Why brands in Malaysia are gravitating towards micro-influencers

Brands in Malaysia are ditching inauthentic sales pitches to focus on building trust and attracting the attention of social media users. According to Dentsu’s 2025 APAC Ad Spend report, paid social media efforts in Malaysia are getting smarter, with brands partnering up with niche micro-influencers. Part of this includes the cultivation of strong online communities by encouraging user engagement and interactive content. 

Micro influencers may have a social media presence of as little as a few thousand followers and typically have niche focuses. They could be an illustrator who shares the work process of their art, a camper who shares their outdoor trips, or a food reviewer who focuses on matcha products.

These influencers have a loyal following within specific communities, which can generate more genuine and trusted connections. Hence, their recommendations can be perceived as more trustworthy, compared to a celebrity with millions of followers. When these creators promote a restaurant's new seasonal menu, a drone company's new gear, or a small business' organic deodarant, brands are able to tap into quality authentic connections, instead of focusing on the quantity of impressions made.

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The cost-effectiveness of micro-influencers 

In conversations with A+M, three agency leads shared a common view on why brands might be increasingly keen to engage micro influencers, and that is — cost.

Jin Lim, founder of social media agency Aspect Ratio Studios, better known as Jinnyboy online, said it costs a lot more to hire a well-known celebrity or key opinion leader (KOL), as compared to hiring a micro influencer.

“While numbers do not discount the work of any influencer, be it micro or macro, a micro influencer might have a good compelling story to tell with high production value, even if it doesn’t get the ‘expected’ reach," said Lim. 

“In our experience, we have had clients work with micro influencers who took lead in creating a great asset for their campaign, which was then repurposed by the client as an ad buy,” he added. 
 
Based on most of the campaigns which Aspect Ratio Studio has taken on, Lim said that overall, micro influencers are considered to be a strategy. “We would usually choose the right celebrity or KOL to be the face or ambassador of a product, and use micro influencers to sustain noise or support the campaign even further.”

Meanwhile, Nizwani Shahar, chief executive officer of Havas Malaysia, said micro influencers can naturally bring to the table several qualities that Malaysian brands are increasingly prioritising authenticity, relevance and community engagement.

Unlike traditional influencers or celebrities who cater to a mass audience, micro influencers cultivate highly engaged, niche communities built on trust and shared interests.

“From a cost-effectiveness standpoint, brands can work with multiple micro influencers to drive diverse yet targeted reach, rather than relying on a single high-profile figure," she added.

Leaning into authenticity 

As followers of such creators observe them as peers rather aspirational figures, their endorsements feel more like trusted recommendations than paid promotions, Nizawani explained. 

"Micro influencers succeed where traditional advertising often struggles. They create genuine conversations," she said. “Their content is also often more organic, less scripted, and designed to seamlessly integrate with their followers’ everyday lives, fostering a sense of relatability that large-scale influencers or celebrities may lack."

This dynamic makes micro influencers a powerful tool for brands looking to drive word-of-mouth, community engagement, and deeper consumer relationships. 

On a similar note, Lina Esa, co-founder of creator-matching platform Cult Creative, said micro influencers may not be as popular as macro influencers, but they have taken the time to cultivate their own communities and perfect their craft.

“Some of them would have distinct styles, such as bold and unconventional narratives, where their content directions can lead to fresh, creative approaches that break away from traditional marketing styles. This can appeal to a brand’s desire for innovation,” added Lina. 

“Plus, you don’t need to do this all with your in-house team, the micro influencers do the heavy lifting for you," she said. Lina also added that the old “boardroom” ideas of what campaigns should be, such as having a very strict or firm direction, may become obsolete soon. She added that Cult Creative had also experienced instances where a creator who went off-brief with a campaign, went the most viral.

Lina said: 

There’s a rising notion of purely having a campaign ‘direction’ and letting the micro influencers lead with what they know works best for their audience. So, the best way is to place trust in them.

The future of this strategy

However, Lina also explained that brands might find it hard to manage several micro influencers at one time, as it could eat into their timelines and cause deadlines to slip.

“Some may not have the requisite amount of experience needed in communicating with a client, so miscommunications or misalignments may happen. Additionally, some may not deliver what was promised or what was required in the brief such as deliverables, certain calls to action," she added. 

In a sense, managing multiple micro influencers will require brands to invest more time in vetting, briefing and monitoring content to ensure the content is in alignment with their brand identity.

Meanwhile, Lim said that most micro influencers were not full-time, leading to a slower turnaround of work. Nonetheless, brands could leverage on the opportunity of growing with the micro influencers they work with, as they are bound to grow into macro-influencers or self-made celebrities in the future.

“There is so much new content produced each day by the everyday people. So, it's up to brands or agencies to spot the right talent to work with and grow with them. We've worked with talents who started with 5K followers for over three years, and later exploded to 7M followers on TikTok," he added. 

On the other hand, Nizwani said micro influencers will continue to shape the future of Malaysia’s digital marketing scene, and their role would evolve beyond just brand awareness, deeper brand-building, and commerce.

She also shared that the evolution of their role in the coming one to three years, will be defined by three key trends: the rise of social commerce on platforms such as TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping, more AI-driven personalisation to match the right micro influencers based on data and analytics, and a greater shift towards long-term partnerships between brands and content creators. 

She added:

As digital behaviour’s shift, micro influencers will no longer just be amplifiers of brand messages. They’ll be central to shaping consumer culture, driving engagement, and ultimately, influencing commerce.

Join us this coming 21 May for #Content360, an extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging the norm; Conquering Media Fragmentation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!   

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