In an exclusive interaction, Ramya Ramachandran, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, whoppl, speaks about the boom in the influencer industry, how it impacts the creator economy and how ASCI’s guideline will reshape the creation and execution of influencer backed branded content on social media.
Whoppl is a specialized content creation company with a niche in designing influencer marketing strategies that result in cohesive brand experiences while celebrating individual creativity. Founded in early 2019 by Ramya Ramachandran, this boutique agency aims at doing things differently and bringing about a clear sense of transparency, ethics, and measurability to the influencer management business.
How has whoppl’s journey been so far? How has the it fared during the lockdown?
I founded whoppl in 2019, and by the time we kickstarted our operations in full swing, we were under lockdown. However, the lockdown has been a blessing for us in terms of growth and expansion.
We’ve built a loyal client base of over 50 brands across industries in the last 2.5 years. Right from P&G, to Tata realty, to Aditya Birla group of companies, we’ve built our portfolio and grown at a fast pace.
Not only did we build our portfolio but also in terms of teams. It’s been a great journey so far, where all of us are working from home towards the common goals of the company and enjoying the journey while building a brand: whoppl.
What are the different verticals of whoppl and what differentiates them from its competitors?
At whoppl, we have two main verticals- Content marketing & Influencer marketing.
Content marketing: We churn our content across platforms for brands for their social media channels. Based on the requirements we churn content across platforms like – long format for YouTube, short format for Instagram reels, etc. The aim is to have content that’s snackable and engaging.
Influencer marketing: We work with influencers, set up campaign strategies based on the objective of the campaign. We set KPIs for every campaign we undertake, and choose influencers who are the right fit for the brand after running thorough authenticity checks.
Our campaign ideas always have a narrative behind them, hence making them more engaging.
How did the pandemic impact influencer marketing and how has it changed the content consumption pattern of audiences?
With the pandemic, we see a boom in influencer marketing. More and more brands are spending their marketing budgets on influencer marketing because it’s more real-time and the impact can be measured.
Also, in today’s time, everyone spends a substantial amount on social media and trusts influencers for their recommendations and suggestions on a particular product or service. It makes it more authentic. Today people want to consume content that’s more relatable, hence more engaging.
What is the current size of the influencer market in India and globally? And will there be a boom in the influencer economy in the upcoming years?
As per mint, the influencer market in India is estimated to be at 75-150 million dollars in 2021. Looking at the way influencer marketing has progressed in the west & APAC; it’s only going to grow in India at a high rate. We also see a big boost in regional influencers promoting brands and services.
As more and more influencers are taking the market by the storm. How does one ensure that the excitement during influencer engagement does not fade away?
Influencer marketing hits the right cord when there is a fine balance between content + relatability at the same time keeping the branded content very subtle and organic.
The influencer ecosystem is growing at a very high rate and ensuring the content is relevant and engaging is very important. Whenever we create content with influencers, we set the concept and let the influencer lead it in their tonality to make it look organic and fun.
What are your thoughts on the recent ASCI guidelines for influencer advertising?
The recent ASCI guidelines are definitely welcoming as the consumers have the right to 100% transparency in the content they consume. Once an influencer puts out content with tags like paid partnership or gifted, the consumer can make a more well-informed purchase decision.
As a firm that closely works with influencers, what is the general response of influences on the guidelines?
The influencers and campaigns we’ve worked on have been proactive and in alignment with the ASCI guidelines.
Post the execution of the guidelines, what role would agencies, influencer talent managers play in the creation and execution of branded content?
Now influencers and agencies have to create content in a more well-informed manner by keeping the content branded yet engaging. There’s a creative filter that needs to be part of the strategies which is the core of what we do at whoppl.
How do you see the landscape of influencer marketing changing in the coming years?
While there is already immense evolution in the influencer industry like having multiple influencers let platforms, affiliate programs, agencies that lead only influencer marketing, AI-based influencer marketing, software & tools to track the performance of the campaign, influencer related conferences and events, etc etc.
In the coming years, it’s only going to diversify into multiple other categories like live commerce, CGI influencers, etc. Excited & looking forward to this journey.
Anything else you would like to add?
At whoppl, we’re building a community of influencers across categories that can help be the right voice of the brand. Other than that, since we already do ROI-driven campaigns, we definitely look at social commerce as the next step.