Increase in Influencer Marketing Spend for Festive Season in India
According to an analysis from the creator intelligence platform Qoruz, influencer marketing expenditures during the festive season in India are anticipated to surge to ₹900 crore by 2026.
This reflects a significant 29% increase from the approximate ₹700 crore recorded in the previous year, as reported by Moneycontrol, highlighting brands’ growing reliance on creators to connect with consumers.
The count of brands engaging in creator-centric festive campaigns is projected to expand to 7,200 this year, up from 6,000 in 2025.
This follows an increase from 5,200 in 2024 and 4,500 in 2023, illustrating a consistent trend in enhancing influencer participation throughout the festive season, as noted by Moneycontrol.
Interestingly, a majority of this surge in activity is attributed to smaller creators. Last season, nano and micro influencers comprised 75% of festive creator involvement, whereas mega influencers and celebrities accounted for a mere 5%.
This trend indicates that brands are increasingly opting for creators with niche audiences and higher engagement rates over traditional celebrity endorsements.
The influence of this shift is noticeable beyond India’s metropolitan areas. While creators from major cities represent 62% of festive campaign efforts, those from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are responsible for 38% of activations.
Growth of Spending Outpacing Participation
The financial commitment to festive influencer marketing has escalated from ₹350 crore in 2023 to an expected ₹900 crore this year.
This marks a compound annual growth rate of approximately 37%, signifying that expenditure is increasing more rapidly than the number of brands joining the fray.
Most of this fiscal allocation is dominated by a smaller segment of advertisers. Qoruz estimates that the top 10-15% of participating brands contribute nearly 65% of the festive influencer marketing budget.
Current estimates suggest that around 700 to 1,100 brands may collectively account for close to two-thirds of the anticipated ₹900 crore market.
Consumer-driven sectors are primarily fueling this uptick in marketing spend. Over the past three festive seasons, consumer durables and electronics have made up 20% of festive influencer marketing expenditures, closely followed by fashion and beauty at 19%, e-commerce at 17%, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) at 15%.
Together, these four categories account for an impressive 71% of the total expenditure, with the automotive sector contributing an additional 7%.
Diwali No Longer Sole Focus for Festive Campaigns
While Diwali continues to be the predominant occasion for creator-led campaigns, comprising 49% of festive collaborations, the remaining 51% is distributed across a variety of celebrations.
These include Navratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, and numerous regional festivals.
This distribution indicates a strategic pivot by brands, which are increasingly leveraging multiple festivals and cultural occasions to implement creator campaigns, rather than restricting their efforts to Diwali alone.
Source link: Storyboard18.com.
