Influencer collaborations after India’s Got Latent: Stricter rules, fewer risks?

India’s Got Latent was set to transform influencer-driven content, achieving remarkable outcomes—Vastrado, a fashion brand that collaborated with the show, experienced a 150% increase in revenue and a 20-fold rise in website traffic following the airing of its episode. However, the momentum proved to be fleeting.

What began as a viral sensation rapidly evolved into controversy, compelling brands and creators to critically examine the limits of digital content.

Read more: How India’s Got Latent went from viral sensation to scandal

The repercussions have reached well beyond Ranveer Allahbadia (BeerBiceps), Samay Raina, and the other involved parties. The ripple effect is reshaping the influencer and comedy ecosystem, as creators encounter brand rejections, engage in self-censorship, and face heightened legal scrutiny.

The controversy has prompted comedians and content creators to reevaluate their strategies. Harsh Gujral,(a standup comedian with 3 million followers on Instagram) for example, discreetly deleted all episodes of his YouTube show The Espace Room, which, similar to India’s Got Latent, included dark humour and explicit jokes.

In the meantime, influencer and vlogger Shenaz Treasury disclosed that she was removed from a brand deal in the wake of the scandal. A report indicates that a marathon platform providing her equity has cancelled their collaboration, citing concerns over potential backlash.

Even seasoned comedians are adapting to this new reality. A report from The Times of India highlights that Mumbai-based comic Sapan Verma now pre-screens his jokes with a lawyer. 

What is his workflow? Composing jokes in Microsoft Word, sending them for legal review via email, and obtaining feedback categorised by colour—yellow indicating medium-risk jokes and red denoting high-risk ones. This degree of proactive caution is rapidly becoming standard practice in the industry.

The Supreme Court, in the ongoing legal proceedings concerning Ranveer Allahbadia, has also instructed the centre to investigate regulatory frameworks for social media content. The bench emphasised the necessity of checks and balances to avert potential misuse, paving the way for possible policy interventions.

As brands grow more cautious about their affiliations with controversial creators, influencer marketing finds itself at a pivotal juncture. Are we entering a period of increased content regulation, with brands implementing more stringent guidelines? 

Will influencers and comedians discover new methods to adapt to this changing landscape while maintaining their authenticity?

Sahil Chopra, CEO of iCubesWire, an influencer marketing agency, says that brands are tightening legal frameworks in influencer partnerships by adding detailed clauses to prevent misinterpretations, safeguard their reputation, and ensure compliance with agreed standards.

Chopra notes that following this controversy, brands are now carefully examining an influencer’s previous content, the quality of their engagement, alignment with the brand, and overall authenticity prior to collaboration, thereby fostering more strategic and meaningful partnerships.

Brands that collaborate with influencers usually do so under formal agreements that specify contractual obligations, content approval procedures, and brand guidelines. 

These agreements ensure that influencer content aligns with the brand’s messaging, tone, and values, while minimising potential risks. 

Brands typically prioritise maintaining control over the representation of their products and services in influencer campaigns, often relying on pre-approved scripts and legal disclaimers.

Ambika Sharma, founder and chief strategist of Pulp Strategy, emphasises that this incident serves as a wake-up call, though it is not an unfamiliar occurrence. Boycotts, social media outrage, and cycles of brand backlash have occurred previously. 

The distinguishing factor of India’s Got Latent is the magnitude and rapidity of the consequences. It compelled brands to reevaluate their influencer strategies; however, stricter guidelines by themselves will not resolve the underlying issue.

Sharma notes that influencer marketing has evolved beyond its 'shoot and scoot' model, in which brands engage an individual for a single campaign and leave the outcome to chance. 

Brands will transition from loose guidelines to stricter, legally binding contracts, reflecting the model of celebrity endorsements. She notes that while these agreements assist in managing reputation, they cannot prevent crises; they can only expedite damage control. 

Pranav Sharma, a stand-up comedian based in Delhi, boasts 600,000 Instagram followers and has previously collaborated with brands such as Bombay Shaving Company, Perfora, and Discovery Channel. 

He says that the recent controversy has rendered him more cautious, thereby restricting his creative freedom. “I am particularly careful not to concentrate excessively on any specific community.” 

“It’s not hindering my creativity, but it is somewhat restricting my freedom,” he shares.

Sharma favours collaborating with brands that provide creative freedom, as he believes that influencer partnerships should focus on generating word-of-mouth and establishing legitimacy. The creator holds the responsibility for content, with brands merely woven into the narrative.

Kalyan Kumar, founder of KlugKlug, an influencer marketing agency, says that brands have consistently prioritised safety; this is merely another chapter in that narrative. Although approvals may appear more stringent, caution has always been present. 

Kumar observes that influencers depend on brand partnerships for monetisation, which inherently makes them more careful about their content. Controversies, however, remain unpredictable; a single comment or joke can unexpectedly ignite backlash.

Experts anticipate that influencer marketing will evolve in significant ways moving forward:

● Brands will prioritise long-term ambassadors over one-off influencer deals. 

● Strong brand-led content ecosystems will reduce reliance on external voices. 

● A proactive approach to brand safety will replace reactive crisis management.

Influencer marketing is not in decline; rather, it is undergoing a transformation.