15–25% of Brand Budgets Now Flow to the Creator Economy: IIGC

Brands are now directing 15–25% of their marketing budgets into the creator economy, according to the Indian Influencer Governing Council (IIGC). That figure, surfaced via Storyboard18, marks one of the clearest benchmark numbers yet for how far creator spending has moved from experiment to line item.

The range matters more than the midpoint. Even at the low end, 15% of a brand's marketing spend going to creators would have been unthinkable five years ago, when influencer work sat in the single digits and mostly funded one-off posts.

What does the number actually change?

For practitioners, a 15–25% allocation is a planning constraint, not a talking point. Media buyers will read it as a benchmark: if your creator spend sits below that band, you're now under-invested relative to peers who are reporting to the IIGC.

It also shifts negotiating power. Creators and their agencies can anchor rate cards against a documented share of brand budgets rather than against vague notions of reach.

The number comes from the IIGC, an industry body, so treat it as a sector-wide estimate rather than an audited figure. The underlying methodology — how many brands were surveyed, over what period — wasn't disclosed in the initial report. Until that detail lands, use the range as directional, not definitive.

What should brands and creators do with it?

• Brands: audit current creator spend against the 15–25% band and flag gaps before quarterly planning closes.
• Agencies: rebuild pitch decks around budget share, not follower counts.
• Creators: this is leverage in rate conversations — buyers have already earmarked the money.

The takeaway in plain words: creator spending has crossed from "test budget" into core media budget, and the IIGC has put a number on it.

Expect the figure to sharpen as the IIGC releases its fuller findings — and as more brands disclose allocations they'd previously kept quiet.