India's creator economy has rapidly transformed into a powerful engine for digital advertising and commerce, with influencer marketing emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments of the media industry.
Valued at over Rs 3,600 crore in 2025, the influencer marketing industry is projected to surpass Rs 5,500 crore by 2027, driven by rising social media consumption, creator-led commerce, and increasing brand investments across sectors.
As businesses shift marketing budgets from traditional advertising to creator-led campaigns, influencers are playing an increasingly important role in shaping consumer behaviour, building brand trust and driving sales.
Brand Communion, at its flagship event Convergence 2026, held a panel discussion on ‘Creators Economy: How it is empowering the Indian Economy’.
Moderated by Yash Bhatia, Consulting Editor, BrandCommunion, the panel featured Tanya Singh, Lifestyle Influencer & Communications Strategist; Sayantani Mandal, Co-founder, What's Up Wellness; Mrinalani Teotia, Brand Strategist; Surbhi Arora, Client Strategy and Growth Leader at KlugKlug; and Ankit Madaan, Co-founder & CEO, CollabX Entertainment.
The discussion explored how brands are changing their approach to creator partnerships, why audience quality matters more than follower count, and how creators can contribute beyond content creation.
Sharing the evolution of What's Up Wellness' creator strategy, Sayantani Mandal said the company has moved from barter collaborations to data-driven partnerships as the business scaled.
"When we appeared on Shark Tank India Season 2, we were doing around Rs 30 lakh in monthly revenue and couldn't meaningfully invest in creator marketing. Today, with monthly revenue of around Rs 4.5 crore, our approach is far more strategic," she said.
Mandal explained that while performance metrics such as cost per view (CPV), engagement and past campaign performance remain important, the first filter is audience relevance.
"We don't work with creators whose audiences primarily look for discounts because ours isn't a discount-led brand. We prefer creators who are trusted for health advice, gut wellness and fitness journeys, where our products naturally fit into the conversation," she said, adding that while some collaborations are aimed at awareness, most are expected to drive measurable business outcomes.
Offering the perspective of influencer management, Ankit Madaan said campaign objectives vary significantly across industries.
"When brands partner with large creators like Ashish Chanchlani or Triggered Insaan, expectations differ from brand to brand,” he highlighted.
“D2C companies usually focus on performance marketing and conversions, while technology companies that have raised capital often prioritise downloads and large-scale awareness," he said.
Surbhi Arora challenged the notion that audience overlap among creators is always an advantage, arguing that it depends entirely on campaign objectives.
"If an established FMCG brand wants to reinforce recall, repeated exposure from creators with overlapping audiences can actually strengthen the message. But if a new D2C brand is entering the market, unique reach becomes more valuable," she said.
She added that brands should map creators according to their role in the marketing funnel, with mega creators driving reach while nano creators build trust and credibility.
"There are no bad influencers, only bad strategies," Arora stated.
Addressing the challenge of identifying the right creators in an increasingly crowded ecosystem, brand strategist Mrinalani Teotia said relatability is driven less by scale and more by authenticity.
"Smaller creators often maintain stronger two-way communication with their communities, making them highly valuable. Relatability has little to do with wealth or popularity; it comes from shared values, emotions and beliefs," she said.
Teotia also argued that brands should prioritise creators who actively engage with their audiences, as these creators are better positioned to provide meaningful consumer insights.
Lifestyle influencer Tanya Singh distinguished followers and fans, saying brands must evaluate creators based on influence rather than audience size alone.
"Followers consume your content, but fans believe in you. They're the ones who are more likely to purchase what you recommend. Brands need to understand that difference if they want to measure both business ROI and awareness effectively," she said.
The conversation also explored whether creators can contribute beyond promotional campaigns.
Teotia said creators can play a meaningful role in product development, provided they possess subject-matter expertise and a deep understanding of their communities.
"Not every creator is suited for product development just because they have millions of followers. They need domain intelligence and an understanding of what their audience is asking for. That consumer intelligence can help brands build better products," she said.
The panel concluded that as India's creator economy matures, brands are increasingly moving beyond vanity metrics to prioritise audience trust, strategic alignment and measurable business outcomes.
