How India’s influencers quit the 9-5 grind and made it big – and why brands love them
- Influencer marketing in India was worth US$113 million by the end of 2021, and is expected to reach US$129 million in 2025
- ‘Gone are the days when brands solely depended on macro-celebrities such as film stars from Bollywood and Tollywood or sports stars,’ a brand strategy expert says
Imagine spending your life doing what you love, having thrilling new experiences, acquiring all your favourite things for free and being the envy of thousands, if not millions of people.
That’s what it’s like in the world of influencers – the social networking trend that has become a lucrative global phenomenon worth billions.
Nagpur-based Parth Bajaj, 25, is an influencer who has an Instagram account showing images of him living the high life in a hot-air balloon flying over vineyards in Australia and cooking in locations such as on a clifftop in Bali.
Bajaj is a travel and food influencer with 213,000 followers on Instagram, who has worked with a wide range of brands, predominantly food focused, but also technology, lifestyle, travel, consumer goods, interiors and fitness.
“Growing up, I was always a foodie, so I developed an interest in cooking and baking, when I was a teenager, learning simple cooking from my mother in the kitchen. I never really thought that this could be a full-time profession for me, but social media made it possible,” Bajaj said.