Amid pandemic, how will the money-spinning geniuses survive?

According to Divyakshi Guptas diary she was scheduled to be in Tadoba National Park Chandrapur last week A scan of her Instagram handledivsigupta reveals instead throwback pictures The promotion of the grand safari dream and the usual travel trivia has been replaced by ruminations about singing koels and noisy parakeets swinging on the cable wire outside her widow She looks closer home when she says in one post In my mad rush of globetrotting I never paused to observe the tiny things that craved for attention silentlyGupta has decided she wont endorse the industry that has made her the influencer she is it is morally wrong and it is not what my audience wants to seeThe decision has come at a huge cost Since travel has taken the biggest hit due to restrictions on movement and transport in light of containing the Coronavirus pandemic the top tourism brands she was associated with pulled out of sponsorship deals The odd few that remain asked for discounts of anywhere between 25 to 40 per cent One brand even suggested she work for free None of it felt right so I thought of taking a break from influencing In the first month my productivity took a big hit because I was still trying to make sense of what was happening around me she says But in the last week of April Gupta launched a video project called The Lockdown Series to extend support to people employed in the travel industry hit by the pandemic These include local artisans drivers and guides She is making no money but its keeping her happy and occupiedTravel influencer Divyakshi Gupta aka Quirky Wanderer while staying close to her area of expertise has decided to add currency to her content by launching The Lockdown Series a string of videos that look at those within the travel industry affected by the pandemic including local artisans drivers and guides But it makes her no moneyIts a sizeable climb down for Gupta and her ilk who have ruled the marketing game for the last few years even training traditional forms of brand building and advertising in their favour According to The India Influence Report 2019 by Zefmo Media at least 76 per cent marketers and strategists were looking to increase their budget allocation on influencer marketing campaigns in the coming year The good news is that gaming OTT platforms and music continue to thrive on influencer promotions In fact more now because professional content and creatives cannot be produced during the lockdown says Pulkit Agrawal cofounder of Trell a communitybased platform that enables lifestyle discovery through usergenerated original content in regional Indian languages But the bad news is truly bad Travel fashion beauty and restaurant influencers who were in fact the biggest moneyspinners in the market have been cut off entirely from the demand and supply chainIn fact a recent report by marketinganalytics firm Launchmetrics published exclusively in Business Insider stated that sponsored postactivity on Instagram was down by 35 per cent since the Coronavirus outbreakHarshad Chavan founder amp MD Toast EventsThe development isnt surprising to some Harshad Chavan managing director of Toast Events which works with influencers for Bumble Gap India Uniqlo and Adidas believes their decline was imminent and the lockdown only sealed it The trend had hit its peak They were working for one brand on a Monday and the competition on a Wednesday Unless they change their approach they are on their way outPrashant Sharma chief marketing officer NOFILTR Social a social media influencer incubator that has 65 influencers on its roster and works with nearly 200 brands including SONY music Bumble Cadbury and Amazon agrees that the lockdown has presented niche influencers with a fait accomplimdashreinvent or perish If you want to survive you will need to do everythingmdashsing dance eat travel and even do makeup Thats the only way to outlive this unexpected misfortune he feels Entrepreneur and lifestylewellness guru Ranveer Allahbadia or BeerBiceps has over seven million followers across various social platforms Some of the brands he was working with on a longterm basis have had to stall their operations due to delivery restrictions during the lockdown It is understandable given the situation Theyve had almost no revenue inflow during this period hence as a partner I suggested we pause the influencer activations for the month and have offered a contract extension of two months says Allahbadia who also runs the bootstrapped company MonkE which manages top digital talent and has executed brand launches and digital marketing campaigns for Nykaa Edelweiss Groww Marico and Tinder But like Tejal Daftary founder Alphabet Media that collaborates with mommy bloggers and fashion brands says content continues to be king irrespective of whether it brings money or notLifestyle and wellness influencer Ranveer Allahbadia famous online as BeerBiceps says a couple of brands he was working with on a longterm basis have had to pause their operations due to delivery restrictions during the lockdownThis is also why Allahbadia hasnt stopped posting In the last few weeks he has created beneficial content which includes everything from how to spur lifestyle changes and move towards a happier state of mind and ways to build a sound personalitythetinytaster food and travel content creator Roxanne Bamboat has been utilising the lockdown to make simple dishes for her followers to replicate since fancy ingredients arent available Besides she says It making elaborate meals doesnt seem appropriateright nowFood and travel content creator Roxanne Bamboat who goes by the Instagram handle thetinytaster has been using her time during the lockdown to reinvent herself She had a trip scheduled to South Africa last Friday and another to Russia in August followed by potential trips to London and Kenya All have been nixed As for the food content I put out no brand really wants to promote anything In a normal scenario too its difficult to get a restaurant to pay you for a review so I dont expect them to do it now Marketing is the last thing they are looking at They have other expenses to take care of says Bamboat The smaller influencers may take a hit but those with a little skin in the game can think of offering different content to try and build their brand I think this is the time when your work should speak for itself Bamboat has been using the lockdown to brush up her culinary skills making simple meals like poha dal akuri dosa She refuses to try anything fancy because there is little point if her followers cant step out to access ingredients You need to be sensitiveThere are some who have shifted focus completely Alyssa Chesson who runs a gourmet ice cream brand with her sister Simone retailed out of a Kemps Corner shop in addition to delivering via aggregator apps has moved focus to her other passion fitness The Chesson sisters who steered clear of traditional advertising and decided to use their own social media following to promote their brand say they are continuing to work on the business plan for ice cream brand Bono for when the lockdown lifts Once we reopen we will offer new flavours and free scoops But for now I am using fitness to keep myself and everyone who follows me motivated Alyssa tells middayAlyssa Chesson who ran Bono an artisanal ice cream brand with sister Simone in South Mumbai has launched a fitness page to promote healthy living The ice cream business has currently suspended operationsRiaan George lifestyle and fashion influencer has gone back to teaching French online Income from brands and social media activity is zero Also talking about summer collections and hair products would seem inappropriate right now People dont have enough to eat I have started teaching French Its good for me because its paying my billsRiaan George lifestyle and fashion influencer has gone back to teaching French online he admits its helping him pay the billsIf reinvention is the mother of necessity Trell latched on to this idea quite early on In March the team noticed that their user base had doubled to 8 million from 4 million in January The time spent on the platform too had increased by 30 per cent In terms of numbers this was huge While they noticed that the highend influencers using the platform had hit a slump the smaller fish whom Agrawal describes as influencers in the zero to one journey who werent charging exorbitant rates were shining because brands were willing to spend on them Another significant trend was surrounding the rise of medical influencers In March we found that a lot of doctors especially trainees had started coming on Trell to share Coronavirus related information And consumers were opting to follow them on a regular basis says Agrawal Once we spotted the trend we amplified it reaching out to medical experts who were not yet on the platform From zero doctors at the beginning of this year Trell now has 628 with their content generating a total of 52 million views and seven lakhplus sharesSandeep Bhushan director amp head of India GMS FacebookLast year Instagram one of the strongest social media platforms for influencer marketing launched Branded content ads on the photosharing app With this advertisers could promote creators organic branded content posts as feed and story ads thereby reaching new audiences and measuring impact While the average influencer may have taken a hit Sandeep Bhushan director and head of India global marketing solutions for Facebook says that Instagrams influencer industry has used this lockdown period wisely helping inspire and motivate fans The lockdown has seen a new way of harnessing this relationship like never before where brands have used creators in an authentic manner to both raise awareness around COVID19 and promote their brands especially amidst production shoot shut downsYouTuber and influencer Scherezade Shroff has been sharing relatable content like this post of swabbing her home Shroff who otherwise specialises in fashion and lifestyle content has been running Quarancharity where you pay to watch inspirational sessions by experts which she curated All proceeds go to charityInfluencer Scherezade Shroff for instance has been running Quarancharity where you pay to watch educational and inspirational sessions with all proceeds going to charity Its been far more fulfilling to raise funds This crisis I think will bring a sense of responsibility to the social influencer game Meanwhile brands have also become conscientious In the future they will look back to see who was being responsible and not If anything this situation has taught us that less is moreIndependent communications consultant Karthik Srinivasan formerly National Lead at SocialOgilvy thinks that the lockdown is perhaps a good starting point for influencers to reconsider the kind of value they are creating beyond merely offering social reach or throwing a large number of followers at client brandsGautam Raheja head of marketing ASICS India Pvt Ltd a sports footwear and apparel brand couldnt agree more He says that their brands have been rethinking strategies for using influencers Many have reduced their prices and thats good for us This is an opportunity to correct the disparity between us and the influencer I think the future is more about meaningful collaboration about building a story over a long time with commercials that suit both sides The sun is however far from setting on the influencer industry Sharma of NOFILTR Social says that they have started working with international gaming brands which would not have entered the Indian market if not for the current situation Influencer marketing expert Harpreet Kaur says that many brands are going all out to use influencers as are FMCG brands to promote their productsKarthik Srinivasan communications consultant Tejal Daftary founder Alphabet MediaAnd while the lions share is being taken by entertainment and OTT platforms that is also because they are adapting to the changes rather quickly Rupika Khere artiste manager with media and entertainment organisation OML who works with standup comedians says her artistes are aware that things need to be digitised at the moment and that accessibility to users seeking their content will need to be reconfigured in a way that is most comfortable for the user as well as the creatorThere will be a structural change around how they look at their craft because their comedians live performances have taken a hit Yes movement is now limited But that doesnt mean that it cannot be hacked to their advantage she says In the last week of April OML launched The Circuit Comedy Festival online which saw more than 40 of Indias top comedians perform in innovative digital formats We sold nearly 960 tickets Brands have been warm to those who innovate and spread positive messaging she adds And thats why comedians who are also influencers have managed to sustainAmaira Chhabria founder of Aspire an influencer relations and marketing firm is positive about the future I am sure when this is all over we will continue to do well For now she says they need to prep in order to quickly change gears when it is finally timeCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news