Racing for likes and votes: The impact of political collabs on an influencer’s brand associations

In January 2024, the Minister of Road, Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari was featured in an interaction with a YouTuber in an almost hour-long video. The main topic of conversation was the minister’s love for food as he joined the YouTuber for a brunch at his residence. The description of the video read, “He is a foodie first, and a politician second.” The video has since amassed over 2.9 million views. 

Similarly, March 2024 has seen Dr. S. Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India joining another influencer as they discussed geopolitical issues, India’s stand in the globe, and more. There have been several more video series released in the last year, all leading up to the General Elections in 2024. 

It has been reported by The Morning Context that since 2017, the Union government’s advertising spending has moved away from print and broadcast publications towards social media and its own publicity arm. Moreover, this shift has also been owed to these politicians’ following on social media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has 88.3 million followers on Instagram and 1.4 crore followers on WhatsApp Channel alone.

While influencers interviewing political parties follow a similar format as any other interview with a broadcast channel, the digital interviews show a relatable side of these politicians as they attempt to be more human for the young voters, especially the first-time voters, who make around 1.85 crore in the electoral roll this year.

The General elections will be held in India from April 19 2024 to June 1 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha in seven phases with the results to be announced on June 4. Leading up to the election are politicians interacting with influencers. We speak to experts on the ethical considerations to keep in mind for the same.

Influencers must be authentic 

Ashish Bhasin, Founder, The Bhasin Consulting Group is of the opinion that it’s not an issue of ethics; but rather an issue of authenticity. 

Bhasin continues, “If there is somebody who is genuinely convinced of a cause and believes in it, influencers have the full right to endorse or recommend it to the public. However, it has to be authentic—something they genuinely stand for and are willing to support.”

It shouldn't be a matter of saying one thing one day and something else another day, consistency in action and statement is crucial, as per him.

It’s not just the Union Government. Indian National Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and President of Shiv Sena’s Yuva Sena, Aaditya Thackeray have also been seen getting interviewed by influencers in the last year.

Not only are the politicians able to reach their target audience - the youth, but the Influencers are also enjoying a boost in engagement when they feature politicians or political content. According to Tech Global Institute research, views and comments on influencer posts in India increased 30% or more when they featured a candidate.

Lloyd Mathias, Marketing Expert and Independent Director anticipates that influencers will play a key role in political advertising leading up to the 2024 general elections, much more than in previous elections. 

This is because social media is becoming increasingly influential, he suggests, and political parties have learned to leverage it effectively. Some influencers will be affiliated with parties, while others will genuinely believe in their causes. In either case, influencers will significantly impact voting patterns.

“Apart from major influencers like party spokespersons, smaller, local influencers will also play a crucial role. These influencers, such as community leaders or members of local associations, will create content and share opinions via platforms like WhatsApp, influencing their audiences' political views,” Mathias continues.

According to a study by Statista, ad spending in the Influencer Advertising market worldwide is forecasted to reach US $35.09 billion in 2024 and is expected to experience an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 9.91%, leading to a projected market volume of US $56.28 billion by 2029. In India, influencer marketing is expected to surge by 25% in 2024, reaching INR 2,344 crore, and further expand to INR 3,375 crore by 2026. 

During the 90 days before the assembly polls, the Congress, JDS, and BJP collectively spent about INR 2.6 crore on Facebook and Instagram ads, according to Meta's ad library report. Between January and May 2023, parties spent on Google ads – with BJP leading at INR 7.1 crore on 3,949 ads, and Congress spending INR 4.7 crore on 41 ads, as per Google's transparency report.

In June 2023, the Congress government in Rajasthan compensated influencers for promoting government ads on their pages with a pay scale ranging from INR 10,000 to INR 500,000 per month, depending on their follower count. 

When the government of India publishes front-page advertisements in newspapers endorsing select social media influencers, with captions that read, “To stay safe online, hit pause”  and “Trust only the real experts”, it is important to understand what has shifted their focus and the considerations to keep in mind while influencer marketing.

Why influencer marketing? 

Ramya Ramachandran, Founder and CEO, Whoppl comments that influencer marketing has reshaped the digital landscape, owing to an increase in social media and digital content adoption consumption. 

Ramachandran mentions that influencers have a niche with an ability to resonate with a certain audience and create their own content and people have easy access to influencers. 

These advantages have persuaded politicians to take to influencer marketing. 

“Political parties, who think their ethos aligns with the channel or the person, find it a valuable tool. At the end of the day, reach and engagement are higher through influencer marketing than through sponsored or performance marketing. This is essentially because influencer marketing is more personal and authentic, unlike performance marketing,” she says.

Influencers can also discern what their audiences want. For instance, Ramachandran points out that many of these content pegs involve consumers stating what they want to know and influencers also ask questions such as, "What do you think about this?" or "What are your values and objectives?" 

“Thus, they almost become a voice for the people, which makes influencer marketing more authentic, we can say.”

In May 2023, the BJP invited around 250-300 influencers who have more than one lakh followers on social media to commemorate the Prime Minister’s nine years in office. What’s more, Modi presented the first-ever National Creators Awards at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in March 2024, celebrating the contributions of digital content creators. Over 200 creators were nominated across 23 categories for the same.

Arushi Gupta, Business Head, Influencer.in cites the example of BJP discreetly involving influencers in events like the National Creator Awards. 

Many creators who were nominees or winners expressed gratitude towards Modi, not necessarily indicating direct support but rather an appreciation for the event. Similarly, some travel creators have praised Modi for promoting domestic destinations. 

“It seems the BJP's strategy is to have creators talk about them indirectly rather than through direct integration. This approach aims to highlight software pieces and community benefits rather than explicit endorsements,” Gupta mentions.

However, she doesn’t see influencers directly pitching for any specific political party impacting the election significantly. 

As influencers collaborate or simply share their opinions on political parties and their ideologies, it is important to understand the considerations to keep in mind.

Don’t disguise ads 

When influencers interview politicians, it can be ethical if handled with transparency and honesty, says Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, Co-Founder and CEO of Qoruz. Bhuvaneswar highlights the dos and don'ts of such collaborations. 

“The dos include ensuring that the content is truthful, disclosing any partnerships or affiliations clearly, and respecting the audience's intelligence by providing them with unbiased information.”

He continues, “The don'ts involve avoiding misleading content, refraining from disguising ads as organic content, and steering clear of manipulation tactics. It's all about maintaining the integrity of the political discourse and respecting the audience's ability to form their own opinions.”

Last year, as influencers were interviewing leaders like Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrashekhar and more, there was a note in the description stating, “Collaboration with ⁠@MyGovIndia”.

However, many recent interactions are missing any disclaimer. In this situation, when an influencer is not authentic with their audience, it could also erode trust among their followers.

Lloyd Mathias believes that parties will try their best to collaborate with well-known influencers to appeal to their audiences, as they have strong followings. He states that this approach is fair, as politics needs to reach every constituent, both young and old. 

“However, influencers should be cautious, particularly if they have strong political agendas. It's up to each influencer to decide which political party or ideology they want to associate with, as it's an individual choice,” Mathias comments.

Ashish Bhasin of The Bhasin Consulting Group mentions that using any influencer or celebrity is always a double-edged sword. On one side, influencers or celebrities have a set of followers, which brings immediate recognition and positive influence towards the endorsed entity. 

On the other hand, influencers are also human beings with positive and negative aspects. Negative news about an influencer can have a detrimental impact, especially in election-related advertising, according to Bhasin.

“From the influencer's perspective, they should follow the principle that they should only recommend brands they would use themselves or give to their loved ones. Similarly, influencers should avoid taking political stances unless they genuinely believe in them. Inauthenticity can be easily exposed, as the internet has a long memory.”

He continues that influencers should thoroughly research and genuinely believe in the candidates or political parties they endorse before taking on such assignments.

When it comes to the influencers collaborating with a certain political party, Ramachandran comments, “They should be very transparent and talk about why they believe in a political party. As they do due diligence for brands, they should be doing the same for politics and should be transparent.”

However, she feels that they must include neutrality. They can say how they feel, but they shouldn't be telling the viewer what they should be doing. They should give a balanced representation. 

“They should do fact-checking before promoting anything. And not spread misinformation or have biased content.”

Do brands prefer creators who stay away from politics?

Considering that many brands approach influencers to endorse their products, there’s also a risk of the brand getting linked to a particular political agenda through their association with influencers. 

How can brands navigate this challenge? 

Qoruz’s Praanesh Bhuvaneswar says, “It's crucial for brands to work with influencers whose political affiliations or views align with their corporate values or the message they wish to convey.” 

Openness about these affiliations can help maintain trust and credibility with their audience, according to him.

Influencer.in’s Arushi Gupta notes that for traditional brands, there might be some conflict, but she doesn't see it for the new-age brands. 

However, in the last year, Gupta says that many brands have approached the agency with a specific request. When shortlisting creators, they want to ensure that the creators are not attached to any political party or discussing politics excessively. 

“This is a common concern among brands today. I'd say at least 80% of the brands we work with ask us to check this aspect. They prefer creators who refrain from discussing politics, among other topics. This cautious approach stems from brands' desire to remain neutral and avoid aligning with any particular political stance.”

Ramya Ramachandran of Whoppl shares that navigating partnerships with influencers is completely their (the brand’s) call, with regards to who they feel is ethical, who they feel is the fit for the brand in terms of synergy and merit.

As General elections begin on April 19, 2024, and politicians make the most out of influencers and vice versa, it is important to be authentic and not spread misinformation as an ethical practice.

Ultimately, Lloyd Mathias states, “I think political parties will do what it takes for them to win.”