Hold of influencers over brands, consumers rises

WITH 460 MILLION INDIANS ARE ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BRANDS CONTINUE TO LEVERAGE FROM CAMPAIGNS

- Shuchi Bansal

The power that social media influencers or content creators wield in digital advertising is showing no sign of waning. Data and analytics firm Kantar's Influencer Playbook, released last week, said 67% Indians trust influencer recommendations over traditional advertisements. Another 26% said they like influencer ads but do not trust them blindly. Influencer content outperforms other digital ad formats in driving higher brand favourability and intent to purchase, the study noted.

"While influencer marketing is the closest you can come to creating a predisposition towards buying a brand, it is less effective in building long-term brand equity," said Soumya Mohanty, managing director, South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar.

The research highlight of greater trust in influencers is significant since using influencers more responsibly, especially, in the health and financial sector, is under the lens, Mohanty said. "It's also critical because more brands are shifting marketing money from other mediums to influencers," she added.