Few social media influencers are charging money for amplifying SOS calls for blood plasma on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This comes at a time when Covid-19 related supplies -- oxygen, blood plasma, medicines-- are in short supply, and citizens in need have been taking to social media looking for a solution. Many of such influencers are associated with The Indian Influencer Network (IIN), a platform of 15,000 influencers spanning across over 65 cities. The IIN website says that the network finds influencers based on the 'target customer segment'; that it has 32 data points to select the right influencer group and that it can "launch your campaigns for specific age groups based on customer profile". For the Covid-19-related campaign in question, the IIN has been approaching brands/startups to partner in helping citizens find plasma donors. A campaign email accessed by MediaNama says that brands and startups have to integrate an IIN-provided plasma portal on their websites. For a fee, influencers will promote this portal through their social media handles, and when requests for blood plasma pour in, the influencers will also amplify these SOS requests. IIN has also partnered with an NGO, which facilitates communication between donors and recipients. To be part of the campaign, the brand or the startup will have to pay a fee to the IIN, who in turn pays the influencers and the NGO. The campaign works like this: A ready to use plasma portal will be integrated into the brand's website Influencers…
