Alex Payne: How to Avoid Influencers Who Don’t Give a Sh*t About Your Brand
At SocialDay's Social Media Marketing Festival 2025, hosted at Phantom Peak London, we are welcoming Wes Hosie, Social & Campaigns Director at Rise At Seven, and Alex Payne, CEO & Co-Founder of The Influence Room. Both bring unique expertise and bold perspectives on the future of social media marketing, with Alex providing invaluable insights into creating authentic influencer campaigns that genuinely deliver results.
About Alex Payne
Alex Payne spent 21 years at Sky Sports, including 12 years as the lead presenter on their rugby union coverage. Alongside his television career, Alex co-hosts the world’s biggest rugby podcast, The Good, the Bad and The Rugby, and has worked with major brands such as O2, Guinness, HSBC, and Heineken at high-profile events.
His transition into the world of influencer marketing came after a less-than-ideal brand collaboration involving a box of Star Wars merchandise – a product he had no interest in. Frustrated by the inefficiencies and lack of authenticity in traditional influencer marketing, Alex co-founded The Influence Room in 2017, a platform built on real, organic brand advocacy – not fake collabs or soulless #ads.
What to Expect from Alex’s Session
Alex’s session, “How to Avoid Influencers Who Don’t Give a Sh*t About Your Brand,” is a no-nonsense masterclass in running influencer campaigns that actually deliver results.
Key areas of focus include:
The 2025 Influencer Campaign Formula – what’s working now and how to apply it.
How to spot influencers who’ll waste your budget (and the red flags no one talks about).
Why some brands get creators posting for free while others pay £20K for nothing.
How to prove ROI when your boss still thinks “viral” equals “sales.”
Key Takeaways
Attendees will leave with:
A battle-tested strategy for influencer marketing in 2025.
Practical tactics to avoid being burned by poor partnerships.
Real-world examples of campaigns that worked – and why.
Insights into building genuine, long-term creator relationships.
Alex’s Perspective on Social Media Trends
Alex sees the slow, painful demise of pay-to-play influencer marketing. Audiences are savvy – they can spot inauthenticity a mile off. The smartest brands are moving away from transactional partnerships in favour of long-term creator programmes that build real trust and engagement.
There’s also a shift towards user-generated content (UGC), not just for organic reach but as high-performing ad creative that outpaces traditional campaigns. In a world flooded with AI-generated content, brands that remain human, authentic, and community-driven will stand out.
A Social Media Success Story
Virgin Voyages’ ‘Cruise the Irresistible Med’ campaign, powered by The Influence Room, flipped the script on influencer marketing. Instead of paying influencers upfront, creators bid to be part of it. The results:
329 influencer bids, 31 creators accepted
1,181 pieces of organic content
21.1 million people reached, 52.1 million impressions
1.3 million engagements with a 1.17% engagement rate
By involving creators who genuinely cared, the content resonated deeply and kept Virgin Voyages at the centre of the conversation.
What’s Next for Social Media?
For Alex, it’s less performance, more personality. Social media users are tired of algorithm-chasing, polished but meaningless content. The brands that succeed will provide value, spark real conversations, and build communities that actually care. Influence isn’t something you buy – it’s something you earn.
Connect with Alex
Want to learn more from Alex? Follow him here:
Website: theinfluenceroom.com
LinkedIn: Alex Payne
Alex joins a lineup of leading industry professionals at SocialDay's Social Media Marketing Festival 2025, where top minds in social media marketing will share their insights and expertise.
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