New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- India's smaller media influencers are enjoying a bumper festive season, with some doubling or even quintupling their earnings from brand collaborations this season. More deals and higher campaign fees are driving the windfall, as brands are turning to smaller, regional and vernacular creators to woo shoppers through familiar cultural connections, even as inflation squeezes household budgets and threatens to dampen festive spending.

"The festive season is a peak period for consumer spending, making it important for brands to reach shoppers when they are more likely to make purchases," said Tarun Bansal, founder of influencer marketing and talent management agency Viral Fuel Studios.

Brands are now looking beyond rea...