Why are brands giving celebrities and influencers ‘real’ jobs?

Recently, brands have started giving influencers and celebrities official-sounding roles - from Olivia Neill being the ASOS Out of Office Director, Amelia Dimoldenberg becoming the General Manager of Casa del Complements for M&S summer campaign and Gemma Collins partnering with Canva as their Creative Director. At first glance, these job titles suggest authority and deeper involvement within the business. But, in reality, they’re not about granting real power but to making influence visible. 

These roles don’t suddenly place influencers inside the organisational hierarchy. They’re not suddenly in the nitty gritty of running marketing departments, setting budgets, or making long-term decisions - the authority is mostly symbolic. But that still matters, especially for people outside the industry who likely don’t realise the strategy behind creator partnerships and just how much influence these creators actually have. 

At the same time, it points to something else: a shift in how brands approach ambassador roles altogether. Framing influencers within job roles feels like a more creative, more engaging evolution of a traditional influencer partnership. Instead of just promoting a product, they’re given a narrative - something audiences can follow, rather than just scroll past. It turns the role into content in itself, to make the partnership feel less transactional and much more interesting to watch. 

From an industry perspective, it feels like a natural next step - a more creative take on what influencer marketing has already been doing behind the scenes and showing the true power of influencer collaborations. Aside from this, it also highlights how quickly the space is changing.

If anything, it’s a reminder that influencer marketing is always moving - and you never really know what’s coming next.