Priya Prakash Warrier leads the way in influential marketing in Kerala!

Soon after Priya Prakash Warrier became a winking sensation, there appeared on the youngster’s Instagram page a picture of her with a tube of a potato wafer brand, along with a caption about the product. In a later post, she mentioned a phone contest. And the next thing we knew, online reports had it that Priya was charging `8 lakh for one Instagram post. We decided to check it out.
While the `8 lakh figure is exaggerated, Priya does command huge power in the world of marketing currently, says Abdul Manaf, CEO of a digital marketing company in Kochi, which manages Priya’s brand endorsements.“Influential marketing, as the phenomenon is called, is the next big thing in advertising, and celebrities and brands in the West make use of its potential massively. Any celebrity who has a huge following on social media would be approached by brands. The trend is still in its baby stages in Kerala though, which is why no local brand has approached Priya yet.”
The idea is to capitalise on the popularity of Instagram among youngsters. “In India, Bollywood is exploring the possibilities of influential marketing well, and celebs like Amitabh Bachchan command more than a crore per post. Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and Virat Kohli are also immensely popular, and endorse a lot of brands through their social media posts, especially mobile phone companies,” says a source from the industry.
It all depends upon the influence of a celebrity, not just the number of their followers, though that plays a part. And it isn’t always a direct form of marketing, like in Priya’s case. Some celebs tag the products or the location of a shop, while others might merely mention a designer in an occasional post. Actress and model Ahaana Krishna, who has over five lakh followers on Instagram, says it is more like a collaboration in her case. “I used to tag brands which used to gift products to me, but later I stopped, because it was like giving a free advertisement. Nowadays I charge per post, and during photo shoots, I mention the brand of the designer and the jewellery.”
The other day, actress Parvathy had uploaded a video on Facebook titled ‘I Shape My World’ where she talks about her own views and ideas, but the video has been made by a denim brand. Manaf says that such videos will have a higher reach than a traditional ad, as it will have a proper storyline, unrelated to the brand. “Original web series makers like All India Bakchod and Put Chutney will have videos scripted for brands, where brands are placed discreetly.”
The advantages of marketing a product through social media are manifold, with the foremost one being that it reaches the target audience. “The product is invariably linked to the everyday life of the celebrity, unlike a traditional ad, and thus more relatable. It doesn’t look fake,” says Manaf.
And since the medium is Instagram, anyone can be an influencer, not necessarily film stars. A food blogger could be an influencer in his or her field, as their followers on social media would be the exact audience for a product, even if they are just 10k in number. “They are called micro influencers, and small brands will approach them to advertise their products, or visit their restaurants and post a check-in,” says Manaf.
Also, the production cost of such an ad is almost zero, unlike a traditional ad. “For a TV ad, you need a team, someone to direct the ad, and there’s a time frame before it reaches the audience. But a social media ad is mostly self-made and amateur, and reaches the audience instantly,” says Andrine Mendez, an entrepreneur.
Though influential marketing is big globally, brands in Kerala are only warming up to its possibilities. “That’s because we still don’t have professional agencies working exclusively for this, neither do our celebrities have managers like in Mumbai,” Andrine adds.
Unlike in traditional ads, celebs have to be more careful not to give fake testaments on social media, as their popularity among followers are at stake. But all concerned agree that it is a win-win situation.
Meanwhile, Omar Lulu, director of Priya’s upcoming film, confirms that Priya has been flooded with offers for endorsements in social media, but is now refusing to take them up, till her movie releases. “Also, you are not in control of your social media as the brand decides when you should put up their post. One of them coincided with Sridevi’s demise and there was a difficult situation. We have decided not to take up any more as of now.”