GroupM launches influencer marketing solution in India
GroupM has launched its influencer marketing solution INCA in the Indian market, designed as a platform to facilitate a host of social media branding activities, including networking between publishers and influencers. The platform is aimed at bringing more trust to social media marketing.
INCA launched across the Asia Pacific (APC) market last year, and has now moved into the rapidly digitalising Indian market. Two trends in the Indian market combine to make this a good time for INCA to thrive, namely the rapid growth of the consumer market and the expanding number of Internet users across the country.
The Boston Consulting Group reports that India is set to have 850 million online users by 2025. Most businesses have identified the implications of having such a large online population, bolstering their e-commerce capabilities. GroupM will now help them use digital channels for their marketing needs.
Influence marketing is a trend that is on the rise across the globe, serving to prove the power of the human connection in marketing a product. Individuals who identify with social media personalities are likely to consume products endorsed by them, which has created a lucrative market for influencers.
As businesses look to leverage this association, INCA’s role is to ensure that businesses connect with reliable and legitimate influencers, by offering a network of promising candidates. Content can then be marketed through channels such as YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter, among others.
“Influencer marketing is now a key element of the marketing mix, and brands today need to take advantage of potential associations and collaborations. INCA is the ideal tool to facilitate safe brand engagement across platforms,” said Prasanth Kumar, CEO of GroupM in South Asia.
Ratan Singh Rathore, Business Head of INCA India added, “The tastes and behaviours of Indian customers are changing rapidly as they consume content in a multi-platform, multi-device, data-cheap environment. In this fragmented media landscape, marketers are seeking innovative, relevant and brand-safe advertising solutions. The authenticity of influencer marketing makes it stand out as a highly effective brand solution.”
According to Dafydd Woodward, the Global Lead for INCA, “Advertisers can now have peace of mind in knowing that they are working with the most trustworthy and relevant influencers and publishers, at a scale that can deliver the outcomes they need. With our transparent, data-validated process, we will help to shape the influencer marketing ecosystem for the better.”