The Business of Influence Is Turning Attention into Trust : Shubhagata Mittal

Marketing has changed not only where it reaches consumers, but how it earns their trust. For Shubhagata Mittal, founder of Artemedy Business Innovations LLP, this shift is central to understanding why creator-led marketing has become essential.

“People no longer buy solely because a brand says something is good,” she says. “They buy because somebody they relate to made it feel believable.”

With a Master’s in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from London College of Fashion, Shubhagata works at the intersection of branding, consumer behaviour and digital influence. Her design and marketing studio, projected to become a nine-figure business this financial year, helps brands navigate the transition from institutional to personal trust.

Creators build familiarity through their routines, humour, language and opinions. Their audiences recognise something of themselves in the content-a connection that changes how a recommendation is received.

“The biggest mistake brands make is assuming influencer marketing is just about reach,” Shubhagata says. “Reach without trust is visibility without conversion. The real value lies in relatability.”

At Artemedy, that means matching a product with the right voice, audience and storytelling style. A creator’s relevance to the brand matters as much as their ability to attract attention.

In India, regional creators are expanding what that relevance looks like. Communities built around shared language and culture offer brands a way to connect beyond metropolitan audiences.

“Regional creators are no longer a niche part of the ecosystem,” she says. “In many cases, they hold stronger influence over buying decisions because their audiences see them as ‘one of us’.”

In categories such as food, beauty, wellness, parenting and fashion, this familiarity gives recommendations context. The product appears within routines and realities the audience understands.

The same thinking is opening opportunities beyond conventional beauty and lifestyle profiles. Comedians, couple creators and storytellers can introduce products through humour, everyday situations and relationship dynamics.

“People don’t open Instagram every day to watch advertisements,” Shubhagata says. “They open it to feel entertained, understood, distracted, informed. The smartest creator campaigns are the ones that understand that behaviour instead of interrupting it.”

Content, in this sense, has become the storefront. A memorable integration can generate shares, saves and conversations beyond the campaign period. Smaller creators with engaged communities can also deliver meaningful impact: audience size alone does not determine the strength of a recommendation.

“Consumers are incredibly intelligent today,” she says. “They know when something is scripted purely for selling. The brands that will stand out are the ones that understand audience behaviour before trying to capture audience attention.”

For Shubhagata, the future of creator marketing lies in making products a natural part of content people already enjoy. As discovery becomes embedded in conversations, humour and daily life, understanding that context becomes essential to building familiarity, trust and recall.

“The creator economy is no longer an add-on to marketing,” she says. “For many brands today, it is becoming the front door to consumer attention.”

For brands, the opportunity begins with understanding the people on the other side of that door.