“Samay Raina won't follow brand guidelines, but delivers ROI”

"Partnership with Samay Raina was the most profitable influencer collaboration we had ever done,"
says, Deepti Karthik, a fractional CMO while sharing her experience of working with the stand-up comedian in 2022. 

Karthik stated in a LinkedIn post that while Raina charged Rs.5 lakh for the post, but didn’t do many revisions based on the brand’s guidelines, the post had to be taken down from the brand’s page. 

Karthik noted that although Raina charged Rs. 5 lakh for a post, he did not make many revisions based on the brand’s guidelines, which ultimately led to the post being taken down from the brand's page. “The post received terrible sentiment, and we removed it almost immediately, regretting our collaboration with him,” Karthik explained.

However, she added, “That post generated sales of over Rs. 25 lakh in the following two months, making it the most profitable influencer collaboration we’ve ever done!” “It just doesn’t make sense. How can someone who utilises  dark humor and has a fan base filled with negative comments influence purchases? This is a Paradoxical Relationship. Paradoxical advertising often creates cognitive dissonance—when people encounter conflicting ideas or feelings, like luxury items marketed with simplicity,” Karthik elaborated. 

According to her, such situations encourage consumers to think more deeply about the product, thereby increasing engagement and recall. “Partner with Samay at your own risk concerning brand metrics, but I can assure you it will drive sales,” she added.

Also Read: Unacademy x Samay Raina: Is Raina immune to brand safety concerns?

Deepti Karthik, fractional CMO 

Karthik’s post has since attracted significant attention from marketers, many of whom questioned how the connection between sales and Samay’s post was established. 

For those familiar with Samay Raina’s work, this outcome is not surprising. The stand-up comedian has carved out a unique niche where brands often become the target of his dark humour. Earlier this year, Raina made headlines when Unacademy invited him to celebrate their nine-year anniversary, only for him to roast the brand instead.

Also Read: From Spinny to POP: Brands embrace Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latent’

The event was live-streamed on Unacademy’s YouTube page, with Raina showing up wearing a sticker of Unacademy’s competitor, Physics Wallah. He pulled a similar stunt at Zomato’s 16th-anniversary celebrations, arriving in a T-shirt featuring Zomato’s direct competitor, Swiggy. His jokes poked fun at Zomato’s pop-up notifications and the quality of its customer service. Reports indicate that Zomato initially planned to upload the full roast to their YouTube channel but decided to only release short clips, presumably due to the edgy nature of the content.

Also Read: boAt and Samay Raina team up for hilarious New Year’s campaign

In recent months, he has also roasted brands like Spinny, BoldCare, POP UPI, and Wok Tok, all of which sponsored his now-viral initiative, ‘India’s Got Latent.’

Samay Raina's style of comedy has become a point of discussion for marketers who are navigating the balance between brand safety and virality. 

Also Read: Bold Care teams up with Samay Raina to transform September to #Sextember