Brands

How community-building will help brands grow even when marketing budgets shrink

Published

2 months ago

November 28, 2025

Marketing spending is not ramping up at the same rate it has in the past — many brands are actually spending less than they have on both paid media and large events with promotional support. All brands seem to be seeking more effective and cost-efficient ways to sustain their presence in the marketplace. In light of this, community-building is rapidly establishing itself as one of the most powerful and reliable forms of growth for brands in 2026 and beyond.

Building community is not a new construct, but the way brands are activating and building communities is much more substantial. Brands are moving away from a solely transactional perspective and instead are seeking true connections with people who share a belief in the same ideals, use similar products, or have a shared interest. This change has allowed brands to continue growth without relying on considerable expenditure on paid media.

Why it’s important for communities today
Modern consumers are more critical, informed, and talkative. They do not respond to curated marketing or phony claims. They want authentic content, authentic engagement, and authentic conversations. Consumers trust their peers more often than any marketing spend. Communities provide the opportunity to engage, talk, share experiences, and feel heard.

When consumers engage in a brand community, they don’t just feel like consumers — they feel like participants. When that emotional bond is engaged, it fosters loyalty, and loyal customers always cost less than acquiring new customers.

A strong community reduces dependence on marketing
The biggest advantage of building a community is that it gradually reduces a brand’s reliance on paid marketing. Once users start becoming brand ambassadors, that loyalty creates a snowball effect.

Consumers talk about products they love. They share them on social media. They recommend the brand to family and friends. All of that organic social growth is free, authentic, and far more compelling than any ad.

Even — or especially — when budgets are tight, the brand continues to grow because the community keeps the conversation going. Engagement remains high, relationships with customers remain active, and real-time feedback is easily obtained.

Communities foster superior product development
Another key benefit that comes from derived insight is that communities consist of true consumers who know — in practice — what works and what does not. In most instances, they are the first to complain if something is not right and often the first to praise if that same thing has been improved. The brand has direct access to real-life feedback, and that helps in better decision-making without having to pay for substantial market research.

When brands include their community in any sort of product update or new concept, customers feel valued. They feel their input will shape the brand. This innate need to belong leads to longer involvement with the brand and often yields superior products that meet customers’ expectations.

Different types of communities are emerging
Communities are not just limited to large online groups or social media accounts. Brands are experimenting with many different kinds:
• Small, very niche groups with a common interest
• Local offline meetups
• Private WhatsApp/Telegram groups
• Micro-communities around creators
• Brand clubs for loyal customers

All of these have slightly different purposes, but they form a larger ecosystem in which a customer can belong to something meaningful.

Why this matters now, more than ever, in a shrinking-budget world
When money is tight, brands need long-term strategies and results to get a return on investment — and community-building does exactly that. It builds customer loyalty and encourages word-of-mouth behaviour that leads to increased retention, decreases the cost of acquiring new buyers, and builds trust that can’t be paid for in advertisements.

Communities are not affected by algorithms or changes in the calendar. They are based on relationships, and relationships stay even when budgets are shrinking.

In the years ahead, community-building will quickly become one of the most effective strategies available to brands for growth. It is cost-effective, sustainable, and profoundly human-centred in its core purpose. Brands that capitalise on this upside early will drive cost-savings and grow their customer bases into more loyal customers. In a world where customers increasingly value authenticity and connection, communities provide every brand with the only thing it desperately needs — real trust.

Related Topics:community-building Mrig Sight Media Rrahul S Ranjan

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Brands

Delhivery chairman Deepak Kapoor, independent director Saugata Gupta quit board

Published

3 days ago

January 31, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

Gurugram: Delhivery’s boardroom is being reset. Deepak Kapoor, chairman and independent director, has resigned with effect from April 1 as part of a planned board reconstitution, the logistics company said in an exchange filing. Saugata Gupta, managing director and chief executive of FMCG major Marico and an independent director on Delhivery’s board, has also stepped down.

Kapoor exits after an eight-year stint that included steering the company through its 2022 stock-market debut, a period that saw Delhivery transform from a venture-backed upstart into one of India’s most visible logistics platforms. Gupta, who joined the board in 2021, departs alongside him, marking a simultaneous clearing of two senior independent seats.

“Deepak and Saugata have been instrumental in our process of recognising the need for and enabling the reconstitution of the board of directors in line with our ambitious next phase of growth,” said Sahil Barua, managing director and chief executive, Delhivery. The statement frames the exits less as departures and more as deliberate succession, a boardroom shuffle timed to the company’s evolving scale and strategy.

The resignations arrive amid broader governance recalibration. In 2025, Delhivery appointed Emcure Pharmaceuticals whole-time director Namita Thapar, PB Fintech founder and chairman Yashish Dahiya, and IIM Bangalore faculty member Padmini Srinivasan as independent directors, signalling a tilt towards consumer, fintech and academic expertise at the board level.

Kapoor’s tenure spanned Delhivery’s most defining years, rapid network expansion, public listing and the push towards profitability in a bruising logistics market. Gupta’s presence brought FMCG and brand-scale perspective during a period when ecommerce volumes and last-mile delivery economics were being rewritten.

The twin exits, effective from the new financial year, underscore a familiar corporate rhythm: founders consolidate, veterans rotate out, and fresh voices are ushered in to script the next chapter. In India’s hyper-competitive logistics race, even the boardroom does not stand still.

Brands

Brnd.me enters Europe as haircare brands power global expansion

Published

3 days ago

January 31, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

Bengaluru: Brnd.me, the global consumer brands company formerly known as Mensa Brands, has entered the European market following strong momentum across the Middle East, the United States and Canada.

The company has launched across the UK, Germany, France and Spain, with plans to expand into Italy, the Netherlands and Poland over the next year. The push is being led by its haircare and aromatherapy brands, Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure, marking Brnd.me’s first structured expansion into Europe.

The European beauty market represents a total addressable opportunity of over $4 billion across haircare and aromatherapy, supported by high digital adoption and demand for accessible, performance-led products.

Brnd.me’s hair care and aromatherapy business currently operates at an annual run rate of around $6 million, with Botanic Hearth and Majestic Pure delivering roughly 10 per cent month-on-month growth, driven by expansion and rising repeat demand.

To support regional growth, the company has appointed a general manager based in Germany and is evaluating investments in warehousing and local team expansion.

Early traction has been strong. Within weeks of launch, Botanic Hearth’s rosemary hair oil ranked among the top five hair oils in Germany, signalling strong consumer pull in a competitive market.

Brnd.me founder and chief executive officer Ananth Narayanan, said Europe represents the next phase of the company’s international strategy. He added that the European business is expected to scale to a $10 million annual run rate by the end of 2026, with long-term ambitions to reach $60 million over the next six years.

The company’s Europe strategy centres on digital-first distribution, repeat demand and TikTok-led discovery, alongside direct-to-consumer expansion to strengthen brand equity and margins.

The move also aligns with growing EU–India trade engagement, supporting long-term sourcing and cross-border supply chains.

Brands

TechnoSport taps quick commerce with launch on Slikk’s 60-minute platform

Published

3 days ago

January 31, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NATIONAL: TechnoSport has launched on Slikk, the ultra-fast fashion app offering 60-minute delivery, as the activewear brand accelerates its push into quick commerce to capture Gen Z and young millennial shoppers.

The debut brings more than 150 high-performance styles to Slikk’s platform, with an average selling price of Rs 450, expanding TechnoSport’s reach across over 80 pin codes.

The partnership follows strong momentum for TechnoSport across Q-commerce channels, where the brand has recorded around 60 per cent volume growth over the past six months. The company expects quick commerce to contribute nearly 20 per cent of its revenue in the coming years as hyperlocal delivery gains scale.

Slikk, which recently raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, has rapidly gained popularity among youth consumers seeking speed, trend relevance and impulse-led shopping experiences.

Activewear remains one of Slikk’s fastest-growing categories, driven by shoppers increasingly treating fitness-led fashion as an everyday essential. The platform has reported a 30-fold year-on-year increase in items sold, reflecting rising demand for performance wear that blends comfort with style.

TechnoSport chief executive officer Puspen Maity, said the collaboration would help the brand engage more closely with young consumers whose fashion choices are shaped by instant needs and lifestyle aspirations. He added that rapid delivery bridges the gap between intent and purchase, allowing shoppers to access activewear exactly when they want it.