Influencer marketing a significant driver for India, as industry touches ₹3,600 crores in 2024: Report- The Week

Do you also scroll through your social media feeds—be it Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube—and find them filled with influencer videos? You shouldn’t be surprised. 

As social media and video streaming has gained traction, influencers have become the go-to choice for brands to increasingly leverage them into their core marketing strategies and influence buyer behaviour. 

The rapidly growing influencer marketing industry has touched ₹3,600 crore in 2024, and is set to grow by 25 per cent this year, according to a study by WPP Media’s influencer and content marketing solutions company, The Goat Agency, and marketing data analytics platform Kantar.

“We are witnessing the evolution of influence from a marketing channel to a cultural force. Today’s consumers aren’t just buying products, but they are buying into stories, communities, and creators they trust,” pointed out Ashwin Padmanabhan, chief operating officer at WPP Media South Asia.

According to the report, nearly all the surveyed brands cited influencer marketing as either a “strategic or top-priority lever”. Also, the number of followers that they have no longer matter. 

One of the major shifts that the report cited is that for brands, especially in manufacturing, content quality and creator relevance is key. Almost 85 per cent of brands now prioritise content quality when selecting influencers, it pointed. Also, 72 per cent now prefer long-term influencer partnerships. 

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Niche micro-influencers are gaining traction across high-consideration categories such as automotive and consumer durables, with 85 per cent of marketers in these verticals planning increased investments.

Notably, 70 per cent of brands cited trust and credibility as the top reasons to engage with influencers, affirming the growing role of authentic, insight-driven storytelling in today’s marketing landscape.

“Brands are evolving their approach, moving from vanity metrics to meaningful engagement and long-term partnerships rooted in trust. As consumers become more discerning, the role of influencers in shaping perceptions, guiding discovery, and driving action has never been more critical,” noted Puneet Avasthi, director – specialist businesses, Insights Division at Kantar.

For brands, the increasing reliance on influencers to drive consumer behaviour is also not surprising, given that a lot of time we now spend on our smartphones is on social media, and creators influence the purchase funnel significantly. 

The study also declares that over two-thirds of Indian users turned to influencers for product discovery, information and action in 2024.

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