iWorld
How to create effective social influence?
MUMBAI: Today, a social media user’s newsfeed comprises brands, influencers & publishers, all battling to create what marketers hope are ‘like-worthy’ pieces of content. And, to stand out, several brands have recently taken the influencer-marketing route, but Dentsu Webchutney is of the opinion that even this is slowly hitting a saturation point.
Influencer marketing itself is riddled with disorganized logistics, confusing operations, lack of clarity about success metrics amongst other issues. Webchutney Influence aims to solve these problems for both brands and content creators.
“Over the last year or so, we’ve noticed a pattern of brands across categories working with an extremely limited circle of content-creators: mostly the top tier publishers and creators. Unless these circles expand, the nature of content created, will not either. Webchutney Influence has been making inroads into doing just that… by working with Instagram creators who are known more for the quality of their work, with a smaller but focused loyal fan base, and other smaller publishers on Facebook to co-create and distribute content effectively. And we aim to economize this model to scale”, says Dentsu Webchutney creative director PG Aditya.
“We realized that while brands had warmed up to collaborating with these ‘micro-influencers’ in spirit, it was usually way more convenient for them to partner with larger names, unfortunately at the content’s expense. Which is why the team at Webchutney Influence also works as a quasi-talent management hub. It is important for influencers to not feel that their content quality was being compromised, while you, the brand can reap the benefits of a user’s undivided attention,” says Dentsu Webchutney CEO Sidharth Rao.
But how does a brand ensure that the influencers and publishers recommended is the right fit for them? Dentsu Webchutney senior vice president Gautam Reghunath clarifies: “Webchutney Influence has spent quality time handpicking publishers & content creators who command a high resonance with their audiences, and mapping their audience demographics to that of our brands before we actually recommend a collaboration. Plus, we’re a creative agency at heart. Understanding a ‘brand fit’ is something built into the team’s DNA.”
Reghunath also touches upon the changing culture of the agency itself. “It is the new normal at Dentsu Webchutney to see a social influencer and our own creative & influence teams brainstorming on how the next series of brand creatives should be. To be honest, we’re just keeping up with the way social media is evolving – right from tweaking the way we brief our creative partners to re-imagining who these creative partners are. Webchutney Influence is as much about reach as it is about creativity,” he adds.
Webchutney Influence has already executed campaigns with brands such as Flipkart, Mach City, Quikr, Canon India, Rentomojo and Reliance AJIO across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Gaming
IICT signs three MoUs to boost AVGC-XR and esports
Partnerships with Zenfluencers, Yologram and Eruditio at Chennai Gaming Show 2026 strengthen education, XR innovation and nationwide talent outreach.
MUMBAI: IICT has just levelled up the game in a big way. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies signed three strategic Memorandums of Understanding on 17 April 2026 at the CII Summit FX – India Gaming Show in Chennai, forging alliances with The Zenfluencers, Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. and Eruditio Consultants to accelerate India’s AVGC-XR ecosystem.
The tie-ups combine IICT’s strengths in education, skilling and research with specialist expertise across esports, immersive technologies and large-scale outreach.
- With The Zenfluencers, IICT will roll out globally benchmarked esports programmes, including joint certification courses, industry workshops, tournaments and masterclasses, creating clear career pathways across the full esports value chain.
- The partnership with Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. focuses on gaming, immersive storytelling and extended reality (XR), delivering industry-aligned curriculum, faculty mentorship, student showcases and collaborative research in immersive AI and virtual production.
- Collaboration with Eruditio Consultants targets awareness, accessibility and career alignment, with nationwide counsellor training, institutional engagement and structured guidance frameworks to reach students beyond Tier-1 cities.
IICT CEO Vishwas Deoskar said, “As the AVGC-XR sector evolves at a rapid pace, strong collaborations between industry and academia are essential. These partnerships will create meaningful impact across education, innovation and outreach.”
Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. founder Aditya Mani added, “AI-driven creator worlds are transforming games into engines of culture, commerce and careers. Together we aim to empower a generation to build immersive futures.”
Eruditio Consultants founder Indrajit Ghosh noted, “This is not just about awareness, it is about building a structured ecosystem that connects aspiration with opportunity.”
The Zenfluencers CEO Atharva Gupta said, “This MoU is a big unlock moment for the esports ecosystem in India. We’re building a structured pipeline for talent across the full stack.”
By bringing together academia, industry leaders and ecosystem players, IICT is creating scalable models that blend cutting-edge skills with real-world relevance. In a sector racing toward the future, these three partnerships ensure India’s next generation of creative technologists won’t just keep up, they’ll set the pace.
