How Indian Moj Influencers Find Brand Deals in United Arab Emirates

Over the last few years, the United Arab Emirates has become an irresistible destination for Indian influencer marketing, especially among India’s Moj creators.

Beyond just sun-kissed beaches and supercars, the UAE offers a vibrant economy with wealthy individuals eager to spend on exclusivity, thus making it a world-famous party destination and a must-visit for aspiring Indian Moj influencers.

But unlike their Insta counterparts, India’s Moj creators struggle to find UAE brands willing to invest in their promotional content.

Here’s a look at how Indian Moj influencers find lucrative brand deals in the United Arab Emirates, and why they often find it tough to penetrate an otherwise lucrative market.

📝 The Indian Moj market

Launched in October 2020 as part of the TikTok ban, Moj is a short video app developed by the Indian company, ShareChat. Moj allows users to create and share 15 to 30-second-long videos on all sorts of subjects including dancing, comedy, and education.

Despite being relatively new, Moj has taken India by storm and has quickly risen to become the country’s most popular short video app with over 140 million downloads.

In fact, Moj has become so successful that it currently leads the pack among Indian competitors such as Josh and Chingari with a whopping 35 percent market share.

And unlike TikTok which thrived on influencer marketing, Moj creators struggle to get noticed.

While many are making a decent living through brand deals, an overwhelming majority of Moj influencers lack the skills to properly leverage their platforms for brand collaborations, especially abroad.

🌍 The UAE party scene

Located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s top travel destinations. Home to a stable economy, tall skyscrapers, luxury shopping, and five-star hotels, the UAE has gained a reputation as a global hub for business and tourism.

With its unique blend of tradition and modernity, the United Arab Emirates attracts millions of tourists and businessmen each year.

In 2022 alone, Dubai alone attracted over 14.36 million international overnight visitors, cementing its status as one of the world’s most popular travel destinations.

And when you think of its booming population of millionaires and billionaires, you have a city that boasts a staggering 5.4 million millionaires, making up 24 percent of the city’s population.

This all combines to make the UAE a treasure chest for brands seeking to make a dent in the retail market, and Moj influencers have identified this opportunity.

🔍 Why Moj influencers are struggling

Despite operating in a colossal market, Indian Moj influencers still struggle to land UAE brand deals.

According to the Indian influencer marketing platform, Bajaao, this disillusionment can be traced back to a few fundamental reasons.

First, Moj has yet to popularize its creators as influencers. While many have amassed large followings, brands have yet to consider them legitimate influencers compared to their peers on platforms like Instagram.

Additionally, the Indian Moj influencer marketing scene is rife with unprofessional agents. Many influencers have opted to onboard agents to help land lucrative brand deals, yet a large percentage of these agents lack any influencer marketing experience.

Instead of connecting creators with reputable brands, many agents simply get a cut of the influencer’s earnings before disappearing entirely. Creating a situation where the influencer is left with little to no leads and a bitter taste in their mouth.

With both parties unable to secure lucrative brand deals, Indian Moj influencers are forced to forego the UAE.

💵 What the numbers say

The UAE is one of the top international markets for India’s digital influencers. In fact, digital influencers in the UAE have become one of the fastest-growing target markets for Indian influencers, growing by 40 percent in just one year.

On top of this, the Indian influencer marketing industry is on pace to reach $3 billion by 2025, with the digital influencer sector accounting for a whopping 17.5 percent of the entire market.

Key to this growth is the fact that the UAE is uniquely positioned to create a perfect storm for Indian digital influencers.

This is because according to a report by the Indian newspaper, The Economic Times, over 1.2 million Indians live in Dubai, making up over 51 percent of the Emirate’s population.

Additionally, Indian consumers are one of the largest demographic groups in the UAE, accounting for over 30 percent of the country’s total population.

With this, brands in the UAE are more inclined to invest in Indian content creators due to the sheer volume of Indian nationals living in the region.

According to the report, “By 2025, 30 percent of UAE brands will engage Indian influencers to promote their products and services.”

📢 How to land UAE brand deals

While many Indian Moj influencers are struggling to penetrate the lucrative UAE market, there are a few that have overcome the odds.

By leveraging the right skills and platforms, they are able to connect with reputable agents that facilitate their entry into the UAE brand deal scene.

While there are many different strategies out there, here are a few of the best practices Indian Moj influencers can use to land lucrative brand deals across the Emirates.

✔️ Create shareable content

First and foremost, Indian Moj influencers need to create shareable content that resonates with their audience.

The first rule of sitcoms is to make a world that captures their audience’s imagination. Set the camera up in an unexpected location or toss the cultural landscape up in the air and see what comes down.

Remember to highlight what makes India unique in a way that is still relatable to those living in the UAE.

While there are many different paths to take, the more imaginative and different the creator can be, the better their chances of going viral and landing lucrative brand deals.

✔️ Work with an agent

Once influencers decide they are serious about landing brand deals in the UAE, it’s time to work with an agent.

As previously mentioned, there is a high prevalence of unprofessional agents in the Indian influencer marketing scene.

Because of this, influencers need to thoroughly vet their agents and ensure they have a proven track record.

Additionally, influencers should continue reaching out directly to brands in the UAE, even if they have an agent. This redundant approach ensures they remain a top priority for their agent and allows them to build relationships with brands directly.

Lastly, influencers should research reputable influencer marketing platforms where they can pitch themselves directly to established brands in the UAE.

✔️ Know your worth

While it’s important for emerging influencers to pitch themselves to brands in the UAE, they should also know their worth.

Often, influencers step into the role of a salesperson when pitching themselves to brands. They talk down about their followers and don’t properly highlight their unique talents.

Instead, influencers should adopt a confident yet humble approach where they layout keywords about their activities and talents in a way that feels like a winning lottery ticket.

Remember to talk about your audience, and how their needs can be met by the brand’s product, service, or experience.

Lastly, influencers should know what other creators in their genre charge for similar projects, which will allow them to find the sweet spot where they and the brand can meet.

✔️ Use different payment platforms

When it comes to getting paid for brand deals in the UAE, Indian Moj influencers may have to jump through a few hoops.

For instance, some brands may only use local payment systems. For example, many UAE businesses rely on bank transfers or cash for settling invoices.

And while wire transfers are relatively universal, not all Indian banks can process transferring funds to the UAE.

Additionally, Indian Moj influencers may discover that they are unable to cash cheques issued from a business in the UAE as many Indian banks do not accept foreign cheques.

For this reason, it’s best to use reputable international payment platforms when possible. This way, influencers can avoid the hassle of complex exchanges that can waste a lot of valuable time.

✔️ Explore the free zone

Lastly, Indian Moj influencers should tap into the UAE’s free zone to ensure a smooth transition when working abroad.

With free zones catering to specific industries, they provide tax exemptions, financial benefits, and allow for 100 percent foreign ownership. There are currently over 45 free zones across Dubai, and many other Emirates are also on board.

In addition to this, creating and maintaining a presence in an UAE free zone can make transacting and connecting with businesses in the UAE infinitely easier.

🎉 Conclusion

While it may not be easy landing a brand deal in the United Arab Emirates, a lucrative payday awaits those willing to work for it.

Though it may be a battle of attrition for many Indian Moj influencers, those with the required skill set will surely reap the rewards of their labor.

In fact, as the Indian influencer marketing scene continues to mature, platforms like Moj will prove to be indispensable, especially for expanding into international markets.

And this is where influencer marketing platforms like BaoLiba will come in handy.

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