ASCI unveils ‘Wielding Influence, Nurturing Trust' report at #GetItRight Brand Influencer Summit

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), in partnership with Futurebrands, unveiled the ‘Wielding Influence, Nurturing Trust’ report at the #GetItRight ASCI Brand Influencer Summit 2023.

The Summit was held in Mumbai on Monday.

The report discusses the best ways for influencers to build lasting relationships with consumers so that influencer-led brand growth is equitable and profitable for all stakeholders.

The study brings together multiple perspectives that offer new insights into how influencers and brands can foster a culture in which they are genuine in their communication and build enduring engagement with consumers.

The report highlights an opportunity for influencers to be engaged at earlier stages as stakeholders in the communication process. It also identifies six major influencer archetypes that allow for a more meaningful way to look at influencers than merely their followers or category affiliations.

At a time when the creator movement is gaining significant momentum, the report provides a new paradigm of “informed trust” that allows for a ‘Trust Trinity’ that shapes effective production and consumption of content built on a foundation of authenticity and transparency. The study asserts that trust between consumers and influencers is the core of the relationship, and that it’s not a one-time event but a long-term process.

The summit saw a keynote address by Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs. It hosted influencers such as trans icon and influencer Sushant Divgikar (aka Rani); Masoom Minawala, an Indian fashion icon; Kamiya Jani, digital creator; food writer and actor Kunal Vijaykar, Viraj Ghelani, a digital content creator; Anushka Rathod, a young finfluencer and India’s first skin-positive influencer Prableen Kaur. 

Comedian, actor and musician, Vir Das entertained the audience with his one-liners during a fireside chat with journalist Anuradha Sengupta. 

The other sessions were anchored by experts such as Mukta Lad, Parul Ohri and Subhash Kamath. 

The day-long event was filled with discussions, case studies, workshops and mentoring sessions, and offered budding influencers opportunities to network and shape their careers.

The summit ended on a high note with the soulful music of Ankur Tewari in a performance by Coke Studio Bharat. 

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and Secretary General, ASCI, said, “Besides laying down guidelines to protect consumers, ASCI is also committed to help the advertising ecosystem GetItRight, the study and the summit are a step in that direction. Influencers are brilliant, diverse minds that offer a new version of advertising that is excitingly different. Their content has led to connections with audiences in a way never seen before. It is important that trust, authenticity and transparency be the foundation for a sustainable creator economy, with consumer interest at the very core.”

The agenda for the ASCI Brand Influencer Summit 2023 included:

- Mentor Connect

- Keynote address by Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs 

- Panel discussion on the ‘Wielding Influence, Nurturing Trust’ report and influencer marketing

- Decoding Effectiveness of Successful Brand-Influencer Partnerships by Knowledge Partner of the event BigBang.Social

- Category Spotlight Sessions: Recipe for Success (Food and Health), Up Close and Personal (Fashion and Beauty), Reaching for the Sky (Travel and Lifestyle) and Show Me the Money (Finance and Fintech)

- Future Gazing Session: a peep into the future of influencer marketing

- Circle of Trust: fireside chat with Vir Das

- Coke Studio Bharat performance

The event was co-sponsored by, Cipla Health, Colgate Palmolive, Diageo India, Mondelez International and Nestle India. Associate sponsors for the event included, Coca Cola India, Johnson & Johnson India, and L’Oreal India. Knowledge partner was Big Bang Social and Media Partner, DB Corp. The category spotlight session was sponsored by Danone India, ITC, Johnson & Johnson, Kotak Mahindra Bank, L’Oreal India, MakeMyTrip, Mamaearth, and Marico.

The co-sponsors of the event also co-sponsored the “Wielding Influence, Nurturing Trust” Report; other co-sponsors of the report included, Danone India, Godrej Consumer Products, ITC, Mamaearth, and Red Bull India. 

The full report can be accessed here: https://ascionline.in/wielding-influence-nurturing-trust.pdf