The Northeast Creator Advantage: Why the Next Big Influencer May Not Be the Biggest One

Editorial | Rudrajeet Kumar Laskar

A creator from Guwahati has 7,000 followers. Another from Shillong has 12,000. Someone from Imphal has 18,000. None of them would probably be considered a "big influencer" by traditional standards. But ask their followers where to eat, what to buy, which café to visit, which song to listen to or what is happening in the city—and you may get a very different picture. Because influence is not always about numbers. Sometimes, it is about how well people know you and how much they trust what you say. And this is where the Northeast could have a very interesting advantage.

The influencer game is changing

For a long time, influencer marketing was fairly simple. More followers meant more reach. More reach meant more visibility. And brands naturally wanted the biggest names they could afford. But that thinking is slowly changing.

India’s influencer marketing industry is expected to reach around ₹3,375 crore by 2026, growing at roughly 18%–25% a year. The number is impressive. But the more interesting story is what is happening behind it. Brands are beginning to realise that a large audience isn't necessarily an engaged audience. A million followers look impressive on a presentation. But 8,000 people who genuinely listen can sometimes be far more valuable.

And this matters even more in the Northeast

Anyone who has tried to market across Northeast India knows that the region cannot simply be treated as one large market. Assam is different from Meghalaya. Meghalaya is different from Mizoram. Mizoram is different from Manipur. And the cultural nuances within each state can be just as important. Language matters. Food matters. Music matters. Local humour matters. Festivals matter. Even the way people talk about brands can be different.

This is where a local creator has an advantage that money cannot easily manufacture. They understand the reference. They understand the joke. They know what feels natural. And their audience understands them. A national celebrity might make people notice a brand. But a local creator can make the brand feel familiar.

Think about the 5,000-follower creator

Let's say there is a creator in Guwahati with 5,000 followers. They are not famous across India. But their followers may include college students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, foodies, fashion enthusiasts and people from their own neighbourhood. They may regularly comment on the creator's posts. They may send DMs asking for recommendations. They may meet the creator at local events. That relationship is very different from simply seeing a celebrity in an advertisement. There is a degree of familiarity. And familiarity builds trust. That is why nano and micro creators are becoming increasingly interesting to marketers.

Research from AnyMind Group, based on data from more than 15,000 Indian influencers, has also highlighted strong engagement among nano creators. The point isn't that every small creator is automatically better. It is that follower count alone is becoming a poor way of measuring influence.

What if brands looked at the Northeast differently?

Imagine a campaign across the region. Instead of one celebrity doing everything, a brand could work with 20 carefully selected creators. A food creator from Guwahati. A fashion creator from Shillong. A travel creator from Manipur. A lifestyle creator from Mizoram. A campus creator from Agartala. A music creator from Nagaland. And several smaller creators from different communities. Individually, their numbers may not look extraordinary. Together, they could create something much more interesting. The brand message travels from community to community rather than being broadcast from one giant account. That is a very different kind of reach.

From influencers to people

Perhaps this is where influencer marketing is heading. Away from simply asking: "How many followers does this person have?" And towards asking: "How much influence does this person actually have over their community?"

Because there is a difference between having an audience and having a relationship with an audience. The second one is much harder to build. And much harder to fake. For brands looking at the Northeast, this could become one of the biggest opportunities of the next few years. The region already has the raw ingredients: Culture. Stories. Communities. Creators. And increasingly, digital audiences. What it needs is for brands to look beyond the obvious names.

The Northeast creator economy isn't small.

It is simply spread across many communities. And that may actually be its strength. I believe the next big Northeast story may not come from the creator with the biggest follower count. It may come from the creator who knows their 5,000 followers by heart. Because ultimately, influence isn't just about how many people see you. It is about how many people believe you. And in the Northeast, that difference could be worth paying attention to.

Netive Studio — Stories, Culture & Ideas from Northeast India