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<ul><li>Due to the ongoing festive season, advertisers and brands are going all out to connect with consumers.</li><li>This year, the number of brands approaching influencers is significantly larger than last year, and there is a good mix of startups and well-established companies.</li><li>From fashion to home decor creators, brands have partnered with social media influencers to promote their new festive launch before Diwali.</li><li>So, with Diwali around the corner, we speak to <keyword id="2540701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="influencer-marketing" source="Orion">influencer marketing</keyword> agencies to find out how important is the festive season for creators, what kind of uptick in demand can we expect due to the festive season, response from advertisers so far and trends we can look forward to during Diwali.</li></ul>If you are sprucing up your house on a small budget or planning to buy new accessories or ethnic dresses for India’s biggest festival -- Diwali, are you using a search engine for inspiration or are you following social media’s top influencers for ideas? If you are active on Instagram, then chances are you are also turning to influencers for festive advice. We all have at least a 100 bookmarked posts on Instagram for rangoli ideas, DIY home decor, or ethnic dress inspiration. According to Facebook’s Festive Marketing Guide for 2021, social media has now become a leading channel to drive brand discovery and purchase during the festive season. Facebook’s report further reveals that half the people said that influencers help them discover new products and 45% added that influencers help them make a purchase decision. The year 2020 accelerated influencer marketing’s growth, perhaps by a decade, and revolutionised the Indian marketing ecosystem completely. It is because of the pandemic and the consumer’s heavy reliance on social media platforms that the influencer marketing industry has undergone a severe transformation in a short time, becoming a mainstream marketing vehicle. According to the latest figures in the Global Web Index (GWI), the average Indian spent 2.29 hours per day on social media in 2020 and as always, brands are following consumers where they spend the most time. So, this Diwali, from fashion to home decor creators, brands have partnered with social media influencers to promote their new product launches. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Growth so far and predictions for this festive season" text="Growth so far and predictions for this festive season">Growth so far and predictions for this festive season</cmsannotation> GroupM and INCA’s study revealed that influencer marketing has become a top priority for marketers this year. Every other leader indicated a budget growth of more than 25% in 2021. INCA’s report further said that the Influencer Marketing industry is poised to grow at a CAGR of 25% for the next decade, reaching a size of Rs 2200 crore in 2025. So, with India’s biggest festival around the corner and to leverage the increasing demand, brands have also increased their budget for influencer marketing. “Influencer Marketing is set to be one of the top choices for brands to enhance the brand value this festive season. In fact, brands have culled out almost 30% of the overall budget for influencer marketing. It has been on an all-time high this year. According to an industry report, brands are likely to spend around Rs 600 crore on influencer marketing. Thus, one thing is definite about influencer marketing this festive season: It’s going to take a big leap from 2020. The primary reason for the rise in influencer marketing is the personalization of content along with the disruption in cost and speed. Influencers are real and relatable for consumers and can deliver real value for brands by offering exciting ways of sharing a brand’s message,” said <keyword id="11300089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neel-gogia" source="Orion">Neel Gogia</keyword>, Co-Founder, IPLIX Media. Festive season has given a further push to the industry’s growth. Experts are expecting to see 50% more brands exploring influencer marketing this festive season as marketers look to solidify their social media presence and reach out to the group with highest spending power, GenZ and millennials. "The festive season is already looking very positive for the influencer marketing space. We expect a 50% uptick in brands leveraging influencers to connect with their audiences during this season,” said Sagar Pushp, Co-founder and CEO, ClanConnect. “Since the consumer sentiment had plummeted gravely in 2020, brands are looking forward to explosive growth and pent up demand that will translate to greater sales and revenues this year. Brands are likely to capitalize on this positive sentiment by tapping into the influencer marketing space, which will in turn provide a significant fillip to our industry,” added Pushp. Apaksh Gupta, Founder &amp; Chief Executive Officer of One Impression also said that brands have increased their budget by 50% this year. “Last year, brands had spent very little on their marketing efforts because of the pandemic restrictions and other factors, but the curbs are now eased out and traders are expecting a boost in sales. To put things in perspective, last year we saw brands spending about Rs 20-25 lakh [average] on their influencer campaigns, but this year we expect it to go beyond Rs 50 lakh [on an average] during festive seasons. Additionally, during the pandemic, we also witnessed a boom in the creator economy, and brands have taken note of it. Social media platforms have enabled brands to reach out to a wider audience with the help of influencers who help in putting their messages across, in a more personalized and creative manner, what we nowadays call as snackable content.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="This festive season, a diverse set of brands are upping their spends on influencer marketing" text="This festive season, a diverse set of brands are upping their spends on influencer marketing">This festive season, a diverse set of brands are upping their spends on influencer marketing</cmsannotation> After going through a lull for a year and a half, startups like MamaEarth, Slurrp Farm to established brands and FMCG giants, all key players are leveraging influencer marketing for better visibility and consumer attention. There’s another interesting shift in the industry after the pandemic. Brands are leveraging influencer marketing not just for brand awareness and engagement but also for performance marketing and driving customer acquisition through relevant targeting. Sharing which categories are the biggest spenders this time, <keyword id="7372416" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viraj-sheth" source="Orion">Viraj Sheth</keyword>, Co- founder and CEO, Monk Entertainment said, “FMCG brands, e-comm players, and FinTech clients I believe will be massive spenders. Brands that are selling products that are best suited for festive gifting will be heavy spends and FinTech clients that help buy digital gold or provide buy now pay later schemes will be in demand as well.” Avantika Mohan, Travel, Lifestyle and Fashion Influencer, represented by WORD Talent, has also seen more lifestyle brands coming her way lately. She said, “I’ve noticed an influx of briefs focusing on fashion (particularly festive wear), online shopping portals and jewelry; brands across these categories along with technology and cosmetics are investing heavily in this festive season, which should go on till the end of the year. Festivals also become an excellent opportunity for brands to offer additional discounts and offers to drive up sales hence brands work with creators to spread the word on the same. It’s an exciting time. Brands are willing to not just work but also allow the creativity of the influencer to drive the content. Brands now understand that the content that creators push can drive real value for them and their products. Our niche allows them to connect with their target audiences directly with content that is fun, relevant and most importantly seasonal. The air is already abuzz with celebration and brands are pushing their seasonal marketing ideas and products that creators are exhilarated to deliver.” Brands with smaller budgets are also partnering with nano-creators. <keyword id="3630874" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dharika-merchant" source="Orion">Dharika Merchant</keyword>, COO, Alchemy Group &amp; WORD said, “Brands are now dedicating special budgets for their influencer marketing campaigns which have resulted in a lot of new brands entering the space. Brands earlier would focus only on large creators but now they’re happy to have smaller spendings but are willing to explore relevant nano or micro influencers for the same. So as we move forward, we are forecasting a more focussed approach towards influencer engagement as compared to before. Brands are now becoming conscious of which creator they want to work with, what kind of content they want to push out and majorly why the creator’s creative process shouldn’t be hampered with. Secondly, we are expecting more brands focussing on micro or nano influencers. These influencers usually cater to a very specific niche and have a higher rate of engagement. As brands start to realise the importance of content over numbers, this is a trend we’re very excited about.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Instagram or home-grown apps, which medium is getting the biggest piece of pie?" text="Instagram or home-grown apps, which medium is getting the biggest piece of pie?">Instagram or home-grown apps, which medium is getting the biggest piece of pie?</cmsannotation> As brands vie for consumer’s attention this Diwali, which is divided into different mediums, where are brands investing the most? “2021 is seeing comparatively more inclination towards influencer marketing strategies. We are seeing a growth upwards of 75% in the influencer marketing industry. Instagram is still the leader when it comes to influencer marketing promotions. YouTube would be the other platform that has gained momentum over time. Even some of the newer short video apps like Josh, Taka Tak and Moj are also being experimented with, by the brands. Increasingly we are also seeing brands leverage content created by creators for performance marketing with Instagram Branded Content Ads and Youtube Creator Promotions for maximum reach and conversion,” Arushi Gupta, Head - Influencer.in told Ad and Media Insider. GenZ and millennials do not consume a lot of television. They either spend their free time scrolling on social media or on an OTT platform. They are looking for authentic content that keeps them engaged, entertained and informed, which happens to be influencer marketing’s core offering. Therefore, influencer marketing is becoming a pivotal marketing tool for brands and its significance is only likely to grow in the future.

As brands turn to influencer marketing for the festive season, experts are optimistic about seeing about a 40-50% growth in ad spends

<ul><li>Today, Indian audiences are watching more online videos than ever before.</li><li>Nielsen studies show that home-bound consumers have led to a 60% increase in the amount of video content watched globally.</li><li><keyword id="3630874" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dharika-merchant" source="Orion">Dharika Merchant</keyword>, COO, WORD and <keyword id="7844097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="alchemy-group" source="Orion">Alchemy Group</keyword>, writes how <keyword id="12053839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="influencer-talent-management" source="Orion">influencer talent management</keyword> as an industry wasn’t given it’s due importance or light up until very recently and how it is evolving with time. </li></ul>The last one year saw a complete upheaval of how content is consumed. As more and more people turned to social media for quick entertainment and distraction, we saw an increase in budding influencers and bloggers too. The rising popularity of <keyword id="2540701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="influencer-marketing" source="Orion">influencer marketing</keyword> is hidden from none; interestingly, what has come as a by-product of the expansion of the industry is a surge in focus on influencer talent management. Brands today are allotting much larger marketing budgets specifically to influencer marketing. As branded content increases, so does content creation. The numbers speak for themselves- a majority of brands (<a href="https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/">59</a>%) have a standalone budget for content marketing, and 75% of them intend to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing in 2021. What’s interesting to note is that <a href="https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/">63</a>% of marketers intend to increase their influencer marketing budget in the next year. As the graph continues to rise from every direction, here is where Influencer Talent Management comes into the picture. For most part, influencer talent management does exactly what it says; manage influencer talent. However, it’s what is under this large gamut of ‘manage’ that makes things captivating. Earlier, talent management was rather restricted to either an HR and/or celebrity or artist management. Lately, as the very impact of influencers and their content has increased, so has the need for managing this umbrella of talent. Influencer talent management today has evolved drastically from what it was when it started. An increasing number of influencers are now looking to be represented by talent management experts. Talent Management experts, today, not just handle the onboarded talent but take care of everything at the backend, from A-Z. These experts are a storehouse of skills; starting from brand outreach and branded content, to storytelling, and managing finances, to name a few. What came as a repercussion of radical change in content consumption, has now become imperative for the industry. Influencer talent management bridges the gap between brands and influencers to ensure a seamless experience. Every brief is decoded, and each brand is connected to an influencer that perfectly fits the brief. This is then followed by carefully curating content which not just fulfills the brief, but also tells a story and caters to the influencers’ niche. The content planning process in itself can be quite taxing- branded content tends to see a lot of back &amp; forth between the talent and the brand and this is where talent management experts step in. These experts are able to oversee content, along with managing finances, curating insights and becoming a PR expert for the influencers. With the newly announced final draft of ASCI guidelines for influencers and branded content, it is becoming evident that branded content and influencer management is only set to rise. As these guidelines are put into effect, the challenge to now create organic yet branded content, and keep up with these guidelines is something the industry will struggle with in the beginning. Here is again, where talent managers will come into the picture. From understanding the very requirements of the guidelines, to ensuring it is followed by their talent is something that will be of key importance. From merely being a ‘managerial’ task, to now being a one-stop-shop for all things influencer related, influencer talent management has come a long way. Being able to provide the perfect end-to-end solutions for all influencers (&amp; brands!) on-board by a team of experts is commendable. This team takes responsibility for email handling, branded content, calendar management and in most cases, each plan is customized to suit the influencer and their requirements. It is believed that consumers prefer content that ‘looks organic’ and not advertised, however it is paramount to understand the immense hard work that goes into creating a single piece of content that satisfies multiple stakeholders. Influencer talent management as an industry wasn’t given it’s due importance or light up until very recently. As eyes turn towards this industry, so does the way it functions. The industry has evolved every step of the way, and will continue to do so as we progress.

How Influencer Talent Management is evolving with time

<ul><li><keyword id="10456083" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="word-marketplace">WORD Marketplace</keyword> serves as a gateway between Brands and Influencers. </li><li>They can mutually benefit by connecting with each other to find, create and execute campaigns on a seamless platform.</li></ul>WORD, an influencer marketing company, announced the launch of its self-serve <keyword id="10209728" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="influencer-marketing-platform">influencer marketing platform</keyword> WORD Marketplace, which helps in connecting new and established SMBs with micro-influencers to deliver end-to-end campaign experience. WORD Marketplace works on an economical, flexible, and reliable mechanism that offers a dual solution - for brands to connect with the right influencers and get creative content made as well as for influencers to connect with brands and get campaigns for themselves. WORD Marketplace enables small brands to join the influencer marketing bandwagon while sticking to their budget. Beginning with signing up to finalizing the content with the influencers, everything is hassle-free. Brands can easily sign-up on the WORD Marketplace Web App and create campaign briefs with no minimum fees. They can receive content from registered influencers, approve the project, and pay only for what they wish to use while keeping track of the campaign performance insights on their dashboard. With WORD Marketplace, brands can exercise their command over the entire process directly. The platform also provides the perfect opportunity for aspiring influencers to handpick their preferred projects and work for what they believe in. With a simple sign-up using the WORD Marketplace App, they can kick-start their journey to professional content creation by choosing the projects that they like, submitting their ideas to the brand and monetizing this opportunity. The influencers get the advantage of engaging directly with the brand to work out the commercials that suit them best. Moreover, timely compensation can be assured as the platform provides a smooth payment experience. <keyword id="3630874" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="dharika-merchant">Dharika Merchant</keyword>, COO, <keyword id="10456085" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="alchemy-group-word">Alchemy Group &amp; WORD</keyword> commented on this announcement, “With the rise of influencer marketing in the recent past, we have noticed that almost all brands want to include this to their marketing mix in order to maximize their business. However, in this vast space, new and established brands often face a challenge in engaging with the right influencers at their budget. Moreover, with the increased adoption of social media amongst the audience, there has been a surge in the number of micro-influencers in the country, who often struggle in getting the right kind of campaigns come their way. Having worked with over 150 brands and 30K+ influencers, we at WORD, understand these challenges and have found a way to solve for this with our self-serve influencer marketing platform - WORD Marketplace, which bridges the gap between small brands looking for the right influencers and micro-influencers looking for the right brands to work with and brings them closer.” She further added, “It is often perceived that influencer marketing is expensive which is why some brands shy away from testing these waters. With WORD Marketplace, we want to bust the myth and encourage brands to focus on their marketing needs by leaving everything up to our seamless platform. WORD Marketplace aims to help small brands keep abreast of the contemporary marketing trends by creating not just a platform but an ecosystem for them to choose eligible influencers on their terms.”

Alchemy Group’s WORD launches a self-serve influencer marketing platform which connects brands and creators

<ul><li><keyword id="3630874" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="dharika-merchant">Dharika Merchant</keyword>, COO, WORD and <keyword id="7844097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="alchemy-group">Alchemy Group</keyword> writes how we are heading towards a more meaningful form of digital marketing with <keyword id="1112328" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Influencers">influencers</keyword> spearheading the efforts. </li><li>While agencies are witnessing a drop in brand campaigns owing to the sudden disruption, Merchant says the situation can be turned by educating the brands about the importance of <keyword id="2540701" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Influencer-marketing">influencer marketing</keyword> .</li></ul>A few weeks back, I came across this video on TikTok, featuring a snappy, singable Vietnamese song accompanied with a fun dance about the importance of washing hands. The video garnered around 2 million views on the social platform. The impact was huge. So, if you ask me how much of an impact <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> has had on the influencer marketing industry, I’d say that we’re heading towards a more meaningful form of digital marketing with influencers spearheading the efforts. Most of us consider that a quarantine situation has negatively impacted the influencer marketing industry. Contrary to popular belief, brands are now shifting their focus to be more sensitive to the present situation by leveraging digital influencers to spread the message of safety and health. I can’t deny the fact that many influencer marketing agencies are witnessing a drop in brand campaigns owing to the sudden disruption. But, if we could just turn the tables around and educate brands about the importance of influencer marketing in spreading the right kind of information, a lot can happen in the influencer marketing industry. And it is. Brands Promises Entertainment Consumers are now sitting at home, consuming online content at a rate that has never been envisaged before. The current conversation brands are taking advantage of is to engage the audience in a manner that’s community-driven. It is the right time to take up influencer-activations seriously because influencers too are facing the brunt of the quarantine situation. In this unprecedented time, consumers expect brands to remain sensitive while giving them options of entertainment to choose from. They have given consumers exactly that, on a silver platter, with the help of influencers. Awareness Generation As mentioned in the example above, brands have slowly started to move towards influencer marketing to create awareness by finding unique ways to provide value to their consumers. Since influencers have the capability to make their homes into their workspaces, they can definitely act as spearheaders in generating awareness to millions of their followers. We are currently witnessing a slow rise in many brands banking on influencer marketing to spread their word and awareness via influencers. Educating More Than Selling Let’s face it; now it is not the right time for brands to explicitly sell their offerings to their audience without taking the unprecedented situation into consideration. That’s exactly why we brands have started to use influencer marketing to creatively and subtly integrate their products while taking a strong stand against COVID-19. After all, influencers help give any campaign momentum; that’s the beauty of it. Innovation is Key COVID-19 is a gentle reminder for brands to find innovative ways to engage with their audience virtually. We are already seeing brand collaborations with influencers across all categories such as food, fitness, beauty, etc. that are trying to disrupt digital content innovatively. Brands have started to take advantage of virtual communication via influencer-integrated campaigns to make the best out of the bad situation. Brands are now thinking in terms of how they can help their consumers rather than capitalizing on the situation, making their partnerships with influencers more purposeful. Cashing in on an influencer's creativity to show initiative is the need of the hour. Even though a few brands are taking the onus of spreading the right kind of message, we are yet to see many other brands take the influencer marketing route as the solution to remain relevant. The trickle-down effect has started, and it will boom in a while. - By Dharika Merchant, COO, WORD and Alchemy Group

Impact of COVID-19 on the influencer marketing industry

<ul><li>The rising curve of <keyword id="2540701" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Influencer-marketing">influencer marketing</keyword> on social media platforms like Instagram has brought in the kind of authenticity brands have forever sought after.</li><li>Paid Partnerships, now, can give marketers a chance to value the performance of their partnerships with influencers, giving more opportunities to others seeking to collaborate with the brands they love. </li><li>Dharika Merchant, COO, Alchemy Group and WORD writes down the benefits of recent Instagram tools and the importance of transparency in today’s world.</li></ul>Businesses have understood the art of influencing through social content creators, and the value they bring in. The rising curve of influencer marketing on social media platforms like Instagram has brought in the kind of authenticity brands have forever sought after. In this game of creating like-minded conversations among tight-knit communities on Instagram, questions around true transparency came into the picture. Keeping that in mind, Instagram tested out tools to bring in transparency and consistency to all paid content that went up on their platform. The idea of ‘Paid Partnerships with…’ was therefore born out of the need to officially create paid content, all while amplifying the reach to newer audiences through collaborative advertising via branded content. Strengthening the collaboration between brands and creators though the ‘Paid Partnerships with…’ tag promises an upgrade in the experience of all the parties involved, including consumers of content. The ‘Paid Partnerships with..’ tag not only allows content creators to inform their followers about their partnership with a brand but also helps businesses get access to the insights of the branded content campaign. For paid Instagram feed posts, businesses will be able to see the reach (portioned out in terms of age, gender and location), likes, comments, and shares in Facebook’s Ads Manager. Whereas, for paid Instagram stories, they will have a 14-day window to see the reach, taps forward, taps backward, replies and exits. In fact, what’s interesting is that if brands love the branded content, they now have the option to purchase the advertising rights to promote the content to newer audiences. In the process of leveraging the influencer’s brand identity and value, brands and influencers get access to potential customers who get to interact with the content. Now, why is this important in today’s digital environment? Well, as consumers of content, we should be aware of the type of content that comes to our feed. The ‘Paid Partnerships tag…’ promises exactly that. When influencers put the tag, they inform their followers of their paid partnership, promising transparency and, most importantly, credibility. It’s sort of like giving an opportunity to their followers to trust the genuineness of their work and giving consumers the right kind of advice before they make purchase decisions. More than that, it’s the merging of both the influencer world and the advertising world that is going to make influencer marketing more exciting from now on. From the influencer’s POV, they become more valuable to marketers and have opportunities for long-term partnerships. It is incredibly beneficial to the influencer because they now can earn more money by selling their rights when they promote their post under the ‘Paid Partnership with…’ tag. Unless the influencers toggle off the ‘Allow Business Partner to Promote’, they’re eligible to promote the content again by the same business partner. Furthermore, it protects influencers from any future altercation involving the advertisement law. Although few influencers may feel discouraged to disclose their brand partnership, they should understand that once they do, Instagram’s algorithm automatically recognizes them as an indispensable asset that provides value. More recognition equals more value addition. Paid Partnerships gives marketers a chance to value the performance of their partnerships with influencers, giving more opportunities to others seeking to collaborate with the brands they love. Marketers can have a better understanding of their audience through detailed insights. They can also see the posts that resonate well with their audiences. In fact, they can even buy the rights of the content from the influencer and turn it into an Instagram Branded Content Ad with the help of Facebook’s ad-targeting tools. What this does is expand the reach of the post to newer audiences who can become potential customers to the brand and potential followers to the influencers. Scaling the reach beyond the creator’s audience and pragmatically understanding audience insights with the help of an ads platform creates an organic outcome. Brands who wish to promote their messaging from the influencer’s perspective can always invest in branded content as part of their influencer marketing strategy. The bigger picture though is to promote an open-minded conversation about brand-influencer relationships so that consumers aren’t sidestepped, all while driving collaborative outcomes through Branded Content Ads. It gives marketers the chance to understand the kind of influencers they should partner with and an insight into the minds of their target audience. Leveraging the name of the influencers to specifically target core audiences directly from Ads Manager is key to growing organically. It gives influencers a chance to grow their audience, and monetarily benefit from the transaction. With this feature, we can definitely see a rise in paid partnerships and better relationships. It is a great step towards ensuring credible relationships that allow for a transparent business of influencing. - By Dharika Merchant, COO, Alchemy Group and WORD

Instagram paid partnership: A new era of Influencer Marketing

<ul><li>As we enter a brand new year, we want to crystal gaze into what the year holds for us.</li><li>The global pandemic has spawned strong growth in influencer marketing and creators have cemented their position boosting consumer trust in 2022.</li><li>In our first year-ender, we take a closer look at the year gone by, speak to influencer marketing experts to understand what does the future hold and how is the ecosystem shaping up.</li><li>They also shared with us a few key trends and opportunities that the industry will bring forth as we move forward in 2022.</li></ul>After brands and advertisers slashed their marketing budgets for traditional mediums in 2020, digital marketing took the center stage. Within the hemisphere of digital marketing, social media became a leading channel that drove brand discovery and purchase decisions last year. Influencer marketing also got its due recognition as brands looked for affordable and niche options to reach out to GenZ and Millennials. Marketers also realised that the influencer marketing model is well-suited in a time in which the audience is looking for some inspiration to keep going on, searching DIY videos as they turned home chefs, learning new recipes or focusing on self-care. Creators played an integral role in building a sense of community -- something people searched for when living in isolation. Bolstered by prolonged stay-at-home periods, consumers also steered away from pictures and text and started consuming more videos than ever before. According to Bain and Company, the online video user base in India has increased to more than 350 million people, growing 24% in the last three years. Today, Indian smartphone users spend about 4.8 hours on their devices daily, of which a staggering one hour on average is spent consuming videos, said the report. So, as video consumption scales and attention span reduces every day, influencer marketing offers quick turnaround time and personalisation. Another key factor that attracted brands to this medium is the bond of trust and authenticity that creators share with their fans, giving brands an opportunity to reach out to a niche audience. As a result, the influencer marketing industry has gone through a severe transformation in a short time, becoming a mainstream marketing vehicle. Brands have started looking for agencies that can provide them with interesting campaign ideas rather than just a list of influencers and expected reach. They are more involved in their marketing campaigns and have started exploring creative ideas collectively with the influencers to create engaging content. So, in 2021, we saw brands moving away from ‘one-time associations’ for single posts to actually collaborating with influencers for long-time deals. GroupM and INCA’s study conducted earlier this year also proves how significant influencer marketing is to a marketer today. It said that influencer marketing has become a top priority for marketers this year, as every other leader indicated a budget growth of more than 25% in 2021. INCA’s report further went on to predict that the Influencer Marketing industry is poised to grow at a CAGR of 25% for the next decade, reaching a size of Rs 2200 crore in 2025. As per the report, celebrities corner only 27% of the marketing dollars while a bulk of 73% are taken by digital influencers. Keeping in mind how 2020 and its aftermath in 2021 revolutionised the digital industry, we reached out to a few influencer marketing agencies to understand what does the future hold and how is the ecosystem shaping up. Here is what they said: Neel Gogia, Co-founder of IPLIX Media: The upcoming year is bringing a plethora of opportunities for existing as well as aspiring influencers and creators. The first and foremost are long-term partnerships. With each passing day, more and more brands are realizing that ROI delivered by influencer marketing is unparalleled. Therefore, they are increasingly investing in influencer marketing, and especially in long-term partnerships. Long-term partnerships help them build advocates and ultimately, increase trust amongst the audience. Apart from that, the regionalization of content will increasingly be gaining momentum in the upcoming years. In fact, global brands and platforms are already experimenting with it. Recently, LinkedIn launched its regional version after almost every major global networking app available in the country across Facebook, Twitter and Clubhouse have already introduced it to support the multiple Indian languages. In this wave of regionalization, the local languages that are gaining popularity are Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Malayalam, etc. Dharika Merchant, COO, WORD and Alchemy Group: The influencer marketing industry in 2022 will see a huge rise in the demand for micro influencers. Micro influencers' share in the total industry increased drastically last year due to brands favouring them owing to their higher engagement rates &amp; affordability. The industry is expected to shift to a more data-driven approach which will become the primary reason for the rise in demand for micro-influencers. Brands are now willing to work on branded content with micro influencers due to favourable data and better insights. It also leads to an effortless long-term relationship between the brand and the influencer thereby ensuring an always-on marketing approach. This always-on influencer marketing approach portrays brand loyalty from an influencer point of view and adds onto credibility of the brand and better brand recall. Without a doubt, focus on micro influencers will be one of the leading trends for the industry in the coming year and we’re excited to see how this changes the face of branded content. Pranav Panpalia, founder, OpraahFx: ‘Live streaming’ is all set to emerge as one of the widely accepted and used influencer marketing tools in the coming year. Live-eCommerce as a concept was started in China last year during the pandemic and got popularized amongst other nations. Live-eCommerce is a great way to connect with the right set of target audiences and turn them into ‘customers’ of the brand the influencers are vouching for. This is one of the best ways for brands who are focusing on ‘ROI’ driven campaigns and not on awareness or brand-building. In India, with many start-ups and MSME brands now focusing on performance-driven influencer marketing campaigns, the concept of live-eCommerce will be practiced and this shall disrupt the influencer marketing industry. Brands promoting highly accessible and affordable products and services are more likely to make use of this new concept. Alongside, live streaming is known for enabling better connections between creators, brands, and consumers as it is a more authentic and real-time content piece. It also provides an opportunity for consumers to interact with their favorite creators, thereby there is a larger scope for personalisation, feedback, and results-driven conversations. Currently, the live-streaming concept is highly dominated by gamers, and this trend will soon see a shift. The live-stream feature provides an equal opportunity and benefits to influencers and content creators of all kinds if used strategically and creatively. For eg: Content creator, Viya from China live-streams about beauty, cosmetics, real estate, cars, and rockets; and is gaining immense out of such brand deals. Likewise, we too are soon to witness such a trend in India. Apaksh Gupta, CEO and Founder, One Impression: While there are going to be plenty of emerging trends that we are expecting to take over the influencer marketing economy in 2022, one particular trend that is going to stand out is the mainstreaming of the metaverse. The way the world of content and social media is evolving, we can easily assume now that the metaverse is here. While the pandemic forced brands to jump on the digital marketing train, newer technological innovation and integration of various platforms to build a virtual ecosystem is bringing the dream of Metaverse closer every day. 2022 is going to witness a lot of investments from brands into mainstreaming the metaverse. We have already seen in 2021 that bigger brands like Nike and Verizon are already initiating their strategies to get a head start in this league from their competitors. Gucci has also launched its limited collection for Roblox letting players customise their avatars in Gucci products. In 2022, we will be witnessing an increase in these numbers of brands who will be deploying technologies like AR/VR with influencers and content creators at the centre of them to promote their products and services. Rohan Tyagi, VP Strategy and Operations, India - Triller: The advent of technologies like NFTs, Crypto has opened up new engagement and revenue channels for brands. In fact, there is great affinity toward it among GenZ and millennial buyers. Through NFTs, brands can disrupt their markets with new strategies to raise awareness, develop new consumer journeys and increase customer value and loyalty. However, In the decentralized world of Web3, the power has shifted back to creators, and brands looking to leverage technologies like NFTs know that they cant simply buy into the space. Community interest today is driven by creators as a result there will be an uptick in brands partnering with influencers to leverage the opportunities afforded by NFTs. While influencer marketing is a fairly young industry with Metaverse becoming mainstream there is a huge likelihood of it taking off quickly and becoming a multibillion-dollar economy in the virtual world. In fact, this may happen much quicker than we think. Aayush Tiwari, VP - Talent Management &amp; Music Business, Monk Entertainment: One pretty evident trend is the dominance of short video content. We’ve noticed a wave of crisp crunchable 15-30 seconder bites taking the internet by storm in 2021 already, bound to multiply in the coming years. Factors that act as a catalyst are low entry barrier, easy to make, large-scale consumption. What drives the short video ecosystem is the ability of it getting recreated under the banner of ‘trends.’ Every week, there are hypothetically ten new trends which garner lakhs of videos lifting the consumption and UGC levels to higher levels. Dominant social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube launched their verticals, and new players like MOJ, TakaTak, Chingari entered the game encouraging regional tiers to showcase their talent. Even Netflix launched a short vertical that features the best scenes from their series, which people are binge-ing on the go. Vaibhav Odhekar, Managing director India &amp; Middle East, AnyMind Group: Influencer marketing has seen few major changes from the consumer approach towards the whole marketing and influencer segment and monetization of platforms. With the rising social media consumption and engagement, D2C brands across segments have moved towards influencers marketing. As per 'State of Influencer in Asia 2021' report by Antag, the most popular are Art &amp; Entertainment, Food &amp; Beverage and Fashion &amp; Beauty while Finance, health &amp; wellness are also attractive eyeballs and set to become trendsetting in 2022. One of the trends that stood out this year was Influencers creating and launching their own brands, driven by their expertise in a certain field, passion or life experience. Along with Direct-to-consumer and e-commerce, Consumer behavior shifts driven by the pandemic have accelerated trends. We've also noticed a trend of rising social commerce which will stay. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter have already made such features available in some parts of the world. The report also found out that Youtube is the most used social media platform in India. As we move towards 2022, more trends will see a spike and the ongoing trends will keep growing with the brands' demand. Sagar Pushp, Co-founder and CEO, ClanConnect: Two major trends are emerging in the influencer marketing sector and will likely dominate in 2022. Firstly, the creator economy will move towards a subscription-led model wherein true fans will be able to pay a sum of money to access exclusive influencer content. Such premium content will not be available on public platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Secondly, the use of NFTs is going to skyrocket over the next year. With NFTs, users can assume ownership of content such as images, videos, or sound clips, unlocking more revenue opportunities for creators. Pulkit Agrawal, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Trell: Two words: Social Commerce. While the pandemic has given a massive push to India’s creator economy, the industry will thrive in 2022, with newer shopping and engagement models being adopted across the ecosystem. India’s GenZ and millennial shoppers are now harder to reach through traditional media channels and prefer social media networks to make purchase decisions. Hence, brands now want to integrate social and commerce to drive higher awareness, consideration, and sales. Further, Vertical videos are bound to take the centre stage in the coming year, which means long-form or episodic content will create opportunities for influencers to integrate brands into their content with the help of data-driven insights- brands and influencers will churn more personalized content for their followers’ The rise of social commerce in India will also give a fillip to digital-first brands while opening up newer avenues for influencers to monetize from brand collaborations, making it a full-time profession. With this, the industry is all set to create transforming shopping experiences and become more interactive, immersive, and entertaining. Live commerce is one of such innovations where an influencer demonstrates product usability in a live video setting, driving higher visibility, excitement, and loyalty for consumers. Gautam Madhavan, CEO, Mad Influence: Short Video and Live Stream will dominate in the influencer marketing industry. Consumers are becoming restless in watching long format videos - hence they want to consume on-the-go type of content. Original Content will be one of the key factors driving this. Content Quality and content authenticity is something consumers will be wanting.

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