Brands are Now Enlisting the Help of Regional Influencers

Talk about the growing power of social media influencers, brands are now enlisting the help of regional language content creators to popularise their products in smaller towns and villages.

Several companies, including Hindustan Unilever, Emami, PepsiCo, ITC, Flipkart, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, and Byju's, are increasingly looking to tap the potential of what they call "Bharat social media influencers," who have a specific genre of content with loyal followers that helps brands micro-target and connect with audiences in non-metros and villages.
They are aided by the rising popularity of short video apps targeting people in tier II and III markets, such as MX, Josh, Moj, and Chingari.

Consider Shubham Mapralkar, a Marathi content creator from Narayangaon near Pune who is well-known for his videos that share facts on a variety of subjects. McNROE Consumer Products' Wild Stone perfume recently hired him to promote its products on Moj.

Jasmine Mishra, an Odia creator known for her dance videos based on regional songs, has collaborated with brands like Pepsi and Byju's to promote their campaigns on Moj.

According to Shashank Shekhar, senior director, content strategy and operations at ShareChat and Moj, the increasing adoption of short video content across both urban and non-urban regions of the country has made brands realise the effectiveness of such platforms in reaching their target audience.