Deepika’s Hilton ad: At 1.9 bn views, 1.3 mn likes, marketing win or paid views overkill?

Deepika Padukone’s Instagram reel for Hilton’s “It Matters Where You Stay” campaign has taken the internet by storm, amassing 1.9 billion views — making it the most-watched reel on Instagram and surpassing icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and Hardik Pandya.

But the extraordinary reach has ignited a fierce debate. Former Ola Electric marketing head Nitin Chandil said he was “flabbergasted” by the numbers, calling the campaign a possible “₹33 crore waste.” In a LinkedIn post, Chandil argued that while the view count appears record-breaking, the engagement tells a different story.

(Graphic Source: Qoruz)

Chandil pointed out that the reel received only 1.3 million likes—an engagement rate of about 0.03%, far below Padukone’s average of around 5%. He claimed that organic views were unlikely to have crossed 10 million, suggesting that over 1.89 billion impressions were likely paid for.

Using Instagram’s average cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) of $2, Chandil estimated the campaign’s cost at roughly ₹33 crore.

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“Is it worth putting such an amount on Instagram for content that’s clearly not engaging?” he wrote. “You can do so much more with that money.”

The Hilton ad

The post triggered a lively online debate. Critics called the creative “boring” and the messaging “all over the place,” with one comparing it unfavourably to Padukone’s Cartier reel, which they claimed performed far better. Others defended the spend, saying that the “world’s most viewed reel” tag alone could justify the investment for a brand of Hilton’s size. Some also challenged Chandil’s estimate, arguing that such reach could be achieved for much less with the right targeting and a bit of organic push.

Meanwhile, a similar authenticity drama played out on ‘Shark Tank India Season 4’. The skincare brand 'Personal Touch', pitched by Ashish and Aditi Jawa, was slammed by Shark Vineeta Singh for suspected manipulation of Instagram engagement and sales data. Vineeta pointedly questioned why their reels racked up over 2 million views but just 700 likes, and flagged discrepancies between Shopify figures and claimed performance. 

“Daal mein kuch kaala hai,” Singh remarked, pointing out that something seemed amiss. Despite presenting confidential Shopify data, the founders walked away without a deal—prompting them to express disappointment, not over the lost investment, but over doubts cast upon their credibility.

In 2020, Mumbai Police accused rapper Badshah of paying ₹72 lakh to buy around 7.2 crore fake views for his song Pagal Hai to break the record for most YouTube views in 24 hours — a claim later rejected by Google. “The singer confessed that he wanted to set a world record… That is why he paid ₹72 lakh to this company,” said deputy commissioner of police Nandkumar Thakur.

Rachit Sharma, Head of Brand Partnerships and Strategy at Qoruz, explained, “When a campaign hits 1.9 billion views in a week, especially a high-production brand reel, it’s bound to raise eyebrows. But instead of jumping to conclusions, I think it’s more useful to ask what kind of outcome the brand was aiming for.”

“Deepika is one of the most commercially credible faces in the country. On Instagram, she averages around 8 million views per reel and a 0.46% engagement rate, which is very strong for a celebrity at that scale. So a number like 1.9 billion, paired with 1.3 million likes, does feel unusual. It doesn’t necessarily mean the views are fake, it likely means the content was heavily boosted, maybe globally, like a media asset would be,” he said.

At Qoruz, they track this kind of thing closely. “What we’re seeing more and more is that not all reach is created equal. If you’re spending ₹10–15 crore just to hit a headline number, the question becomes, did it move brand affinity, or did it just make noise?"

He also advised, for most brands, the goal shouldn’t be to outspend. It should be to auto connect. And, they don’t need a billion views to drive real business outcomes. The right creators, the right context, and the right creative to create lasting impact. That’s where we think the future of influencer marketing space is heading.

Abhijit Kaur - Managing Partner at Gnothi Seauton said, "The ad is slick but forgettable. It’s very Hilton—polished, safe, and on-brand. Deepika Padukone is a smart pick for her global appeal. The views are clearly the result of a calculated performance push. No luxury brand spends at this scale without knowing exactly what they’re buying. This is a campaign timed to Hilton’s rollout in several Indian cities this year. Love it or hate it, the ad did what it set out to do. In a market where nobody’s really paying attention, Hilton made sure you did—even if it’s just to talk about the money behind it."

According to a leading influencer marketing platform that did not wish to be named, notable Indian campaigns that have successfully used paid boosts include Mamaearth, boAt, and Mahindra. Globally, brands like Nike and Spotify have mastered the mix of paid reach and creative storytelling.

Social Media Boosting

In the last few years, Indian brands have gone all-in on social media boosting—pouring serious money into Instagram and other platforms to drive likes, views, and reach. With the influencer marketing industry already worth over ₹2,000 crore, digital ROI in many cases is outpacing traditional media.

Paid boosting offers clear advantages. It pushes content far beyond a brand’s existing follower base and allows precise targeting by age, location, and interests. Big view counts can create instant “social proof,” shaping audience perception, while large-scale campaigns deliver speed—millions of views in just days. Boosting can also trigger further organic reach through algorithms, and brands have the advantage of controlling the narrative to ensure the right people see the right message.

However, the approach has its critics. Engagement quality often suffers, as high view counts don’t necessarily translate into interaction. Heavy spends risk poor ROI if they don’t convert into sales or meaningful actions. Inflated numbers can come across as inauthentic, distorting whether the content truly resonates. Over reliance on boosting can also replace real creative strategy, leaving brands dependent on algorithms and ad budgets.