Kusha Kapila promotes Invisalign through nine-minute vlog on her dental alignment journey

Influencer marketing has become an integral part of any brand’s communication mix today. While it is common to see beauty products or FMCG brands taking up this route to promote their products and services, it is rare to see an influencer promoting a dental service. Breaking the norm, Invisalign India, a premium transparent teeth aligner brand, has roped in Kusha Kapila as part of their global influencer programme #SmileSquad, which is driven by authentic brand advocacy and testimonials.

The digital creator has shared a nine-minute vlog on her Instagram handle portraying her experience of getting a dental alignment treatment at Invisalign. While it is a testimonial video, it is unlike the regular ones that are done post-treatment. Unlike a short video that just gives out the brand message wrapped in some content, this video portrays the entire journey of Kapila’s treatment.

Kusha’s Instagram post:

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Kusha Kapila (@kushakapila)

Dheeraj Kummar

The influencer activity has been executed by Motivator, Group M’s specialised agency. Speaking about the unique initiative, Dheeraj Kummar, National Creative Director, Brand, and Consumer Experience, Motivator, said, “Yes, it's rare to see influencer marketing in this category but at Invisalign, the global influencer program #SmileSquad has been driving it passionately to bring out the stories that assure prospective customers about the quality of the treatment. In a way it enables people to be more confident to choose the treatment.” 

It is rare for an influencer to bear their vulnerabilities to their audience and it is exactly this attribute of Kapila that makes the post more relatable. The video stands out for its authenticity and relatability. As she is undergoing treatment at Invisalign for teeth alignment, the brand onboarded her for the activity.

Kummar said that the testimonial format helps brands to authenticate and testify the whole treatment process. “It's a clinical treatment and it always makes people very nervous. Kusha's vlog helps a prospective customer see the whole journey of the treatment.”

Speaking on the choice of influencer, Kummar said, “She is one of the customers who have opted for Invisalign teeth aligners. That was the first filter but the most important was to have a consumer – storyteller who can take the journey of the treatment to people, effortlessly and authentically. Kusha ticked all the boxes for onboarding her. She did not showcase herself as a content creator, but was actually on a tightrope of being a content creator at the same time a customer.”

What makes Kapila more relevant for this activity is the audience that follows her. “Invisalign would like to focus more on the teenagers because that's the right age to go for teeth alignment and parents are also looking for it at that age. So Kusha is a very good fit because she has young followers,” said Kummar.

According to the data provided by content marketing agency Sheeko, the influencer-driven activity cost around Rs 10 lakh.

Sheeko Brandscore graph of the brand’s performance on Instagram over one year:

Usually on Instagram, viewers tend to consume short snackable video content. This vlog is over nine minutes long and Kummar said that it has still managed to garner over half a million views in just 24 hours.

“Not only that, the engagement was very authentic. Kusha herself answered the queries from her experience of the treatment. So, this reassured that #SmileSquad indeed has authentic brand advocates. It also helped the brand to have quality leads,” he said.

Further, a video that shows a dental treatment process can end up becoming monotonous. However, Kapila keeps it humorous and light-hearted throughout. “She made it engaging. The video has an amazing completion rate and people are watching the whole video despite its length.

Speaking about the #SmileSquad programme, Kummar said that people generally shy away from finding out more about the Invisalign treatment as it is an expensive treatment. “So, that's how the global influencer programme started. It has been happening outside India for quite some time, but it was introduced in India only a couple of years back with the typical testimonials post-treatment. We identified an opportunity here when we saw Kapila is also one of their patients.”

They plan to rope in more influencers to reach other target audiences as well. “We are now figuring out someone from South India, any big actor or actress who has approached for the treatment. That will help us penetrate the southern region,” he said.