How fake paparazzi events fuel brand buzz across India

Strategy is to set up scenes looking spontaneous, with the paparazzi capturing the moment

- Pratishtha Bagai & Sowmya Ramasubramanian

In India's ever-inventive influencer economy, consumer brands are exploring ways to break through cluttered social feeds to capture attention: fake paparazzi moments. From influencers staging public spats to actresses suddenly dabbing moisturizer on their cheeks outside a café, marketers are engineering candid encounters to turn the sidewalk—or the airport—into an advertising stage.

The strategy, called paparazzi marketing, involves staging scenes to look spontaneous while photographers capture them. A paparazzi is a photographer who follows celebrities—film stars, sports icons, and business leaders—to sell their photos to the press. These paparazzi moments often go viral on Instagram and entertainment portals, feeding the public's appetite for celebrity spotting.

Recent examples include influencers Sakshi Shivdasani and Naina Bhan bickering in public—a stunt later revealed to be a Crocs endorsement—or Vaseline's campaign where actors Huma Qureshi, Gauhar Khan, and Jannat Zubair walked out applying moisturizer in the shape of clouds on their faces.