For the last few years, Indian marketing strategies have revolved around one idea: “The country’s next wave of growth lies beyond the metros”—we have heard a lot of market leaders, industry experts and reports constantly repeat that statement. Brands across categories—from beauty and FMCG to auto, travel and financial services—are expanding their focus and reach in Tier-II and Tier-III markets, aided by growing Internet access, digital payments and social media consumption that influence discovery and purchase. And eventually, the creator economy also mirrored the expansion. Regional creators today command loyal communities. Their follower base is built around local language, local culture and nuances, and everyday experiences that offer brands a way to speak with greater relevance than national campaigns. In a way, regional creators are no longer viewed as an experimental channel. For many marketers, they have become an important part of customer acquisition and commerce.
But that’s not the truth in entirety. One finding from the latest ISB–HashFame report raises an uncomfortable question. According to the report, 66 per cent of India’s creators now come from non-metro markets, with more than 4,08,000 participating in brand collaborations. Yet most undertake only one paid campaign annually. But, if regional creators have become central to brand conversations around India, why hasn’t that translated into repeat collaborations and more sustainable monetisation?
The answers are far from straightforward. Conversations with agencies and marketers suggest that while there is broad agreement on the value of regional creators, there is far less consensus on whether the ecosystem has matured enough to support long-term partnerships. But to comprehend that, we need to delve deeper into what regional creators mean for brands in today’s marketing landscape.
The role of regional creators has evolved alongside changes in consumer behaviour. They are not simply a means to expand reach in smaller markets or communicate in local languages. Digital commerce, social platforms and creator-led discovery are now intertwined. Marketers look at regional creators as partners who can influence consumers across multiple stages of the purchase journey.
“Consumers discover products through creators, research reviews, engage with content, purchase online or offline, create their own content and influence the next set of consumers. Regional creators contribute across every stage of that journey, not just awareness,” says Shalini Kochar, AVP - Brand Marketing, Swiss Beauty.
With short-term support like influencing purchase decisions, marketers are also looking for creators who can build credibility within communities. For categories such as travel, the value of regional creators lies as much in cultural understanding as in audience size. Marketing messages often need to reflect local aspirations, travel preferences and behavioural nuances, something that national campaigns cannot always capture.
“It’s not about simply translating a website into a local language. It’s about creating relevant messaging and context that resonates with consumers in a specific market, and that’s where regional creators make the biggest difference,” says Manmeet Ahluwalia, CMO, EaseMyTrip.
Some brands have already begun reflecting this approach in their media allocations. Rather than treating regional creators as campaign-specific additions, they have made them a recurring part of creator marketing budgets. “At any given point in time, around 15 per cent of our monthly spends go towards regional creators. The decision is showing good engagement, stronger recall and website traffic, which our teams are able to monetise,” says Nimish Agarwal, Director - Digital Business Unit & CMO, Niva Bupa Health Insurance.
But then, with the strong, clear benefits of regional creators, understanding why there is a significant gap found in creator participation and sustainable monetisation becomes crucial. If brands acknowledge their strategic value, why do so many regional creators still struggle to secure repeat collaborations?
The reasons are more structural than financial. Conversations with agencies point to three broad challenges: the way brands plan creator partnerships, the systems used to evaluate regional creators, and the operational maturity of the creator ecosystem itself.
According to Raj Mishra, MD & CEO, Chtrbox, the industry’s rapid expansion has not been matched by equally robust systems. While the pool of non-metro creators has diversified significantly over the past few years, brands continue to approach many of them as campaign-specific collaborators rather than long-term partners.
Regional creators are often brought in for festive campaigns, market-specific activations or regional pushes before the relationship comes to an end. “The gap isn’t a lack of talent or engagement; it’s a lack of continuity in how brands plan their creator investments,” explains Mishra.
Metro creators already fit comfortably within established agency and brand workflows. They are benchmarked, have years of campaign history and are easier to evaluate against predefined metrics. “Tier-II and Tier-III creators often don’t have that same infrastructure of measurement wrapped around them,” Mishra notes.
Jag Chima, Co-founder, IPLIX Media, argues that this creates a confidence gap rather than a capability gap. Marketing teams know what outcomes to expect from creators they have worked with repeatedly. “The hesitation is really around confidence and familiarity. Marketing teams have years of historical performance data with established creators. They know what results to expect. Regional creators are newer to many brand teams,” making it harder for marketers to justify always-on investments.
Chima says influencer marketing has traditionally rewarded reach and scale, naturally favouring metro creators with larger audiences and longer track records. As brands begin placing greater weight on engagement quality, community trust and cultural relevance, he expects regional creators to secure a larger share of long-term partenerships in the future.
The third challenge is equally significant. Many emerging creators are still developing the business side of content creation, from campaign planning and reporting to client servicing and long-term account management. While those capabilities are improving, agencies say professionalising creators will be just as important as helping brands discover them. Until both sides evolve together, participation is likely to continue outpacing sustainable monetisation.
When it comes to the resolution, agencies believe measurement needs to evolve as well. Rather than relying primarily on follower counts or historical campaign performance, brands will need to place greater emphasis on engagement quality, community trust, cultural relevance and business outcomes while evaluating regional creators. The industry’s commercial models may also need to update. Rather than relying solely on campaign fees, some brands are experimenting with hybrid compensation structures that combine fixed payments with performance-linked incentives, allowing creators to build more predictable income streams while brands continue measuring long-term business outcomes.
Ahluwalia, argues that brands are already adapting their creator partnerships in regional markets. While campaigns are still evolving, Easemytrip combines fixed fees with performance-linked incentives, such as customised coupon codes, ensuring creators are compensated even as brands continue measuring business outcomes. In his view, such hybrid models can help sustain regional creators while the market matures.
Whether these practices become the industry norm remains to be seen. What the ISB–HashFame report does highlight is a widening disconnect between the industry’s dependence on regional creators and the economic opportunities available to them.
Brands have been quick to leverage the cultural relevance and influence of regional creators to deepen their presence in Bharat. But as they become more central to India’s marketing ambitions, the industry’s next challenge will be to ensure they are valued as enduring business partners rather than readily exploited as an available campaign resource.
