Indian influencer ecosystem important for sparking narrative of diversity: Aashi Adani

New Delhi: India’s influencer ecosystem is booming, and brands are here to capitalise on it. Recently, Indian influencers were seen all dressed up at Cannes taking their India story to the world.

Collaborations between Indian influencers and global brands are not one-off but have become the norm. Riding on the popularity of these creators are global brands of the likes of Garnier, Lakme, and Loreal.

One among many such influencers is Aashi Adani, a girl born and raised in Mumbai but followed in every corner of India. The 26-year-old has been playing the content game for the past 8 years now. 

In an interview with BuzzInContent.com, Adani shed light on why Indian content creators are becoming the new darlings of global brands, how the Indian market seeks the narrative of diversity, the familial attachment that the Indian audience has to their influencers and things budding influencers have to keep in mind. 

Adani was one of the fifteen people representing India at a Garnier product launch in Singapore. Tracing the journey of Indian content creators, she admitted that a noticeable shift can be observed in the way brands approach Indian influencers.

She observed that during the pandemic, as disposable income increased in India, brands began to recognise the substantial influence that Indian influencers wield. Consequently, they started taking Indian influencers more seriously, appreciating their ability to connect with audiences effectively.

Sparking the ‘diversity’ conversation

Speaking of a win, Adani mentioned how the Indian influencer ecosystem, especially the creators in the beauty space, compelled global brands to launch products suitable for Indian skin.

She cited the example of Lakme, who has been a major player in the market for seven years without any products for high melanin skin tones. She compares it to the present times where Adani is working on a Lakme campaign for its products for Asian skin in 12 to 18 shades. 

Adani explained how including Indian influencers furthers the narrative of diversity. She recounted how she has participated in discussions with major global brands, providing insights about Indian skin tone, concerns, and preferences. 

She added, “India’s diversity and using Indian influencers gives brands a unique opportunity to brand themselves as supporters of diversity.”

Citing the example of The Korean beauty brand FaceShop, she talked about her experience of being the first person in India the brand associated with due to an aligning skin tone. The brand launched new products every month, collecting a group of influencers who emphasised Indian skin tones and types. 

This, Adani emphasised, helped the brand achieve impressive sales numbers. 

Addressing follower dissonance

On the other hand, experts warn that brands are wasting marketing dollars due to skewed follower demographics among Indian influencers. 

For instance, influencers promoting Lakme and L'Oréal products have predominantly male followers, misaligning with the brands' target audience.

Adani however, took a glass-half-full approach to the observation and stated how the success of an influencer campaign hinges on the brand's goals. For achieving high visibility and buzz, influencers with large followings are effective. Brands select influencers based on specific objectives—some prioritise follower count, while others focus on education and product features. 

She added, “The diverse market in India necessitates varied strategies.”

Familial trust with Indian influencers

A recent report by iCubesWire however, paints influencer marketing grey as it shows 53% of consumers do not trust influencer content at all.

Addressing the ‘lack of trust’ issue, Adani presented a contrasting opinion and noted that the scenario presented to Indian influencers is different. 

Adani said, “Our audience treats us like family. India is very possessive about their influencers, and celebrities. The trust is certainly there.”

Adani also highlighted that the Indian influencer space not having an ‘entertainment-first’ approach helps in making the audience listen. 

She added, “In India, it's easy to educate, influencers here are able to explain what the product does, how it works, what kind of Indian skin it works for and everything in between.”

Toeing the brands’ narrative while preserving creative freedom

Voicing her opinion on brands compromising with the creators' freedom, Adani emphasised that the audience has an idea of authenticity while also acknowledging that the brand’s purpose is to run promotion and not specifically to only target the creators’ audience. 

Stating the reason for a decline in creative freedom, Adani pointed out how the drastic increase in the number of people creating content is stipulating brands to dictate the entire process.

Adani also believes that while creating content, every creator has to leave some leeway for the brand to come in. 

“Creators sometimes miss certain aspects, leading brands to be more specific from the outset,” she added, I’ve observed this with both major and smaller players. While smaller brands have always given me creative freedom, major players are now recognizing its value—even if they didn’t initially.”

“While brands’ dictatorship might contribute to uniformity in all the videos, that may not work for the creator’s audience,” resolved Adani.

Advice for budding influencers 

Adani lauded budding influencers and shed light on the importance of agencies, talking about their role in helping influencers gain the global stage and other brand campaigns. 

She also believed that a more collaborative mindset between the agency and the influencer would help in understanding the creator’s perspective.