Emami's Dhruv Aggarwal: Focus on Product-Market Fit Before Scaling Influencer Marketing

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands should only scale influencer marketing after establishing product-market fit, as creator-led campaigns cannot compensate for a weak product, according to Dhruv Aggarwal, chief growth officer at FMCG major Emami.

"Once you know that you have a product that everyone should be using, then having influencers drive it works very organically," Aggarwal stated at Inc42’s The D2C & Retail Summit 2026.

He cautioned, however, that influencer marketing cannot bridge the gap for a deficient product. Aggarwal shared Emami's experience with its personal care brand Brillare, where increasing influencer-generated videos from 15 to 2,000 per month doubled revenue.

Aggarwal emphasized the need for brands to closely monitor customer acquisition costs and pause campaigns that merely purchase sales instead of creating sustainable consumer demand. The effectiveness of influencer marketing also hinges on identifying relevant creators for different consumer groups and building multiple narratives around the same brand.

Emami has recently expanded its portfolio of beauty and personal care brands, including a recent investment in IncNut Digital, parent of D2C brands Vedix and SkinKraft. Aggarwal suggested that influencer content is evolving into an ongoing channel for consumer education, trust-building, and cultural relevance, rather than a short-term acquisition tool.