Publicis Groupe India has introduced Influential, its global creator marketing solution, in the country, signalling a shift toward making influencer marketing more measurable, integrated and outcome-driven. Alongside the rollout, the company has appointed Diwaker Chandani as Managing Partner for Influential India, tasking him with building and scaling the offering in the market.
Chandani will lead efforts to integrate data, creators, media and commerce into a unified framework aimed at delivering business outcomes for brands. His appointment comes as influencer marketing continues to grow rapidly in India, even as the ecosystem remains fragmented, marked by inconsistent measurement standards, duplication of creators and an overdependence on organic reach.
With Influential, Publicis Groupe India is seeking to address these gaps by moving brands beyond siloed executions toward a more structured and data-led approach. The solution is anchored in the group’s Connected Identity system, which maps consumer profiles to enable more precise audience targeting and creator selection. Combined with the Captiv8 platform and Influential’s global network, the offering is designed to help brands plan, activate and measure campaigns across the funnel.
Chandani brings nearly two decades of experience across digital platforms and media ecosystems. He has previously held leadership roles at Meta, Zee Entertainment and the Network18 Group, where he worked on scaling creator partnerships and content-led media strategies.
Anupriya Acharya, Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Groupe South Asia, said the launch reflects a broader shift in how influencer marketing is being approached in India. “The channel has reached scale, but lacks a unified, data-led foundation. With Influential, we are moving from a creator-first approach to a cohort-first, identity-led model powered by Connected Identity,” she said, adding that the integration of creators, media and commerce will enable more precise and scalable outcomes.
Chandani noted that while brands are increasing investments in influencer marketing, consistent returns remain elusive. “The ecosystem has scale, but not maturity,” he said. “By combining data-led audience intelligence with creator ecosystems and media amplification, we aim to build a model that delivers measurable and repeatable outcomes.”
The rollout highlights Publicis Groupe India’s push to bring greater structure and accountability to influencer marketing, positioning it as a core component of full-funnel brand strategy rather than a standalone engagement channel.
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