That the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant has collectively captivated the nation and the nation's media is an understatement. However, in a recent post, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's daughter Aaliyah Kashyap who is a YouTuber and influencer herself, called out the Ambanis and publicly branded the wedding a 'circus' on her Instagram broadcast channel, shedding light on the elaborate PR strategies orchestrated by India's wealthiest family.

She broadcast, “I was invited to some events because apparently, they're doing PR (???? don't ask me why) but I said no because I would like to believe I have a little more self-respect than to sell myself out for someone's wedding."

Therefter, Aaliyah’s explosive comments have sparked a broader discussion on Reddit forums and Instagram about the limits of publicity and the ethical questions surrounding such high-profile events.

Influencer Ericka Packard also highlighted in an Instagram story, how PR agencies were aggressively approaching influencers with the wedding invite in exchange for clear deliverables like an Instagram Reel or a couple of stories. 

The Ambanis have not only invited Indian influencers but also international personalities like Julia Chafe, an Instagram and TikTok content creator and jeweller, along with Kim Kardashian's makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic and hairstylist Chris Appleton. 

The months-long celebrations are expected to culminate this weekend with the wedding festivities set over three days from 12 July to 14 July.

With the build-up to the grand event already capturing more than its fair share of media and social media attention, Manifest  explores the ethical line between opulent celebrations and over-the-top paid publicity:

Here's what experts had to say...

The Ambani family is no stranger to the public eye. Could this PR stunt of inviting Indian and international influencers to the wedding with defined deliverables backfire and tarnish their brand value and credibility?

   
From left: Rachna Baruah, Tarunjeet Rattan and Harinder Singh Pelia

Rachna Baruah, founder, Madchatter Brand Solutions: People have the attention spans of a goldfish nowadays. Look back at the biggest scandals and scams of the last three years and compare them with where these brands/individuals are today, and you'll realise nothing good or bad lasts. Keeping this baseline in mind, people may find the whole saga cringy but I think it has serious and positive long-term business objectives and implications in mind.

For a brand like the Ambani family or the Reliance corporate entity, I think it's important to have a global appeal of "looking at India and Indians" as we've seen with Natasha Poonawalla, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Mona Patel (Haute Mona) being prime and recent examples. It also has nuances like being able to move business interests overseas or being able to demand gravitas at global stages using soft power. It's all about building brand recall, after all.

Tarunjeet Rattan, managing partner, Nucleus PR: It is interesting that if things had gone right this would have been a great digital marketing/influencer management case study but since it is blowing up in their face, it is labeled as a PR disaster. Favourite whipping toy for the comms industry?  PR is about building a reputation. Publicity is one part of it that focuses only on gaining attention. This to me is a publicity stunt that will do them more harm than good.

This over-the-top embarrassment of riches will backfire and tarnish their brand value and credibility including those that are being invited to shake a leg at the wedding. This is such a brilliant opportunity lost. This could have been an opportunity to showcase the traditions of India while also setting a trend for sustainability that could benefit the entire country and set a positive example for others to follow. In a country where marriage is still a status symbol, many women face challenges, are pressured into dangerous situations and parents fall into debt because of the requirement of a 'good show' , this could have been an opportunity for them to set a new trend. Yet, they choose to add fuel to the fire instead of molding it for good.  

Harinder Singh Pelia, founder, 10Xer Club: I don't see any issue with the 'alleged' influencer campaign. If true, it's likely to serve the same purpose as what most influencer campaigns do - curate and manage the narrative around a brand. And the brand in question here, happens to be the heir to modern India's most economically important business. I do not think this will 'tarnish' their value or credibility but probably broad-base the messaging they're looking to put out while making sure that the right building blocks are in place for Anant's (and Radhika's) public persona. 

But what is worrying is - if this trend trickles down to others in upper echelons of our society. Seema-Aunty-equivalents peddling influencer campaigns along with matchmaking services will surely bring everyone down. 

What does this whole PR gimmick say about the state of influencer marketing today?

Baruah: Influencer marketing is ever pervasive and has become subtler and more intelligent now. It's no longer about outright endorsements and salesy narratives but is about being a part of an influencer's organic storytelling style. 

Rattan: Sad is the word that comes to mind. If you are a friend of the family, by all means, go for it. But to randomly be invited because of a 'list' and land up for publicity and then subject their viewers to an overdose of riches, is just dishonest to their followers. 

Does this take away the exclusivity factor of this 'big fat Indian wedding'?

Baruah: By concept, a big fat Indian wedding was never "exclusive". Whether for celebrities or normal folks, a big fat Indian wedding entails calling thousands of people as a way to show respect, rekindle family relationships, and even refresh business rapport. All this wedding has done is, it has used great customer segmentation for different events to achieve their long-term objectives.

Rattan: Yes. When everyone is invited, no one is invited. 

Pelia: On this move's impact on the wedding's 'exclusivity' - I think that chatter among marketing and influencer circles is a small price to pay for the sheer volume of conversations that such a campaign could create. Some things are not designed to be exclusive, they're designed to be engines for something bigger and more important (perhaps true for this wedding). 

What are the potential risks and rewards for influencers who participate in such collaborative deliverables to gain an invite to high-ticketing events? Will this see a negative backlash and tarnish their integrity amongst their audience?

Baruah: I don't see any particular negative connotation for influencers who are choosing to be a part of such highly coveted events as long as they're weaving the narratives in their own style and storytelling capabilities. Publicity is about being seen in the right circles for the right objectives and the wedding has been a win-win for influencers and the family alike.

Rattan: The red carpet display at Cannes has significantly impacted the credibility of the influencer industry in India. The upcoming high-profile wedding is likely to exacerbate this issue, potentially damaging their integrity further among their audience. When promoting an event through PR, one has to understand the pulse of the audience and balance publicity and restraint to be able to gather public sentiment together and weave it into a reputation that works for the brand. Too much or too little could spell disaster. When this balance goes haywire PR turns to pure play publicity and devolve into a  number game that is focused solely on metrics rather than meaningful conversation.

Pelia: Audiences today are exponentially smarter than what they were when social channels were in their infancy. We saw influencers paying top dollar for a photo-op at Cannes recently, so unsurprising to see them chase clout at the year's most important wedding. But public sab jaanti hai, they'll lose favour with their audience when they see a dozen others on their feed belting out the same sanitised message.