Online likes and lies: The 2025 influencer marketing playbook

Fifteen years ago, the Great Indian Influencer was a perfectly coiffured, English-medium-type blogger (WordPress, usually) from south Delhi, coyly promoting a fashion or skincare product on Twitter or Facebook, in low-res lighting.

The word ‘influencer’ was relatively unknown, of course.

Fast-forward to 2025, and India has become one of the largest and most dynamic influencer economies in the world, outpacing traditional media in engagement and trust.

A recent news report says Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is significantly expanding its influencer marketing efforts, partnering with over 12,000 creators across 50-plus brands.

The explosion

The catalyst, around 2015, was a unique cocktail of Jio’s data revolution, rising vernacular content creators, and the explosive growth of direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands hungry for ROI aka return on investment.

Mamaearth, boAt, Sugar, and The Man Company were all launched around that time, and started using influencers.

Then came the pandemic-era screen-time spikes — and a nation that checks out, shops and trolls, based on what influencers/creators said. Well, somewhat.

Influencers are no longer just brand amplifiers; they are product designers, community builders, data mines, and, often, entrepreneurs. From YouTube teachers in Patna to farmers on Instagram Reels, influence now comes in every language, price range, and pin code.

Who is an ‘influencer’?

Anyone who takes money from a brand to promote a product is an ‘influencer’. And a ‘creator’ is someone who produces original content (such as short videos, known as Reels, on Instagram — the most popular platform among influencers) for brands. There isn’t much of a difference these days — it’s so easy to create a Reel. Of course, there are apples and there are oranges.

How do they make money? So, in India, influencers earn through flat fees, performance-based deals, affiliate commissions, or monthly retainers. Early-stage D2C brands often offer barter collaborations, while some creators now even take equity in startups. A 2025 trend is platform-led creator subscriptions, letting influencers monetise directly from fans.

Also, creator payouts vary by follower count and platform — nano creators may earn a few thousand, while top-tier influencers rake in lakhs per post or video. YouTube pays more than Instagram, and affiliate income can scale up fast, especially in finance. Sectors matter: fin-fluencers often out-earn lifestyle creators, due to higher conversions.

Here are a few trends.

The age of the infotainer

In 2025, the most impactful creators aren’t just promoting — they’re explaining, storytelling, provoking a sale. Brands chasing relevance and retention now value content that educates while it engages, and then sells — edutainment has officially become ROI’s favourite acronym.

The nano revolution

When it comes to return on ad spend (ROAS) and/or ROI, nano and micro-influencers (1,000 to 100,000 followers) are outperforming celebrities. Mamaearth famously scaled up its brand using everyday mom bloggers in Tier 2 cities — achieving deeper engagement than IPL prime-time slots. Nano means narrow, but also deeply trusted — and that trust converts faster than fame.

Influencing gets quantified

Brands today want more than reach — they want retention, installs, and purchases. Many, especially in e-commerce, now structure influencer deals tied to metrics like downloads, orders, lifetime value (LTV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), and so on. Influencing has entered the Excel spreadsheet era — perform or perish.

WhatsApp and Telegram: The quiet influence engine

In small-town and rural India, influence flows not through Instagram, but WhatsApp and Telegram. Yes, Telegram groups are HOT! Brands are waking up to the power of private groups, broadcast lists, and vernacular reels.

Content as remix culture

In 2025, brands don’t just want posts — they want participation. Netflix India’s influencer collabs are often re-cut, meme-ified, and remixed into entirely new formats. What was once called UGC (user-generated content) has evolved into UGR or user-generated remix. Meme-ability is the new metric.

Strategic influencer intelligence

Creators are now being used as informal R&D labs. One major beauty brand shelved a product after Tier 2 influencers flagged that the shades didn’t suit brown skin. Insights from influencers are helping brands course-correct before launch day. Their value isn’t just in amplifying — but also in alerting.

Purpose-driven creators

The Good Glamm Group’s campaign on menstruation taboos (May 2024) used regional influencers to blend content with commerce — social impact as a storytelling vehicle. Brands are realising that creators can unlock cause-based engagement far more effectively than vanilla CSR reports. The influencer isn’t just a megaphone, but also a mission carrier.

Rise of synthetic influencers

Virtual influencers have entered Indian marketing, led by AI-generated Kyra, who’s bagged collabs with boAt and Amazon, among others. In India, brands are testing synthetic influencers — but consumers still prefer emotional over artificial authenticity.

The rawfluencer rises

Over-filtered, over-curated perfection is out. After global backlash against scripted “day-in-the-life” videos, creators are leaning into imperfection. In India, creators like Kusha Kapila and Dolly Singh are openly discussing burnout, rejection, and reality. The future belongs to the rawfluencer — unfiltered, vulnerable, and real.

Finally. The influencer/ creator economy has disrupted traditional marketing, turned it on its head. It’s also been a boon to young people, and that’s a good thing. However, you — as a brand owner or manager — need to get your priorities right and tick the boxes, starting with quality. And keep an eye on the bean counter. Good luck.

(Shubho Sengupta is a digital marketer with an analogue past)

More Like This

Published on July 14, 2025