MAM
Unveiling the Unspoken: How Silent Influencer Marketing is Reshaping the Creative Landscape
Mumbai: The current landscape of marketing demands numerous decisions from marketers, ranging from allocating budgets across different channels to determining key variables within those channels. These decisions require meticulous attention to detail. Today’s focus in marketing is heavily centered on achieving expansive outreach on social media platforms, often overshadowing the once paramount goal of enhancing a brand’s reputation.
The brands that prioritized bolstering their reputation through marketing efforts were assessed biannually via quantitative research. While not all brands possess multinational corporations budgets for comprehensive field research, the pursuit of positively influencing brand perception and equity should regain prominence in marketing strategies.
Amidst the ongoing dilemma between extending reach and nurturing brand equity, influencers come into view. Undoubtedly, influencers wield considerable influence over their audience’s affinity or aversion to a brand, trend, or cause. They have even been instrumental in the ‘de-influencing’ movement, which highlighted the pitfalls of the influencer economy due to insincere endorsements. Nevertheless, influencers offer brands a cost-effective means of amplifying their message. This often involves collaborating with a mix of nano, micro, macro, and mega influencers, depending on the available budget. While mega influencers demand a premium due to their follower count and perceived expertise, many brands prioritize quantity over quality when selecting influencers.
According to me, silent influencers play the role of wildcards. These influencers gradually establish themselves as subject-matter experts within a niche. They differ from mega influencers in that they don’t push personal opinions but instead curate content from diverse experts, often in interview-style formats. This content aims at fostering growth and learning rather than mere entertainment. Silent influencers emphasise meritocracy and dialogue, and their most notable impact is their ability to convey authenticity. In a world dominated by polished ads, silent influencers provide a refreshing dose of raw, genuine content. This authenticity deeply resonates with audiences seeking genuine connections in a digitally fabricated landscape.
These influencers prompt brands to prioritize quality and credibility in influencer marketing, moving away from coercion and quantity. They possess the potential to enhance a brand’s equity through their own positive image. Modern brands challenging conventions or aiming for behavioral shifts can benefit from associating with silent influencers to engage potential customers in meaningful conversations. Our efforts on “Master of Denim” for Lee Cooper demonstrate that Indian consumers across various segments are receptive to longer content formats if they hold personal significance.
Whenever a chance for dialogue with the audience arises, to justify a stance, or to alter long-held perceptions, silent influencers can play a pivotal role, especially when engaged over a prolonged period. Industries like new-age financial services, healthcare, and wellness, requiring in-depth comprehension, particularly stand to gain. The challenge remains in assessing ROI beyond reach, a topic that warrants a separate discussion.
The author of this article is Makani Creatives CBO Suchana Sarkar.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
