The Long Arc of Influence
Influence in marketing pre-dates social media. As far back as ancient Rome when star gladiators became celebrities-endorsing goods from olive oil to wine.
“Influence” has had an interesting journey ever since. Travelling from royal courts and print ads to YouTube studios and startup boardrooms-with many founders now fronting their own brands giving rise to what can be termed “Founfluencers”: founders- as -influencers.
Leveraging influencers in marketing started as borrowed fame from queens & actors. In the 1760s, English potter Josiah Wedgwood turned royal patronage into a marketing engine. After Queen Charlotte ordered his creamware, he branded it “Queen’s Ware” and advertised himself as “Potter to Her Majesty,” one of the earliest- and savviest-uses of celebrity endorsement to sell product.
From Endorsers to Founder-Faces
By the late 19th century, endorsement had become modern advertising. In 1882, actress and society icon Lillie Langtry appeared in ads for Pears’ Soap-often cited as the first high-profile paid celebrity product endorsement.
India’s own celebrity-led advertising took off in the 20th century. In 1941, film star Leela Chitnis fronted a Lux campaign-commonly regarded as the first Indian film celebrity to endorse a consumer brand-setting off a decades-long symbiosis between stars and soaps.
By mid-20th century, founders started to step in front of the camera. Colonel Harland Sanders was not just KFC’s founder; he became its enduring mascot. Dave Thomas of Wendy’s appeared in 800+ commercials, intertwining founder persona and brand memory-an early template of “founder-as-influencer.”
India has its own lineage. MDH’s Dharampal Gulati appeared in the brand’s “Asli Masale Sach Sach” ads and became inseparable from the product in popular memory.
The Rise of Influencers & Founders-as-Influencers
With the rise social platforms driven by cheap mobile data; marketing & advertising finally changed gears from celebrity ads to the influencer era.
Social platforms data didn’t just add new media-they rewired the economics of attention – giving rise to new influencers. India latched on to the trend quickly leading to an influencer-marketing market pegged at roughly ₹3,600 crore in 2025, growing ~25% YoY.
And with that some founders learned to be their own best media.
Startup founders started doubling up as “Founfluencers” stepping in front of the camera: Lenskart’s Peyush Bansal sparred with Karan Johar in witty TVCs about fair pricing; Mamaearth’s co-founders Ghazal and Varun Alagh starred in spots that anchored the brand’s “for moms, by parents” origin story. Vineeta Singh’s visibility has similarly reinforced SUGAR’s founder-led identity. A newer pattern is “educator-founders” who use long-form content to build trust moats. Shashank Mehta of The Whole Truth frequently appears in “not-an-ad” explainers about labels and sugar-a content style that blurs the line between brand education and creator storytelling.
When Creators Become Founders
Today, the loop is closing: creators are becoming founders (MrBeast/Feastables; KSI & Logan Paul/Prime). Creators are leveraging audience trust into products.
India is one of the flywheels. YouTube reports its creator ecosystem contributed ₹16,000+ crore to India’s GDP in 2023 and supported 900,000+ FTE jobs.
Even in India, the loop is tightening: Ranveer Allahbadia (Level SuperMind), Kusha Kapila (UnderNeat shapewear), and Foodpharmer (Only What’s Needed -OWN) are examples of creators leveraging communities for brand building.
The Upside And The Shadow
So, what should come first – the founder or the brand?
A founder’s persona can compress customer acquisition costs, speed up trust, and make positioning unforgettable. But concentration risk is real. Academic and industry commentary increasingly warn that a dominant founder brand shouldn’t overshadow a product brand.
The Indian Rulebook is Getting Stricter
As money and risk rise, rules have caught up.
In 2023, India’s Department of Consumer Affairs issued Endorsements Know-hows mandating clear disclosures (“advertisement,” “sponsored,” “paid promotion”), due diligence, and transparency of “material connections.” SEBI’s January 2025 circular tightened how regulated entities may associate with unregistered “finfluencers.”
IIGC (Indian Influencer Governing Council) is pushing codes of ethics, disclosure norms and educational initiatives for the creator economy. Platforms have moved too; Meta has required extra verification for financial-services advertisers in India.
India could soon be following China which has recently enacted a new law requiring influencers to possess degrees or certifications for discussing serious topics like finance, health, and law online. This measure aims to combat misinformation and protect users from harmful advice.
For founder-influencers and creator-founders, this means building compliance into the content process, not treating it as post-production cleanup.
Bottom Line
Influencer marketing started as borrowed fame (queens & actors). Social platforms turned that into owned distribution-and India’s ecosystem has converted it further into founder equity and creator-led brands. The upside is massive (trust at scale, community-led growth). The trade-off is real (key-person & compliance risk).
The founder’s face can be the moat, but only if the product can stand without it, the numbers prove it, and the compliance holds up under scrutiny. That’s how influence compounds into brand equity rather than brand risk.
This Article is Written by Srinivas Seshadri, IIGC – Board Advisor & Category Head, V-Guard
