How Indian YouTube Influencers Find Brand Deals in South Korea
Indian YouTube influencers have recently emerged as brand deal facilitators in South Korea. In fact, they are now more trusted than local influencers.
With their significant reach on social media and their ability to effectively market products and services, YouTubers from India are making a serious dent in Korea’s influencer market.
In this article, we will explore how they find brand deals and the platforms they use to connect with companies and other influencers.
🔍 Finding Brand Deals
Unlike the West, where influencers directly negotiate brand deals, India’s aspiring influencers often rely on talent management agencies.
From 2023, some Indian agencies have begun approaching Korean firms to facilitate influencer marketing campaigns in South Korea.
One such agency is Vector Content, which is one of India’s fastest-growing creator management companies. Headquartered in Gurugram, Vector Content specializes in connecting creators with brands and assists them in monetizing their content on digital platforms.
According to Vector Content founder, Aman Bhatia, “Influencers have a level of trust and relatability that traditional marketing lacks."
He explained that influencers can communicate their messages directly and personally to their target audiences, making them an effective means for businesses to connect with potential customers.
For example, in March 2024, Vector Content partnered with the Korean brand CLIO, one of the largest color cosmetics companies in South Korea.
They selected 13 Indian YouTubers, primarily beauty content creators, to promote CLIO on the video platform by applying the Korean brand’s makeup in their videos.
The initiative was a resounding success, with all creators celebrating the partnership on social media, thanking CLIO, and promising to continue using its products.
CLIO later stated that they found the influencers’ marketing of their products “to be authentic”, even though they were from a different country.
💻 YouTube Is the Go-To Platform
For Indian influencers looking to score brand deals in South Korea, YouTube is their favorite platform.
According to India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, there are over 60 million active YouTube users in India. More than half of all Indians have access to the internet through platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
In November 2022, YouTube announced that more than 500 channels in India crossed the 1 million subscriber milestone.
In the past two years alone, over 100 channels crossed 10 million subscribers, making India the fastest-growing YouTube market in the world.
YouTube is the preferred platform because many of the Indian influencers traveling to South Korea operate in the lifestyle niche.
YouTube is a better platform for lifestyle influencers because longer videos are usually more engaging. They allow creators to document their experiences in greater detail, thereby immersing their audience in their travels and lifestyle.
Asian influencer marketing platform, Yoke Network, notes that social media posts typically only get a fraction of the engagement compared to video content.
In a 2023 live stream, Indian YouTube influencer Piyush Awasthi, popularly known as The Urban Piyush, explained that companies in South Korea prefer influencers who are fluent in English, Hindi, or regional Indian languages.
He emphasized that South Korean firms do not want to engage local influencers even if they can communicate in Korean.
Despite not being fluent in Hindi or English, influencers with a significant number of subscribers have no trouble securing brand deals in South Korea primarily due to India’s cultural links with South Korea.
📱 How South Korean Brands Connect With Them
To facilitate influencer campaigns in South Korea, Indian influencers can rely on digital platforms such as BaoLiba.
This online influencer marketplace connects brands with influencers from around the world and allows businesses to browse, book, and manage influencer campaigns.
The platform ranks influencers based on their historical performance, engagement, and audience authenticity. BaoLiba also offers guaranteed placements, so Indian influencers can secure brand deals with South Korean brands.
A BaoLiba spokesperson stated that to ensure their services are being utilized by the right creators, they ask potential influencers to prove their skills before joining.
Moreover, a considerable roster of influencers on the platform hails from India, allowing South Korean brands to find the Indian influencers they want and easily get in touch with them.
👟 Sports and Cosmetics Brands Prefer Indian Influencers
Indian influencers popularizing South Korean brands is not limited to just one industry. They primarily promote products associated with sports, cosmetics, and electronics brands.
In February 2024, Badhshah, a singer and rapper from India known for his Punjabi, Hindi, and Hinglish songs, collaborated with popular South Korean shoe brand, G-Dragon’s PEACEMINUSONE.
He wore the brand’s classic sneakers in a video posted on his YouTube channel, which has over 12 million subscribers, attracting significant attention from fans of the brand.
Additionally, in September 2023, Vector Content held a competition for beauty influencers in India to win an opportunity to be the face of A’PIEU, a major South Korean cosmetics brand.
The campaign was a massive success, earning tens of millions of impressions thanks to all the buzz it generated on social media.
From Riya Jain of Riya’s Fashional Diary fame to Shivi Jha of Beauty with Shivi fame, top Indian beauty influencers participated in the campaign, which showcased the extensive presence of South Korean beauty brands in India.
According to a report by Morgan Stanley, South Korea is projected to become the top exporter of cosmetics by 2026, surpassing both France and the United States.
📊 Koreans Are Inspired By What Indians Do
India and South Korea share similar cultures and tastes, so they tend to have similar preferences when it comes to lifestyle choices such as food, clothes, and entertainment.
Korean pop culture is popular in India, while regional Indian films, especially those from the Southern part of the country, are gaining traction in South Korea.
Moreover, India is the 8th largest trading partner for South Korea. Hyun-woong Lee, Director General of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Asia-Pacific department, told Indian outlet The Hindu in 2023 that bilateral trade is projected to reach $50 billion by 2030.
As a result, South Koreans are increasingly getting interested in India’s goings-on, including home-grown influencers popularizing brands.
Vector Content has reported that Korean companies are now more willing to work with Indian creators than local influencers.
In fact, based on its experience, Korean brands that collaborate with Indian influencers experience a greater level of trust among Koreans and a higher likelihood of their products being purchased.
🥘 South Korean Brands Want Access to Indian Consumers
In 2024, South Korea is set to become the third largest advertising market in Asia after China and Japan. The country is also projected to become the fastest-growing advertising market in the G20.
A report by market expert Zenith has revealed that South Korea’s ad spend is expected to hit $17.5 billion in 2026, up from $15 billion in 2023.
Zenith explains that between 2026 and 2030, online advertising is going to be the fastest-growing segment in South Korea, with search engine optimization, influencer marketing, and social media advertising being the key drivers.
Against this backdrop, it’s no surprise that more South Korean brands are looking to tap into India’s thriving influencer market.
According to Vector Content’s Aman Bhatia, many South Korean companies want access to India’s untapped consumer potential through popular Indian influencers.
He stated, “The Indian influencer market is booming and already surpassing many Western markets. Korean brands want to reach India’s massive consumer pool through influencer marketing.”
📞 Connect with BaoLiba Today!
In 2024, it is projected that South Korea will have over 2 million social media influencers. Over 65% of them will be micro-influencers, and the influencer marketing sector will be worth over $2 billion.
However, most South Korean firms will still prefer to partner with Indian influencers when promoting their products and services.
This is where BaoLiba comes in.
With a massive roster of Indian influencers and culturally connected representatives from multiple countries, BaoLiba is equipped to connect South Korean brands with the best Indian influencers.
If your brand seeks to step into the Indian market, connect with BaoLiba today!
BaoLiba will continue to update Indian influencer marketing trends, so stay tuned for more tips!