Why Instagram partnered with Kareena Kapoor Khan to support Ahmedabad-based small business myBageecha

Kareena Kapoor Khan loves her garden. In fact, on the day India observed Janata Curfew, she and hubby “Saifu” were teaching son Taimur some gardening tricks in their patch of green.

No wonder then that she’s chosen to partner with a small gardening startup.

In what can be termed a big boost for small and medium businesses in the country, and a unique drive to help businesses go digital, Instagram has partnered with actor Kareena Kapoor Khan to support Ahmedabad-based small business myBageecha.

A recent entrant to Instagram, Kareena has around 5.3 followers, and her handle - apart from showcasing her personal moments with friends and family - also showcases an avid interest in gardening. She discovered myBageecha on Instagram, and the rest as they say, is history.

The partnership is part of Instagram’s recent ‘Love Runs Deep’ campaign, which aims to redefine the way brands can authentically tell their stories while engaging with influencers.

The campaign is built on the insight that Instagram is a natural home for partnerships between people, celebrities, influencers, and brands, a relationship that can be leveraged for business impact. 

Impact of celebrity endorsement

In a conversation with HerStory, Archana Vohra, Director – Small and Medium Business, Facebook India, spoke on a range of initiatives to aid the recovery of small businesses and how a celebrity partnership can work wonders for brands like myBageecha.

Saumitra Kabra, Co-founder, myBageecha, joined in to speak about how his small business has been impacted in a big way by going digital and all about the new celebrity endorsement that is creating waves in the small business world.

“Today, we service around 200 million SMBs in the world and 20 million SMBs have joined the platform in the last two to three quarters. The fact that businesses need to be digital has become more real than ever; it’s no longer a choice,” Archana said.

She points out that the pandemic came with its own set of disadvantages and if there’s one area that has opened up for businesses to look for new options and recover lost revenue, it is the digital medium.

“Instagram partnering with Kareena Kapoor Khan in support of small businesses is a step in the right direction. The fact that she has chosen to support myBageecha is exciting and augurs support for small businesses and driving distinct value not just for one, but for many others. It’s also a coming together of our Love Runs Deep campaign, creating a community with a celebrity, a set of followers, and a lovely brand. Going forward, this will be our commitment,” she added.

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More visibility and reach

MyBageecha, founded by Shishir Kabra and his sons, Saumitra and Sharad, offers a range of gardening products, know-how, and services, and uses Instagram to not just develop a passionate community of plant lovers but also to reach new, potential customers across India.

Kareena’s support for myBageecha will be a vital opportunity for them to gain access to a national audience through the actor's Instagram community. 

Saumitra said the endorsement by Kareena was akin to a fairytale and would help the startup gain more reach, visibility, and reputation.

MyBageecha is already using the Facebook family of ads, especially Instagram for constant interaction and engagement with customers.

“We have seen a 5x growth in customer interaction on Instagram. The pandemic has seen many people discover gardening as their passion. Every Monday, our AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on the platform receives a lot of traction, and more than 600 queries from people. It’s been wonderful to build a community like this,” Saumitra said.

He added that Instagram also helped in addressing post-sales queries from customers, especially during the initial days of the pandemic when logistics became a huge issue.

Enabling business and growth

Kareena will promote the brand on Instagram using branded content ads, a format that gives advertisers the ability to promote creators' organic branded content posts as feed and stories ads, thereby reaching new audiences and measuring impact.

Talking about the partnership, Kareena said, “Every day I discover something new and special through Instagram and my community there. My love for gardening led me to myBageecha, a wonderful small business helping make India and its homes greener.

"With Instagram, I now have an opportunity to support myBageecha and I couldn’t be more glad. Many more small businesses in India need support and I've made my start. I’ll also be gifting my loved ones something green and beautiful this festive season and I hope you do too.”

Archana called the Facebook family of apps a simple bridge or enabler between brands and celebrities. It’s one among many programmes and initiatives launched by Facebook during the pandemic.

She believes accelerated digital adoption is critical for small businesses to swiftly pivot from offline to online to face the crisis and move forward. To this end, the company has also launched an SMB Guide to help small businesses using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

She cited the example of StoryAtHome, a store in Vadodara whose footfalls went dry during the pandemic. They worked backwards using the Facebook family of apps and saw a 150 percent jump in sales.

“There are so many such stories out there and we are hoping to hear of many more. Businesses should continue to see the value driven by digital; the value of being online,” Archana said.