Brands Now Spend Up to 25% of Marketing Budgets on Creators

Between 15 and 25 per cent of brand marketing budgets now flows to the creator economy, according to the Indian Influencer Governing Council (IIGC). That range, if it holds across categories, puts creators on par with channels that took a decade to mature — digital video, paid social, programmatic display.

The figure comes from IIGC, an industry body, and was reported by Indian Television Dot Com. It's a headline number, and headline numbers deserve scrutiny. What the report doesn't spell out — at least in what's been published so far — is the sample behind it: which brands, which sectors, which markets. Until that's clear, treat 15 to 25 per cent as a directional signal, not a settled benchmark.

Still, the direction matters. A few years ago, influencer and creator spend sat in the single digits for most brands. Crossing the 15 per cent line suggests the line item has moved from experimental to structural. That has practical consequences for how budgets get approved and who owns them.

What does this change for marketers?

For brand teams, the shift means creator budgets now justify dedicated staffing, measurement frameworks, and longer contracts — not just one-off campaign posts. For creators, it means brands will come expecting performance reporting, not just reach. Both sides should prepare for tougher negotiation over rates and deliverables.

There's a caveat, and it's a big one. Budget share rising doesn't automatically mean creator rates rise with it. If more money chases a larger pool of creators, per-post pricing could stay flat even as total spend climbs. The IIGC figure tells us the pie grew; it says nothing about how it's sliced.

For agencies and talent managers, the number is a selling point — expect it to appear in pitch decks within weeks. Practitioners should ask each presenter for the underlying methodology before repeating the range to clients. A benchmark without a stated sample is a marketing line, not evidence.

Is the growth sustainable?

Sustainability depends on measurement catching up. Brands that can't attribute sales or awareness to creator spend will pull back when budgets tighten. Those that can will keep increasing allocation, which is likely how the 25 per cent end of the range gets tested first.

The IIGC figure also lands as brands worldwide rebalance between organic creator content and paid amplification, so some of the reported share may reflect paid distribution costs rather than creator fees alone. The reporting doesn't break that out, and the distinction matters for anyone planning a mix.

Watch for follow-up studies that segment the 15-to-25 range by industry and market — that granular data will show whether creator spend has genuinely become a budget pillar or is still riding a favorable cycle.