Digitisation has taken the world by a storm, and India is no exception to this. As more avenues in the field of content marketing open up with every passing day, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for digital agencies to maintain their footing in the bigger picture. Amidst this chaotic evolution, The Plug Media is a company that has etched itself into the heart of the influencer marketing industry and continues to flourish like a green bay tree ever since its advent, courtesy of the digital whizzes behind it––Apoorv Bhatnagar and Rohit Golia.
The outcome of a tentative idea that resulted in a fruitful startup, The Plug Media is now on par with all the other digital behemoths in the country and is considered the cornerstone of influencer marketing. It harbours a roster of immensely talented creators including the likes of Meghna Kaur, Shruti Sinha, Usaamah Siddique, Settle Subtle, Mohit Hiranandani and a lot more who have constantly made heads turn in their respective creative journeys. Speaking on onboarding such sought-after talents, co-founder Apoorv Bhatnagar stated, ‘My prior experience in talent management proved quite useful in identifying the voids in the entire creator-brand framework. With Plug Media, I wanted to not only fill in those voids but also go the extra mile. I wanted the company to take up all the technical aspects of influencer marketing, and simplify the process for the creators as well as the brands. This is the idea we pitched to our creators, and once it was in place, we went through the steps like clockwork and here we are today.’
Apoorv carries a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He went on to build his expertise further in talent management and operations and today as an entrepreneur, he bridges the gap between the creators and the brands.
Speaking about his vision with The Plug Media, Apoorv said, ‘A lot of creators out there have interesting content ideas, but lack the resources and the framework required to pull them off. My background helped me identify the discrepancies in the creator industry before it picked up. From production assistance to scriptwriting to strategizing long term goals–I wanted to deliver the same & that’s the foundation this company is built upon.’
Although the influencer marketing industry is growing with leaps and bounds, it has its own set of challenges right from the beginning out of which some still persist – The biggest one of all being creator on-boarding. Speaking of the existing hurdles, Apoorv further simplifies it from the client’s & creator’s end as he states, ‘Creators need to understand the importance of having the right people to tackle all sorts of creative and managerial issues. The creator community has grown tremendously in the past 2 years and not just in size. They are making much more informed decisions while choosing from some of the finest agencies in the ecosystem.
As for clients, convincing them has always been a challenge & it still is. Producing branded content can get tricky if the talent doesn’t vibe with the brief. We try our best to bridge this gap between the two and create content that’d work.’
Tactfulness and good entrepreneurial instincts more than makeup for inexperience. However, because of his earlier stints, he had an abundance of all three. This helped him climb the ranks at a young age, and guide the company to where it is today––resting atop 500+ successful campaigns and over 700+ associations with finest brands. As Apoorv prepares to face the next set of challenges in this fast-growing field, he quotes one of the most valuable pieces of advice he received while starting off, ‘Create consistent content and affluence will soon follow suit. My two-cents on this––make it relatable, and we have ourselves a win-win.’