ClanConnect.ai, a self-serve influencer marketing startup for brands.The AI-driven influencer marketing platform is founded by Kunal Kishore Sinha, Co-Founder of Value 360 Communications), Sagar Pushp, Former Head of Digital Media at Cheil India), and notable filmmaker Anshai Lal. 

ClanConnect.ai aims to provide an AI-driven Influencer Marketing platform that helps brands in making their influencer marketing campaigns more data and result oriented. We spoke to the founders about the new venture and more:

Excerpts:

What was the thought behind this  entrepreneurial venture?

Working along with various brands for more than a decade now, we realized that this industry needed a certain amount of technology push. We also thought why influencers have not been able to organize themselves on to a platform where brands can actually benefit from the influencer marketing space. 

So, we started working on this idea and came up with something which can actually change the entire dynamics of influencer marketing. 

ClanConnect.ai aims to provide an AI-driven Influencer Marketing platform that helps brands in making their influencer marketing campaigns more data and result oriented. 

Tell us about the tech highlights of  ClanConnect?

ClanConnect.ai is an AI-enabled platform that allows brands to scale their influencer marketing efforts by bringing discovery, management, and performance analytics all in one system. 

Through targeted searches and customizable analytics, marketers are able to identify and partner with more relevant influencers. ClanConnect.ai offers 30 different parameters to quantify the suitability and reach of each influencer. ClanConnect.ai has introduced a structured process of selecting influencers for brands. It simplifies the interaction between all stakeholders through instant analytics, progress reports, campaign ROIs, and so forth to help everyone derive the necessary learnings.   

The platform further empowers smaller influencers to engage with larger brands, thereby democratizing the process for everyone. Setting the competitive aspects aside, ClanConnect.ai - the influencer marketplace- seeks to collaborate with all stakeholders, including individual influencers, talent hubs, agencies, and brands by bringing them onto a single platform.   

 How important has influencer marketing become for brands and for consumers? 

 Influencer marketing is driving the entire People to People marketing strategy for the brands. The reason it has become central to the overall marketing strategy.

Influencers are creating very meaningful conversations with their follower base which is helping brands create a relationship with the consumers at large. This relationship of trust can be effectively monetized. 

Celebrities have been making news for all the wrong reasons right now. How is it going to reshape the entire influencer marketing paradigm? 

Cricketers and Bollywood celebrities have always been part of the traditional advertising. Brands try to leverage the power of their reach. But, there are many brands that have ended their partnership with some of the celebrities who were in question for wrong reasons. There is a great opportunity for influencers beyond celebrities right now. 

Also, influencer marketing is increasing accessibility for smaller businesses. So, this industry will help the smaller ones to mobilize their businesses. Many small influencers and KOL (Key Opinion Leaders)  with a greater reach can make a livelihood out of this. Micro/nano influencers will become essentially important in the times to come. So, this will become an industry of its own, we are at a very nascent stage.

Hotstar appoints former UNESCO Communications Consultant Gopika Gulati as Communications and PR Lead.

Gulati will be leading PR and communications for Hotstar’s AVOD (Advertising based Video on Demand) division which includes flagship properties like IPL, corporate and tech PR. In a career spanning almost a decade, Gulati has been associated with companies like Alibaba, MSL and Weber Shandwick in the past.

Gulati holds an MBA in Communication Management from Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune and a Bachelors in History from Jesus & Mary College, Delhi.

Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages has appointed Mukund Trivedy as Head of Communications and media relations. Prior to this role, he was associated with SRF Ltd. as Head of Corporate Communications where he served almost a decade long stint.

Trivedy was also associated with SAIL for over 13 years where he was working as Sr. Manager Corporate Communications. He is also the founder of communications start-up-- Straight Drive.

Trivedy is the alumni of the prestigious Management Development Institute and has an MBA in Marketing.

Suruchi Jajoo, former Director of Strategic Initiatives, Gutenberg LLC has joined Amazon as Manager, Public Relations.

Prior to joining Gutenberg, Jajoo was associated with Urban Ladder for over 4 years. She joined Urban Ladder in 2013 and her last role was as Head of Strategy Communications. She has also served stints at Myntra and Telenor India.

Jajoo holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Communication from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree from Bangalore University.

Yuvraj Mehta, former Group Head, GMR Communications has joined L&T as Head of Brand Management & Communications. Mehta moved on from GMR after serving a four-year stint with the group.

Prior to GMR, he was working as Group Head & VP, Corporate Communications at Reliance Infrastructure Ltd where he served a long stint of over seven years.

Mehta has also been associated with Samsung Telecommunications Ltd as Head of Corporate Communications from 2006-08. He holds an MBA from KIIT School of Management and BSc from Calcutta University.

Surabhi Patodia, former Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & PR at Ola has joined healthcare platform Practo as Head of Communications.

Patodia started her career in Communications with Adfactors PR, where she helped companies going to IPO with their communication plans. She then went on to be a part of Text100, India's premier Technology PR agency, where she worked with brands like Lenovo, Tata Power Solar, to name a few. She joined Ola in 2016, and was instrumental in building a strong narrative for the brand, across India and International markets.

Patodia holds PG Diploma in Public Relations & Corporate Communications from the Xavier’s Institute of Mass Communications, Mumbai and Bachelors in Business Administration from BIT, Mesra.

IndiGo airlines, part of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, has appointed Chhavi Leekha as Director Corporate Communications and Brand Reputation. Prior to this role, she worked with Nokia India as Head of Marketing and Communications. Her role included setting the direction and leading Nokia's marketing strategy, demand generations, brand strategy, event management, advertising, external/internal communications, corporate affairs &CSR.

Leekha has also worked with Uber India as Consulting Director of Communications and also served a stint at Spice Global as Group President, Brand and Corporate Communications.

Leekha has completed her MBA from the prestigious Narsee Monjee Institue of Management Studies and BA from Shri Ram College of Commerce.