Creators push for authenticity and trust as collaboration culture matures in fashion marketing, ETRetail
Bengaluru: In the evolving landscape of fashion marketing, the collaboration model between brands and digital creators is shifting from transactional influencer campaigns to long-term, value-driven partnerships. This insight emerged during a recent industry panel discussion at the 3rd edition of ETRetail The FashionXP Summit on “Collab Culture: When Fashion Brands Co-Create with Brands, Influencers & Creators”, featuring digital content creators Ankit Chopra, Digital Content Creator, Rohit Bose, Dhoti Draper & Content Creator, and Varsha Kaveri, Digital Content Creator.
Chopra noted a clear change in industry dynamics. “There has been a shift in marketing campaigns when it comes to influencer marketing. Now, influencer marketing strategy is not a limited-edition hype. It’s a long-term strategy by any brand,” he said.
Chopra further added that creative freedom is key to crafting authentic campaigns that resonate with audiences. “… when a creator gets creative liberty to create content that authenticates with its audience… that balance of trust and creative freedom… helps me to create a campaign which is more valuable and genuine.”
Bose reinforced this view by underlining the importance of aligning brand messaging with the creator’s personal brand. “Any collaboration turns out to be valuable only when the brand story is woven in the creator’s style… only when there is this alignment that the collaboration feels genuine.”
He gave an example of what works and what doesn’t: “I am known as somebody who wears dhotis… A perfume brand reached out to me. They wanted me specifically to wear a suit. I told them that my audience would not connect with it; the audience did not react because it was not true to what I do. And then, a grooming brand wanted me to create a Bahubali look. It was absolutely in my zone. And my audience loved it, and the reach and everything was brilliant.”
Kaveri emphasised that trust between the brand and creator is critical to the success of a campaign. “… when the brand gives us a creator’s freedom, so we can build trust with the audience, so we can get our own genuine, raw and real content.”
She also shared how authenticity impacts audience engagement: “When I started my content creation… the first brand I got was a soft drink, and I was into fitness. People started commenting negatively… So from then, I started doing a series called Get the Look. This was appreciated by my audience. Now, I just go with the flow. The content should be real.”
link
