Brilliant has landed on the shortlist for two categories at the 2026 Global Influencer Marketing Awards, giving the agency a very public nod for influencer campaigns that were built to do more than collect likes.
The full-funnel marketing and public relations agency was shortlisted for Best Retail & eCommerce Influencer Strategy and Most Effective Campaign for ROI. Both nominations are tied to campaigns where creators were used closer to the point of purchase, not just at the awareness stage. That matters. A lot of influencer work still gets judged by views, reach, and pretty content. Brilliant is clearly trying to make the case for something more direct: did it sell?
Brilliant Gets Recognized for Influencer Campaign Results
The Global Influencer Marketing Awards, run by Hello Partner, recognize standout influencer campaigns, talent, and industry innovation. Entries are reviewed by an independent judging panel, with shortlisted campaigns moving forward to the awards ceremony. Winners for GIMA26 are scheduled to be announced on September 3, 2026, at The Londoner Hotel in London.
For Brilliant, the two shortlisted campaigns point to a bigger shift happening in influencer marketing. Brands are still using creators for storytelling, sure. But the pressure is now heavier on performance. Retail movement. Checkout traffic. Sales impact. Real return.
That is where these campaigns seem to sit.
Nex Playground Campaign Turned TikTok Content Into Retail Action
Brilliant’s shortlist placement for Best Retail & eCommerce Influencer Strategy comes from its Black Friday campaign for Nex Playground, an active-play gaming console aimed at families.
The challenge was not small. Nex Playground was competing during one of the noisiest shopping periods of the year, and it was up against major gaming attention, including the PS5. Brilliant brought in 10 parent-focused TikTok creators and centered the content around something very simple: the actual Walmart shopping trip.
Not a polished studio ad. Not a forced product pitch.
Creators showed the aisle visit, the purchase moment, and the gift reveal at home. That gave the campaign a more natural retail feel, the kind parents might actually trust while shopping under Black Friday pressure. Brilliant then boosted the creator posts that were already performing well, letting stronger organic content carry paid spend through the weekend.
According to the announcement, the campaign helped Nex Playground outsell the PS5 during the Black Friday window. That is the kind of result agencies like to frame, underline, and probably mention in every pitch deck for the next year.
United Parks & Resorts Campaign Focused on ROI, Not Just Reach
Brilliant’s second shortlist spot, Most Effective Campaign for ROI, came from its annual pass campaign for United Parks & Resorts.
Annual passes are not impulse buys for most families. People think about the price, the distance, the value, the number of visits they might actually make. So the campaign had to do more than show fun park clips. It needed to push people closer to purchase.
Brilliant built a multi-day creator trip across SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld Orlando, and Busch Gardens Tampa. The experience included custom events and VIP moments, with transportation arranged through a private plane and party bus. It sounds big because it was meant to be big. Creator trips work best when the experience feels difficult to copy.
The campaign used 32 influencers, who reportedly continued posting even after their contracted deliverables were complete. That extended the campaign’s reach without adding the same level of extra cost. The result, according to Brilliant, was more than 14 million impressions, 526 pieces of content, and millions of dollars in annual pass sales.
Why This Shortlist Matters for Influencer Marketing
There is a small but important message inside this recognition. Influencer marketing is no longer just about hiring someone with an audience and hoping the content lands.
Retail brands want proof. Tourism and entertainment brands want proof. Consumer lifestyle companies want proof. Even creators are being pulled into more measurable campaign structures, where content has to work across organic, paid, and conversion channels.
Brilliant’s shortlisted work shows how creator marketing is being pushed deeper into the sales funnel. A TikTok video can start as a casual shopping clip, then become paid media. A creator trip can begin as a brand experience, then turn into weeks of extra content. The best campaigns are becoming less neat, less one-and-done.
That is probably why these two nominations stand out.
Brilliant Expands Its Data and AI Push
The shortlist also comes during a busy period for Brilliant. The agency recently launched BASE, short for Brilliant Analytics & Strategy Engine, a proprietary platform designed to track how AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity discover and recommend brands. The platform is meant to show clients where they appear in AI-generated answers and how they may improve visibility.
That addition gives the story another layer. Influencer marketing is already being judged by sales and ROI. Now brand visibility inside AI answers is becoming part of the same conversation. Not every agency is moving there yet, but it is easy to see why they would.
Search is changing. Discovery is changing. A creator campaign may drive social proof, but AI platforms may soon shape which brands people even consider.
Brilliant’s Shortlist Signals a More Performance-Driven Creator Market
Brilliant’s two GIMA26 shortlist placements are not only awards news. They say something about where creator marketing is heading.
Campaigns still need strong content. They still need creators who know how to talk to their audience without sounding like a brand memo. But the winning work now has to connect those posts to business outcomes.
For Nex Playground, that meant retail sell-through during Black Friday. For United Parks & Resorts, it meant annual pass sales. Different products. Different buying decisions. Same pressure: prove that influencer marketing can move money, not just attention.
