Dhanush Rajendiran - Why Many Celebrity Campaigns Look Big but Deliver Little For Brands

As brands continue to invest heavily in influencer and celebrity collaborations, the mechanics of how these partnerships are structured is increasingly coming under scrutiny. In many cases, campaigns feature well-known faces but fail to translate into meaningful brand impact. Industry observers say the gap often lies not in the scale of talent but in how talent is chosen.

The typical collaboration process today involves several layers. Brands approach marketing or creative agencies for campaign execution. These agencies, in turn, often coordinate with talent or celebrity management firms that represent creators and public figures. While the system allows brands to access a wide range of personalities, it can sometimes lead to decisions driven more by available talent rosters than by strategic fit.

Celebrity marketing has grown rapidly in India, but the process of selecting talent has remained largely fragmented. That gap between brand strategy and talent access is where agencies like KekuMeku see an opportunity.

This is where some emerging agencies are attempting to reshape the model. Bengaluru-based KekuMeku, founded by Dhanush Rajendiran and Rohith Subramanian, positions itself as a brand-first content agency, focusing on celebrity and influencer collaborations along with ad production.

Rather than approaching campaigns from a talent-first perspective, the firm says it works closely with brands from the earliest stages of campaign planning through to execution.

The agency has previously worked with brands such as OnePlus, Star Health Insurance, Disney Cruise Line and AJIO on influencer and celebrity-led campaigns.

“Today, when a brand wants to work with a creator or celebrity for a campaign, the process usually moves through multiple layers. A brand reaches out to an agency, and the agency connects with a talent or celebrity management firm. In many cases, the natural tendency is to push the talent already present in a management roster rather than step back and evaluate whether that personality genuinely aligns with the campaign’s objective,” said Dhanush Rajendiran, Co-Founder of KekuMeku.

According to Rajendiran, this approach can result in campaigns that generate visibility but fall short of delivering the intended brand message.

“The result is that campaigns go live with well-known faces, but they do not always deliver the intended impact. The missing piece is often a deeper understanding of the creator or celebrity, their personality, their audience behaviour, and how their presence fits into the brand’s narrative,” he added.

KekuMeku’s approach focuses on understanding the personalities behind the campaigns before integrating them into brand communication. The agency spends time analysing the public persona of celebrities and creators, their audience dynamics, and the cultural context around their content before recommending collaborations.

The company’s work is particularly centred on the South Indian entertainment and creator ecosystem, which has seen a significant rise in brand collaborations in recent years. With audiences across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam markets responding strongly to regional content and local cultural cues, brands are increasingly looking for campaigns that resonate beyond generic national messaging.

KekuMeku says its focus on South-first celebrity and influencer talent allows campaigns to be crafted with deeper cultural relevance. The agency combines this regional insight with capabilities in influencer collaborations, celebrity management, and film production to execute campaigns end to end.

The company works across digital and tvc-led campaigns, collaborating with creators and celebrities across the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam entertainment ecosystems.

“At KekuMeku, we spend time understanding the personality of the celebrity or creator, the audience they influence, and the cultural context around them. Only then do we look at how that talent can authentically fit into a brand’s communication. When we say we are a brand-first content agency, it simply means the campaign’s objective comes before the talent roster,” Rajendiran said.

As brands continue to experiment with new formats of storytelling across digital platforms, the effectiveness of celebrity-led campaigns may increasingly depend on how thoughtfully these collaborations are structured. For agencies operating in the space, the challenge is shifting from simply connecting brands with talent to ensuring that every collaboration serves a clear strategic purpose.

KekuMeku’s founders believe that aligning celebrity partnerships with brand narratives, rather than relying purely on star power, will become an important differentiator as the marketing ecosystem evolves. As influencer and celebrity marketing matures in India, agencies that combine cultural insight with strategic talent selection are likely to shape the next phase of brand storytelling.