Not policing but protection, says self-regulatory body

DOS AND DON’TS: Sahil Chopra, Chairman, Indian Influencer Governing Council

For many brands, influencers have become a core pillar of marketing. For consumers, an influencer’s endorsement now carries more weight than traditional advertising. The creators themselves are facing challenges — what with the AI wave, on one hand, and a rising call for authenticity and accountability on the other.

So it’s pretty timely that a self-regulatory body — the Indian Influencer Governing Council — has been set up by industry stakeholders.

Launched in February, the council has been busy. It opened three chapters — Gurugram, Mumbai and Bengaluru. It also released a ‘code of standards’ for influencers and brands to ensure authenticity in collaborations and responsible content creation. But here is the interesting twist — the IIGC has also launched standards for consumers. “As digital influence shapes purchasing decisions, it is essential for consumers to differentiate between genuine recommendations and paid promotions, recognise manipulative marketing tactics, and engage ethically in online interactions,” the standards document states.

A supportive voice

Interestingly, IIGC is more focused on protecting the rights of influencers — the idea being to bring back trust in the overall influencer marketing ecosystem.

Sahil Chopra, IIGC Chairman, who is the Co-founder and CEO of adtech platform iCubesWire, says the council comes at a time when trust in influencer marketing is getting eroded, brands are getting away scot-free with questionable partnerships, and influencers are left unprotected while consumers are sometimes misled. “Our intent is to work with stakeholders across four key pillars — creators, platforms, brands and consumers — to moderate, add value to the ecosystem and standardise practices,” he adds

He stresses that the body does not aim to police the creator ecosystem.

“We have millions of creators in the country. Many influencers do not even know the dos and don’ts. We have creators taken to task for swearwords and facing legal action. Look at the level of mental strain they undergo. In fact, that is why we have launched IIGC Protect. We have collaborated with partners — Trilegal and United We Care — to offer legal and mental health support to creators,” Chopra adds.

IIGC is also focusing on contractual relationships between brands and creators. It offers templates and best practices to ensure all partnerships are governed by clear, fair, and transparent contracts. “This aims to address one of the most common sources of disputes in the space — informal, undocumented agreements that leave both parties vulnerable,” says the standards document.

Dispute resolution

An IIGC taskforce has also been set up to help brands navigate online reputation risks proactively through real-time digital listening, sentiment analysis, and crisis mitigation. Its mediation service offers a neutral and confidential space to resolve disputes related to content, reputational concerns, and contractual issues.

The priority for IIGC now is to ensure that the codes of standards are widely implemented, and to roll out memberships to get more stakeholders on board. Also on the cards is a training and certification initiative. “It will be like an academy, not just for creators but also brands. Influencers can become IIGC certified. They will be trained on what’s wrong and right, how to sign contracts with brands to protect their rights. It will also give brands great exposure to understand which influencers they should partner with, among other aspects,” Chopra explains.

In recent times, creators as well as celebrities are under scrutiny for non-disclosure of paid partnerships. “That’s just 1 per cent of the challenges in the influencer marketing ecosystem. There has been too much bashing and negativity around this issue. The more we keep diving into the non-disclosure part, the more we are missing the bigger challenges. Let’s not overplay and exaggerate the non-disclosure issue,” Chopra insists.

IIGC has also declared December 2 as ‘World Influencer Day’. “Creators are not just content generators, but also powerful voices shaping culture, commerce, and community. We need to acknowledge the role they are playing,” sums up Chopra.

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Published on July 28, 2025