MAM

Influencer marketing back in vogue amid COVID-19 lockdown

Published

6 years ago

April 13, 2020

NEW DELHI: It was just a few months back that the marketing industry was in the process of re-evaluating the perks of influencer marketing against the many losses it carried, including fake influencers, low conversion rates, and the omnipresent nature of it taking away its novel charm. Many argued that this could be the time when influencer marketing will lose its momentum.

However, the current times have made, once again, influencer marketing a popular phenomenon amongst marketers. Be it the government using Bollywood celebrities to promote hygiene and urging people to follow the lockdown or brands using them to promote various products, influencers are a raging phenomenon once again.

The Maverics founder and CEO Chetan Mahajan notes, “COVID-19 has left most of us with a lot of spare time, anxiety and depleted avenues of earning. The internet has been the saviour both for news updates and entertainment. Staying connected has never been more important, with people and businesses relying on social media to stay connected with friends and consumers, apart from being entertained. Facebook and Instagram have seen a 40 per cent increase in usage due to COVID-19.”

Surely, people are increasingly relying on digital mediums to keep themselves sane and kicking in these tough times. As per BARC and Nielsen, time spent on smartphones by a single user has gone up by at least 6.2 per cent, while video-on-demand apps have gone up by at least three per cent during the lockdown period.

Television has also attained popularity in these times, with Doordarshan, to the envy and surprise of many leading the game, gaining upper hand. However, most advertisers are not able to cash in on the opportunity, given the market uncertainty.

Do Your Thng founder Ankit Agarwal explains the phenomenon. “The COVID-19 pandemic has two direct impacts. One is that the global spend on TV, print and OOH ad market declined. This has compelled companies to prioritise digital strategies. Two, the consumer began devoting extraordinarily more time to social media and creators who dominate the platform. This led to the realisation that there is no better, unobtrusive way to stay on top of consumer’s minds right now than cashing in on creators.”

He adds, “As a consequence, influencer marketing has seen a significant upturn. The Drum even predicts a more than 22 per cent increase in social media spending because of the pandemic.”

Media Moments MD Sandeep Sreekumar contributes further, “The outburst of COVID-19 has gripped almost every sector and brands are battling it out to retain their position in the market. In a scenario such as this, it is essential for brands to stay relevant to their consumers. Brands are leveraging influencer marketing more to keep the customers engaged. Brands are involving influencers at a faster pace than before to churn out significant content laced with key brand messages that are high on ROI and specific in terms of targeting.”

Brands are also relying on the great connect and goodwill that these influencers have among their followers to drive positive messaging. Not every plug is an ad, but is, in fact, a positive contribution towards keeping the society educated and motivated.

Everymedia Technologies Pvt Ltd CEO Gautam B Thakker highlights, “The brand’s approach to the audience has become more sensitive and relevant with the aim of helping the situation. They are mindful of tone and messaging now more than ever. As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, we’ve seen influencers help spread the message, first on social distancing and then on self-isolation.”

“We could see brands getting more involved in these types of influencer partnerships going forward or enlisting influencers to promote their own initiatives which aim to spread a positive message as well as generate funds for those in need,” he said.

The Marcom Avenue director Divanshi Gupta believes that the trend has also earned the influencers the right to better pay. “Now, brands have to highly depend on the creativity of the influencers they are in collaboration with and expect them to produce content and weave storytelling in their branding. This add-on responsibility on the influential celebrity (be it nano, micro or people with huge followership) has earned the right to better pay, regardless of the volume increase in the opportunities.”

However, Agarwal feels that influencers are not free from the ripple effect of the crisis and might bear a brunt on their fees.

Sreekumar agrees that with all organisations deploying strategies to reduce costs, the budgets allocated by the brands for influencer marketing might still be restricted considering the uncertainty of the situation.

“Few brands are also considering other means of engagement such as half-barter and half-paid in order to mitigate the situation,” he says.

Mahajan says that renegotiation and re-strategising are going to be the natural outcomes of this situation like any other financial crisis. “Most of the marketers will go back to the drawing board to rehash their marketing strategy for the post-COVID-19 world which is likely to be very different from where we left it in February 2020. Influencers who are creative and get high engagement will emerge as winners while others will bear the brunt of renegotiated contracts.”

Thakker feels that even influencers are willing to rework their rates given the nature of the market. “Marketing budgets, in general, are being tightened exponentially with every penny spent being much more scrutinised. Campaigns are definitely being paused and influencers are reducing rates.”

Related Topics:coronavirus lockdown covid-19 influencer marketing

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Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

7 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

7 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

7 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.