Across markets, nano- and micro-influencers continue to dominate the creator pool. Creator-owned brands are on the rise and live commerce and affiliate-led campaigns are becoming more sophisticated. And while AI avatars and virtual influencers are gaining ground, trust and disclosure remain front-of-mind for audiences.

Don't miss: Credibility trumps clout in Singapore’s influencer landscape

Over the past three years, performance-driven campaigns have steadily increased across APAC. In 2025, established markets such as Indonesia (73.89%) and Japan (72.34%) led in performance-focused adoption, while emerging markets such as Cambodia and Hong Kong remained heavily skewed toward awareness.

The shift signals a broader recalibration: brands are no longer content with impressions alone. Creators are increasingly treated as measurable funnels, with affiliate links, TikTok Shop integrations, YouTube Shopping tags and live commerce features embedded into campaigns.

Short-form video continues to dominate discovery. Longer, niche content on platforms such as YouTube is increasingly used for monetisation and deeper product education. Meanwhile, YouTube Connected TV is blending long-form storytelling with commerce, pushing influencer content into living rooms.

Singapore: Aesthetic market, performance reality

In Singapore, the influencer landscape is defined by a strategic tension: Instagram dominates spend, but TikTok dominates engagement.

According to the report, Instagram captures 87.8% of investment, reinforcing its role in visual branding and aesthetic equity. TikTok, however, delivers the highest median engagement rates across all tiers, particularly among nano- and micro-creators.

Lifestyle and home (31.9%) and food and drink (27.6%) lead investment, underscoring Singapore’s appetite for polished, daily-life content. Fashion and beauty, despite being one of the most saturated creator verticals, commands a relatively modest 6.9% of spend.

Nano-creators on TikTok significantly outperform macro-creators across platforms, making them the conversion sweet spot. Meanwhile, XiaoHongShu is gaining traction as a high-intent review platform, forming what the report describes as a “Trio of engagement” alongside Instagram and TikTok.

The implication is clear: Instagram builds brand equity. TikTok drives measurable engagement. XiaoHongShu captures research-driven consumers. Facebook, now holding just 0.7% share, has effectively exited the influencer conversation.

Malaysia: Duopoly with a rising third force

Meanwhile, Malaysia presents a near-perfect Instagram–TikTok duopoly. Fashion and beauty dominates investment at 67.9%, reflecting a highly visual and trend-focused consumer base. TikTok commands 51.98% of fashion and beauty spend, while Instagram leads in lifestyle and home and food and drink.

Nano-influencers consistently deliver the highest engagement rates across platforms, reinforcing the value of high-volume, smaller-creator strategies over single celebrity placements.

XiaoHongShu is emerging as a specialised third pillar, particularly in Lifestyle and home, where it already captures 28.27% of spend. With brand competition still relatively low ahead of expanded shop functions, early movers may secure disproportionate share of voice.

The report recommends shifting from seasonal bursts to always-on influence engines, suggesting Malaysian consumers respond better to consistent brand presence than campaign spikes.

Indonesia: Raw beats polished

Interestingly, Indonesia is firmly a TikTok–Instagram duopoly, with TikTok accounting for 61.3% of campaign usage and Instagram 37.6%.

Entertainment (28.46%) remains the largest creator vertical, but food and drink and lifestyle and home collectively command over 70% of investment. Brands are using entertainment to capture attention, then routing performance budgets through category-relevant creators for conversion.

Nano-influencers deliver the highest median engagement across platforms, outperforming macro-creators by as much as seven times. Engagement consistently declines as follower count increases.

Perhaps the most notable shift, according to the report, is stylistic. Indonesian audiences are moving from “perfect” to “personal.” Raw, vlog-style, low-production content outperforms polished ads. A strong three-second hook is no longer optional.

Live shopping, affiliate links and TikTok Shop integrations are increasingly central to campaign architecture, reinforcing Indonesia’s position as a social commerce powerhouse.

Philippines: TikTok-first, community-led

The Philippines is decisively TikTok-first, with the platform accounting for 64.3% of campaigns. Instagram trails at 24.6%, while Facebook retains some relevance among older demographics. Entertainment (31.11%) dominates creator supply, but food and drink and fashion and beauty account for the majority of spend.

Nano-influencers are the engagement champions across platforms, particularly on TikTok and YouTube. Instagram’s median engagement trails behind, especially among micro and macro tiers.

The report advises brands to treat TikTok not merely as a discovery engine but as a full-funnel performance channel. High-volume nano campaigns are proving more efficient than single large-scale celebrity activations, particularly in niche or community-driven categories.

Thailand: The TikTok stronghold

Thailand is one of the region’s clearest TikTok-first markets, with nearly two-thirds of campaign usage concentrated on the platform. Food and drink (39.4%) and fashion and beauty (15.0%) together account for half of total spend. TikTok commands the largest budget share across these industries, confirming its dominance in both awareness and performance.

Nano-influencers deliver the highest engagement across all tiers. X maintains a notable performance edge over Facebook and YouTube, offering brands an additional engagement lever beyond the usual suspects.

The report also highlights the influence of local and blue-collar creators, whose relatability and authenticity resonate strongly with mass-market audiences.

Trust is the new performance metric

Across all markets, trust and authenticity remain the top reasons audiences follow creators, followed by utility, entertainment and aspiration. At the same time, expectations around sponsored content disclosure are rising, suggesting audiences are becoming more marketing literate, and less tolerant of blurred lines. That shift is reshaping strategy.

Furthermore, nano- and micro-influencers continue to dominate the creator pool, not simply because they are cost-efficient, but because they deliver credibility within tight-knit communities. Engagement rates consistently decline as follower counts increase, reinforcing that scale alone is no longer enough.

Platforms are also fragmenting by function. Short-form video drives discovery. Long-form content builds trust and monetisation. Social commerce tools convert attention into purchase. In this environment, creators are no longer just awareness vehicles, they are measurable conversion funnels.

Related articles: 
PH influencer economy moves beyond virality as Meltwater ranks top creators    
AI emerges as Indonesia's most powerful automotive 'influencer', study finds   
Malaysians prefer influencer-led short videos, in-game ads grab attention