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posted on Mar. 21, 2025 at 9:30 amMar 20, 2025

Influencers in 2025: Building trust in a digital world

posted on Mar. 21, 2025 at 9:30 amMar 20, 2025

MMA MENA's Melis Ertem explains why the responsibility to uphold authenticity and trust falls to brands and influencers themselves in a world where traditional fact-checking mechanisms are no longer in place.

Melis Ertem, CEO of MMA MEA on influencers and trust

Melis Ertem, CEO of MMA MEA

The role of influencers in marketing has evolved dramatically over the past decade, but in 2025, one factor is set to dominate the industry: Trust.

Against the backdrop of Mark Zuckerberg’s latest decision to remove fact-checkers across Meta-owned platforms, the conversation around authenticity, misinformation, and brand credibility has never been more critical.

For brands and influencers alike, cutting through the noise in this new era means prioritizing transparency, ethical storytelling, and genuine connections with audiences.
The shifting landscape of influencer marketing
With digital platforms constantly evolving, the influencer space is more crowded than ever. Influencers range f

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Tags:Afşın Avcı authenticity brands community-driven engagement Inflow Network influencer campaigns Inﬂuencer marketing Influencer Marketing Committee influencers Melis Ertem MMA MENA transparency trust values

the authorAnup Oommen

Anup Oommen is the Editor of Campaign Middle East at Motivate Media Group, a well-reputed moderator, and a multiple award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience at some of the most reputable and credible global news organisations, including Reuters, CNN, and Motivate Media Group. As the Editor of Campaign Middle East, Anup heads market-leading coverage of advertising, media, marketing, PR, events and experiential, digital, the wider creative industries, and more, through the brand’s digital, print, events, directories, podcast and video verticals. As such he’s a key stakeholder in the Campaign Global brand, the world’s leading authority for the advertising, marketing and media industries, which was first published in the UK in 1968.