July 31, 2026: Go Zero, the fast-growing ice cream brand, has decided to stop paying influencers for product promotions, signalling a shift towards performance-driven marketing.

Author: Aadarsh Patel | EQMint

Founder Kiran Shah said many brands spend lakhs of rupees on influencer campaigns without having a clear understanding of how many actual sales those collaborations generate.

According to Shah, marketing budgets should be linked to measurable business outcomes rather than likes, views or engagement alone.

Why Go Zero Is Changing Its Strategy

The company’s move reflects a growing trend among consumer brands that are reassessing their influencer marketing spend.

Instead of paying creators upfront, brands are increasingly looking at:

• Sales generated through creator campaigns.
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC).
• Return on marketing investment (ROMI).
• Affiliate and commission-based partnerships.
• Long-term customer retention.

The objective is to ensure that every marketing rupee contributes directly to business growth.

A Shift in D2C Marketing

Influencer marketing has become a major customer acquisition channel for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands over the past few years. However, as digital advertising costs rise, many companies are demanding better attribution and stronger accountability from marketing campaigns.

Performance-based creator partnerships, affiliate models and trackable referral links are increasingly replacing fixed-fee influencer collaborations.

EQMint Analysis on Go Zero

Go Zero’s decision reflects a broader shift in India’s startup ecosystem. Investors and founders are placing greater emphasis on profitability and measurable growth, encouraging brands to optimise marketing budgets.

While influencer marketing remains an effective awareness tool, businesses are increasingly evaluating campaigns based on revenue generated rather than social media reach alone.

Current View

Go Zero’s move could encourage more consumer brands to rethink traditional influencer marketing. As competition intensifies, performance-based partnerships and data-driven marketing strategies are likely to play a larger role in customer acquisition.

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