In today’s advertising arena, Instagram influencers are reshaping the narrative, boasting both massive reach and innate creativity. Brands increasingly favour these personalities for their seamless product integration and authentic engagement. Even Cannes Lions recognised their worth this year by hosting the LIONS Creators, which was specially designed to enhance the creator economy. It offered exclusive learning and networking opportunities for creators and industry professionals. Meanwhile, traditional agencies arguably struggle to innovate, with critics decrying a lack of memorable content in mainline media. This is pitting the traditional prowess of established advertising agencies against the meteoric rise of Instagram influencers. But in times of short attention spans and even shorter content, can influencers claim to be, if not more, equally creative as heads of traditional advertising agencies?
What is Creativity after all?
David Ogilvy had once famously said, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” This simply defines the only function that effective advertising is supposed to perform – drive brand sales. But is selling the only parameter that can define creativity? Or are there any parameters that can define what ‘creativity’ actually is?
There is no clear answer to this dilemma. Creativity is as subjective as the amount of salt one likes in their dish. In the words of famous TV chefs of the late 90s and early 20s ‘swaadanusar’. While it is difficult to define what is creative and what is not, one can lean on Ogilvy’s advice – see if it sells or if it delivers the goals you aspire to achieve with your communication.
Ayush Shukla, Founder, Finnet Media, an influencer marketing agency, puts it into words beautifully, “Whether it’s an influencer or a copywriter, both possess a unique form of creativity. The influencer showcases their creativity through digital videos, while the copywriter expresses it through writing. It’s not about who’s ‘more’ creative; it’s about different mediums for creative expression.”
Harsh Punjabi, Tech Creator, Technolobe adds, “We cannot compare the creativity here because the processes of creation are so different from each other. The biggest difference is that influencer marketing is two-way communication and receives instant reactions from the audience, whereas traditional advertising is more from the perspective of the brand and their product. It doesn’t typically invite immediate feedback from the audience. While traditional advertising can be creative, it may lack the personalised touch and real-time interaction that influencer marketing has to offer.”
And both are evidently selling! The Indian ad industry was valued at INR 93,166 crore in 2023, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.86% to touch INR 1.12 lakh crore by 2025, as estimated by Dentsu India. At the same time, influencer marketing in India is expected to surge by 25% in 2024, reaching INR 2,344 crore, and further expand to INR 3,375 crore by 2026, as highlighted in this year’s EY and Collective Artists Network’s Big Bang Social report.
Creativity is Subjective, Brand Building is Not
While it has been established that creativity is subjective and each individual is trying to bring forth the best of it, there is something that would always keep the advertising honchos ahead of the influencers – the power to build brands.
As Ashish Chakravarty, Executive Director, and India Head of Creative, McCann Worldgroup says, “Influencers are a part of the reality of the modern advertising world, like they are in any other industry globally. In most cases, they are being used as celebrities. If we talk about creativity, everyone is creative – be it an actor or artists, or a designer. Similarly, influencers are creative too. But are they building long-term brands? Honestly, I haven’t seen any of them do that yet. The only brands they have built and sustained is them.”
Influencers undoubtedly earn a lot of fame and money with their social media endeavours. According to a Kofluence report, celebrity influencers charge, on average, between INR 7 to 15 lakhs for creating an Instagram reel for a brand, and between INR 1 to 5 lakhs for producing content on YouTube shorts. At the same time, a TVC of 60 second-duration can cost anywhere between INR 40 lakhs to INR 3 crore, industry estimates suggest.
However, some macro and celebrity influencers are now crafting branded content with high production value as well. For example, fashion and beauty creator Komal Pandey is known for her unique aesthetic style when working on brand campaigns. Her work for Nivea Soft—#NIVEAForYou—and Fastrack’s ‘Be Both’ campaign are just a few examples where her followers have commended her work. Niharika NM’s work for Sprite and Audible also boasts high production value with refreshing camera work for vertical screens, lighting, and scripting.
Capitalising on this work, numerous popular and successful influencers—many of whom have branched into acting and business—have cultivated enviable brand value for themselves. Bhuvan Bam, who rose to fame with his channel ‘BB Ki Vines’, has a net worth of INR 112 crore. Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as ‘Beer Biceps,’ who is getting notoriously famous for his podcast and owns Monk Entertainment, has a brand value of INR 58 crore. Prajakta Koli of ‘Mostly Sane’ fame, who is also an actress now, has a brand value of INR 16 crore, as per reports.
Industry insiders recommend aligning influencer campaigns with traditional advertising strategies to maximise results.
Deepa Krishnan, Head – Marketing, India and Southwest Asia, Hyatt, shares a good example, “I don’t believe one is inherently more creative than the other; rather, they possess different areas of expertise. Hyatt’s ‘Perfectly Yours’ campaign is a favourite one where we seamlessly integrated both – a brand campaign and influencer collaborations. The heart of the campaign was a first-of-its kind brand film that captured how one size doesn’t fit all. By leveraging influencers to amplify our message alongside the creative storytelling prowess of our ad campaign, we achieved remarkable results. The campaign garnered approximately 500 million impressions and 260 million views, showcasing the power of a synergistic approach. Moreover, our wedding business saw a staggering 50% growth in 2023 compared to 2022, and an astounding 200% increase compared to 2019 figures.”
In the recent past other big multinational brands like Coca Cola with their ‘Real Magic’ campaign, which featured Jahnvi Kapoor in the TVC, have partnered with influencers like Komal Pandey, Kusha Kapila, Vishnu Kaushal, Ankita Sahigal, and many more to amplify their messaging. Other notable campaigns include KitKat ‘Have A Delicious Break’, and Myntra ‘End of Reason Sale.’
Authenticity v/s Influence
While both industries showcase creativity and financial success, their self-presentation sets them apart. Advertising professionals are often corporate employees driven by a passion for storytelling and creating value for brands. In contrast, influencers tend to focus on building their communities and personal influence. And in this pursuit, industry insiders suggest that, the authenticity can sometimes take the backseat.
Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO, Famous Innovations, very passionately says, “Nobody likes anyone who tries to ‘influence’ them to buy any product or subscribe to any services. Advertising agencies have always been smart enough to persuade people to buy, sometimes even those things that they do not need, but we never put that label on ourselves. Earlier actors used to be influencers. If Amitabh Bachchan got on TV screens and asked us to buy something, we would. Today, every second college student calls themselves an influencer. My question is what authority do they have to call themselves that? Just because you have a point of view, you do not get the credibility to influence people. I don’t think they are either influencers or advertising agents.”
The authenticity of influencers remains under the scanner despite their age and qualifications. Two out of three Instagram influencers in India have more than 60% fake followers, a report by influencer marketing platform KlugKlug shows. Industry estimates suggest that such fake Instagram followers can be acquired for as little as INR 10 and can go as high as INR 1,000. Sanjay Chhabria, Founder, Everest Entertainment, feels strongly about this, he says, “Influencer marketing is overhyped. Brands & Agencies have put influencers on a pedestal & spoiled them by paying them exorbitant monies. A lot of influencers have fake followers i.e. bots. Agencies must verify the followers before blindly backing an influencer. Now why on earth does an IPL Team need an influencer? Why do superstars / lead actors do collabs with influencers? We are increasing their followers! Having said that, there are some genuine influencers as well. I think influencer marketing needs to mature much more & there needs to be a metric to gauge their impact in marketing.”
An Emami spokesperson comments, “This is a challenge faced by every brand and can be diminished with technology. At Emami, we implement stringent audit measures with the help of specialised influencer analytics & audience authenticity verification tools before engaging with an influencer. These tools delve deep into an influencer’s demographics and engagement patterns, with well-defined authenticity metrics to assess the legitimacy of their audience base.”
Having said that, one cannot be certain about the authenticity of content that the advertising industry generates as well. Over the past few months, there have been multiple instances of misleading advertising involving reputable agencies working with brands like Patanjali, Cadbury, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, among others. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) evaluated 8229 ads in 2023, of which 81% were found violating their misleading ads rule.
But Can Influencers Be Ad Creatives
In the recent past, several influencers have themselves turned into advertising geniuses. A prime example is Tanmay Bhat, a stand-up comedian, who gained significant attention for his work on the Bold Care campaign featuring Ranveer Singh and Johnny Sins. His team is responsible for the iconic Cred campaigns as well. Some have also gone as far as to call him a modern-day Piyush Pandey. While we don’t know how much weight this statement holds, there is a larger sense in the industry that influencers are indeed creative, and they can bring their creative skills to advertising.
Gautam Reghunath, Co-founder and CEO, Talented notes, “Don’t be fooled by the word ‘influencer’. Some of the most creative people in the world answer back to that term today. A majority of work that wins at the Cannes Lions stage have deep execution legs running on the back of influencers and what they bring to the table. As a company, Talented believes in the creative power that influencers yield. So much so that we started a second company that’s entirely staffed by creators working on social media for brands. Creativity is never becoming obsolete. But how we exercise our creative bone as a company can take various shapes and forms.”
Nicole Concessao, Content Creator and Choreographer, also makes a strong case for her industry, “Everyone has their own perception and way of promoting a product or service. Influencer marketing brings a sense of relatability, authenticity, and trust, as we have individuals talking to us. There is a sense of direct connection with the audience, who is likely to trust a personal review. Traditional advertising, while it still plays an important role, can feel impersonal in nature.”
Sharing an example of how influencer marketing can be personalised and used to create a connection with the viewer, Sejal Kumar, Digital Content Creator and Singer - Songwriter cites, “I did a collaboration with Bumble a few years ago in which I narrated and recreated the story of a first date of mine- it was recreated like a short film and people loved it! As I didn’t disclose the name of this individual, his part was played by Ranveer Allahbadia, who performed exceptionally well. My audience has been very curious and still asks me who the ‘Bumble guy’ was!”
Final Verdict?
The evolving landscape of advertising demonstrates that creativity and selling are not mutually exclusive, but rather, they coexist in a dynamic relationship. Influencers bring a unique form of creativity that resonates with audiences through authenticity and direct engagement, while traditional advertisers have long mastered the art of brand building and storytelling. Both sectors face challenges and opportunities: influencers must guard against authenticity issues, while traditional advertisers must adapt to the rapidly changing media environment.
Ultimately, creativity is subjective and multifaceted, evolving with consumer preferences and technological advancements. As the industry progresses, the synergy between influencer marketing and traditional advertising will likely become more pronounced, leveraging the strengths of both to create compelling and effective campaigns. The power to build enduring brands may still lie predominantly with traditional advertising, but the fresh, personal touch brought by influencers is reshaping what it means to be creative in the advertising world today. This balance between creativity and selling ensures that both elements will continue to play crucial roles in the success of modern advertising strategies.
