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Creators of Habit IIGC marks 2 December as India’s first World Influencer Day
MUMBAI: Influence clearly has its day and now, thanks to the Indian Influencer Governing Council (IIGC), it finally has its own date on the calendar too. In a first-of-its-kind move, the Council has declared 2 December as World Influencer Day, giving India’s vast creator community the kind of collective spotlight usually reserved for blockbuster stars and policy-makers.
And in true influencer fashion, the celebration isn’t a quiet affair. It arrives with stories, sessions, hashtags, and an industry-first certification, all aimed at giving creators not a pedestal, but a platform that finally matches their cultural impact.
In the run-up to the big day, IIGC invited creators to share the turning points that shaped their journeys, the flukes, flops, breakthroughs and breakdowns that led them to where they are. Hundreds responded, sending in videos that span language, region, content style and personality. The sheer diversity of the submissions, showcased in IIGC’s Creator Stories highlight reel, doubles up as a portrait of India’s digital culture in all its messy, inventive glory.
The centrepiece of the festivities, however, is a step towards something more structural, the IIGC Certified Influencer Program, promoted as India’s first formal certification for creators. Designed to equip them with guidelines on content responsibility, ecosystem standards, and professional best practices, the programme aims to create a generation of creators who are not just popular, but prepared. Graduates will carry an official “IIGC Certified” tag, a badge the Council says will offer credibility with brands and platforms navigating an often chaotic space.
IIGC chairman Sahil Chopra framed the day as a declaration of intent, not a ceremonial nod. “World Influencer Day belongs to every creator whose voice sparks change, every brand that trusts digital storytelling, and every consumer inspired by authentic content,” he said. “With the launch of the IIGC Certified Influencer Program, we’re not just celebrating creators, we’re building meaningful pathways for education, structure, and long-term success.”
Beyond celebrations, the Council turned the spotlight inward with World Influencer Day Spotlight Sessions, a special edition of IIGC Talks. The conversations paired well-known creators with senior marketers, digging into what actually drives partnerships, how the creator–brand relationship is evolving, and what authenticity looks like in a data-led ecosystem.
The lineup reads like a crash course in today’s marketing power map creators Harpreeth Suri, Shirin Sewani and Shashank Srivastava in conversation with heavyweights including K. Ganapathy Subramaniam (CMO, LT Foods), Pooja Baid (CMO, Versuni), Manasi Karmarkar (head of digital marketing, W for Woman), Shailja Joshi (senior director, marketing, Pepsico), Suneet Singh (senior vice president, marketing, Whiteland Corporation) and Barun Prabhakar (CMO, GRM Overseas).
Many of them didn’t hold back when talking about the influence of, well, influencers. “Creators have transformed how brands connect with people,” said LT Foods’ K. Ganapathy Subramaniam. “They bring authenticity, speed and real emotional resonance into modern marketing.”
Creators echoed that sentiment with an edge. Fashion and lifestyle creator Harpreeth Suri said the celebration finally validates the role creators play, regardless of whether they boast a million followers or a few thousand highly engaged ones. “What matters is the contribution,” she said. “IIGC celebrating World Influencer Day gives creators the respect they deserve.”
On Instagram, the mood has already turned festive. Hundreds of creators have posted gratitude messages, sharing what the journey has meant to them, the late nights, the algorithm anxieties, the learning curves, and the unexpected communities built along the way. Many credited IIGC for offering a sense of belonging in an industry that often feels like a solo sport.
With hashtags like #WorldInfluencerDay and #ThankYouInfluencers already gaining traction, and with creators signing up for the certification programme in sizeable numbers, IIGC seems intent on transforming the celebration into a yearly moment of both reflection and reform.
In a landscape where trends shift faster than a reel can load, World Influencer Day arrives as a rare pause, a moment that both applauds the creator economy and attempts to anchor it. And if the Council’s plans are anything to go by, this may be the start of a more accountable, more skilled, and more empowered era of Indian influence.
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Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
