New Delhi, Sept. 14 -- In India's ever-inventive influencer economy, consumer brands are exploring new ways to break through cluttered social feeds to capture attention: fake paparazzi moments.

From influencers staging public spats to actresses suddenly dabbing moisturizer on their cheeks outside a cafe, marketers are engineering candid encounters to turn the sidewalk-or the airport-into an advertising stage.

The strategy, known as paparazzi marketing, involves deliberately setting up scenes that appear spontaneous, with the paparazzi capturing the moment.

A paparazzi is a photographer who follows famous people-film stars, sports heroes, and business tycoons-in order to get pictures of them and sell to the press.

These paparazzi momen...