On March 8, on the occasion of Women’s Day, when social media was abuzz with the contributions of women to society, Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated content creators for their contribution to various categories at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Over 200 creators were nominated for the awards and the categories included best storyteller, celebrity creator of the year, disruptor of the year, green champion, cultural ambassador of the year, best creator for social change, most impactful agri creator, international creator award, best travel creator award, heritage fashion icon award, and most creative creator ( male and female).
The categories also included best creator in gaming, best creator in the food category, best creator in education, best nano creator, best micro creator, best health and fitness creator, tech creator, Swachhta ambassador award and the New India Champion award.
The award for best creative for Social Change, best travel creator, heritage fashion icon, best creative creator – female, and best creator in food was felicitated to Jaya Kishori, Kamiya Jani, Janhvi Singh, Shraddha Jain, popularly known as AiyyoShraddha, and Kabita Singh for Kabita’s Kitchen (YouTube channel).
In an exclusive conversation Storyboard18 had with AiyyoShraddha, she stated, “It’s a very humbling experience. I’ve always been very careful about my voice and my platform. But now, I feel that there is a sense of greater responsibility to really use this platform to showcase the positivity of India. Earlier it was: ‘This is entertainment and I’m using this platform for storytelling to entertain people.’ This is true even now. But now I feel that I should do more good with my platform and probably show more discipline.”
Aman Gupta, the founder and chief executive officer of lifstyle brand boAt, of Shark Tank India fame, was the best celebrity creator. Ranveer Allahbadia, known for #TheRanveerShow, was felicitated with the ‘Disruptor of the Year’ award.
Kiri Paul from Tanzania, Drew Hicks from America, and Cassandra Mae Spittmann from Germany were the best international creators.
When ‘influencer’ became viral
Who is an influencer? He or she is someone who has the potential to strike a chord among their followers, affect their purchasing decisions due to their knowledge and authority of their domain. Right from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube to various other social media platforms, influencers operate in variety of categories, with technology, beauty and lifestyle, and food being a few to name. As per 88GB, a digital marketing agency, 61 percent of the consumers trust influencer recommendations.
And as per the agency, the top four categories contributing significantly to influencer marketing volume are personal care (25 percent), food and beverages (F&B) (20 percent), fashion & jewellery (15 percent), and mobile and electronics (10 percent).
In 2016, the term ‘influencer’ became popular when brands began to consider the potential of influencer marketing, stated a report. However, the resurgence of influencers truly began when COVID-19 broke out in 2020, highlighted BigCommerce.
The creator economy, which is expected to grow profoundly by 2027, as per a recent media report, worldwide, there are 207 million content creators. As estimated by Kalaari Capital, a venture capital fund, in 2022, there were 80 million creators in India.
When the Union government announced the National Creators Award in February 2024, Storyboard18 reached out to Rubeena Singh, country manager India & MENA (Middle East and North Africa) at AnyMind Group, and Manisha Kapoor, chief executive officer and secretary general, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), to discuss on the latest initiative.
According to Singh, when the term ‘influencer’ first hit the scene, it was all about big numbers and reaching as many people as possible. This was followed by tech evolution, too. “It’s no longer just about being seen; it’s about creating value and connecting on a personal level,” she said.
Kapoor agrees. Social media networks developed, their algorithms altered, and their revenue streams grew. Over a period, influencers got more specialised, and brand partnerships are now typical.
“The field of influencer marketing has also been shaped by new laws and ethical standards pertaining to sponsored content. However, on the flip side, we have also seen serious concerns on transparency, deepfakes etc,” Kapoor said.
Effect on influencer marketing landscape
For Singh, the introduction of the National Creators Awards is a way to spotlight the best of the best, raising the bar for quality and creativity. “For platforms like AnyTag (influencer marketing platform), this can drive a surge in aspirational content creation, creator signups and brand interest as influencers get national recognition. It’s an opportunity for more people to take up content creation as a full-time profession and not just as a hobby,” she stated.
“As these awards set new benchmarks, platforms like AnyTag will ensure that we’re not just facilitating collaborations but also fostering a culture of innovation and quality. It’s about guiding creators to align with these elevated standards and helping brands leverage this new wave of award-winning talent,” she highlighted.
Kapoor believes that it is an opportune moment now for influencers to thrive, amidst a burgeoning creator economy that has seen significant growth in recent years.
However, she stated, “The recognition is a welcome step. The criteria for such awards should be transparent, and ensure that influencers violating law or manipulating or disregarding consumer safety or trust are automatically disqualified.”
Exclusion of ‘finance’ category
One notable exclusion from the award categories are finfluencers or finance influencers.
Year 2023 saw many events unfold in the professional sphere of finfluencers. On October 25, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) banned Mohammad Nasiruddin Ansari, popularly known as ‘Baap of Chart’, who was active on platforms like Telegram, YouTube and X, for providing investment advisory services without registration.
According to SEBI, he provided stock recommendations in the guise of educational training pertaining to the securities market.
In May 2023, P R Sundar, a YouTuber and options trader, was barred by the regulator from trading for a year. This action was taken after complaints that Sundar, his company Mansun Consulting, and co-promoter Mangayakarasi Sundar provided investment advisory services without registration.
Similarly, in August 2023, ASCI revised its guidelines for finfluencers and health and nutrition influencers. The guidelines for finfluencers stated that influencers could offer investment-related advice only after getting registered with SEBI and they must display their registration numbers alongside their name and qualifications.
The disclaimer influencers would need to display included superimposition of qualifications, registration or certification details in visuals that are readable or upfront.
For insurance advice, a licence from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is a pre-requisite, or one needs to be a chartered accountant or company secretary.
Madhabi Puri Buch, chairperson, Sebi, recently stated that the regulatory body was contemplating measures to regulate the finance set of content creators as news about investors falling prey to unregulated finfluencers’ advice were on the rise.
ASCI’s Kapoor said that finance, as a sector, holds significance and sees immense influencer activity. Their inclusion would have enhanced the overall representation and relevance of the awards, she had stated.
She said, “As a self- regulatory organisation, our commitment is to foster an environment where informed finfluencers would need to bridge the gap between complex financial concepts and accessible content, ensuring their material is engaging and easily understandable for their audience. They must also focus on building trust and credibility by providing accurate information and transparently disclosing any conflicts of interest.”
AiyyoShraddha also added, “I had this conversation with SEBI. They told us about how people with little or no credibility who advise people on financial matters are actually making tall claims. This has caused a lot of distress where people have lost money. In the financial space, even I feel that people who really have the credibility to talk about financial matters should be discussing or commenting on these things. When it comes to exploiting someone’s vulnerability, or aiming for virality, I think it’s extremely unfair. But, having said that, do we have some great finfluencers? Do we have some people who are really trying to educate and are doing their best? Yes. I’m not sure why it was not included, but I feel that there’s a lot that needs to be cleaned up in this space.”
What are the current trends?
According to AnyMind Group’s Singh, there has been a rise in regional creators. Over the past few months, AnyMind Group has signed up more than 10,000 local language creators across geographies, styles and follower sizes.
“We’ve seen some amazing results and audience connect driven by them for branded campaigns. This is because authenticity is king. People crave real, relatable content with local cultural context,” she said.
“Sustainability and social causes are becoming central themes, reflecting broader societal shifts. There is a move towards data-driven strategies, helping brands and creators connect more effectively with their audiences. It’s an exciting time with constant innovation and evolution,” she said.
As per ASCI’s Kapoor, National Creator Awards will confer further credibility and essential acknowledgement to the creators and their innovative content. However, she states that the methodology and criteria for selection needs to be transparent and reward truly impactful work, rather than entries created for the sake of awards.
“ASCI has pioneered the idea of transparency and authenticity in influencer content and is the only body monitoring influencer content on such a large scale to prevent breach of consumer trust. Breach of ASCI criteria should lead to a disqualification for entries, as it ensures that work that is creative and honest is recognised,” Kapoor concluded.