How experience marketing is redefining creator influence

A Shah Rukh Khan-led campaign for Visa. A creator-powered travel discovery programme from MakeMyTrip. A Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari electric truck journey documented by a commercial vehicle creator.

At first glance, these campaigns belong to entirely different industries. But together, they point to a larger shift underway in marketing. Brands are increasingly moving beyond product-centric communication and instead building campaigns around experiences, while relying on creators to make those experiences relatable, credible and discoverable.

The result is a new marketing formula where experiences provide the story and creators help consumers connect with it. The shift is being driven by changing consumer behaviour. As India's affluent population grows, spending is increasingly flowing towards travel, dining, entertainment, lifestyle and personalised experiences rather than traditional ownership-driven aspirations.

According to Goldman Sachs estimates, India could have 100 million affluent consumers by 2027, creating significant opportunities across premium consumption categories. For marketers, that growth is forcing a rethink of how brands position themselves and engage consumers.

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Beyond follower counts, towards influence

For years, brands partnered with creators largely to maximise reach. Today, many are looking for something far more valuable: influence over consumer decisions.

That shift is evident in MakeMyTrip's recently launched Creator Circle programme, developed in partnership with Meta. The initiative rewards travel creators based on engagement rather than follower count, reflecting a growing belief that influence is increasingly measured by action rather than audience size.

"Engagement is the new mantra of advertising. The old logic of reach and impressions is giving way to something harder and more valuable: genuine connection. We are increasingly looking for more impactful ways to tell our stories, and the creators who have a traveller's trust tell those the best," said Raj Rishi Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Flights, Corporate, GCC and Marketing at MakeMyTrip.

Meta sees creators playing an even larger role in the travel journey.

"Creators don't just inspire travel. They drive decisions. They put new destinations on the map, shape itineraries, and move people from dreaming to booking," said Shweta Bajpai, Director, Travel, Fin-Serv, Real Estate and Media at Meta.

The programme is also built around the growing importance of micro and nano creators.

"What we've seen across campaigns is that impact isn't a function of follower size. Micro and nano creators consistently punch above their weight, reaching niche audiences that broader campaigns miss," Bajpai added.

For Rahul Regulapati, CEO of Galleri5 and Partner at Collective Artists Network, creators become even more effective when armed with deeper consumer insights.

"Creators make better content when they have better insights. Creator Circle combines MakeMyTrip's deep understanding of traveller behaviour with Galleri5's AI-powered creator platform, helping creators create more relevant travel content for their audiences. At the same time, it creates a more transparent ecosystem where creators are rewarded for the value they generate, not just the size of their reach."

The larger takeaway for marketers is clear. Discovery is increasingly happening through trusted creator recommendations rather than traditional advertising alone.

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Relevance over reach

The same thinking is beginning to influence how brands beyond travel approach marketing.

For Visa, the rise of affluent consumers and experience-led spending is reshaping how the company positions itself. Rather than being seen solely as a payments network, Visa increasingly wants to be viewed as an enabler of experiences across travel, dining, entertainment and lifestyle.

"Consumers today are moving beyond traditional markers of ownership and increasingly seeking experiences that feel personal, purposeful and relevant to their lifestyles. Across travel, dining, entertainment and everyday moments, we are seeing stronger demand for experiences that reflect individual aspirations and how people choose to live," said Gaurav Ramdev, Head of Marketing, Visa India and South Asia.

That behavioural shift has influenced the company's broader marketing strategy.

"Today's affluent consumers are increasingly focused on access, convenience and meaningful experiences. Our objective is to position Visa as an enabler of those experiences through secure and seamless payments. The campaign reflects that shift while reinforcing values such as trust, access, exclusivity and global relevance," he said.

For Visa, experiential marketing is becoming a larger part of the mix. The company's global portfolio includes the Olympics, FIFA, Shanghai Fashion Week and the MAMA Awards, while in India it has partnered with artists such as AP Dhillon and the duo Vishal & Sheykhar.

"As consumers increasingly value immersive and experience-led moments, experiential marketing will continue to grow in importance. We see cultural moments across sports, music, fashion and gaming as opportunities to build deeper engagement and create experiences that extend beyond traditional advertising," Ramdev said.

As social media platforms experiment with subscription models and media consumption becomes increasingly fragmented, Visa believes brands will need to think beyond audience scale.

"The evolution of platform models reinforces the need to focus on relevance rather than relying solely on reach. Our approach is to remain present across an integrated ecosystem of creators, content, experiences and media channels so that engagement is not dependent on any single platform," Ramdev said.

For the company, marketing success is increasingly tied to engagement quality rather than visibility alone.

Storytelling gives way to proof

Perhaps the strongest evidence of this shift comes from a category where creator marketing was once considered irrelevant: commercial vehicles.

According to Bhagwan Bindiganavile, Executive Vice President at VE Commercial Vehicles, Volvo, marketing has moved well beyond product specifications and pricing.

"Advertising and marketing in the commercial vehicle sector have moved beyond product-led communication around specs and pricing. Customers today evaluate the value a vehicle delivers through its lifecycle."

To launch the Eicher Pro X EV, the company created a proof-led campaign that took a production vehicle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari under fully loaded conditions.

Instead of telling customers what the vehicle could do, Eicher chose to demonstrate it. Creators became critical to making that story credible.

"The creator partnership helped us make this proof accessible and credible. We worked with one of the top creators of the commercial vehicle ecosystem who understood trucks, drivers and route realities, and kept the storytelling authentic."

The campaign combined creator content, third-party validation, media outreach, digital storytelling and regional amplification.

Most importantly, it changed how success was measured.

"For us, ROI is measured not just in reach or engagement, but in the confidence created among customers and the long-term credibility built for the brand," Bindiganavile said.

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The rise of experience-led creators

The creator economy itself is evolving alongside these changes.

According to Sanmesh Sapkal, Director - Key Accounts at TheSmallBigIdea, the most commercially successful travel creators today are no longer confined to travel content alone.

"The most successful travel creators today aren't purely travel creators anymore. They've grown into a niche that makes them commercially valuable."

Some combine travel with photography and videography. Others blend it with fashion, technology or finance. As a result, they are attracting partnerships from a broader set of brands, ranging from camera manufacturers and luggage companies to fintech firms and credit card providers.

The campaigns are evolving too. Brands increasingly want products to be woven naturally into larger experiences.

Sapkal points to an automobile campaign where a creator undertook a multi-city road trip rather than conducting a conventional vehicle review. The journey became the story, while the vehicle became part of the experience.

His advice to creators mirrors what brands are seeking. "Find a niche rather than trying to appeal to everyone. Prioritise storytelling over visuals."

Experiences plus creators

The common thread connecting Visa, MakeMyTrip and Eicher is that all three are moving away from traditional marketing metrics. Visa talks about relevance over reach. MakeMyTrip is rewarding engagement over follower counts. Eicher measures confidence and credibility rather than impressions alone.

Even as platforms evolve and audiences fragment, marketers are increasingly recognising that visibility alone is no longer enough.

Experiences provide the emotional connection. Creators provide the authenticity and discovery. Together, they help brands move consumers from awareness to action.

As India's affluent consumers spend more on travel, dining, entertainment and lifestyle experiences, marketers are likely to invest even more heavily in this combination. The future of marketing may no longer be about selling products. It may be about creating experiences worth talking about and finding creators consumers trust to tell those stories.