Global ad networks step up influencer marketing push in India
Mumbai: Global advertising agency networks are stepping up competition in India’s influencer marketing market, scaling data-led capabilities as advertisers, particularly in fashion, beauty, and FMCG, shift budgets to creator-led campaigns with a sharper focus on measurable outcomes.
Networks such as WPP, Publicis Groupe, and Omnicom Group are accelerating investments in a Rs 3,500-4,500-crore segment growing at 20-25% annually, where fragmented creator deals are increasingly being replaced by structured, data-driven planning.
Publicis Groupe India has rolled out Influential, its global influencer marketing platform, and appointed Diwaker Chandani as managing partner to scale the offering locally.
Also Read: Digital advertising surge and live experiences push India’s M&E sector past Rs 2.78 lakh crore
The move follows Publicis’ $500-million acquisition of Influential in 2024, signalling the growing weight of influencer marketing in media mix decisions. Rivals have made similar consolidation bets. WPP acquired Goat in 2023 and merged it with INCA under its media arm, now repositioned as WPP Media, while Omnicom Group unified its influencer capabilities under Creo in 2025, positioning influencers as a core, data-backed media channel.
“Influencer marketing in India has reached scale, but it still lacks a unified, data-led foundation,” said Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia. “With Influential, we are shifting from a creator-first approach to a cohort-first, identity-led model,” she added.
Publicis’ Connected Identity framework enables deterministic audience mapping and more precise creator selection. Integrated with Captiv8 and Influential’s global network, the platform is designed to give brands clearer visibility on performance and returns across campaigns, executives said.
“Brands are investing heavily, yet struggling to drive consistent, measurable outcomes,” Chandani said. “Our focus is to fundamentally change that.”
Consolidation is gathering pace beyond holding companies. Ykone has merged with Mirror Mirror to form a new entity, One, combining creative, technology and media capabilities. The merged group, which includes Ykone’s India arm BarCode, has over 400 employees across 20 cities and generates about $150 million in revenue.
Also Read: Media & entertainment sector to grow to Rs 3.3 lakh cr by 2028: Report
Despite rapid growth, the sector remains constrained by fragmented supply, inconsistent measurement standards and evolving ROI benchmarks. Large networks are now seeking to address these gaps through data, identity and integration.
Networks such as WPP, Publicis Groupe, and Omnicom Group are accelerating investments in a Rs 3,500-4,500-crore segment growing at 20-25% annually, where fragmented creator deals are increasingly being replaced by structured, data-driven planning.
Publicis Groupe India has rolled out Influential, its global influencer marketing platform, and appointed Diwaker Chandani as managing partner to scale the offering locally.
Also Read: Digital advertising surge and live experiences push India’s M&E sector past Rs 2.78 lakh crore
The move follows Publicis’ $500-million acquisition of Influential in 2024, signalling the growing weight of influencer marketing in media mix decisions. Rivals have made similar consolidation bets. WPP acquired Goat in 2023 and merged it with INCA under its media arm, now repositioned as WPP Media, while Omnicom Group unified its influencer capabilities under Creo in 2025, positioning influencers as a core, data-backed media channel.
“Influencer marketing in India has reached scale, but it still lacks a unified, data-led foundation,” said Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia. “With Influential, we are shifting from a creator-first approach to a cohort-first, identity-led model,” she added.
Publicis’ Connected Identity framework enables deterministic audience mapping and more precise creator selection. Integrated with Captiv8 and Influential’s global network, the platform is designed to give brands clearer visibility on performance and returns across campaigns, executives said.
“Brands are investing heavily, yet struggling to drive consistent, measurable outcomes,” Chandani said. “Our focus is to fundamentally change that.”
Consolidation is gathering pace beyond holding companies. Ykone has merged with Mirror Mirror to form a new entity, One, combining creative, technology and media capabilities. The merged group, which includes Ykone’s India arm BarCode, has over 400 employees across 20 cities and generates about $150 million in revenue.
Also Read: Media & entertainment sector to grow to Rs 3.3 lakh cr by 2028: Report
Despite rapid growth, the sector remains constrained by fragmented supply, inconsistent measurement standards and evolving ROI benchmarks. Large networks are now seeking to address these gaps through data, identity and integration.
