Authenticity plays a pivotal role in influencer marketing: Karan Pherwani, Chtrbox

Founded in 2016, Chtrbox is a leading influencer management and marketing platform. Managing 55+ creators from a range of sectors, including but not limited to, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, sports, and technology. The platform brings together brands and agencies with relevant digital celebrities and influencers to enhance their brand power with powerful storytelling. The company has executed 2,500+ campaigns over the last 7 years.

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Karan Pherwani and Mrunali Dedhia, Vice Presidents, Chtrbox, speak at length about the latest trends in the influencer marketing landscape, Chtrbox’s specialised verticals,  potential risks or controversies associated with influencers, fostering long-term partnerships with influencers and clients, and more.

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and changes in the influencer marketing landscape?

Karan Pherwani: The core practice is to ensure that various mediums are consistently tracked - following brands across various categories and leading marketing pages on social media, identifying relevant opportunities on LinkedIn through brand managers and creative strategists as well as referring to leading media publications on a regular basis. Additionally, keeping up with a diverse set of influencers helps in understanding the trends, the audience sentiment towards it as well, and the possible shift in the landscape. We also keep a close eye on what brands and creators are doing in the West, based on prior experience, most trends typically begin there, and we see certain inspiration from brands and creators in India.

Could you share an example of a successful influencer marketing campaign your company has executed?

Karan Pherwani: While we have had quite a few successful campaigns under our belt, a notable brand collaboration with CRED has allowed us to achieve multiple high-performing campaigns. One such was #PutInARequest where CRED made the bold move to make their Instagram page private and thereby drive a sense of urgency and “FOMO” for their exclusive content by asking audiences to follow them to have access to the same. We also collaborated with CRED for their mainline IPL campaign of Nostalgic 90’s ADs or promoting IPs such as Art of Everything.

What are Chtrbox’s specialised verticals?

Mrunali Dedhia: Following are Chtrbox’s specialised verticals:

• Chtr Studios: Empowering brands with snackable, high-quality production content featuring the best mega, macro and micro influencers. Our comprehensive services cover conceptualization, scripting, pre-production planning, shooting, editing, optimizing, and distribution. Moreover, with our affiliation with QYOU Media Inc. and Q TV, we can now produce creator-powered OTT or TV series, shows, films, and branded content.
• Bharatbox: We collaborate with homegrown rockstar influencers who create content in local languages, ensuring deeper reach and resonance in tier 2 and 3 markets. This specialized vertical allows our clients to engage with diverse audiences and strengthen their presence across the country.
• Chtrbox Represent: As experts in the industry, we exclusively represent, manage, and support the growth of top and emerging creators/influencers' digital assets. Our dedicated Creator Talent Management division provides digital-first talent with exciting opportunities under the creator economy, including OTT/casting. Some of the creators we manage include - Smriti Khanna & Shruti Seth {Entertainment}, Team Naach (Sonal Devraj & Nicole Concessao) {Dance} , Naman Deshmukh & Dhananjay Bhosale {Tech Creators}, Rida Tharana & Niharika Jain {Lifestyle}, Christina Furtado {Illustrator/Animator}, Tanya Singh, Ria Amin {Skincare & Beauty} Shantanu Dhope & Deep Pathare {Male Beauty}.
• Youth:INK: As pioneers of student campus ambassador programs in India, we have honed our expertise in reaching Gen-Z through their preferred platforms and influencers. This specialized vertical helps brands connect with the dynamic and influential youth demographic in a meaningful way.
• Micro & Nano: Our extensive network of micro and nano creators across various genres allows us to onboard high-quality content creators for sustained amplification.
• Chtrsocial: ChtrSocial’s new solution helps brands design, build, and multiply their social clout with a creator mindset, including powering micro-videos and personalized brand storytelling. ChtrSocial is offering cost-effective and scalable solutions for brands to build digital communities, essentially powering brands to become digital creators themselves.

How do you handle potential risks or controversies associated with influencers during a campaign?

Karan Pherwani: At Chtrbox, we do thorough research on influencers before associating with them. Evaluating their online presence, past work, interactions with their audience and any past controversies helps us to handle potential risks. We work towards ensuring the guidelines and expectations for influencers in terms of content, messaging, and the required scope of work. We maintain a regular and open channel of communication with influencers, in order to identify possible concerns, address queries, and mutually resolve any roadblocks that may hamper the partnership.

What metrics do you prioritize when evaluating the performance of an influencer marketing campaign?

Mrunali Dedhia: With most influencer campaigns featuring on Instagram and YouTube, views are extremely important in defining the success of a campaign. While we evaluate the performance of an influencer marketing campaign, we prioritize engagement rate, reach, and impressions. At Chtrbox, we analyze the level of interaction the influencer’s content receives from their audience. To get the influencer’s performance metrics, we go through their engagement rates such as likes, comments, shares, and saved posts. It is important to keep track of how well a campaign is reaching the target audience. Monitoring the comments, views, and impressions helps us to get a better understanding of how the campaign is doing or how it is received by the audience.

How do you strike a balance between working with micro-influencers and macro-influencers in your campaigns?

Mrunali Dedhia: For most campaigns, we strongly believe that a fair balance of macro and micro-influencers must be present. However, the same varies based on the following factors:

• Campaign Objective: Based on the objectives to be achieved, we define which category of influencers would impact the campaign performance accordingly.
• Budget: Depending on the budget at hand, we identify which category of influencers would maximize the spends and provide a great ROI.
• Target Audience: If the brand’s target audience is broad and diverse, macro-influencers may be more appropriate. However, if their audience is specific and niche, micro-influencers can have a deeper connection and influence within the community.

What is your approach to fostering long-term partnerships with influencers and clients?

Karan Pherwani: Fostering long-term partnerships with brands and influencers requires a consistent effort towards multiple factors.

For brands, the first step in developing a lasting partnership is to thoroughly understand the brand's goals, target audience, and overall marketing objectives. At Chtrbox, our motto is to always engage with the brand such as an extension of their team vs. an external partner, where each resource is personally invested in supporting the brand with their requirements. We make proactive efforts to enhance the brand's marketing strategies by leveraging industry trends, proposing relevant ideas, and innovating to drive better results. Transparency plays a vital role in building trust with the brand, as we openly discuss possible roadblocks, strategy gaps, and performance insights. We conduct regular performance evaluations and detailed reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) to help the brand assess the effectiveness of our partnership and identify areas for improvement. Flexibility is crucial for long-term success, as we adjust strategies and campaigns based on real-time data and feedback. Additionally, we work with the brand to establish long-term objectives and create a roadmap for achieving those goals, ensuring a focused effort towards shared success.

For influencers, to ensure successful partnerships with influencers, we follow several key practices. We establish clear objectives and expectations for the collaboration. Authenticity plays a pivotal role in influencer marketing, and we prioritize long-term partnerships by seeking influencers whose values align naturally with the brand's message. At Chtrbox, we believe in treating influencers as partners rather than one-off marketing tools. This collaborative approach involves co-creating content that resonates with the influencer's audience while effectively promoting the brand's message. Transparent communication is essential, and we maintain open channels with influencers. We provide influencers with the necessary resources to create high-quality content that engages their audiences effectively. We also offer longer-term contracts that extend beyond a single campaign, thus demonstrating our commitment and belief in their capabilities.