Influencer Role in Marketing: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

India possesses a unique connection with social media. A significant portion of the population is now online due to affordable data plans, cost-effective smartphones, and platforms that cater to various languages. Digital advertising is often encountered for the first time by many of them. As a result, influencer marketing has grown rapidly because it seamlessly fits into everyday conversations and originates from voices the audience trusts.

This paper examines two aspects of influencer marketing strategy, namely (i) what builds trust and (ii) what undermines trust. This paper carries out a survey of 250 social media users belonging to the academic and industry domains and aged between 18 and 35. The aim of this survey-based investigation is to examine how influencers affect purchase decisions, what makes them credible, and how different types perform across India’s diverse market. Further, in order to understand why some influential relationships succeed while others fail, this paper utilizes Source Credibility Theory, Parasocial Interaction Theory, and Congruity Theory.

A number of key patterns emerge from the findings that support the effectiveness of influencer marketing. Authenticity is found to be the strongest driver of trust (cited by 76% of respondents), compared to 34% for follower count. Micro-influencers are found to outperform celebrities in terms of trust and engagement, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Notably, a sufficiently high number of respondents (58%) reported making a purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation. Furthermore, the study identifies a number of key barriers to influencing marketing strategy, including poor disclosure practices, fake engagement, excessive promotion, and cultural reversals.

In general, Indian influencer marketing is found to be effective due to its alignment with traditional reliance on trusted recommendations. However, this trust is generally fragile in nature. Credibility is found to deteriorate generally when authenticity is substituted with excessive commercialization or disguised advertising. Overall, we conclude in this paper that long-term success depends less on reach and more on trust, and once lost, that trust is hard to rebuild.