Fake Followers, Murky Role: Brands Rethink Strategy

According to a BCG report in May, 74% of brands highlighted the challenge of fake followers

- Pratishtha Bagai

Influencer marketing is in flux as brands express concerns about return on investment (ROI) and fake followers, pushing them to explore alternative strategies.

"Ironically, the medium that outpaced traditional advertisements, such as television and billboards, on the grounds of measurable results, is struggling with a massive problem of attribution to return on investment," said Dhruv Khurana, founder of Astatine.ai, an AI-powered influencer marketing platform.

"This is because fake followers can be bought in India for as little as ₹8 to ₹50 per thousand. We analyzed over 2 million creator profiles and found that 65% had between 10% to 15% suspicious or inactive audiences. This directly impacts campaign performance and makes it difficult for brands to measure real ROI," Khurana added. According to a BCG report in May, 74% of brands highlighted the challenge of fake followers, whereas 40% complained about a lack of measurement of return on investment.