In this episode of South African Tech Marketers, Pierre Cassuto, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Humanz, unpacks the realities of influencer marketing—from pricing models to scaling relationships—and why South African marketers are uniquely positioned to lead in this space. Pierre shares his global journey from Ogilvy Paris to building Humanz into an AI-powered influencer platform across six countries. His insights will change the way you think about creators, content, and the future of marketing.  Topics Discussed The unexpected journey from Ogilvy Paris to building Humanz globally Why follower counts are irrelevant—and what really drives performance The cheat sheet for calculating fair influencer payment Why South Africa has huge untapped opportunities in influencer marketing The shift from treating creators as “media buys” to building real relationships How AI is powering transparency and scale in the influencer ecosystem Predictions: how influencer marketing will split into three distinct worlds Lessons on navigating cultural differences as a global CMO SA-Tech-Marketers-Pierre-Cassut… Key Takeaways Stop paying by followers. Performance depends on engagement, not follower count. Use median engagement. Benchmark cost-per-engagement is the fairest way to price influencer work. Relationships > reach. Treat creators like partners, not billboards. Motivation and fit matter as much as competence. Big opportunity in SA. Few specialists exist today—marketers who build strong relationships will be in high demand. Creators are everywhere. Start with your customers—brand ambassadors can come from your CRM, not just celebrity deals. Global exposure is vital. Don’t get stuck as a big fish in a small pond—look outward for learning and inspiration. Perspective matters. Consumers don’t think about your brand as much as you do. Learn to see through their lens