Aesthetic Product Placement To Creative Brand Deals: Seven Out Of 10 Indians Trust Influencers Over Ads

"Get ready with me to walk my dog," an influencer will enthusiastically tell one before bringing up the brand of dog food that they trust as a pet parent.

Influencers now know the drill with the aesthetically pleasing product placements, seamlessly blended brand deals and endless "viral" product recommendations.

They have found creative, fresh and innovative methods to recommend and promote products across social media platforms. Compared to made-up story ads and artificially crafted promos, the influencer push has delivered notable results.

Kantar, a leading marketing data and analytics company, has evaluated over 30 influencer campaigns and more than 700 digital ads in India between 2022 and 2023. It found that influencer marketing has been game-changer for brands, delivering unparalleled impact and engagement.

While influencer content benefits from the reach and credibility of the influencer, its overall impact and return on investments are largely driven by the quality of the creative execution, according to the Influencer Playbook report that was released on Tuesday.

Influencer marketing is making waves in India, with 67% of Indians trusting influencer recommendations over traditional advertisements. While a significant portion coming up to 26% also leans towards influencer endorsements but remains cautious and does not trust them blindly.

Influencers have now learned to quickly turn around sheer reel views and reach to product-purchase receipts as quick commerce has accelerated these results. Influencer content, paired with e-commerce, currently represents the most equitable online media channels in India, the report stated.

Influencer content outperforms digital ads in driving lower and mid-funnel metrics. Influencers have higher brand favourability of about 15% compared to the 12% that digital ads have. Influencers also outperform in brand attributes and purchase intent, that is higher at 10%.

Thanks to the dramatic reactions and you-cannot-miss-out-on-this coded recommendations, influencer content delivers a stronger performance in driving short-term sales. This comes with a 57% probability of generating immediate impact as influencers ride the waves of the rapidly changing trends.

Despite this, building a sustainable demand for the product might be a bigger task for influencers amid the quick in-and-out of trends. This, in fact, makes them less effective in building long-term brand equity.

"In today's dynamic digital landscape, influencer marketing stands out as a powerful force as more than two-third of Indians trust influencer recommendations over traditional advertisements," said Soumya Mohanty, managing director and chief client officer for South Asia at the insights division of Kantar. "Hence, understanding the elements that drive its success is paramount."

Understanding the differences and similarities between impactful digital advertisements and influencer content has been a fascinating experience, according to Prasanna Kumar, regional creative lead of Kantar. "Influencer content works in a surprisingly direct manner, making the brand personally relevant to consumers without the overengineered marketing speak."