"Authenticity is our currency": How Augmentum is redefining influencer marketing

"Every single influencer that promotes our clients does so because they genuinely like the product - would they promote it to their family and friends first before posting about it on social media?" says Sambhav Chadha, co-founder of influencer marketing agency Augmentum.

In an industry awash with inauthentic content and questionable partnerships, Augmentum has positioned itself as something of an antidote. Born from personal frustration with the "Hi, I love your product" culture that dominates influencer marketing, particularly in the health and wellness space, the agency has built its reputation on a refreshingly straightforward premise: trust matters.

This approach has attracted clients ranging from startups securing their first seven-figure funding rounds to well known brands like Lululemon, Nestlé and Galderma—all united by a common challenge of finding authentic voices for their products.

The authenticity advantage: Rethinking influencer strategy

While many agencies view influencer marketing as purely a top-of-funnel awareness play, Augmentum sees things differently. "I really, really disagree with that mindset," Chadha explains. "We're already starting to see that shift now of more brands and agencies looking at it as a full-funnel play and realising influencers actually can drive performance."

This perspective represents a significant departure from conventional approaches. Rather than spreading budgets thinly across multiple influencers for quick content turnarounds, Augmentum advocates for a more methodical process: first seeding products to influencers, verifying they genuinely appreciate what they're promoting, then building partnerships only with those who demonstrate authentic enthusiasm.

The results speak for themselves. Chadha recounts numerous cases where brands have shifted from traditional paid partnerships yielding modest returns to Augmentum's more strategic approach: "Let's gift influencers, let's turn them into affiliates, and then let's run paid partnerships only with the best performing ones."

This bottom-up methodology has proven successful in "over 90% of cases," according to Chadha, a particularly compelling statistic at a time when rising Meta advertising costs are pushing brands to optimise every marketing channel.

Building relationships beyond the brief

For a remote team with an average age of 24, Augmentum demonstrates remarkable maturity in client management. Their approach emphasises in-person connections whenever possible - a deliberate strategy in an industry dominated by video calls and digital communication.

"Particularly in Europe, if a client is reachable and up to meet in person, we find that to be really critical," Chadha notes. "With the number of calls we take and the amount of time we spend behind the camera, being able to sit down and have a coffee or lunch allows you to get to know someone in a way that's different from a half-hour video call."

This investment in relationship building pays dividends when navigating challenging conversations. When a US based clean energy brand insisted on rigid influencer payment caps, Augmentum leveraged their expertise and data from other client results to advocate for a more flexible approach. The result was a successful partnership that exceeded expectations and a client willing to acknowledge their initial position was limiting their potential.

The agency's commitment to transparency extends to their reporting practices. "What we found a lot of agencies don't do enough of is set really clear benchmarks before the campaign and then genuinely regularly report on them," Chadha explains. This approach creates accountability and facilitates collaborative problem-solving when campaigns need adjustment.

Culture as competitive advantage

Despite being fully remote, Augmentum has cultivated a distinctive culture centred on communication, continuous learning, and a shared passion for health and wellness. This last element is particularly significant—Chadha met his co-founder in the Scotland Junior Cricket squad, and their athletic backgrounds have influenced both their client focus and team composition.

"Everyone that joins our team does have some sort of sports, fitness or health related passions," Chadha observes. "It's really nice for everyone to bond over similar passions and then be able to share those with our clients as well."

This cultural alignment creates natural synergies with their predominantly health and wellness client base. When asked about what makes the agency special, Chadha recalls a recent weekend where every team member was engaged in outdoor activities—from hiking to kite surfing to running. For a young, remote team, this shared commitment to active lifestyles reinforces their authenticity in the health space.

The agency's emphasis on continuous learning also shapes their hiring approach. "I would always rather hire a slightly more junior member of staff with slightly less experience that is willing to learn about new processes versus someone with more experience that doesn't have that curiosity and passion for learning," Chadha explains.

Navigating industry evolution

Looking ahead, Chadha sees significant opportunities in the evolving influencer landscape. While AI creators dominate industry conversations, he views them as reinforcing rather than undermining Augmentum's authenticity-focused approach.

"An AI creator will be able to replicate a specific 30-second reel," he explains. "What it won't be able to replicate is a 6 to 12 month journey of an influencer who's promoted multiple different products with a very real life goal in mind."

This perspective positions Augmentum to thrive as the industry matures. Chadha anticipates greater standardisation of influencer rates over the next two to three years, moving away from what he describes as "the wild west" of pricing that has characterised the market recently.

The agency is also expanding its services to include more paid amplification work, particularly around new product launches. "That sort of influencer and ad work collaborating is really where I see the industry going in the future," Chadha notes, highlighting Augmentum's advantageous position given their established influencer relationships.

For brands seeking to navigate this evolving landscape, particularly those with significant direct-to-consumer operations in the £50-500 million annual revenue range, Augmentum offers a compelling proposition: authentic partnerships that deliver measurable results across the full marketing funnel.

As one client reportedly asked: "How can I refer you to other brands?" Perhaps the most telling endorsement is that over 50% of Augmentum's work comes from unprompted referrals. A testament to the power of authenticity in both influencer content and agency relationships.