1 million new followers, 12 brand deals: How Virat Kohli's accidental like boosted Avneet Kaur's brand value by 30%

Last week, cricketer Virat Kohli found himself at the receiving end of a rather absurd controversy. Many social media accounts shared screenshots of Kohli's 'like' on a picture shared by a fan page of actor Avneet Kaur. The like triggered memes and so much discussion online that Kohli had to eventually issue a clarification on social media. Whether the shortlived 'scandal' hurt Kohli or not, it certainly raised Avneet's stature. The actor, already a popular name on social media, was able to further boost her stature online due to the focus Virat Kohli's association brought her. (Also read: Wondering 'Avneet Kaur kaun hai' after Virat Kohli's like? Meet 23-yr-old with more Insta followers than Janhvi, Ananya)

The accidental like from Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli's official account seemed to have liked a picture on an Avneet Kaur fan page on Friday. The fan page itself posted a screenshot of the interaction on Instagram Stories. Even as Kohli 'unliked' the picture later, it became a topic of discussion on social media. Eventually, the cricketer took to Instagram Stories and issued a clarification that aimed to put the matter to rest. Without naming the actor or the post, he wrote: “I'd like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction. There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for your understanding.”

However, this did not end the episode as speculations continued. There were memes about 'registered an interaction' that flooded Twitter and Instagram on Saturday. Over the weekend, both Virat and Avneet trended on social media.

How it changed Avneet Kaur's fortunes

The accident proved to be a happy one for Avneet Kaur as the actor received unprecedented traction on social media for days. In just days after the 'like', Avneet's Instagram account gained over a million new followers. She now has 31.8 million followers on the platform. Digital tracking agency BuzzCraft noted that the value of Avneet's social media posts had increased by 30% from ₹2 lakh to ₹2.6 lakh.

Reports said that Avneet also secured as many as 12 new brand deals in the days that followed the accidental like from Virat Kohli. Business Today quoted social media strategist Neha Kapoor calling the event an example of "organic marketing gold," highlighting its uniqueness.

About Avneet Kaur

Avneet began her career with Zee TV's dance show Dance India Dance Li'l Masters at the age of 8, before making her acting debut with Meri Maa in 2012. She has since appeared in shows like Savitri – Ek Prem Kahani, Ek Mutthi Aasmaan, Chandra Nandini, and Aladdin – Naam Toh Suna Hoga. In 2014, she made her film debut in Rani Mukerji's Mardaani. After cameos in Qarib Qarib Singlle and Mardaani 2, Avneet marked her first appearance as a lead actor in Tiku Weds Sheru opposite Tiku Weds Sheru.