Google India is reviewing its creator mandate and is on the lookout for an agency to manage the business on a retainer basis, according to sources familiar with the development. Collective Artists Network had previously handled Google India’s creator-led work, though details on the retainer’s scope, participating agencies and timeline remain unclear.

The review comes as Google steps up its use of talent and creator-led content across both brand marketing and advertising products in India. In August, the company rolled out a large-scale Gemini campaign featuring Shah Rukh Khan, conceptualised by Prasoon Joshi and developed with McCann India and Nirvana Films, aimed at building Gemini’s familiarity beyond metro, English-speaking audiences. That campaign sits outside the creator mandate currently under review.

The bigger creator push is unfolding largely through YouTube. In July, Google launched YouTube BrandStack, an India-built solution unifying campaign planning, buying and measurement. This month, YouTube added six new platforms, including Tomato Interactive, Unfy and Creator Ads, to its Creator Partnerships API ecosystem, expanding how agencies and brands can access creator discovery and campaign tools.

YouTube has also been merging its creator infrastructure, bringing BrandConnect and its Creator Partnerships Hub together under YouTube Creator Partnerships, integrated into YouTube Studio, Google Ads and Display & Video 360. The platform says advertisers can now reach over three million creators through this system, with Gemini assisting brands in creator selection.

Google has additionally introduced tools like Affiliate Partnerships Boost, turning tagged creator content into paid inventory, and has committed ₹850 crore to India’s creator economy over two years, spanning monetisation, commerce and brand partnerships.