GroupM unveils 'Top 100 Digital Stars of 2024' in partnership with Forbes India

GroupM has announced the third edition of the Top 100 Digital Stars List for 2024 curated by GroupM’s influencer and content marketing solution The Goat Agency, in partnership with Forbes India. This list showcases some of the most influential digital personalities in India, representing various industries such as comedy, fitness, food, technology, travel, social work, beauty, fashion, as well as business and finance.  

With this year's new selection criteria, the focus will be expanded beyond verified profiles to include all creators, regardless of verified or non-verified status. While verification badges can signify authenticity, the vibrant community of genuine creators, even those without such badges, plays a crucial role in shaping the digital landscape and deserves recognition for their contributions. Comedy creators dominate the list, with seven out of the top ten recognised for their talent and creativity. Following closely are creators in the tech, travel, and photography categories, which together comprise 50% of the overall list. Taking into account the wider understanding of influence, this shift emphasises the importance of diverse voices in the creator economy, ensuring that all creators can contribute to the evolving digital narrative and shine.  

Kunal Sawant, Business Head, Goat, GroupM India said, “The Top 100 Digital Stars List for 2024 celebrates the diverse and dynamic voices shaping India’s digital landscape together, we are pushing boundaries to spotlight the country’s most influential creators across platforms. By expanding our criteria this year, we are ensuring a more inclusive and data-driven approach. Our comprehensive, data-driven approach ensures that the true impact of these digital stars is highlighted, reflecting a broader understanding of influence in today’s creator economy.” He added, “Additionally, we are proud to see the GOAT Changemakers, a group of socially responsible creators, continue to be an essential part of the list, aligning with our Responsible Investment Framework.” 

Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, GroupM South Asia said, “The third edition of The Top 100 Digital Stars presents a carefully curated, data-driven selection of India’s most influential digital personalities. With a broader understanding of influence, this edition highlights the value of diverse voices in the creator economy, ensuring that every creator has the opportunity to contribute to the evolving digital narrative and be recognised. Our aim is to ensure all creators have a role in shaping the digital landscape and receive the recognition they deserve.” 

A multi-step approach was initiated for compiling this list. Starting with identifying leading creators across nine specific genres by evaluating their engagement rates and follower counts. The selection was then refined to the top 100 influencers through a comprehensive analysis of key metrics such as reach, engagement, impressions, and follower numbers. Goat’s proprietary scoring algorithm was instrumental in this process. This algorithm ranks creators within related categories, types, and audience sizes based on engagement rates.  

Brian Carvalho, Editor, Forbes India said, “Almost everyone wants to be an influencer lately. But what does it take to consistently produce content that’s high quality, trustworthy, and engaging in categories from fashion and comedy to technology and travel? The answer lies with those who produce it. And what better destination to find them than the list of India’s Top 100 Digital Stars? Now in its third edition, the Forbes India-Goat study recognises and ranks digital creators who dish  out their appealing wares across Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook."