Foreign, yet desi: The India influence on creators

Ricky Pond, aka Dancing Dad on Instagram, may feel more at home during Bollywood Night at New York pub than desi New Yorkers. He has been grooving to Indian film songs since late 2020 and raked up a million followers on Instagram since his debut on the app in March 2020. 

Indians adore Pond, who is among many other non-Indian influencers on social media. Some dance to Indian songs, several who speak Indian languages, others who are foodies, yoga trainers, etc.  

Consider Drew Hicks, who was recently spotted in ads for MakeMyTrip and Wakefit. Hicks, of American parentage, has roots in Banaras, where he learned Hindi from friends at school. A million followers and an endorsement from the Government of India itself made him drop his corporate job earlier this year and turn to full-time content creation. The Government of India selected him as the Best International Creator at the inaugural National Creators Award in March 2024. 

Shubham Singhal, of Dot Media, has made it his business to scout for these international creators who appeal to Indian audiences everywhere. The influencer marketing agency has a roster of about 15 foreign creators who speak in Tamil, Kannada and Bengali, among other languages. “We chanced upon this category of creators about six months ago,” says Singhal.   

Pond’s popularity catapulted him right onto the Modi & US stage in New York in September 2024. He was among the performers at the event where Modi mingled with the Indian diaspora. Around 60% of the songs that Pond dances to are Indian. He says that about 75-85% of his followers are Indian, and 20% of them are from top cities like Mumbai and Delhi. 

It is obvious why foreign creators who tap Indian audiences might do well. India is the biggest market for Instagram with over 350 million users. The social media platform has half that number of users in the US. 

Brands love creators like these because their content's incongruous nature makes them instant thumbstoppers. Brands like MakeMyTrip, Duolingo, Bingo, Too Yumm, Beardo, and Knorr have, with the help of Dot Media, worked with foreign-desi creators.

Novelty Factor 

Ask Pond what makes his content a perfect vehicle for brands, he quips “shock value.” Pond is the quintessential father having a good time figuring out the hook steps to trending songs; his dance videos are far from perfect, but they are always charming in a way that only dads can be.   

“At times I feel bad because I get more views than Indian influencers doing the same trend better than me,” he says. 

Singhal acknowledges the novelty of a foreigner speaking Hindi or dancing to Bollywood songs. "Social media feeds on attention, and when a viewer comes across a foreigner speaking an Indian language, we have 50% of the attention locked in right away," he says. 

Hicks is more than aware of the trap of being a novelty. “I have erased the bit that I am a foreigner speaking Hindi six months into making Reels,” he says. Hicks learnt quickly that once the trick was out of the bag, he had to do something more than just be the white-guy speaking Hindi in a weird accent to retain the attention of viewers. 

“Now, I see the foreigner angle as just 5-10% of the draw in my content.” Consequently, Hicks is developing YouTube shows to diversify the content he makes. His first show is a food blog.  

Nigerian student Agu Stanley Chiedozie succumbed to peer pressure and stumbled into the world of content creation. Friends said to him, “You are hilarious, and your Hindi is on point; you should create content!” And so he did. A year and a half later, he has amassed 5,23,000 followers on Instagram and appeared in ads for Wakefit and Policy Bazaar, among others.

From comedy videos and collaborations with other creators, Chiedozie has already come a long way. Being a non-native speaker who is fluent in Hindi has landed him an acting opportunity in a movie. He informs, “I'm transitioning to acting full-time within the next three years.”

Non-resident creators 

Creators who live outside India have fewer opportunities for branded work, but there is interest. On his India trip, Pond shook a leg with Indian dance creators and hoped to find opportunities with brands. When Quickstyle visited India last year, the Norwegian dance group hopped onto a Mumbai Local and shot a music video for consumer electronics brand boAt. It also appeared in an ad for Crocs. 

Mr Christopher, a Mallu at heart, follows Eastern Standard Time. His content focuses on Malayalam and Kerala's cultural fabric. Nalla Vellakaran (The Good White Man), as he likes to be called, has 1,70,000 followers on Instagram, up from a mere 220 a year ago.   

Some brands just want to send Chris love with their products such as coffee and tea powder or more recently a Kasavu pillow case (pillow case with silk zari work), and he is open to accepting these.  

He is, however, more selective about paid promotions. Indian brands have shown interest but Chris is taking it slow. So far he has collaborated with a Kerala snacking brand Oorla which ships to the US, UK, European countries and several other places outside India. He is concerned about the perception of his brand collaborations and wants to avoid the impression of "shilling for somebody."

Is foreign really better?

Influencer marketing gurus will tell you that a perfect match in theme, content style, and outlook between the creator and brand is the key to a successful collaboration. Kejal Teckchandani, EVP, influencer outreach, FCB Kinnect, says that using international influencers for an Indian brand requires careful selection to ensure they resonate with the core audience. 

Experts caution that following a trend may benefit the creator more than the brand. Teckchandani adds, “Popularity alone isn’t enough — an influencer must align with the brand’s values for authentic content. Engagement metrics might be high, but fragmented international audiences can weaken domestic impact.”

The non-resident influencers could carve a niche for themselves, suggests Toru Jhaveri, founder and strategy lead at The Stuff Of Life. She says Indian brands located in other countries or international brands catering to Indians might want to tap into the audiences who follow these foreign creators.