Influencer rate cards surge 15-30% as brands spend ₹700 crore this festive season

I am scrolling through Instagram on a lazy Sunday afternoon, mentally preparing my festive shopping list, when a home decor creator pops up showing how to transform a living room with fairy lights and rangoli-inspired wall art. Next, a fashion influencer showed me three different ways to style a single kurta for various Diwali gatherings. Before I know it, I have saved six posts, bookmarked four product links, and added items worth ₹8,000 to my cart—all while lounging on my couch in pyjamas. This is how I usually look for inspiration: whether it is about fashion, decor or food, through influencers.

From casual browsing to building purchase intent has become the norm for millions of Indians during festive seasons. This is supported by data. According to the India Influencer Marketing Report 2025, 63% of Indian users turn to influencers for product discovery, 69% for information, and 60% for making purchasing decisions. This behavioural shift has not gone unnoticed by brands, who are now channelling resources into creator-led campaigns as the festive season approaches.

Creators command 12–20% of digital budgets

Qoruz’s Festive Season Report 2025 notes that brands are expected to spend over ₹700 crore on influencer marketing this festive season. “Beyond the ₹700 crore projection, overall influencer budgets are tracking about 18% to 22% higher than 2024 on our side,” reveals Priya Vivek, Co-Founder and Head of Revenue & Partnerships, Qoruz.

This growth trajectory reflects the broader maturation of the ecosystem, given that a report estimates the influencer marketing industry in India to be worth ₹3,600 crore in 2024, with projected growth of 25% in 2025. 

The increase in spending isn't merely about splurging on creators, but it has shifted how brands allocate their marketing budgets. Ambarish Sengupta, VP – Hypothesis by OML (Influencer Marketing) at Only Much Louder (OML) shares that influencer marketing is a core pillar of the festive strategy. 

“Brands are now confidently allocating anywhere from 12-20% of their entire digital budget to creators.”

Moreover, the distribution of this massive spend reveals interesting patterns about which sectors are betting biggest on creator influence. Qoruz’s report notes that the top-spending sectors this season are Consumer Durables, followed closely by Fashion and Beauty, FMCG, and E-commerce. 

Priya Vivek breaks down the numbers. “The spend split we are seeing looks roughly like this: Consumer Durables around 28% to 32%, Fashion and Beauty around 20% to 24% percent, FMCG around 15% to 18%, E-commerce around 12% to 15%, Fintech around 8% to 10%, Auto around 6 to 8 percent, with the balance across travel, OTT, and others.”
Consumers are particularly receptive to upgrading home appliances, refreshing their wardrobes, and experimenting with new beauty products. However, experts have observed the emergence of unlikely categories like fintech.

Ambarish Sengupta shares that the BFSI sector has finally cracked the code. The sector is using influencers to make complex topics like investing and insurance feel more accessible and human.

Meanwhile, Gautam Madhavan, Founder and CEO, Xley.ai, notes the expansion of participating categories. “Quick-commerce and fintech brands are increasingly entering the fray, expanding the mix.” In fact, Madhavan predicts that influencer-led campaigns are also expected to be 2-3 times more frequent compared to average months, with about 15% of active brands engaging with influencer marketing for the first time, this season. 

Micro and nano influencers are getting the most attention

As brands are increasingly allocating digital budgets to creators, they are pivoting toward micro and nano influencers. They are rethinking what drives authentic engagement and, ultimately, conversions. 

Sengupta comments that brands now understand that “a micro-influencer with 10,000 deeply engaged followers, or a nano-influencer with just 2,000, can be far more powerful for driving conversions.”

Their recommendations feel like authentic advice from a friend. The data support this pivot. According to industry commentary, micro and mid-tier creators are expected to capture 60-70% of incremental budget, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III markets, while mega creators are largely reserved for flagship moments. 

Madhavan of Xley.ai says, “Regional content now drives ~30% higher engagement than English content. This move is underpinned by growing brand interest in authenticity, community relevance, and performance outcomes.”

This allocation reflects a more nuanced understanding of how different creator tiers serve distinct purposes in the marketing funnel.

This micro-revolution extends beyond engagement rates. Vivek outlines the optimal creator mix that brands are adopting and shares, “The creator mix that works best is a blended pod: about 60% regional micro and nano for depth, 30% metro mid and macro for reach, and 10% marquee names for tent-pole moments.”

However, this increased demand for micro and nano influencers has led to what Sengupta describes as the "festive rate card" phenomenon. He reveals, “The ‘festive rate card' is real, with rates jumping 15-30%. But brands now demand accountability for that premium, the buzzword being ‘ROI’.” Despite this premium, brands are finding value in the enhanced authenticity and targeted reach these creators provide. The emphasis has shifted from mere reach metrics to meaningful engagement and conversion outcomes. 

The art and science of seasonal creator campaigns

So, have the metrics for how brands measure ROI when it comes to influencer-led campaigns. Creating successful influencer campaigns during the festive season requires a blend of cultural sensitivity, strategic timing, and performance measurement. 

Vivek outlines that a successful 2025 festive play has three parts. It begins with a pre-buzz wave that seeds offers, creator wishlists, and city cues, and continues to a decision week wave that focuses on demos, price points, and store availability with clear CTAs. Third is a final wave that pushes urgency around Dussehra and Deepawali.

Each phase requires different content strategies and creator approaches, moving from aspirational content to practical guidance to urgency-driven messaging.

The timing element extends far beyond campaign execution. Madhavan reveals that brands start planning festive influencer campaigns well before Navratri and Diwali, especially since engagement peaks in the weeks leading up to Diwali. 

While they secure top creators, they create strategies for flexible real-time optimisation. Sengupta highlights the blended strategy and explains that while major brands secure A-list creators in Q2, a significant portion of festive work remains agile, responding to trending formats and competitor activities in real-time.

Content quality has become increasingly crucial as audiences become more discerning. A report indicates that 85% of brands now prioritise content quality when selecting influencers, reflecting a shift from quantity-focused to quality-driven creator partnerships.

This emphasis on quality helps brands avoid the over-saturation that can diminish campaign effectiveness during the busy period. From a creator's perspective, maintaining authenticity while meeting commercial objectives requires careful balance. 

Digital Content Creator, Esha Shetty, who mainly works on Beauty/ Fashion and Lifestyle content shares, “My style of content has always been organic and story-led, and I continue that approach even during festivals. 

The creator has seen about a 40% jump in brand deals compared to regular months and maintains engagement by blending branded content with authentic posts, ensuring her audience doesn't experience promotional fatigue.

She focuses on adding festive elements to her content in the styling, themes, or celebration-led content. Similarly, creator Meghna Kaur emphasises selective partnership choices.  

"While festive campaigns command better budgets, I consciously avoid back-to-back ads; authenticity comes first, even in the busiest season. I choose campaigns that genuinely fit into my lifestyle. If I wouldn't use it, I won't promote it, no matter how attractive the deal." This selective approach helps maintain creator credibility, which benefits both creators and brands through sustained audience trust.

Kaur has noticed strong interest from beauty and lifestyle brands, with a noticeable entry from home decor, wellness and gifting categories. Similarly, Shetty has received interest from brands like Estée Lauder, YSL, L’Oréal, Maybelline, Charlotte Tilbury, Nykaa, HUL, and more fashion brands like H&M and Marks & Spencer. 

Despite the increased interest, brands now demand accountability for the premium, and agencies like OML are moving beyond individual rates and building customised festive packages.

Vivek highlights the practical approach towards measurement with outcome add-ons like retention or Skip Rate bonuses, commerce-linked payouts with coupon or UTM proof, and creator licensing for paid amplification so the same asset can work on meta ads and retail media. These metrics-driven approaches allow brands to directly correlate creator content with business outcomes.

During the 2024 festive season, Qoruz data recorded over 337,500 brand mention posts across social media platforms, activated 121,800 unique creators, and generated 1.7 billion engagements. Interestingly, 28% of tracked product page visits during this period came directly from creator links, bypassing search engines and traditional discovery paths. 

Madhavan says that brands are increasingly adopting performance-linked models, leveraging affiliate codes, live commerce, and “shop now” buttons to tie payouts to conversions, turning influencer posts into full-funnel sales engines.

As the 2025 festive season progresses, the influencer marketing landscape reflects a mature ecosystem where cultural authenticity meets performance measurement. The ₹700 crore investment signifies brands' recognition that in an increasingly digital-first consumer environment, creators have become essential partners in driving festive sales and building lasting brand connections.