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Influencer content in advertisements (ads) grabs a longer attention span, with viewers staying 2.2 times longer on an ad before skipping it compared to average branded ads, according to Kantar.

According to its 'Creativity in Context' report, the marketing data and analytics company tested 1,350 ads released last year.

The average skip time for branded content in ads is 7.9 seconds while for influencer content (influencer promoted products/services), it is 17.8 seconds. Additionally, the average time viewers spend watching influencer content in ads is 1.4 times higher than other digital ads in India, it added.

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/agency-news/danone-hindustan-unilever-haleon-and-godrej-consumer-products-shine-at-kantar-indias-creative-effectiveness-awards-73854.htm">Danone, Hindustan Unilever, Haleon and Godrej Consumer Products shine at Kantar India’s Creative Effectiveness Awards</a>


The report also highlighted influencer content leads to 7% more purchase intent as compared with all digital ads (6%); 9% more brand favorability; and higher brand attributes (10%) than (7%) by all digital ads.

However, digital ads lead to more aided brand awareness (8%) than influencer content (3%) and higher message association (8%) than influencer content (2%).

The report further revealed that only 7% of influencer-led campaigns make it to the top 30% of adds that build long-term brand equity. This is significantly lower than 32% benchmark observed across general digital advertising. 


<strong>Influencer Recommendations- More Trusted</strong>


According to Kantar,  influencer recommendations are more trusted and considered more influential than traditional ads. 67% of the respondents said that they trust influencer recommendations more than traditional ads. 

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/youtubes-monetisation-crackdown-divides-creator-economy-praise-for-originality-push-but-payout-concerns-loom-73932.htm">YouTube's monetisation crackdown divides creator economy; praise for originality push, but payout concerns loom</a>


26% said that they prefer influencer recommendations but remain cautious. 4% said that they don't trust influencer recommendations and prefer traditional ads, while the rest were indifferent and find no impact or avoid content promoted by influencers. 


Influencer content holds 2.2 higher attention than average digital ads: Kantar

As YouTube prepares to enforce its stricter monetisation policies from July 15, 2025, the Indian creator community is divided but largely supportive of the platform’s attempt to clean up what many call a cluttered and exploitative ecosystem. Under the updated YouTube Partner Program (YPP) guidelines, creators uploading repetitive, reused, or mass-produced content will no longer be eligible to earn revenue, a move YouTube says is aimed at rewarding authenticity and curbing low-effort content farming.

Read more:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/campaign-turnaround-down-70-production-costs-cut-by-85-how-indian-brands-are-letting-ai-take-over-creative-wheel-72438.htm"> Campaign turnaround down 70%, production costs cut by 85%: How Indian brands are letting AI take over creative wheel</a>


The update has already sparked intense conversations among digital creators, agencies, and platform strategists. While many see it as a long-overdue step to safeguard originality, others warn that YouTube must clearly define what it considers “low-effort” to avoid unfair demonetisation of niche or experimental content.


<strong>“This Was Needed – Creativity Was Becoming a Hack”</strong>


Zain Anwar, a YouTuber who creates narrative-driven content, strongly backs the policy. “It’s a fair and much-needed call,” he says. “YouTube was the one place where content — not brands — paid creators. But over time, creators found loopholes to make money through factory-produced, clickbait content. This change will bring the focus back to good storytelling.”

He adds that this isn’t a blanket ban on AI-generated content, but a warning against content mills that rehash the same videos. “The distinction between creating and exploiting the system was getting blurred. This filters out creators who joined just for quick money.”

Vlogger Avinash Dagar echoes this sentiment: “This rule is actually great for real creators. Copied content had flooded the platform. Those who are angry are likely running AI or copy-paste channels.”

Standup comedian Aanchal Agrawal adds that the move will help better content distribution and cut through the clutter of click bait and AI overload. "I think these new policies will give a new boost of motivation to budding creators. This will bring back some integrity and respect too in the content ecosystem for creators who’re genuinely working towards building their brands whether it is by entertainment, educating or any other way."


<strong>Impact: Nano and Micro Influencers to Feel the Heat</strong>


While macro creators with established formats may continue unaffected, nano and micro influencers — especially those who rely on template-based or reused content — could be the most vulnerable. 

Mohini, a lifestyle YouTuber, points out that nano creators who bank on trending formats, reaction videos, or reused audio-visuals might feel the pinch. But it's an opportunity to focus on originality.

Content creator Ankur Agarwal agrees that new creators may struggle, but sees a silver lining: “Yes, nano creators will be affected, but this could push them to explore their own voice. That’s better in the long run.”

Financial educator Sakchi Jain believes the policy is a direct hit to those using shortcuts.  "I also think this is actually a good wake-up call. If you are a genuine creator who shares your own ideas and does your own research, you have nothing to worry about. This change will actually help people who want to grow honestly with their work."



<strong>The Creator Playbook: What’s Next?</strong>


Most creators see this as a return to fundamentals — originality, relatability, and personal storytelling.

“Focus on value. Make good content. Money will follow,” says Zain. “Go back to creating sticky, engaging videos — not just trend-chasing edits.” 

Prableen Kaur Bhomrah, who focuses on body positivity, plans to double down on long-form storytelling. “I’ll prioritise content that helps, educates or inspires — something people remember. This policy sets a higher standard.”


Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/youtube-cracks-down-on-repetitive-content-monetisation-only-for-original-creators-from-july-15-73533.htm">YouTube cracks down on repetitive content: Monetisation only for original creators from July 15</a>


Shivashish Tarkas, founder of content firm The InterMentalist, offers a nuanced take: “It’s a great move if implemented fairly. The risk is that genuine creators might get caught in the crossfire if the policy is vague or poorly enforced.”

For Tarkas, the deeper problem remains unresolved: “Indian creators earn peanuts despite huge engagement. Brand deals are unstable. YouTube must rethink its revenue share model — creators are its foundation.”


<strong>The Industry View: Necessary, But Not Without Nuance</strong>


From the business side, agencies are cautiously optimistic.

Ayush Guha, Business Head at Creator18, says: “This is a great move. We’ve always worked with creators who build original, culture-relevant content.  The move helps in curbing down pages/channels who have take pieces of content from creators and build their own channels with clickbait thumbnails some of which can shed negative light on the original creater."

With various AI tools enabling mass content creation with minimal human effort, Kunal Sawant, Business Head, The Goat Agency, believes this move is a step toward improving the overall quality of content on the platform. 

Its success, however, will depend on how transparently and fairly YouTube implements these changes at scale. "Clear guidelines, consistent enforcement, and a fair appeals process will be key to ensuring the platform remains both innovative and inclusive."

Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/with-fractional-production-costs-ad-rates-just-15-of-long-form-shows-microdramas-see-surge-in-brand-interest-73473.htm">With fractional production costs & ad rates just 15% of long-form shows, microdramas see surge in brand interest</a>


Sankalp Samant, Co-founder, Idiotic Media believes that the audience is, and will always be the king. If people choose to watch low-effort AI videos, that’s their call but platforms like YouTube have a responsibility to protect the creators who keep the ecosystem credible and aspirational. "YouTube’s timing is right. AI content has already reached a point where it’s hard to distinguish real from fake."


But Shradha Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO of Grapes, questions YouTube’s role as arbiter of what’s “original.” 

“Let’s not pretend originality is a fixed idea. Everyone borrows. AI is the new internet — it accelerates creativity, it doesn’t kill it.”

She warns against overregulation: “If content floods the platform, let the audience decide what cuts through. Views, shares, and engagement are the new quality filters — not outdated definitions of authenticity.”

YouTube’s updated monetisation policy is a clear warning to low-effort, mass-produced content farms. But the move also signals a deeper shift in the creator economy — a push toward thoughtful, high-effort storytelling over quantity-based hustle.

YouTube's monetisation crackdown divides creator economy; praise for originality push, but payout concerns loom

Waves OTT, the OTT streaming service supported by Prasar Bharati, has reached significant growth milestones, further solidifying its place in the battle-hardened global OTT space. The service has surpassed 2 million downloads across platforms, with Android spearheading the momentum at 1.9 million downloads, followed by iOS, Android TV, Firestick, Jio TV, and Apple TV. With a live user base of 640,000 and day-by-day increasing engagement, Waves OTT is progressively developing a dedicated viewership by taking a mix of nostalgia and new entertainment.

Under the tagline “Waves – Family Entertainment Ki Nayi Lehar,” the platform is positioned as a cultural bridge, connecting Doordarshan and Akashvani’s rich legacy with contemporary digital demands. N L Chauhan, DDG, All India Radio, emphasized that the initiative reflects Prasar Bharati’s commitment to evolving with the changing media landscape.

Having a content library spread over 1,856 movies, 590 series, and 9,295 eBooks and journals in over 80 genres, Waves OTT serves people with varied interests—ranging from mythology, literature, travel, news, and dance to more. It has also discovered new platforms for old classic programs such as Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan, and Hum Log, making them accessible to young generations.

Globally, Waves OTT has seen 181 countries logging in users, and with key pickups in the USA, UK, UAE, Australia, France, and Belgium. Though the domestic market, India, stands strong with more than 4.2 million user visits, increasing global reach points to overwhelming cross-border popularity with Indian content.

Accessibility continues to be a strength for Waves OTT with its support of 10 app interface languages like Hindi, English, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, and Kannada and content availability across 26 languages. Being a multilingual offering, it has helped the service tap India's linguistic heterogeneity and find footholds in countries overseas as well.

Apart from entertainment, Waves OTT is expanding its influence by live broadcasting important national events such as Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti from Ayodhya and Mann ki Baat from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The platform also extensively supports social awareness campaigns, including a cybersecurity campaign with CDAC.

To push more user activity, Waves OTT has launched three subscription plans—Platinum, Diamond, and Gold—each with different levels of content access, device support, and downloads, appealing to a broad base of audiences.

As the platform looks to the future, its plans include improving genre diversity, adding more languages supported, and further enhancing content offerings to make Waves OTT a household entertainment hub not only in India but also around the world.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/750-creators-become-part-of-waves-as-india-showcases-its-digital-storytelling-talent-63019.htm">Read More: 750 creators become part of WAVES as India showcases its digital storytelling talent</a>

Waves OTT crosses 2 million downloads, strengthens global footprint across 181 countries

In today’s rapidly evolving content creation landscape, where individuals can achieve success without traditional qualifications, India’s creator economy is growing at an unprecedented rate.  The creator economy contributes 2.5 percent to GDP and employs 8 percent of the workforce.

Currently valued at $4.58 billion, the sector is projected to grow 10x by 2030. 

According to a report by Classplus over 92 percent of content creators are leveraging the use of AI which increases their efficiency by 2x.

<a href="https://stgwww.storyboard18.com/digital/artificial-intelligence-will-boost-not-replace-creators-snap-ceo-47920.htm">Artificial intelligence will boost—not replace—creators: Snap CEO</a>

Tools like AI Convert and AI-powered Leads are streamlining operations for many Creatorpreneurs, with AI Convert's revenue growing by 235 percent from the previous year, highlighting the rapid adoption of AI in content creation.  

The report added that content creators are diversifying their revenue streams beyond traditional brand sponsorships. Digital products like courses, e-books, and templates become key in this journey. 

According to the ed-tech platform, 2024 saw the rise of Creatorpreneurs building sustainable businesses like Raja Rani Coaching, Competishun, and Oll.co featured on Shark Tank. 

Over 62 percent of people in 2024 preferred creators who produced educational content over those focused on entertainment, the report added.

Additionally, astrology, DIY, and podcasts witnessed over 100 percent surge, reflecting their exponential growth and rising popularity. 

<a href="https://stgwww.storyboard18.com/digital/artificial-intelligence-will-boost-not-replace-creators-snap-ceo-47920.htm">YouTube creators cashing in on TV screens: Revenue surges 30 percent</a>

Classplus saw a 139 percent increase in the number of individuals expressing interest in learning Astrology on its platform. While the DIY segment saw a massive 123 percent rise in new learners.  

80 percent of audiences watching these segments come from Tier 2-plus cities, the report added.

92% of content creators in India leverage AI ; Astrology, podcasts witness a 100% surge in popularity: Report

Content creators and producers in India are facing a number of challenges, including the multiplicity of legislations and forums for filing complaints. A recent study public policy think tank, The Dialogue Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) found that these challenges are leading to compliance uncertainties, self-censorship, and unwarranted economic burden. 

The impact assessment report recommends that the government simplify the regulatory framework and establish a single grievance redressal forum.

“Majority of the content creators and producers noted that the multiplicity of legislations and directives not just leads to compliance uncertainties but also raises questions around the authority of the bodies that formulate these policies,” said the report. 

Multiple online curated content (OCC) platforms also pointed out that the grievance redressal forum prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021 must be the sole platform for filing complaints and all authorities must be prohibited to prescribe any other forums for this purpose.

As per findings of the report, a majority of the content creators and producers as well as many of the OCC platforms find the criminal liability associated with creative laws to be infeasible and leads to self-censorship and unwarranted economic burden. 

“All the content creators, directors and producers were unanimous that the petty police complaints filed by individuals and groups to ban movies and online series is the most critical concern faced by them,” said the report. 

Many producers and OCC platforms stressed that the creative industry invests an immense amount of executive hours and outsourcing costs at the self-certification stage to assess the feasibility of every content. 

“Hence, the frequently reported instances of criminal complaints against directors and producers and demands for injunctions is nothing but an unreasonable restriction on their creative freedom and economic rights. Nine out of ten content creators, directors and producers noted that the petty complaints, multiplicity of forums for filing complaints and criminal sanctions under creative laws impacts their ease of doing business,” said the report.

The report also makes some policy recommendations. One of the significant recommendations mention building of express carve outs under the law for conditions including (a) various forms of legitimate free speech and expression such as satire, parody, etc. and (b) for the principles put forth through years of jurisprudence on objections to the grounds of obscenity, decency etc.

As per the report, “Autonomy and independence of the regulatory bodies must be ensured in every regulatory framework envisaged for the OCC sector and the Self-Regulatory Mechanism prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021 should be reformed to address the existing concerns and be made the exclusive forum for grievance redressal.”
 
Other recommendations include- institutionalization of statutory remedies or access to appellate bodies for the OCC publishers, decriminalization of creative legislations to boost creative economy and artistic freedom and raising awareness regarding the existing grievance redressal process under the IT Rules, 2021.


Content creators' business impacted by police complaints and legal hurdles: IAMAI

Former HUL marketing executive Shashank Mehta founded The Whole Truth in 2019 to offer healthier alternatives in packaged foods. As a consumer, Mehta, who has been through multiple weight-loss cycles in life, realised the big food brands often tell “convenient half-truths”. To solve that problem he not only launched a company that could fill that need gap but also decided to feature in the brand’s advertising.

Recently, The Whole Truth roped in comedian Rohan Joshi to create a series of videos. In the “educational mini-series”, Joshi plays the role of ‘Healthy Food’ and Mehta plays ‘The Whole Truth’, and they go on to have a conversation that highlights the “hidden chemicals” in packaged foods. In another episode, we see the many ways food is made to look irresistible in ads. For instance, the milk in the cereal bowl is actually glue and the golden honey drizzled on pancakes in ads and in product photos is engine oil.

Mehta tells Storyboard18, when he creates and features in content for his brand, he thinks “consumers can feel the honesty.” They see through paid endorsements like influencer or celebrity-laden ads, which are often forced, Mehta believes.

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<blockquote>Shashank Mehta says, "If a brand is born out of a personal struggle or passion, then the founder can make a powerful difference in the brand’s marketing strategy.” </blockquote>

<strong>Community builders</strong>

Entrepreneurs Sujata and Taniya Biswas quit their corporate jobs to sell sarees. Growing up, the duo loved looking at their grandmother’s and mother’s saree collections. It took them to “a happy place”. The Biswas sisters started the fashion brand Suta with a mission to make a new generation of women fall in love with sarees and wear sarees every day and not just for special occasions.

Initially, Taniya modeled the sarees, taking her photos in natural light with no editing, because they had a tight marketing budget. The photos were cropped in a way that one could only see the model’s body draped in a saree. On Instagram, these headless photos caught people’s attention. Since then the duo has been featuring in the brand’s reels, stills and all other brand communication. They say with this strategy, they have been able to create a community that not just wants to know more about the brand but also about the founders.

The Biswas sisters tell Storyboard18, as creators, their strategy is to keep “content fluid”. They are also often seen promoting other founders and their brands through live sessions, giveaways and fundraisers.

“Consumers often ask how we are okay promoting competitions’ brands. Honestly, especially in the category we operate in, we are like one close knit community. 

<strong>Trust infusers</strong>

Vaibhav Sisinty calls himself “a growth hacker by profession and an entrepreneur from heart.” For two years he had been building his startup Growth School in stealth mode. Earlier this year, Sisinty raised a seed round from Sequoia Capital, Owl Ventures and angel investors. He started when he was 18, and took on several jobs, including working as a marketing manager at Uber.

Through Growth School, Sisinty wants to help learners meet professionals and influencers who have become leaders in their particular industry and help them upskill. From courses on UI, UX, social media marketing, freelance businesses, NFTs, crypto investments, D2C businesses and more, Growth School is going beyond textbook tutoring. Sisinty himself creates content to bring learners together for his masterclasses and mini courses on LinkedIn and Instagram.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Btw this is how we unveiled the big news to the team :P<br><br>PS: All the actors in the video are GrowthSchool employees. <a href="https://t.co/1zDwrZgeQS">pic.twitter.com/1zDwrZgeQS</a></p>&mdash; Vaibhav Sisinty (@VaibhavSisinty) <a href="https://twitter.com/VaibhavSisinty/status/1486669841809297412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He says, “As a founder, it’s natural for me to think about content because people believe in people.”

Though being the brand face of your company is always a good idea, Sisinty, thinks “the brand shouldn’t revolve around the founder.” But, in the beginning, it helps in bringing the right talent on board and building trust which is every brand’s ultimate goal.

For new and small brands, especially in the crowded D2C space, using founders in advertising and marketing communications is a great way to build credibility and trust. It’s also cheaper, of course. For brands that have tight or no ad budgets to speak of, deploying founders as the face and voice of the brand is a sound and economical move.

But sometimes it’s not about creativity, frugality, budgets or brand life-stage.

In December last year, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati passed away at the age of 97. He built a Rs 2,500-crore brand, an empire of spice. Most of India, however, knew him as “MDH uncle”. Because for years the smiling face of Gulati, who always sported a white sherwani, red turban and pearl necklace, appeared in practically every ad for the spice brand. He was the one and only 'Masala King'.

CONTENT CREATORS