India’s Creator Economy: How Bengaluru captured 12% of the country’s influencer market

India’s creator economy is in the middle of a structural reset. Estimated at $1.45 billion in 2025, the market is projected to more than quadruple to $5.93 billion by 2032 as per coherent market insights, on the back of explosion of regional content, deeper digital penetration, and the growing clout of micro and mid-tier creators. What’s most striking, though, is not just the pace of growth—it’s the shifting geography of influence.

For long, Mumbai and Delhi have dominated India’s influencer ecosystem. In the recent past, however, creators from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, along with regional markets, have begun commanding a disproportionate share of attention and brand spends. Among them, Bengaluru is fast emerging as one of the country’s most dynamic influencer hubs, according to experts spoken to by e4m.

Brands across categories are tapping into local creators for product launches. Even big players like Myntra and Flipkart are consistently building campaigns with Bengaluru-based influencers—often blending English and Kannada content to drive national engagement.

Some of the top Bengaluru-based creators who have partnered with major brands include names like Shalini Chopra, known for her collaborations with high-end fashion labels, Vikas Sangam, Niharika NM and Aakash Gupta, who leverage their strong cross-platform reach for campaigns. Other influential figures include comedian Danish Sait and actor Srinidhi Shetty, both of whom have worked closely with brands to connect with diverse audiences.

While some may argue that the reason for this shift is simply Bollywood’s slowdown as the default playground for influencer campaigns, that’s not the full picture. Bengaluru has quietly built its own advantage, driven by linguistic diversity, youth-led subcultures, and digital-first audiences.

Qoruz data has revealed that creators here aren’t waiting on Bollywood to slow down; they are building their own identity through regional storytelling, niche content, and deep community loyalty. From food and gaming to fintech and AI, the city’s ecosystem is rapidly expanding across categories, supported by the right infrastructure, mindset, and audience to sustain its rise.

According to Qoruz, the city now hosts over 35,000 active creators (with 5,000+ followers) across Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and English. The city today contributes 10–12% of India’s influencer marketing spends, making it one of the top three influencer markets in the country.

Why Bengaluru Is Emerging as an Influencer Powerhouse

Unlike Mumbai’s Bollywood-driven ecosystem or Delhi’s scale in lifestyle and beauty, Bengaluru’s rise has been built on diversity and depth. The city’s influencers span niches like tech, gaming, fintech, auto, food, and fashion, reflecting its cosmopolitan identity.

“Bengaluru benefits from a youthful, urban population with high digital penetration. The city’s influencers thrive across niches, reflecting its vibrant subcultures,” said Vaibhav Gupta, Co-Founder and CPO, KlugKlug.

Gupta added, “Bengaluru’s influencer scene is evolving into a mature ecosystem with long-term promise, not a short-term spike.”

Notably, auto and fintech are currently leading categories, with brands betting on the city’s tech-savvy and trust-driven audience. Gaming and AI-related content have also exploded in the past year, while food and fashion continue steady growth, especially among micro and mid-tier creators. This category mix highlights how diverse brands now see Bengaluru as a strategic influencer market.

For instance, in the auto segment, Ola Electric and Ather Energy have partnered with Bengaluru-based influencers to showcase product innovation and sustainability. On the fashion side, Myntra consistently collaborates with creators such as Shalini Chopra, a leading voice in Bengaluru’s fashion scene with over 1.6 million followers, who has partnered with brands like Azorte, Ajio Life, Joyalukkas, and Hero Motocorp. Food brands like Swiggy Instamart also leverage regional creators to run hyperlocal campaigns, further strengthening Bengaluru’s role as a versatile influencer hub. From a brand lens, creators here also deliver stronger ROI.

According to Qoruz, regional influencers posting in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, or Malayalam achieve 20–30% higher engagement than English-language creators in the same tier. They are also more cost-efficient, offering lower per-post fees but deeper loyalty, translating into higher conversion and comment-to-like ratios.

“Before the rise of social media, most celebrities were concentrated in Mumbai and Delhi, but now the landscape has become far more democratic—thanks to digital access. Today influencers and beauty creators are emerging from Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, and even deeper markets,” said Anurag Kedia, Co-founder of BPC brand Pilgrim, which partners with several influencers and celebrities, including Rashmika Mandanna. “While we haven’t measured our campaigns city by city, Bengaluru has emerged as an important market for us.”

Hiccups in Bengaluru’s Influencer Rise

While experts project Bengaluru’s influencer economy could double in the next 24 months, Shivashish Tarkas, Founder of The InterMentalist, cautions that the city still doesn’t quite measure up. “While Bengaluru shows promise, it lacks the right infrastructure and the talent ecosystem to truly drive and adapt the influencer model,” he told e4m.

When it comes to creative execution, production capabilities, and logistical support for influencer and brand shoots, the broader South Indian market currently struggles to match the scale and efficiency of Mumbai and Delhi. Successful campaigns are not built on creators alone but rely on the seamless integration of production, creative direction, and execution. Unfortunately, in Bengaluru, these components remain fragmented rather than forming a cohesive ecosystem, preventing the city from emerging as a true influencer hub, he told e4m.

That said, Bengaluru does host a fair share of influencer marketing agencies, buoyed by its thriving start-up ecosystem and talent pool. Campaign activity in Karnataka has picked up significantly compared to earlier years, but the scope remains limited. The range of categories is still narrow, and most influencers operate in English, which often restricts regional audience resonance. Beyond Bengaluru, influencer contributions from other Karnataka cities remain almost negligible, leaving the market highly centralized and under-represented at a regional level.

South’s Influence Beyond Bengaluru

While Bengaluru is emerging as one of the country’s most dynamic influencer hubs, it’s important to note that the larger South Indian region is fast becoming the engine of India’s influencer economy. Anchored by cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi alongside Bengaluru, South India is redefining the geography of influence through regional language content, deep cultural fandoms, and diverse creator bases across sectors.

A major catalyst for this has been the rise of South Indian cinema and its stars. Celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna and Allu Arjun are increasingly replacing Bollywood names in national campaigns, thanks to their pan-India appeal built on blockbuster films such as Pushpa and KGF. Their relatability, rooted in perceived grounded lifestyles and fewer trappings of celebrity culture, allows them to build stronger emotional connections with audiences. “For brands, this translates into higher engagement and more authentic resonance, often matching or even exceeding the impact of Bollywood counterparts,” said Gupta.

At the grassroots level, vernacular creators, especially those producing in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, are driving hyperlocal engagement. Kannada-language influencers, for example, consistently deliver higher trust and interaction rates compared to Hindi/English creators, despite smaller follower counts. This makes them cost-efficient yet highly impactful partners for brands targeting South India’s urban and rural audiences.

According to Shivashish Tarkas, Founder of The InterMentalist, South India’s influencer economy is poised for exponential growth. However, he pointed out that the real inflection point will come when brands engage the right stakeholders who can authentically drive the narrative. Currently, many decision-makers, especially from the North, struggle to grasp the region’s unique nuances, resulting in missed opportunities. To unlock its full potential, agencies must shift from cut-throat competition to collaboration, enabling a more cohesive and impactful ecosystem.

With content diversifying into deep-tech, wellness, gaming, and creator-educators, experts project that Bengaluru’s influencer economy could double in the next 24 months. This momentum positions South India, anchored by Bengaluru, as the engine of India’s influencer economy, steadily reshaping brand strategies across the country.

But the question remains, are brands and agencies ready to fully embrace this shift, or will traditional mindsets hold back the region’s true potential?