Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
SERVING TWO INDIAS
By Chaitali Dixit
What are some of the current macrotrends AteehsmmceeogeedsmyriyggaseieVttnnaeetlcms-laeinsnotakfenadndrisfbinfveeeerlweiaengevtreecm,sotthanhersakruteemitnisearn
impacting marketers in the year ahead? Engagement with digital platforms is limited for some
I would say there are two broad macro trends impact- consumers. They use it if it is free but they are not ready
ing marketing. First is the phase we are currently wit- to pay yet. Different ecosystems are at play. If you look
nessing that is marked with enthusiasm. Travel has re- at a platform where people pay to buy a product online,
emerged because people are going on revenge spending the maximum number of monthly active users would be
and prioritising moving and meeting socially over other between 150-250 million. There is another whole set of
forms. Even in consumption, brands are seeing a mas- 400–500 million people who have adopted digital but are
sive upswing in markets like India. not transacting and reached offline.
On the flip side though, there is a looming fear that the WINNER
world is slipping into recession. There are some clear indi- Ameya Padmakar Velankar
cators, which most likely will translate into pessimism in
spending. On the overall scenario, one may even say it is a Role
bit of a paradox that India can use to drive the next set of Head of Marketing, India & South Asia,
growth and become an investment hub in a macro environ-
ment where other markets are crumbling around us. Uber Systems India
How are the metaverse and artificial intelligence- Age
39 years
driven changes shaping marketing?
It’s very important to take cognition of these technolo- Sector
gies and understand them. There are many words Technology - Information &Internet
thrown around the metaverse without really under-
standing what they are. As a marketer who plays in the
digital ecosystem, I too am scratching the surface. This
being said, there are examples of compelling marketing
initiatives taken by traditional brands where AI-driven
marketing has been used to customise messages for dif-
ferent consumers.
The other is being present in the metaverse. There is still
some time and there are many players in the metaverse
who are doubling down on this. Small disruptors such as
Mid Journey (AI text-to-image generator)are changing the
creative landscape. But adoption cycles take time. As these
platforms’user-friendliness increases, marketers will be re-
quired to understand these formats and build programmes
to target them.
How relevant is traditional media for marketing in
this constant talk of digital growth?
There are two parts to this. Traditional media is relevant
because people are buying products and offline journeys
are still happening. This may change given the mass digital
adoption not only in the top cities but in Tier 2 and smaller
markets as well. However, even then, offline media such as
TV and out-of-home are still effective in bringing in new
consumer segments or new geographies to the mix.
101 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
DATA IS DEFINING MARKET
By Chaitali Dixit
AeidmxnopkpweirtrontKvsshteurimesrwianamagrklmsiesatallieencashgdcienionfesfgitlcesaiaetrnencainymgaontofd What are some of the key strategies you are fol-
lowing for the upcoming year?
Our ability to understand consumer intent and to score
that intent quantitatively allows us to focus more on
high-intent consumers as opposed to people who are
window shopping. This is a result of data science, which
helps us improve marketing efficiencies. Data science in
marketing is going to be very very critical for every digi-
tal marketer.
Some industries are seeing the rise of new tech as well
such as augmented reality and virtual reality such as auto-
mobiles. But for me, the adoption of these is still a couple of
years away. Nobody knows today how it is going to help us.
How are you seeing other forms of media shape up
as digital picks up?
Traditional forms of media are still very relevant.
Consumers are just not on their phones or their laptops.
Hoardings still exist as does the physical world in which
we live. A consumer is not a digital-only or offline-only
consumer. You need to find every possible way to reach
the consumer. The budgets skewed towards digital
media are increasing but TV budgets are not declining.
Print continues to grow in India as well. The consumer
just consumes one more channel now and marketers
need to understand and respond to this.
We hear much about targeted marketing but do WINNER
Ankit Khirwal
you think it is delivering as per expectations?
Programmatic is taking shape very rapidly in terms of Role
precise targeting. First-party data and the resulting abil- Head of Marketing, Upgrad
ity to target sharply is on the rise and is used by market-
ers very often. Gone are the days when spray and pray Age
used to be the game for marketers. Another trend that is 34 years
now really coming to the fore is personalisation, which is Sector
also driven to some extent through programmatic. Edtech - E-learning Service
Traditional marketing hasn’ t evolved much.
Personalisation changes sharp targeting and, due to that,
it has brought efficiency to how we spend money. Data is
going to change marketers’ lives because marketing
budgets are increasingly shifting towards digital.
102 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
BW Healthcare.pdf 1 12-11-2022 14:42:09
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
DRIVING THE DIGITAL
EXPLOSION
By Team BW
On the most pertinent On the need to take a bal-
challenges facing brands anced approach to mar-
today… ketings…
The competition in the The change from a tradition-
beauty segment has heated al to a very dynamic and ever-
up and India is probably one evolving digital medium is
of the most dynamic beauty natural. The marketing mix
markets in the world. The will also reflect his. Budgets
biggest challenge for some- are now allocated higher than
one like me is in maintaining before towards digital, expe-
and improving the brand’s riential and content market-
relevance in an otherwise ing. For a country like ours
cluttered marketplace and though, given the large mar-
staying our consumer’s ket size, consumer diversity
brand of choice. and preferences, overall mar-
keting is very important. The
On the rise of content, rise of digital does not mean
commerce and conver- that TV has lost its relevance.
sation…. We have to balance priorities.
Several aspects of market- When we look at our
ing are changing but the AbcmniogtanacrtkrheaeantKnti,nguwgenhdifnoiucrmhwbiaeasrlrpikdeeuvtseihnsignthgisadatirtgohiuetanld brand,which is expanding to
big change is really around other cities, we cannot un-
the content, which in turn dermine traditional market-
is about storytelling. We ing. The marketing mix must
have all seen the explosion deliver on the campaign ob-
of digital media. The con- jectives.
sequent increase in digital
contentconsumption pushes
this further. There is a rise of WINNER
digital-native consumers who are experiencing and pur- Antara Kundu
chasing online before offline. It is important to translate
the authenticity, credibility and brand story through in- Role
fluencer marketing programs that are true to the brand General Manager - Marketing,
message.
The Body Shop India
GenZ and millennials can then understand and res- Age
onate with what the brand stands for. It is wiser today 38 years
to create a campaign that is conversational and easy to
consume. People are not on social media to consume ad Sector
campaigns but to know what is happening. We have to Retail
reach out to them in the format that works best for them.
104 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
THE INFORMED
DECISION MAKER
By Yukta Raj
On why tech advances will continue to change mar- Adcpiriungruretisvot-haepsli.lawoEAnwvwadesieannamsglitwfhidscaioo,pyiwmtsownoeinnidbltlisargnaogionturtadottlswrtahretnahvstelartteto
keting… WINNER
Digital marketing was growing for several reasons and the Arushi Awasthi
last two years accelerated this. With digital, comes a large
percentage of performance marketing, which is very easy Role
to evaluate and gauge return on investment. I also believe Director- Brand Communications, Hero Vired
we have seen significant strides in artificial intelligence
and machine learning in delivering results. The impact of Age
tech advances on marketing is becoming more tangible. AI 32 years
and ML tools help us evaluate your data better and bring a Sector
360-degree sensory approach to the product. Even if only E-learning Providers
in front of a screen,consumers can touch, feel and experi-
ence the product.
On why it is important to get influencer marketing
right…
Influencer marketing has become a key area for most
companies. We pay attention to the kind of influencer we
are working with. Because if the influencer is right for the
brand and is hitting the business goals, there is a massive
traffic influx, sales and trade. Many brandshave gone into a
vicious cycle of just being part of the influencer marketing
circle whether it helps them or not. For me, an influencer
is someone whom people listen to. They could be on any
platform but they have their audience’s trust and attention.
On the need to distinguish popular from effective
marketing…
What works for some brands, doesn’t work for all. We have
to be careful not to jump into something because it looks
exciting enough. Let’s take the example of meme market-
ing. Many look at it the way viral marketing was once seen.
However, the solution to great marketing is not just about
making it viral or meme-worthy. The questions one must
ask are whether the subject was topical enough, whether
it was getting the right value for the brand and whether
it was talking to the right audience. For a company like
ours, which is in the education and e-learning space, this
is something that may not work as well. Therefore, one has
to choose carefully.
105 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
CREATIVE AND ENGAGING
MARKETING
By Md. Zakariya Khan
Unlearning & Relearning
“I have learned the key is to know something that no one else
knows - finding and maximising the small sliver of overlap
between business needs and customer needs by leveraging
new technologies that resolve the most impactful tension
points in a consumer’s life,” says Khan.
He has had an interesting journey in the field of market-
ing, where he has led brand, product and channel marketing
functions for the organisation. This also involved brand re-
purposing for Max Life, budgets and compliance under the
regulatory framework, new product launches and leading all
channel marketing efforts pan-India.
Khan’s success and his ways of marketing show that he is
a versatile, adaptive and eternally optimistic storyteller. He
has contributed greatly to business recovery through crisis
marketing initiatives. He led an award-winning Go Digital
campaign (ACEF 2021). Also, he won the highest recogni-
tion internally at the company’s annual awards.
MabenaytderbkrAeneyitanailnglaygvzoheKparhtssiaamttnoiilselbot,eioacrkdsesatsotpuortlytiav-tceeohlraliieeenrnvdetaetndhis The Confidence To Grow
Khan is a strong believer in himself, he says, “When I started
It is said that change is the only constant but market- my journey in marketing, not many believed that successful
ing remains one of the most rapidly evolving indus- advertising professionals can become good marketers. I
tries. The growth of products, customer connections believe I have been able to break that stereotype with my pas-
and the company’s reputation all depend on crea- sion, persistence and hard work. I have ensured that talent
tive and engaging marketing and people like Ayaaz coming in from advertising is respected, given a fair chance
Khan have made it result-oriented with creative and modern and allowed to become powerful storytellers for brands and
ways of reaching out to people. drive business effectiveness.”
Khan is heading the customer marketing vertical for Max He says he has been able to use his abilities of insight-
Life Insurance, driving key levers and metrics like cross-sell- driven marketing, storytelling and building brand experi-
ing, upselling, engagement, persistency, customer obsession, ences to identify social shifts and use cultural change to build
net promoter score, relationship net promoter score and the narratives for brands.“Taking an integrated approach to
like. This involves leading all customer communication to marketing problem solving has been my mantra,” he adds.
Max Life’s40 lakhs huge customer base. In addition, he is
leading the all-important bancassurance and partnership WINNER
distribution channels for the enterprise. Ayaaz Khan
Role
Vice President – Marketing, Max Life Insurance
Age
39 years
Sector
BFSI - Insurance
106 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
BUILDING A STRATEGIC BRAND
By Md. Zakariya Khan
Winning Strategies
In her journey as a marketer, Sikka achieved big milestones,
one of the major changes she led on Eno was introducing re-
gion-specific communication in 2016. This change enabled
the brand to achieve a milestone of 50 per cent share in 2016
and 16 quarters of consistent outpacing of category growth.
“One of the areas that I continue to work on is the ability
to make decisions even when detailed data is not yet avail-
able,” Sikka says. Understanding consumer insights,she
looks to build a strategic brand outlook at GSK. In the last
six years, she has led comprehensive consumer work along
with initiating research. One of her success stories is a digital
campaign leveraging data and technology that resulted in
double-digit growth for the brand.
AOslientnovdereiooreaufsgbBisilnheaga-ddwdiigagntiiattaagS&lrickotaewkmcathp’hstafshiougarcnttcrheeessubslrtaendd A Focussed Approach
sales and marketing professional with 16 years “In 2020, while budgets were getting rationalised, we de-
of experience in leading high-performing cided to remain steadfast in the pursuit of rural penetration,
teams and building engaging brand experi- which resulted in a digital campaign based on leveraging
ences, Bhawna Sikka, the category head for data. We took population census data and identified villages
GSK’s digestive health business, has spent with a 10,000 population. Leveraging technology, Jio made
the last three years not only delivering strong business per- smartphones accessible everywhere and with them and
formance but also winning marketing campaigns for the Facebook we overlayed the census data with identified pin
brand Eno. codes to define our targeted villages. The results spoke for
themselves,” says Sikka.
Earlier, she worked as a global marketing and strategy
lead on Eno for India and the MEA region. She led Eno to The brand registered double-digit growth, led by its rural
become an industry-recognised brand with several external market in a challenging year. Eno was one of the first few
felicitations. consumer brands to design successful rural campaigns.
Having foreseen the power of data availability in rural In-
During her stint with Nestlé India, she worked across dia, Sikka led industry-first campaigns, which have been
different categories like the marketing manager for Maggi acknowledged for innovative media deployment.
Light Meals. She led the re-launch of the pasta and soups
portfolio resulting in brand growth of 26 per cent and 400 WINNER
basis points share gain on pasta and revival of soups with Bhawna Sikka
seven per cent growth.
Role
Category Head- Oral Care,
GSK Consumer Healthcaree
Age
38 years
Sector
Manufacturing
107 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
ENGINEERING MEETS
MARKETING
By Rohit Chintapali
In his experience, Pithawala has collectively driven rev-
enue and demand for marquee brands such as OYO and
Whitehat Jr in new geographies including Southeast Asia,
the Middle East, the US and Latin America. He has also hired
and developed over 300 direct and indirect team members
during his multiple stints.
The Journey Continues
As the head of growth marketing at HealthPlix, Pithawala
has launched direct demand channels for the company,
following key zero-to-one initiatives of self-onboarding, re-
ferral, webinar-led onboarding and rewards. He also set up
the operating framework for the firm including the annual
operating plan (FY 22-23). Additionally, he also optimised
the market mix from 100 per cent sales to 55 per cent sales
and 45 per cent (marketing + product + sales enabled).
Under his leadership, overall four times growth in user
addition was observed by HealthPlix during the last year.
BdbJurrriarvinhneadnnnseduwseudmgcdheainonagdsPrOiaatnhYpdOahwireaeasnvldeanWhuahesiftoerhat True To Roots
“I frequently invest in building growth levers within a geog-
Burhanuddin Pithawala was expected to do raphy or product line which can become a 10X growth lever.
great things in the technological realm due to This strategy works very well in combination with maintain-
his IIT Kharagpur-rooted engineering back- ing the remaining portfolio for baseline growth with spikes
ground. But fate had its own plans as Pithawala coming from hotspots,” says Pithawala.
discovered his love for marketing during an en-
trepreneurship stint post leaving his relatively safe job at ITC. Given his engineering background, Pithawala had a large
analytics function in his portfolio during all his stints. He
Soon after, he found himself at OYO where he had joined carries the values of the alumni of IIT Kharagpur – an insti-
as operations head. Within eight months at the organisation, tute known to bring out ambitious science and technology
he was elevated to lead the entire South India region. At missions of national importance.
OYO, he delivered over 65 per cent of revenue in the Indian
market (through direct channels i.e., apps, call centres etc.) WINNER
for the company. By 2019, he had made his way up the ranks Burhanuddin Pithawala
to become OYO’s vice president and global head of market-
ing and growth. Role
Head of Growth Marketing, HealthPlix
Age
36 years
Sector
HealthTech
108 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
CHARTING WWE’S INDIA
GROWTH STORY
By Rohit Chintapali
Even in 2022, the WWE phenomenon continues
to take giant strides in the world of entertain-
ment as its TV-PG programming can be seen in
more than 900 million homes worldwide, in-
cluding India. An important part of the global
entertainment behemoth’s India growth story since 2017
has been Chandni Davda, who leads the digital Strategy for
South Asia for WWE. In her role, she has helped WWE get a
firm grip on the pulse of the Indian audience.
Davda has been able to guide WWE on what resonates
with each demographic in the areas of branded storytelling,
social media marketing and web and video content across
India. She has been WWE’s quintessential trusted source of
knowledge, helping bridge the cultural gap and localise the
product in the country.
Growing The India Proposition CqkhunaionnwtdelesnsdieDgneatviiandlIatnrhduasiatsebdeseonuWrcWe oEf’s
WWE has evolved in its India journey. But it has been a par-
ticular challenge for the company to create strategic shifts in Looking ahead, Davda wants to see more technology be-
perception to enable the Indian audience to see the brand as ing deployed in the future to leverage WWE’s brand reach
their own. While WWE exudes remarkable energy, it wanted and enhance the sensory experience for fans. “That’s where
to build on that momentum to spread the love for the brand cutting-edge technology like blockchain or Web3 can elevate
across the region and create an everlasting ripple effect. This the brand to the next level of understanding, acceptance, and
is where Davda’s presence has helped the entertainment adoption,” she says.
juggernaut.
WINNER
She played a key role in marrying the distinct Indian el- Chandni Davda
ement and ethos with the international WWE branding
through shows like WWE Now India, which has appealed to Role
the Indian diaspora. Under her leadership, the company was Digital Strategy,
able to localise its wrestling content by creating campaigns South Asia,WWE
in regional languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu,
Punjabi and Bengali that truly spoke to their core audience Age
in every corner of India. 34 years
The Next Level Sector
“I want to bring our fans in India closer together, to create Integrated Media - Broadcast & Digital
a strong sense of camaraderie with the brand, our larger-
than-life superstars and with one another, to create a robust
ecosystem that revolves around WWE,” says Chandni Davda.
Under her leadership, WWE Now India has published 535
episodes across digital platforms, generating over 100 mil-
lion views and five million engagements. Moreover, WWE
India’s Instagram account observed a 40 per cent growth in
followers in the past nine months.
109 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
THE REBRANDING WIZ
By Rohit Chintapali
F ormarketersallovertheworld,buildingabrand
could be a relatively more straightforward en-
deavour to pursue in comparison to taking on the
journey of rebranding. Add to this the pressures
of uncompromising deadlines and it becomes
one of the biggest challenges marketers face in their careers.
But Chirag Chheda, the head of retail marketing, activation
and events at IDFC FIRST Bank, isn’t just another marketer
who frets about rebranding challenges. In fact, he has under-
taken rebranding journeys for IDFC FIRST Bank four times
in the last 11 years. This feat has also earned him the badge of
‘rebranding expert’ in the marketing fraternity.
Growing With The Brand CmrehabirrrakagentCdeihrnwhgehcdohaafrlilseentns’tgajeubssotuatnother
The creativity Chheda brings to the table has helped him move WINNER
up the ranks at IDFC FIRST Bank, starting from senior mar- Chirag Chheda
keting manager in 2011 to his present role in 2022. An Ex-
ecutive MBA-holder from IIM Lucknow, he led IDFC FIRST Role
Bank’s 360-degree brand campaign in FY20-21 to market 7 Head, Retail Marketing - Activation & Events,
per cent interest on savings accounts. The campaign’s impact
was such that it resulted in the opening of one million ac- IDFC FIRST Bank
counts. Age
He has been pivotal in building a positive and credible pub- 39 years
lic image within two years after the merger of IDFC FIRST Sector
Bank, which has brought the bank noted recognition for its BFSI- Banking
strong branding.
“While the banks are at the centre of nation-building, they
remain largely unnoticed. So, here I am, at IDFC FIRST Bank
for the last 11 years, where I have demonstrated my commit-
ment to enhancing the economy and making a positive impact
on society,” says Chheda.
Outside of work, he can be seen dedicating time to initiatives
that uplift the marketing profession. Chheda often delivers
lectures in various colleges across the country to help market-
ing students. “These budding professionals are under pressure
as they learn to cope with the new normal. As their senior and a
professional, I help them manage their professional contribu-
tions better,” he says.
This rebranding guru keeps his doors open and advises
young adults pursuing careers in advertising who approach
him through friends, colleagues and social media channels.
110 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
BROADENING CONSUMERS’
HORIZONS
By Chaitali Dixit
What are some key aspects you look out for while
creating your marketing plans?
Optimisation of digital media is key for us as we are a
direct-to-consumer brand. We are looking to scale the
business and increase profitability, so I believe that link-
ing brands to performance and performance to brands
is the way to go. We are also keen on getting the share of
emotions versus the share of voice, where we can build
advocacy for authenticity, a sense of belonging, and
relatability rather than just creating an ad in a reach-
based marketing plan. It is also important to understand
consumer demands to topicality and solutions in the
best way. So rather than selling, we ask ourselves how we
can be a solution provider when it comes to children and
overall food for adults in the future.
There is so much conversation about online pick- DaeutipshgnpoeidtesaerciiltrgiiisasvhtleacltyhnqwwaduaniehnygsegftinoniforogitnIosccsdhooanmasnSeudhsmaatrsoemkrsinaign,
ing up but trends changing again due to nor- Collectively, the creator ecosystem is enabling consum-
ers to be informed about the choices they make. Only when
malcy. What are some of your observations? one is exposed to information and knowledge, one can un-
The consumer landscape is changing significantly derstand what is right or wrong. People start questioning,
because of the penetration of mobile consumption in which in turn broadens the consumer’s horizons. This is a
Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. It is clear that digital as a positive change that is here to stay.
landscape has emerged. Much is changing. Our predic-
tive analysis, therefore, has to be very strong. What is the WINNER
next platform that will be strong? It is very important Isha Sharma
to understand how a brand will sit on that platform and
what it will do for consumers. Role
Head of Brand & Marketing, Wholsum Foods
At the same time though, physical experiences as was
seen in retail marketing will never phase out or become Age
redundant. It will always go hand in hand because it allows 35 years
you to touch and feel the product, experience it and discuss
it at the point of purchase. A large part of the audience buys Sector
offline. The balance between discovering the digital and Food and Beverage Service
possibly purchasing at a regular kirana store may co-exist
for the next few years.
Newer technologies and buzzwords continue to
emerge. How are you looking at some of these?
The impact of some of these new technologies is that peo-
ple understand food now. They are aware of the things
that are going into the making of a product. The various
aspects of health and what you consume have increased
significantly. Thanks to digital evolution, people are tak-
ing an interest in these aspects and through creators, they
are discovering and paying attention to newer things.
111 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
PUSH TO ACTION
By Team BW
On what delivers audiences and results… mJsahauasodrpuikerledenteciantelsgSsoimankngeudehsdtpbnrtieovhletieeorvbeneisglsyuptlathitscattbrtuaurctetit
Marketing has many routes that deliver outcomes for in mind
brand builders. Among these, content has delivered ex-
ceptional results everywhere. The right kind of content WINNER
can make a significant difference. We also speak of the Jaspreet Singh
growing creator economy today and influencer market-
ing. There are broadly two aspects to this. Role
Head of Marketing & Public Relations,
First, this is for an industry where influencers have just
gained eyeballs. But I feel there are other channels as well Financepeer
that you can spend money on and get better results. For Age
example, film marketing. It will not only bring eyeballs
but also drive action. It has been a boon in the cluttered 36 years
marketing environment we are in. Sector
BFSI - Financial Services
Second, influencer marketing is for companies that
are unable to create content for several reasons. It could
be a resource crunch or just the lack of capability to do
so. They can use influencer marketing to create content
which they could otherwise not do.
Overall, social media has been a great enabler for many
brands. I see it growing over the years as the metaverse
comes into play.
On challenges that the industry continues to
tackle…
Stringing the data that comes out through different cam-
paigns continues to be a very big challenge even now.
Attribution is a complexity. The purchase funnel or the
customer’s journey to the buying process has many layers
to it. You never know where the data or the lead is coming
from. Some of these, in fact, have been concerns facing
the industry for some time now.
On exerting caution in some forms of marketing…
In today’s world, one of the biggest factors that one must
take care of is to not hurt sentiments. It could be a com-
munity or people. At the end of the day, brands are here to
build businesses and not create controversies unless that
is the route the brand wishes to take. The likes of memes
and other marketing forms that use humour are great
tools because younger audiences consume these but one
should remain mindful while deploying them.
112 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
BW Hindi.pdf 1 12-11-2022 17:10:38
MKTG40UNDER40
WIRED TO DELIVER
EXCELLENCE
By Rohit Chintapaliheavy focus on automation, technology and
processes has been key to Puretech Digital’s
success in the last year. This has driven the
Aaward-winning full-service digital market-
ing agency’s results and brought about effec-
tiveness across the firm’s portfolio. Being the vice president
for digital at Puretech, Kedar Kulkarni has played a crucial
role in pushing for tech-backed strategies for the company’s
clients.
Under his leadership, Puretech has been able to scale its
business fourfold. Whereas the team at the agency has now
grown three-fold and revenues through digital excellence
have reaped three times profits in the business too.
Process Driven Keeducneolcklsiovayuersnrrtaseigeememxmcopefehlelneamtnswipcseoehwsecreerremtahteeinntgteaaanmnd
Kulkarni’s strategies have concocted brand growth for the
likes of HDFC Securities, British Council, Vijay Sales and WINNER
HT Media. Kedar Kulkarni
A stickler for processes, Kulkarni emphasises greatly on Role
creating an ecosystem of empowerment and encourage- Vice President – Digital, Puretech Digital
ment where the team delivers excellence with expertise.
This has resulted in noteworthy results for Puretech Digital Age
as its paid media and campaign management team now 34years
operates around 160 platforms and has scaled its media Sector
spending to over Rs 150 crore. And he manages to do all Digital Marketing
this while running a team of young and talented digital
enthusiasts with an average age of 25 years.
Always On Mindset
While Kulkarni’s strengths are aplenty and make them-
selves apparent through the quality outcomes they help
deliver at Puretech, there must be some weaknesses too.
“My tendency to be a little too inclined towards my work
and work-related responsibilities is my weakness,” he says.
Like most of the standout leaders of our time, Kulkarni
has a hard time switching off his work brain too. “My mind
is constantly processing plans, strategies and ways to help
my team, clients and the organisation excel – even when I
am away from work,” he adds.
Leading a business team that has scaled more than four
times the business in the last year, both in size and value,
highlights the nature and magnitude of the contributions
Kulkarni has brought along with his role at Puretech Digital.
114 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
THE SELF-DRIVEN MARKETER
By Chaitali Dixit
from FMCG, fashion, food and lifestyle. Most of these are
national and some are limited to particular segments. We
look at what the outcome and objective of the initiative
will be. The marketing strategy should not just be based
on trends alone. We map trends and divide the budget
accordingly to the campaign needs. Sometimes there is no
massive campaign, just influencer marketing. Then, most
of the budget goes into creating content and pushing it to
the right medium.
WoSCcnhioothahnmretammirnzoaueuweafnonslictu,toaKontbdheioueuxnidpslsdhaZinsbneodor2mooi0tG1eS4troahalvainnindtgyki How are you seeing some of the companies you
As the dust settles on some of the trends seen in work with adopting newer technology?
the last two years, what have you observed as the Legacy brands and many regional brands are very far
changes that are here to stay in the long term? from some of the new technologies like mixed realities or
Marketing is a field that is constantly changing as human metaverse. For them, this is only jargon. They are just get-
behaviour evolves. Covid brought drastic changes. We ting started with digital, with ecommerce, with direct-to-
were forced into doing things and behaving differently as consumer, and are figuring out how to make money from
we embraced a different world. Marketing also changed. it.
We may see some reversal now but what remains constant
is storytelling. We were telling stories then as well and Our role is to educate the brand and give it some time to
now as well. figure out what the strategy will be. Not all brands are go-
ing for new technologies. It’s not about the budget but the
The new generation of consumers needs to be targeted brand’s ability to pull off the work that some brands, Cadbury
with marketing methods that don’t take conventional routes for example, had done. How many brands have this kind of
into account. We need to reach out to them in their language reach or distribution? We have to see the company and sec-
and in their way. tor. For instance, for real estate customers, we can create an
augmented reality experience because it works in that sector.
While devising campaigns, what are some factors
you keep in mind? This being said, I believe that a large majority of brands
We work with a varied segment of companies ranging are still figuring out how to get on the digital bandwagon.
Many first-generation entrepreneurs of regional brands
are still catching up. Brand managers are clueless and it’s all
trial and error. Technology is changing faster than market-
ers are adapting to it and this gap must be filled. The tech is
out there. Now it’s about picking it up and making the story
relevant to the brand and customer.
WINNER
Khushboo Solanki Sharma
Role
Founder & Director, Zero Gravity
Communications
Age
38 years
Sector
Advertising
115 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
THE STORYTELLER
By Rohit Chintapali
Staying The Course
“Our tonality, which is how we talk to consumers and the
kind of experience we create for customers and distributors
has helped us in this fight last five years,” says Dokania. Edel-
weiss MF adopted the storytelling format to make relatable
and slice-of-life content under her leadership. This strategy
helped improve its brand awareness and consideration over
time.
Edelweiss MF today is known for its refreshing topical
content, differentiated product communication and brand
storytelling. It is often referred to as the ‘Amul’ of the BFSI
community and much of its brand success is attributed to
Dokania’s marketing leadership.
EsaMdtnoeadrlnywstilseeichlilseians-DogMfof-Foklimrfamenacaisaott’netsortleeemdnatdatuhkeenersdrheeilpratable Building Brand Love
In over 12 years of experience in the BFSI space, Dokania
A soneoftheyoungestassetmanagementcom- has dabbled in all forms of marketing, spanning conven-
panies (AMCs), Edelweiss Mutual Fund, did tional advertising to innovative, new-age brand messaging
not quite have the brand presence five years through buzz marketing and digital media. Having worked
back like it does today. Manisha Dokania, with brands like Vodafone India, ICICI Prudential Mutual
the brand head at Edelweiss MF, has had the Fund and HDFC Bank in her past roles, she brings a great
chance to experience the rise of the brand and played a piv- deal of expertise to the marketing function at Edelweiss MF.
otal role in building it over the last few years.
“My success mantra has always centred around harnessing
She has seen the AMC through phases when there was the power of storytelling to optimise business opportunities,
limited to no brand visibility and budgets were a big con- helping build brand love and earn customer trust,” she says.
straint. Edelweiss MF worked on the content it produced
for its brand, which has truly differentiated it from its peers. A member of the Advertising Club of Mumbai, Dokania is
also a keen advocate of ‘Building Brand You’ and is constantly
on a quest to find her Ikigai, her reason for being.
WINNER
Manisha Dokania
Role
Brand Head, Edelweiss Mutual Fund
Age
37 years
Sector
Financial Services
116 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
SELF-RELIANCE IN
MAKEOVERSE
Medhavi By Team BW
Nainis
a cus- cation, artistry, and responsive-
tomer- ness in delivering the ‘ultimate
polished look’ for which the
brand is known,” Nain explains.
driven
marketer and innovator Way Forward
with 12 years of experience As a beauty brand, artistry is at
in the luxury and lifestyle the core and thus ABH goes the
industry. She has assisted extra mile to provide a full face,
organisations in creating free makeover to the walk-ins
integrated, multichannel who wish to learn creative tips
marketing and customer and signature techniques from
experience strategies to brand experts. This has led to
elevate brand awareness, an increase of loyalists in its
increase engagement and two years of operations and the
deliver conversion and sales same is being reflected by the
uplift while improving cus- response people have shown to
tomer satisfaction. brand collaborations on social
At present, she heads media.
marketing for a global cult Nain adds, “We are making
favourite makeup brand MaoflofeivrcdemrheAaaanvktiiaenNsogtavasienserilhasf-aBrseehlviaeenlprtleyindHdbiilvrlsiind’ gDuaNlsA our customers self-reliant when
Anastasia Beverly Hills it comes to makeovers and thus
(ABH) in India. During her our classes range from all topic-
stint of 1.5 years at House sto cover the day to night and all
of Beauty, she has led the occasion makeup tutorials. We
brand’s global footprint in take pride in being the trendset-
creating stellar imagery and ters by creating an aspirational
making ABH one of the top value amongst the audiences
beauty brands in the country. and at the same time always strive to be a trustworthy source
of content.”
Growing Brand Presence WINNER
Medhavi Nain
This was made possible with multiple platform expansions
and this strategy will continue for the brand. “ABH is run- Role
ning as one of the top three beauty brands in terms of its Head of Marketing- Anastasia Beverly Hills,
earned media value globally through PR and influencer
community by WWD 2022 ranking. The same is following India, House of Beauty
suit in India with the brand’s multiple collaborations across
regions, gender and colour to bring alive ABH’s core value of Age
inclusivity,” adds Nain. 34 years
ABH India hosts monthly masterclasses conducted by the
makeup experts community to gain recruits by imparting Sector
beauty education to its customers. “We cultivate a relation- Beauty
ship with our customer community focused on product edu-
118 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
PURPOSE, PLANET,
PERFORMANCE
Contentisking- By Team BW
but emotion is
queen. It’s the surge in consumers exploring
lady that rules new ways to search and shop
online,” says Kannan. Brands
can leverage martech to iden-
the house,” tify micro trends nearly a year
says Muralidharan Kannan as or two ahead, enabling mar-
he recalls how during his time keters to reach consumers in
as a regional marketing man- novel and more effective ways.
ager in Tamil Nadu, a thank
you letter to approximately A Purpose-Driven Road
200-odd customers increased While marketing has the fa-
footfalls by 30 per cent result- mous 4Ps, Kannan’s long-term
ing in a 20 per cent premium plan has just three. He counts
sellout in three months. these as purpose-driven mar-
At present, the chief man- keting, planet and perfor-
ager for marketing at ACC, mance. “I will continue to be
Kannan’s second lesson is the focused on purpose-driven
33-33-33 rule. “I spend 33.3 marketing. With sustain-
per cent of my time with people Mtmaepunreamrdrrakfflopeoidrltcamhiunnaasgirins–nacbbgneeuoKiinlnatgnothpnneuatrphnprl’aseonelsoeePnt-sgdao-nrifdven ability at the heart, my work
who are my seniors or those I will aim towards leaving this
look up to, to learn from their world a better place. Putting
experiences and advice. The my skills to work, I’ll continue
second 33.3 per cent of my to contribute towards the or-
time is spent with my peers ganisation’s profits through
like my counterparts or col- insight-led and data-driven
leagues to learn how people at marketing activities that are
my level see things differently. both effective and scalable,” he
The remaining 33.3 per cent of states.
my time is spent with people, who are younger or newer to While his short-term goal is to create memorable experi-
work and whom I can help guide.” ences that are bigger, better and bolder for customers to add
value to their lives through the products and services of the
A Growth Sector brand, his long-term goal is to improve people’s lives.
Kannan points out that these are interesting times that are
witnessing the evolution of the marketing sector on multiple WINNER
fronts such as content, channel and commerce. The common Muralidharan Kannan
catalyst for all this is digital. He argues that the debate is not
Role
about artificial intelligence vs creativity but the combination Chief Manager - Marketing, ACC
of the two. And the secret ingredient which drives a brand
is its purpose. Age
“Major disruptions will continue on the channel front 31 years
across the 3Vs of video, vernacular and voice, providing op-
portunities for the brand to leverage them across the funnel. Sector
On the commerce front, by 2025, the Indian ecommerce Building Materials
market is expected to reach $188 billion. There is a sudden
119 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
REIMAGINING DINING
POST COVID
By Team BW
Hailing from an armed forces family, Neha
Dk wwas taught early the importance of
self-reliance, adaptability and being open to
adventure. “My parents’ middle-class values
helped me navigate life with a strong moral
compass, which has ensured that I remain comfortable in my
skin and bring my authentic self to work,” she says as she re-
flects on some of the milestones that have defined her journey.
The road to becoming the chief marketing officer for Pizza
Hut India at Yum! Brands did not have the best start for
Neha. In 2006, a woman manager in FMCG sales was a rar-
ity, and a 23-year-old manager even rarer. “What met me,
during my posting in Mumbai, was strong resistance from
my older, male team members. After my initial disappoint-
ment, I realised one must respect experience, build trust and
be patient. This made me a lifelong collaborator with my
teams rather than a manager,” she says.
The Team Player UNctnrheapahjrneaecgcDteeokPdrtyiezofnzottahreHitdnhukcethanIabneldolxeuitantn’sghobeorsrmwalenatddlo
Another milestone during her second innings with Pizza
Hut as the CMO, which began in February 2020, was dur- Come 2022, Pizza Hut has already crossed over the
ing Covid. “I had a team and a business partner looking to 700-store mark in India, adding more restaurants in the
me for comfort and confidence. This taught me that having last two years than it had in over 20 years. It has expanded
a positive attitude is everything. It helps you stay resilient its presence in more than 80 new cities across India for the
while being grateful,” Neha says. first time since 2020.
During Covid, Pizza Hut re-imagined what it could be. WINNER
The exercise helped the company pivot toward the delivery Neha Dk
channel, despite being a dine-in dependent brand before
Covid. “We also embraced a digital-first approach which was Role
a departure from being reliant on above the line spends for Chief Marketing Officer,
decades,” she adds.
Pizza Hut India,
In a category where entry value is only about low-priced
pizza, Pizza Hut created an innovative, ‘more for less’ propo- Age
sition of flavour-fun pizzas. Today, Pizza Hut generates over 39 years
60 per cent of sales from delivery.
Sector
The Optimistic Approach Quick Service Restaurant, Fast Food
Neha believes that marketing continues to be complex, and
with digital, both consumers and marketers are learning
about a new world together. Consumers today don’t want to
be spoken to. They would like brands to engage with them in
a relevant and responsible manner. “The opportunity created
for brands is that the status quo need not be maintained, new
ideas can be experimented with,” she explains.
120 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
AFFILIATE MARKETING –
THE WAY FORWARD
By Team BW
Starting her career as an assistant manager, Neha
Kulwal’s professional journey saw her join Opti-
mise Media Group to develop new skills for the
affiliate industry. Within a short span, she be-
came an associate director and the leap upward
continued, bringing her to her current role as a founding
member and director at Admitad India, setting up new busi-
ness units.
Recalling some of the challenges she has faced, Kulwal
says that women entrepreneurs are more than just entre-
preneurs. “Managing personal life and career comes with
a lingering fear of failure. However, with time, not only did
I manage my team well, but I also earned their respect. I
rejoined my organisation two months after having a baby
and managed both motherhood and my profession,” she says.
Kulwal also highlight sawareness as one of the biggest
challenges facing the industry. “The lack of education, trans-
parency and fraud are all concern areas. It took me a long
time to convince brands to believe in affiliate channels by oWagfnrfioltiilhwniaetitnhesgehm,oinbapcrrparkenienadtgsisneaagnirnsedadidynesivmgNeitsaeatnhlindmagfKaomrurkloewrteainling
creating transparency and offering tech solutions where they
could see the value,” she adds.
Opportunities Galore
In the last decade, an enormous change has occurred in the
marketing and advertising industry of India. Digital market-
ing is being used in different ways for marketing undertak-
ings. “With the increase in demand for online shopping, in a competitive industry. If you do not have faith, you can
online marketing strategy has become an essential part to hardly achieve anything. In line with the thought of being
reach audiences and customers,” citing this, Kulwal informs the change, we proactively advocate bringing in new tech-
that brands have now started to split their total budget into nologies and innovations to simplify the working environ-
affiliate marketing. ment for all players, whether it is advertisers or publishers,
“It has become a prime source of channel revenue for to maintain the affiliate ecosystem.”
brands resulting in 10-15 per cent of the total revenue gen-
eration,” she points out. Admitad is now a global IT company. WINNER
Apart from its global partner network,it has launched differ- Neha Kulwal
ent business units like Tap Affiliate, White label, Univibes
Role
and is also investing in new projects like checks can, and re- Managing Director, APAC, Admitad Media
ward apps. The company will now be operating in Indonesia,
the Philippines, and Vietnam regions as well. Age
Innovate To Grow 35years
With the motto ‘if you believe, you can achieve’, Kulwal is Sector
never tired of trying and working on newer innovations. IT and Performance Marketing
She sums up, “This is the strength that pushes us ahead
121 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
THE RISE OF THE
ENTERPRISE INFLUENCER
By Yukta Raj
On macrotrends chang- starting point for investing
ing the marketing land- in it. In the next five years,
scape… we will defiantly see a boom
Among larger trends shap- in these platforms.
ing the industry, content
takes the lead in becoming On choosing the right
the critical component. advertising formats
This is especially true for We are already seeing the
business-to-business (B2B) coexistence of traditional
marketing. We invest a lot and newer forms of mar-
in building great qual- keting. Traditional adver-
ity content to create more tising has significant scope.
knowledge and awareness People are already out there
in the industry. It also helps on the roads travelling to
to expand the territory work or just on an outing
where we might not have consuming out-of-home
any physical presence in. or radio and similar me-
Another area that is NitnaihinsfkelfwuulbueneeunjlnslKcwiceneeriewtrmshsaseaal-rmtrnaokmeee-wbtraigunnbisgnirigenbiseeeidslmiseopsvfpeaacscttihenagt dia. The point to consider
changing rapidly is in the here is how creative can
context of on-ground initia- outdoor ads be so that the
tives and events. During the present-day consumer and
pandemic, there was a boost the younger consumer can
in online through webinars, all connect with them. It is
web events, etc. But now of- about creativity, messaging
fline is coming back again and using the right format
because nothing surpasses to display the ads.
face-to-face interaction. We
are also seeing the likes of
influencer marketing com- WINNER
ing to the B2B space with the rise of enterprise influencers. Nikunj Kewalramani
On whether artificial intelligence (AI) and Role
Communications Lead, Posist Technologies
metaverse are gaining ground…
AI is definitely playing a key role in building the advertising Age
world. Brands such as Nike, Puma, Adidas, and Facebook 34 years
among others are investing in the metaverse and creating Sector
great campaigns. Many of these efforts though are pre- Software Development
paring for the future. I feel there is a long way to go for
metaverse to really make an impact but we are at the right
122 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
INFLUENCER MARKETING
IN DIGITAL ERA
By Team BW
helping take creator-led marketing in India to the next level.
“Our creator talent management division, Chtrbox Rep-
resent, is branching out,adding newly added services for
our creators. While we work with thousands of creators,
we exclusively manage over 60 talented creators under
the division and will continue to be highly selective there,”
Swarup explains.
The other divisions focusing on regional influencers and
micro-nano influencers have also scaled up. The company
will not just go deeper into its creator-powered work in
Indiabut is also expanding globally in partnership with
QYOU’s US-based creator group. Chtrbox is still a lean
70-member team in India as it continues to leverage tech-
nology to be efficient. However, it looks to scale up to over
100 team members in the next six months.
trtAehosfaelttehnlcietetescraroihetnesaatpthodeeraegkc,rooPnwraotnmhaoyypgSpewoaarrtsruuunppities The Headroom For Growth
Swarup is very bullish on digitisation in India’s market-
Pranay Swarup has built and sold two compa- ing world and continues to see technology impact every-
nies in the last decade. He continues to scale thing. He has been splitting his time across New York and
one of them, Chtrbox.com, which is an influ- Mumbai for the past two years and has first-hand observed
encer marketing company that was acquired brands and consumers from both markets that are at very
last year by North American media group, different stages, exponentially leveraging technology more.
QYOU. At the age of 25, he also co-founded Letsintern,
which in 2015 grew into one of the world’s most visited “Chtrbox and QYOU Media have always been data-driv-
internship and student career platforms. Letsintern was ac- en. Chtrbox pioneered data-driven influencer marketing
quired by Aspiring Minds, now an SHL company, in 2016. in India. With a strong presence across multiple mediums,
social, digital and television, QYOU & Chtrbox is leveraging
Amid all that is happening, the creator economy excites data across all touchpoints to design intelligent plans for
Swarup the most. “Influencer marketing, which is core to our clients,” says Swarup.
the creator economy, is about to enter its peak. Chtrbox will
have an exciting time ahead. I look forward to helping the One of the sectors picking up in this context is gaming.
company and its now parent brand, QYOU, to further grow QYOU Media recently acquired Maxamtech in India and
and create a dent in the creator universe,” remarks Swarup. will be building on its recently announced gaming channel.
Chtrbox too is working more closely with gaming creators.
Onwards & Upwards
Chtrbox recently acquired a 15-member team to set up a new WINNER
division ChtrSocial. This division is doing significant work, Pranay Swarup
Role
Founder & CEO, Chtrbox.com
Age
36 years
Sector
Influencer & Digital Marketing
123 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
CONSUMERS LEAD AND
BRANDS FOLLOW
By Chaitali Dixit
What would you think has emerged as the strong- PtcohtrohananetltyesmbuetramkavknaMeeldurtasseolwappnailldanl taicflpoowornamisnyustsmstfhooealurlotstgwwivilel
est trait in communicating with consumers today, We think along the lines of what can be done to break
down barriers in a traditional offline category like mat-
especially given the conversation around how tresses. How do we get people to buy online? As a result,
we’re offering a 100-day free trial on our mattresses. If a
content is consumed? consumer doesn’t like it, they can return it. Essentially,
In the last two years, a larger audience base in India has we are following a mix of investments in communications
come out from a very difficult situation. As marketers, we along with digital targeting and segmentation, combined
are still trying to understand how their needs and percep- with clutter-breaking ideas.
tions or sentiments have changed around buying and
how they perceive products and brands. India has always WINNER
been a diversified market that cannot be considered as Prateek Malpani
one whole but as many markets that have distinct traits.
The true trend that brands must capitalise on, is how
can we truly communicate with consumers in a language
that is also visual. We also need to factor in culture and
emotion in a language that consumers can understand.
And this needs to be done differently for each market. We
are also trying to understand how buying patterns have
changed in the last two years and what values consumers
are looking for. We are asking ourselves what will be the
wow factor that will define the next two to three years.
In this future-looking context, what are some of
your thoughts on how technology is changing the
landscape?
Brands usually follow a platform that provides value to
the consumer and consumers will follow platforms that
add something to their lives. Brands will not follow any
platform where consumers are not present. Even if you
looked at trends from five years ago, we didn’t have the
kind of social media platforms that we have today. But
consumers were the first to adapt to social platforms
then and brands only followed them. When there is
visible consumer traction on any platform, brands will
jump on it. On-and-off experiments will continue but it
will take some time to determine exactly how a platform
can be monetised or used.
What is your current marketing mix looking like? Role
General Manager & Head of Brand,
At present, as we come out of the festive season and are
closer to the yearend, almost 60 per cent of our mar- Wakefit Innovations
keting budget is on digital and the remaining on other Age
media. Traditionally,there are some tried and tested
methods we have followed in our creative thinking. For 34 years
example, we talk about sleep internships or just sleep Sector
as a topic in general but we don’t talk about customers Furniture and Home Furnishings Manufacturing
coming to our stores to buy mattresses.
124 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING
EVERY HOUR
By Aniket Sharma
Idon’t have any specific milestone,” says
Puneeth Bekal, Director, Area Marketing,
Mastercard as he delves into certain values
on which he has built his career. Bekal has
travelled and worked in more than 40 cities
and experienced India’s diversity in aspects like food, be-
haviour, language, cuisine etc. What also makes his experi-
ence holistic is that he has worked in different sectors such
as FMCG, ancillary, retail, real estate and now in fintech.
This has allowed him the opportunity to not only get
consumer insights but also apply them.
He says that there is not any one major challenge as it
comes in many forms. “There are challenges every day, in
every job. So any challenge was not so great that I was not
able to solve it,” he says.
Exciting Times Ahead FmbdoreararsPnkiugdennstiebanenugtdtwhapilBlsrlooendkoauabtclbo,tfeuustjetudursvarteitcaaebisnosuitghts,
The marketing sector has the opportunity to transform
itself. The technology in the outside world is changing every WINNER
hour and consumers are also changing and adapting to it. Puneeth Bekal
Their behaviour and habits are also influenced due to this.
This poses questions to the marketer whether the work Role
they have done in the past is redundant or is on the verge Director - Area Marketing, Mastercard
of becoming so.
Age
Bekal is of the opinion that in the future, marketing will 40 years
not be just about brands but will also be about data insights, Sector
design and product services. Professionals who are capable IT Services & IT Consulting
of adapting to this change will find it exciting.
Sky Is The Limit
Bekal says that he would want to be on the list of the world’s
top marketers. “My vision and goals keep changing. Five
years back, I had a different vision but looking at the way
things are changing, the world is changing, my focus is on
different things now. If I talk about my personal goals, they
would be very different from my professional goals but if I
could marry personal and professional, then nothing like
that,” says Bekal.
He is among the marketers who are conscious about
environment, social and governance(ESG) as well. He cites
reports that state that people will not be able to enjoy the
life they are enjoying right now by 2050. Bekal’s vision and
goals from this perspective are to contribute or bring about
a change in the lives of the younger generation.
126 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
BANKING ON
INNOVATIONS
Ibegan my career By Aniket Sharma
with sales in a digi-
tal startup agency. augmented and virtual reality.
I won the Nissan
Ideas To Action
Nanjangud believes that his
Motors and SOTC core strengths are the ability to
digital mandate. Then I joined connect user journeys to cam-
Volkswagen in the sales plan- paigns for actionable metrics,
ning team to understand the strong planning and running
automotive business and to data models from ‘what if ’ anal-
manage digital marketing and ysis. KPIs-based planning and
customer relationship manage- interventions and applying Kai-
ment (CRM) at the company,” zen method to daily work and
recalls Sameer Nanjangud, projects are also something he is
Chief Manager - Digital Mar- confident in. By adapting to the
keting & CRM, Skoda Auto constantly changing digital me-
Volkswagen India. dia landscape, he has contrib-
Nanjangud also had a short uted to the overall brand growth
stint with BMW in the Middle via an innovation agenda.
East for product planning and cSionoavnnmeotrrvaeialbeltbruioNtraenandandtgjoagenVrnogodwulakdtshwhinaasgIneedfnfi’eascvtiiavaenly During the lockdown, the
pricing and was back in India to digital medium saw an unprec-
work with a Jeep brand, leading edented surge in consumption
the company’s digital and CRM to increase brand engagement
practice. In his experience of with users. “I capitalised on the
over 14 years, he has been cred- situation and increased digital
ited with the highest website activities to engage more with
visits, highest attribution to re- users and convert them. I have
tail, linking full stack systems for better coordination and delivered measurable KPIs across the brand funnel and
customer experience, implementing artificial intelligence the sales funnel indicating marked improvement across
(AI) powered chatbots for speed and scale, digitising the the measured variables. I have implemented ‘click to retail’
entire network by implementing in-store digital elements. measurement metrics and constant monitoring for last-mile
conversion,” says Nanjangud.
Innovations Focus WINNER
Sameer Nanjangud
Nanjangud has contributed to four industry-first innova-
tions for better reach and conversions. This included an Role
increase in retail conversion by eight per cent, planning and Chief Manager - Digital Marketing & CRM, Skoda
implementing an e-curriculum CRM programme for hand
raisers and prospects and asix-part webisode that garnered Auto Volkswagen India
40 million video views.
The strategies that augmented brand growth keeping Age
the user at the centre of every brand experience ensured the 37years
sales pipeline never dried out for the dealers to followup and
convert. The brand utilised social media and digital connec- Sector
tivity to increase brand engagement during the lockdown Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
and adopted new-age technologies for user engagement like
127 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
CHALLENGING THE
STATUS QUO
By Aniket Sharma
There are certain attributes that define
a leader. For me, challenging the status
quo is an integral part of my DNA,” states
Saumya Rathor, Category Lead, Pepsi
Cola, PepsiCo. Rathor believes that a
leader needs to be disruptive and not rigid to certain ideas.
Agility and curiosity are two other attributes that go hand-
in-hand in this context.
Valuing people’s opinion scan keep a team grounded and
helps in developing ideas that cut through the clutter.“Being
curious about the world and surroundings like sports, poli-
tics and culture gives a solid foundation of the country and
consumer that can be used to develop a strong viewpoint
from a brand perspective,” Rathor adds.
Brands As Storytellers MbrbigeraalhrinektdvenestoiscnwatghnaiasndtdaotnhSfoeionrrutepemierseyomsaptulRiencagahtnphtdhhoaasrtoseciety
To truly connect with consumers, brands must voice what
they believe in and what they stand for because they can take On a more personal note, Rathor’s purpose is to make
society forward. The opportunity for brands today is to play the community proud of the work she does and be a force
a role in the consumer’s life,where they can make people’s to reckon with when it comes to marketing. “I resonate with
life better by giving them confidence and adding happiness. a Nike tagline ‘we are never done’. Just like that, I want to
keep disrupting the work I am doing because I feel there
“Can brands help consumers tackle some of their every- is so much to do in the world that we are in,” Rathor adds.
day problems? Marketing has a strong role to play in how
it provides a narrative to the consumer. Brands that bring WINNER
value to the consumer will become a more integral part of Saumya Rathor
their lives,” Rathor advises.
Role
India is said to soon become the third-largest economy Category Lead - Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo
in the world. It has a huge diaspora, population and young
consumers. In this growth story, Brands must think about Age
how they show up in a consumer’s life and write their own 35 years
growth story alongside.
Sector
A New Age Food & Beverage Services
Consumers are becoming tech-savvy and the definition of
digital marketing has evolved going through many phases.
Earlier there were just websites. Then, social media market-
ing which was building communities and ecommerce which
was accelerating digital shopping came into the picture.
“We are in a very interesting phase where so much ex-
ploration is happening in artificial intelligence. It is push-
ing the frontier in a different direction. We need to have a
strong narrative around what we are going to do that will
define the future of marketing. It will be a transformative
phase for the Indian market,” notes Rathor.
128 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
INNOVATION IN THE DNA
By Team BW
On digital media’s ability to increase reach… SspchaorhnmiovaddaneuimgtocsifntRistmghaacpensoajnhanceenstwudoismenMelvbexoercrtasibotnieerndohdtsloaaavbioouurt
In the last two years, we have seen several trends accelerate
and now many of them continue to impact the way brands WINNER
are engaging with consumers. We can already see the in- Shivam Ranjan
crease in the use of data. At one point in time, this was re-
stricted. The emergence of digital media per se has been Role
a significant growth driver. The kind of reach it can create Marketing Head - Motorola India and SAARC,
could not have been imagined earlier. The most important
thing is the change in consumer behaviour and the pace at Motorola Mobility India
which it is changing. For example, there is a significant in- Age
crease in video consumption data or even online shopping,
all of which will continue to grow. 39 years
Sector
On the role of artificial intelligence and machine Computers & Electronics Manufacturing
learning…
The likes of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning
while being around for the last few years, are still emerging
fields that help us optimise. Many platforms are deploying
AI in interesting ways these days. Directors Mix by Google
is one example. AI has a key role in contextualisation com-
munication and optimising the return on investment (ROI).
On the need to balance legacy with ‘modern’…
Modern marketing needs to balance traditional with digital.
Digital has grown over the years and helps in getting the
ROI, data and numbers, but traditional also has its benefits.
You need to hit these at different touchpoints as the use of
similar media after a point becomes a blind spot. Consumer
perception is also at work here. People tend to believe more
in traditional ads. The impression is that TV ads are of more
established brands than digital ads. There are different psy-
chological takeaways. Traditional is a must, but its ratio in
the mix can be decided as per the objectives.
On some of the plans ahead…
Motorola has a history of innovation. We are a 93-year-old
brand now. The first ones to launch a smartphone, fold-
able phones, developing a 5G phone. So, innovation is in
our DNA. We have just launched two new products in the
premium portfolio. And we have launched the world’s first
200 megapixels camera phone. This is something which is
not there even in high-end cameras. We have the product in
retail and online as well. The ultimate aim of the brand is to
reach out to the maximum number of consumers.
129 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
A MARKETER WITH A
GM’S MINDSET
By Aniket Sharma
Carlsberg India, a global alcobev manufacturer and went
on to lead the Quaker portfolio at PepsiCo India. “The work
experience was amazing. I worked on the most loved cam-
paign ‘Imagination Ko Jodo’ of Kinder Joy. At Quaker, we
developed a strong purpose-driven initiative #SalutingOur-
Heroes,” she adds.
SeaoxnnpdaedmrieevBnecilkeorpianimnbguVgiiljdrohinwagsthabrrsaitcnrhadtseignieInsdia Double-digit Growth
Despite two challenging years amid disruptions, Vij helmed
Sonam Bikram Vij completed her master’s degree Quaker to deliver strong results with consistent double-digit
from MICA (Ahmedabad) in 2008-2010. Her growth of more than 15 per cent over two years. According
campus placement was with Carlsberg India to her, she was able to foresee the long-term vision whilst
(2010 - 2013) where she joined as a management solving immediate problems quickly and efficiently. She can
trainee. In less than a year, she was promoted to approach any given situation from multiple perspectives,
being an integral part of the core brand team to lead the flag- which allows her to build a long-term strategy and drive
ship brand Carlsberg. short-term agenda.
Delivering Right Results “I am a self-critical person. Despite reaching the end goal,
“I am grateful for my brand-building experience in India, de- I feel that I could have done more. This often leads me to
veloping growth strategies, innovation strategy, communica- overwork myself. Over the past few years, I have tried to take
tion development, campaign planning, media management, time off to look at my achievements objectively and celebrate
consumer insights and strong execution capability delivering the wins. I am very goal-oriented and work hard to complete
the right results for brands and organisations,” says Vij. anything I take up,” says Vij. Another aspect that adds to her
leadership style is that she prefers to work in groups and finds
Her 14 years of experience saw her work in top compa- her collaborative nature as one of her strongest attributes.
nies such as PepsiCo, Unilever, Ferrero, Carlsberg and Pa-
GaLGuY. Vij started her career as a management trainee at “I’m a marketer with a GM’s mindset. I have a diverse ex-
perience working across consumer segments and catego-
ries that includes delivering strong topline and bottom line
results,”Vij says. On many occasions, her work has been
recognised by several internal and external authorities. For
instance, Lay’s Smile campaign bagged more than 50 awards
and the Quaker #SalutingOurHeroes initiative won more
than five awards.
WINNER
Sonam Bikram Vij
Role
Associate Director & Brand Lead -
Quaker, PepsiCo India
Age
37 years
Sector
Food & Beverage Services
130 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
CREATING INTELLIGENT
CONVERSATIONS
By Team BWViO Digital works in three core areas that
include creative and content, new tech-
nologies such as artificial intelligence (AI),
Dmachine learning (ML), metaverse and
performance marketing through ecom-
merce and organic traffic building. “We started the business
at the intersection of digital-first creative and technology,”
says Sowmya Iyer, Founder & CEO, DViO Digital.
Immersive Experiences boSrfvoeoopecrigwpmcoioenmmsr-ctoeymurfnaenecaaIionytbtiendielnervasgdretweicraofsohnlnaeendstcrtieeoetsnnnbogtrvnaiainang3bdeDosin,tcbsane&necwoemr e
Iyer represents the school of thought where digital market-
ing companies have a significant role to play. The leap that
digital marketing companies should be looking at right
now is to put tech at the heart of everything. Speaking on
the metaverse opportunity, she explains, “The metaverse
is nothing but experiencing the internet in an immersive
way. It needs a certain ecosystem and infrastructure. But
there is no doubt that it is going to be the future. Several
large companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple have
heavily invested in it already.”
Iyer points out that there are many new opportunities
for brands today. They can begin creating content in 3D.
They can make themselves voice-enabled by optimising
products for voice searches. They can also use intelligent
conversation through chatbots, recommendations, and
WhatsApp bots using voice as a platform to engage with the
customer. “Technology can be used to create a personalized
experience for customers,” Iyer adds.
A Growth Story fullest potential of the people. “I am a strong believer in
moving away from the traditional corporate environment
For her firm, Iyer believes the road ahead will see expan- to a borderless way of working,” she sums up.
sion. The company right now is present in six markets and
looks to grow to 10. “We are hoping to grow the business WINNER
across Rs 500 crore topline business across all the markets Sowmya Iyer
in the next three years. We also have acquisitions on our
radar,”she says. Role
Founder & CEO, DViO Digital
The important factor for the company is to continue be-
ing digital-first creative and use technology as an enabler Age
for consumer experiences, improving marketing as a field. 38years
Iyer’s ambition is to grow DViO into an enterprise that can Sector
help change or re-imagine how organisations can be run Advertising
or built.
She also says that an organisation can be built through a
happy and free culture that can enable exploration to the
132 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
A MAN WITH A PLAN
GroupM is By Rahul Bhagat
a leading
media in- stone in his career, that led
vestment him to the digital marketing
company PMG and thence to
GroupM ESP – the entertain-
company ment, esports and sports arm of
in the world with nearly GroupM – where he began as a
$60 billion in annual me- business manager.
dia investment. “We have
moved from the digital era Future Plans
to a disruption era wherein “I want to work towards making
consumer attention span India a sporting nation. This in-
has declined. In times like volves both marketing the sport
these, it is important for a (industry) and using sports in
marketing maverick to rise the ‘marketing’ industry. In the
and redefine the business,” coming two to three years, I see
says Subhamoy Das, Na- a massive amount of work hap-
tional Director, GroupM pening in this space and I would
Media India (ESP). like to be at the helm of it,” says
“From a brand’s lens, Das, talking of his plans for the
marketing as a function future.
would soon transit from SsmpMpuaauosbnmsrhtiposabanmbarauitottitcoeyhuoaDalbasaroaslyuvistiinshnipioosontrpoofounlelrlayaarsigsarinemgeendeira Battling climate change is an-
being a ‘cost centre’ to a other passion with him.
‘semi-profit centre’ with ef-
forts being made towards He talks of his vision to make
first-party data collection Mumbai greener with indig-
and management, having enous fruit-bearing trees, to
business linked key perfor- be able to tackle both climate
mance indicators for mar- change and the availability of
nutritious food for society at
keting campaigns and sym- large. “I love my city, Mumbai.
biotic partnerships being formed to drive business growth,” I am working towards dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s to
he says. commence the project and give back to my city in every little
Das believes that smaller, more intimate and vocal con- way I can,” he says.
sumer cohorts are emerging who demand innovation and
convenience (ie. the rise of direct-to-consumer brands). WINNER
Technical skill as a market-entry barrier has dramatically de- Subhamoy Das
creased, creating more and more entrepreneurial ventures. Role
The High Points National Director, GroupM Media India (ESP)
After completing his engineering degree, Das landed a plush Age
job at Siemens but decided to pursue further studies a year 37 years
later. He views his stint with MICA (formerly Mudra Insti-
tute of Communications, Ahmedabad) beginning in 2008, Sector
as a key milestone both personally and professionally. Marketing &Advertising – Media Investment
Later he debuted in the business of sports marketing at
a boutique agency, which he believes was another mile-
133 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Q&A
MKTG40UNDER40
MARKETING HAS
BECOME MORE FUN
By Yukta Raj
How would you say In your case, which
marketing has changed marketing medium has
in recent times? been delivering the
I would say it has changed best results as of now?
beautifully. Connecting I would have to say social
with consumers is not lim- media. The social plat-
ited to just mainstream forms work best for us be-
anymore. Influencers, mi- cause the kind of target
cro-inf luencers and con- audience we have is largely
sumer communities have found on these platforms.
all become a part of the I never thought that we
marketing process that has would start doing reels for
helped many small-sized example. But we do these
businesses to scale up. So- now because people re-
cial media coming into play ally engage with it and you
has helped us organically. can see it in the numbers.
I think marketing has be- That is one channel that I
come such a fun thing to do would suggest everyone be
right now because there is FrfwuosohlrraeoTdnsauotasnlidrntieyogccaodmhBnoaovinsrerawgentihotaniefsog,wrntmtoahhlaamlayrtnkadaewkobtehirnaraogntoditm actively present on and stay
no special formula to it. It is consistent because you can
whatever you feel like, you see the difference it makes.
just do it.
How has your market-
ing budget changed in
the last year? Is there
any platform in par-
ticular that you are WINNER
Taniya Biswas
spending more on?
Numbers are very important and at Suta, we keep the mar- Role
keting budget at about 10-20 per cent of the revenue. That’s Co-founder, Suta
what our strategy has been and it has worked for us. Once
the budget is fixed, then we decide how we divide it. We in- Age
vest in both paid advertising and we look at collaborations. 34 years
These days collaborations or collabs can work wonders.
We also do email marketing, push notifications, SMS, Sector
WhatsApp and the like. I believe one has to utilise every Retail Apparel and Fashion
channel in today’s times because being present where the
consumer is, makes a significant difference to the brand.
134 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
A PERSONALISED
EXPERIENCE
By Team BWgood leader allows his team the space to get
creative and learn from their mistakes. Tarun
Kankani is just such a leader. DMI Finance,
A founded in 2008, is a tech-driven, new-think-
ing provider of credit solutions to a heteroge-
neous portfolio of corporate borrowers across India.
As a credit partner to growing Indian companies, it of-
fers term loans and working capital loans. Also, it supports
fintech companies as a balance sheet partner, leveraging
the vast consumer finance universe in India through these
tie-ups. It has brands operating in several segments from
business-to-consumer to direct-to-consumer.
“On the professional front, my key efforts at DMI have
been in shaping the group’s brand image and reimagining
the existing brand architecture. I, along with my team, have
created communication channels and crafted compelling
and consistent messaging to stay connected to our stake-
holders,” says Kankani, who at present is the head of brand TbstohauyebssiDenTceMaosrImsubenersa,Kanhardaens,pkwiumaittnmehiddefinivnseearnspecoiatel enntitaitl y
and communication at DMI Finance.
The Domain Expert
Working for eight years at Cholamandalam Investment
and Finance Company, an NBFC and a listed entity within
the Murugappa group, Kankani handled corporate and
internal communications, internal and external events,
product marketing, lead generation, branding and below- tualise and execute the launch activities on-ground. In the
the-line activities. domain of marketing and brand communication, there
He believes that organisations generally consider brand exists an exciting future, according to him.
and communication as support functions. That may change His goal is also to see DMI Group’s brand presence im-
as communication occupies centre stage in people’s lives. prove and deepen. He believes that the DMI brand, with
In the coming years, organisations will have to invest more diverse businesses, has immense potential to become a
in branding due to the changing social outlook, mindset of reputed financial entity.
innovation and complexities.
While talking about creating a more personalised experi- WINNER
ence he said that to connect better with the target audience, Tarun Kankani
brands will have to customise the communication and Role
offerings, not on the basis of the sector or country, but by Vice President & Head - Brand & Communication,
exploring more micro characteristics.
DMI Finance
“Over the years, I’ve learnt to overcome this challenge by
empowering my team and allowing them the space to learn Age
by committing mistakes. I believe the best way to grow in 40 years
life is through self-experience,” Kankani adds.
Goals and Vision Sector
Kankani aspires to launch a brand which will help concep- Financial Services
135 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
MARKETING THE
RIGHT WAY
By Team BW
Since then, Murali has played a crucial role in the reach
and success of Equitas as a finance company and as a small
finance bank.
The Right Approach
Along with a growth mindset, promising business solu-
tions, and a proven track record of success, he is a true
leader. “Under my leadership, Equitas has been constantly
building its core strength in digital acquiring, by offering
digital solutions like savings, fixed deposits, current ac-
counts, vehicle finance and more. It has acquired more
than one million accounts in the last two years. This has also
reduced the acquisition cost by 45 per cent with the lowest
cost of funds for the bank,” says Murali.
Team management and building a good team are also
important areas for Murali. He says that along with impact-
ing the top and bottom lines of the company, he also pushes
his team to bring in innovation.
WpVaripiogtrhmnoaevisessihntnrgMotrnbaugucrksagilrnrieoiescwsoastrthsdroumoleufintlseiudoacsndecseet,,rassn,d Novel Solutions
A recent example of one of the campaigns is building the
A passionate professional, Vignesh Murali Chennai Super Kings (CSK) metaverse. This has all the
has been known to scale up the reach of any CSK players’ avatars in the dressing room, and also a live
brand, which makes him a prominent mar- stadium. It allows users to create their own avatar and
ketering the country. He caught the market- launch their limited edition CSK Debit Card. It is one of a
ing bug during his B-school days in Singa- kind and the first bank to do so in India.
pore. His first stint as a marketer began with the Times of
India (TOI) group as a manager. During this time, he took Today as a small finance bank, Equitas looks forward
many key accounts to success. to changing the way banking is imagined, delivered and
experienced, with trust being the key driver.
He soon went on to join the Murugappa Group. Here, he
executed large-scale campaigns with national-level impact WINNER
and carved the roadmap to success for ‘Brand Chola’. After Vignesh Murali
that, he took up a position at Equitas as the Chief Market-
ing Officer and built the marketing team from scratch. Role
VP- Head of Marketing, Brand & Corporate
Communications, Equitas Small Finance Bank
Age
36 years
Sector
BFSI - Banking
136 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
Impactful Digital
Growth Partner
By Rahul Bhagat
Social Beat is a digital growth partner for lead-
ing brands and hyper-scaling startups in India. talent continues to be our number one business challenge.
“In 2012, we started Social Beat. The journey of As founders, we had to create a growth mindset in our core
building a start-up and scaling it up has been leadership team that enabled consistent growth in the last
few years. The ability to manage our cashflows has been a
extremely rewarding. Within a decade we have key learning for us,” he says.
become a leading digital marketing solutions company Highlighting the marketing sector’s contribution, he
with a 300-plus member team across 4 cities and more than says, “The marketing world is evolving rapidly to keep pace
100 marquee clients across the world,” says Vikas Chawla, with ever-changing consumer needs. The key is to have
the co-founder of Social Beat. impactful yet bite-sized storytelling, to grab the consumer’s
Being bootstrapped, Social Beat has always relied on attention. Data is the other key aspect that has helped drive
cashflows and margins to grow. The challenges that the impact for brands. Finally, technology is helping drive bet-
company faced were also aplenty. “Attracting and retaining ter experiences for consumers.”
The Goal Post
As per Chawla, Social Beat aims to achieve a six per cent
market share in the Indian digital media industry with a
top line of Rs 120 crore consisting of 600-plus team mem-
bers, by March 2024. Working around data, analytics and
automation, the organisation is strengthening its exist-
ing capabilities around creative, media and content. It
focuses on building integrated solutions for industries like
ecommerce and BFSI, allowing them to create value for the
brands they partner with.
A management graduate from the London School of Eco-
nomics, he is inspired by creativity and innovation. He ex-
pects Social Beat to be the push behind India’s top brands.
“We continue to drive impactful business outcomes. My
mission is to impact every Indian to discover amazing
brands and products through the work we do,” says Chawla.
ScRmoesenc1dit2aim0laBcianerrodakrteueatsbitsmrhyyasMwrteaoitrihancchathht2ieoe0pvI2ne4ldinaiae6nopdfeirgital WINNER
Vikas Chawla
Role
Co-Founder, Social Beat
Age
37 years
Sector
Advertising
137 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
MKTG40UNDER40
PASSION WITH PURPOSE
By Team BW
Rise & Rise
After serving as a marketing and communications lead at
Infosys Knowledge Institute, he joined Schneider Electric
as a content marketing strategy and operations excellence
leader this September.
Anand is the recipient of the Infosys Knowledge Institute’s
Domain Maestro Award for reimagining the Infosys publish-
ing model. And also for presenting a new agile collabora-
tive platform to Infosys co-founder and chairman Nandan
Nilekani, for creating the Infosys Insights Store with more
than 1,000 insights customised by user preference. This is
rated number one with over 1,40,000 visits among all sales
apps across the company, just nine months since its launch.
IirtVnneoitdgstehihuarweal’ascmraitmesiaonAarngkgnsaeeaagtnininenddmgBwh2fereBanalnpttm,etbmsranotreoikotneysctttotoichnnrorigtnorrpigubogaurhntaedte A Meaningful Plan
Talking about his future endeavours, he believes in engaging
V ishwas Anand is a multi-award-winning with the larger business world community in the marketing
marketing expert. Recently, he has set up the domain and hopes to develop a deeper relationship with
thought leadership marketing function for In- them in the long run. He wishes to give back to the market-
fosys, a $16 billion company from the ground ing fraternity through regular engagement, mentoring and
up. An alumnus of IIM Kozhikode, his first interactions. He wants to play a part in boosting corporate
job was in a software engineering role at Aditi Technologies. India’s image in the business-to-business (B2B) thought
leadership marketing space.
“I have always believed in the philosophy that passion cou-
pled with purpose can take you places. Soon after my MBA, I For the key milestones he has achieved in his life so far, he
got an opportunity to drive thought leadership marketing for gives the entire credit to a very supportive life partner Swathi,
a mid-tier IT services firm, Aspire Systems in 2014. This set and his son Ayaan, who have added much joy to his life.
the foundation for my career in B2B marketing,” says Anand.
WINNER
Vishwas Anand
Role
Content Marketing Strategy & Operations
Excellence Leader –
Global Marketing, Schneider Electric
Age
34 years
Sector
IT Services & IT Consulting
138 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
WELL-BEING In Conversation with Rachna Chhachhi
“Every Visionary
Business Leader is
Investing in Their
Health Today”
(left to right) The Shuddha™️ Women Partners: Palak Bhalla Ahuja, Aradhna Chhachhi,
Rachna Chhachhi and Dr Bhavana Gautam
C ovid and post Covid fears have put health and well-being on
centre stage, compelling both individuals and organisations to
focus more on preventive health this year. BW Businessworld
seeks out Rachna Chhachhi, PhD, holistic nutrition and a
certified cancer expert from Johns Hopkins University, to gauge
the trends in health and wellness and opportunities for health brands and
wellness businesses in the years ahead
140 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022 Photograph by Women Partners
You were Vice President, Business and poor quality of life. I had been eating healthy, exercising,
Development, at GE Money. What yet this happened to me. I healed myself via yoga and nutri-
triggered the switch from a flourish- tion, re-studied and got certified as a nutritional therapist,
ing corporate career to wellness? cancer nutrition expert, yoga teacher and WHO certified in
In 2006, when I had just won the malnutrition for infants and children. It’s been 14 years now
most prestigious award at GE Money that I have been practising across 27 countries, and we are
for their largest business partnership making an impact on corporate health and through com-
with India Post, I was struck with rheu- munity initiatives.
matoid arthritis. This is an incurable
autoimmune condition where the im- In the last 14 years, how have you reached out to other
mune system attacks the small joints people to impact their health and well-being?
and other joints with synovial fluid, For the first couple of years, nobody took me seriously when I
and then starts progressing to other said that I had reversed an incurable medical condition with-
organs. The prognosis was very poor. out medication. But as my patient base began building up, the
The deformities in my hands, feet and testimonials,referralsandclinicaldatabecameproof forpeo-
elbow were and are still glaring at me. ple. Today, with four books published and a fifth one on the
way commissioned by
FICCI - EY REPORT PEGGED HarperCollins, I work
with a lot of doctors
SIZE OF WELLNESS INDUSTRY AT helping their patients.
Over 40 per cent of my
$24 billion own patient base are
doctors. But this did not
happen overnight. Way
before people started
“Theoverallwellnessindustryincludingbeautycare,nutritionalcare,fitnesscenters, working online during
alternate therapy and rejuvenation (spa) is forecasted to reach US$24 b by FY20, up Covid, in 2009 I had al-
from US$13 b in FY15. Some segments like fitness and alternative therapies are in nascent ready set up my online
practice. My healing
stagesandoffersignificantgrowthprospects.Fore.g.,thefitnesssegmentinIndiaisquite across 27 countries hap-
pens online. All patient
underpenetrated (~1%) compared to roughly 16%-20% in the US or Australia.
Ourancientknowledgeof AYUSHtherapiesisagreattreasure,whichisyettobefully appointments, review
forms, clinical reports
exploredandmadeaccessibletoeveryone.Itneedstobecombinedwithmodernconcepts are shared online and
andadvancedtechnologiessoastomakethemapartofthemainstream.Theneedofthe treatment is online. I
houristocreateadequateawarenessandeducatethecustomersabouttheimportanceof come from a system
preventivehealthcare.” like GE, so my six sigma
certification helped me
2019 Ficci-EY Report titled Building a better working world put a structure to treat-
ing others with medi-
The pain was unbearable. I was put on cally evidenced impact. It was only when I demonstrated
chemotherapy drugs – a drug called that proof that the uphill journey became softer and now we
methotrexate is given to autoimmune are well established.
patients to suppress their immune sys-
tem – along with other immunosup- Hippocrates is believed to have linked diseases with
pressants and steroids. I had a severe dietary habits, a concept that seems to reflect in the
relapse and had passed out for three treatments you prescribe for well-being. Yet many au-
days. This was in 2008, two years after toimmune diseases are now believed to be triggered by
my diagnosis. When I woke up, I prom- external factors like pollution. To what extent are yoga
ised myself not to live like this. and dietary habits effective in treating such conditions?
The motivation was my extreme pain As per medical science and rheumatology, the cause for au-
141 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
WELL-BEING In Conversation with Rachna Chhachhi
toimmune conditions is unknown and Mr Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing
there is no cure. The most respected Officer and Head-Products,
rheumatologists will tell you this. How- Ageas Federal Life Insurance
ever, many pathogens, viruses, bacteria, “Our purpose at Ageas Federal Life
stress, environmental pollution are at- Insurance is to empower people
tributed to trigger these diseases. There to live the life and lifestyle of their
is no conclusive research for any single choice. In line with our purpose, we
reason to link it as a trigger to any one of believe that the health of human
the hundreds of autoimmune diseases. beings and the planet are connected
That is why sometimes these diseases to our compassion and inclusivity
are also known as mystery illnesses and as organisations. Via our support
are difficult to diagnose. But in holistic for The Restore Awards™️ instituted
autoimmune protocol, the key aspect by Rachna and team, we applaud
we understand is that when our own the nominees working tirelessly
immune system attacks us, we are in to impact the health of their
conflict with ourselves emotionally. community.”
Yoga and Nutrition work at the level
of repairing this immune system and stores™️ – that is the name I started my practice with – today
restoring its function. things are changing. No single person can make an impact. In
the last four years, we have made the biggest strides, thanks
As a clinical practitioner you work to my three other women partners, Dr Bhavana Gautam,
with senior leaders in helping them Palak Bhalla Ahuja and Aradhna Chhachhi, who pushed me
get healthier. What trends do you see to expand my mission in 2018. Today, we are re-branding
in well-being that leaders and organ- RachnaRestores™️ to Shuddha™️ which is also the name of
isations can learn from? my fourth book. Shuddha™️ is a partnership firm between my
Every visionary business leader is in- women partners and I. Our verticals include a digital mental
vesting in their health today. And when health content platform called Unhurry®, an internation-
they get fitter, get higher cognitive and ally accredited e-learning platform called Unhurry School
physical agility, see their clinical mark- of Healing™️ which has created 300 plus certified nutrition
ers coming down and their inflamma- practitioners across the world as we speak; we run a support
tion levels reducing, they in turn want group, The Autoimmune Community™️ specifically for au-
to introduce similar health policies toimmune warriors; and we have our largest property – The
for their employees. So when you heal Restore Awards™️. These awards are annual awards that give
those at the top, the entire organisation back to the community by recognising mental and emotional
feels the positive impact. Many senior health warriors and healers, doctors, therapists, sustainability
business leaders have been featured in entrepreneurs at a gala ceremony every December. This is our
my books, S. Sivakumar, ITC, Steven fourth year running.
P. Cohen, the founder of The Negotia-
tions Skills Company, Boston, and busi- What inspired these awards and what kind of impact do
ness entrepreneurs like Dr Subhash they have?
Chandra, Mr Harsh Mariwala and The awards were instituted because each one of us women
actor Manisha Koirala have endorsed partners were at some point health warriors and then became
my books, so those who understand the health experts. I remember when I was on methotrexate, I
valueof healthpubliclystandupforthe had an emotional breakdown and I suffered through depres-
path of well-being because it just feels sion. There was no platform like this that I could turn to. The
so good to be healthy. Restore Awards™️ are a catalyst for those who need to reach
therapists and healers that impact people’s and the commu-
You also run large socially driven ini- nity’s health. We have large brands that associate with us and
tiatives. What are the verticals that
your organisation focuses on?
Even though I began as RachnaRe-
142 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
Chhachhi with Marico Chairman Harsh Mariwala at the Restore Awards™
What are key areas in the health
and wellness industry that will steer
health brands to grow in 2023?
A FICCI and EY report published
in 2019 had estimated the wellness
market (encompassing beauty care,
nutritional care, fitness centres, alter-
nate therapy etc.) to be worth $24 bil-
lion in FY 2020 from $13 billion in FY
2015. So there is space for everyone to
help people get healthier. Organisa-
tions and consumers are waking up to
preventive health. Preventive health
ensures better health impact without
medications. This includes precise nu-
trition and fitness customised to the
person. Any organisation or brand in
“Every credible organisation has a policy on mental these areas has a ready consumer base.
health and support available to their employees. Nutrition products without additives,
more yoga centres than gyms, and
I have been invited to organisations like Google, calmness and sleep inducing natural
ITC, Marico, American Express, and Fab India as a methods will be big in 2023.
speaker and the engagement levels of employees Is healthcare just a tick in the box
for their employee welfare pro-
in understanding how to adapt a healthier lifestyle grammes for Corporate India?
has dramatically grown in the last few years. This is It used to be a tick in the box once. To-
day, we are seeing a huge change. Eve-
pushing companies to meet the employee demand ry credible organisation has a policy on
for better wellbeing initiatives.” mental health and support available to
their employees. I have been invited
to organisations like Google, ITC,
Marico, American Express, and Fab
help us with this non-profit cause. India as a speaker and the engagement levels of employees in
Savlon, Saffola, Organic India, Ra- understanding how to adapt a healthier lifestyle has dramati-
dio City, Ageas Federal Life Insurance, cally grown in the last few years. This is pushing companies to
Tetley, SRL Diagnostics are some of meet the employee demand for better well-being initiatives.
the brands who have come together in
the last four years because they believe You have a large social media following with RachnaRe-
in the impact we make. In 2019, our stores™️, won’t it be difficult to rebrand?
chief guest was Mr Harsh Mariwala, RachnaRestores™️ is a one-person set up. Today I have three
Chairman, Marico. And this year, in our other health experts in complementary areas of therapy and
fourth year running for the awards, our medicine to help those struggling and we are a registered or-
chief guest is luminary filmmaker Mr ganisation in the health and wellness space. We have a PCOS
Prakash Jha. The most beautiful part vertical for young girls and women suffering from hormonal
is that Mr Prakash Jha is inaugurat- issues and infertility; autoimmune specialists for helping out
ing the awards along with Mr Harsh women patients like me, cancer expertise for treatment and
Mariwala on 3 December. That is the better clinical outcomes. And we have a medical doctor who
strength – everyone who connects with is a counselling therapist so that medical and mental health
us stays connected because the cause issues are always at the forefront. These health professionals
and the mission is bigger than all of us. run Shuddha™️.
143 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
COLUMN KAUSHIKPRASAD
IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY a railway signalman called James Don’t Put the Cart
Edwin ‘Jumper’ Wide worked for the South Africa railways as a
guard in a town called Uitenhage. Wide had lost his legs in an Before the Horse
accident and hence got around on peg-legs and a trolley. Around Have a clear use case and make sure that
1880, while visiting the Uitenhage market he saw an incredible sight; a the technology solution picked is ap-
propriate. Sometimes tools like AI, ML
young baboon driving an ox-wagon into the market. or blockchain may be part of pitches in
desperate search of a problem to solve.
Wide convinced the baboon’s owner to sell him the animal. He named The objective is not to deploy AI or ML
but get the job done in the simplest, most
his new pet, Jack, and trained him to push his trolley and help with
effective and efficient manner.
other household chores. Wide was a signalman, so as trains approached One of my favourite exam-
the rail switches at the Uitenhage train ples is Indian Oil’s use of the
humble telephone for ordering
station they would toot their whistle a an LPG cylinder refill. To order
a refill of your LPG cooking gas
specific number of times to alert the cylinder, all you need to do is
give a ‘missed call’ from your
signalman which tracks to change. registered mobile number, the
LPG gas cylinder is automati-
By watching his owner, Jack the ba- cally booked and the fulfilment
process follows. The simplicity
boon, picked up the pattern and start- of using a ‘missed call’ caters to
the wide spectrum of Indane
ed tugging the levers himself. Soon, consumers who may not be
at ease using online booking
Wide was able to kick back and relax tools.
as his primate helper did all the work Ask the KKH Question
The technology alphabet soup
of switching rails. can be overwhelming, it’s good
to define what you want to
The locals soon found out what was achieve – Karna Kya Hain –
KKH? Answers to KKH may
happening and many would come be different for your industry
and organisation – it’s what
and watch Jack at work. The railway you define as your goal.
And It’s not static, as your business
authorities too found out later and challenges evolve over time, so should
your answer to the KKH question. Use
rather than firing Wide, they tested this to guide your future course and not
some fad or the desire to ‘keep up with
the baboon’s ability and came away the Joneses’.
impressed. IT’S NO Be Clear About the Business Benefit
Jack was reportedly given an of- Determine the business benefit the in-
vestment could deliver. For instance, if
ficial employment number and paid you are planning to invest in a chat bot to
handle routine customer queries, start
20 cents a day and half a bottle of beer MONKEY by measuring the volume of routine que-
weekly till he passed away in 1890. ries, understand your current spends on
Jack, the baboon, worked the rails for
nine years without ever making a mis- BUSINESS
take and remained a fascination for
curious onlookers.
While Jumper Wide employed a ba-
boon, today, we employ technology to
help us and to automate business operations. Not unlike the people of
Uitenhage, fascinated by the sight of a baboon moving levers, many of
us are fascinated with mentions of ‘artificial intelligence’ or ‘machine
learning’. It’s as if such tools are imbued with some magical powers.
Deploying AI and ML becomes a showcase project for many, even if it
means putting the ‘cart before the horse’. Solutions using AI or ML seem
to inspire a sense of confidence that you have a winner on your hands
that needs no further investigation.
It’s not to decry technologies like AI or ML, today they power the
many things we use every day, from voice assistants to face ID, chat-
bots, rideshare apps and much more. While no Luddite is a marketer,
it’s important to take a clear eyed and nuanced view of their strengths
and weaknesses and know what your business actually needs. Here are
a few things I’ve learnt.
146 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
matures, you can capture
more data and improve the
models using actual data.
The value in such tools
is generated with lots of
data. Without data, the
algorithm will not be able
to be trained. Hence, it’s
important to check if your
underlying systems and
pipes delivering data are
in order. RIRO, rubbish in
rubbish out, still exists.
agents and determine the net savings While Jumper Wide It’s Not a Sprint
bot deployment could deliver through employed a Advanced tools once de-
replacing agents engaged in this routine ployed need investments
task. While measuring ROI is important, baboon, today, we in monitoring, mainte-
it’s also useful to remember that not every employ technology nance, investments in data scientists
experience and value delivered by your and other support. Your use case needs
organisation is measurable. to help us and to to justify the investments it calls for.
automate business
Understand the Limits When in Doubt Remember
We’ve all experienced embarrassing au- operations. Not
to-corrects while texting someone and unlike the people of What Warren Buffet Said
we may have read stories where chatbot Some tools and technologies tech service
auto responses simply didn’t understand Uitenhage, providers pitch may seem very complex.
the nuance in a user’s question or miss fascinated by the It is vital for you to understand the solu-
sarcasm in user comments. While the sight of a baboon tion at its conceptual level and what your
technology is constantly improving, it’s consumers will experience.
important to understand the limits of moving levers,
what you are planning to deploy – know many of us are But if answers to your questions of
what the system cannot do – be aware of fascinated with ‘what the solution does’ seems hidden
the end user experience. behind a thick haze of acronyms, highly
mentions of technical responses and obfuscation, it
If cost savings to your business means ‘artificial may be useful to follow Warren Buffet’s
subjecting a customer to inconvenient advice – “Never invest in a business you
loops of trying to make an automated sys- intelligence’ or cannot understand.” (Caveat, Buffet said
tem understand a query, it’s simply not ‘machine learning’. it in a different context.)
worth the effort. Your deployment can It’s as if such tools
wait, till you can get the experience right. Be an Open-Minded Sceptic
are imbued with And finally, be an open-minded sceptic.
Get the Foundations Right some magical As Carl Sagan describes it, aim for that
It’s possible to deploy ML, for instance, powers exquisite balance between two conflict-
for a new use case by using existing open ing needs; the most sceptical scrutiny
data sets. This can be used to train and of all hypothesis served and at the same
test initial models and as the deployment time a great openness to new ideas.
The author is a marketing
professional who currently leads
ecommerce for international markets
at Ford Motor Company
Photograph by Biancoblue 147 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
INTERVIEW
“In haircare, I By JYOTSNA SHARMA
found what we
are offering
with Anomaly,
a nutrient
rich, sustainable
brand that is
affordable, did
not exist”
Entrepreneur,actressand What was the inspiration behind Anomaly?
philanthropist,Priyanka PC: I started getting interested in the business side of enter-
Chopra and Anchit Nayar, CEO, tainment, that came first for me. Outside of that, Bumble was
BeautyE-Commerce,Nykaa, my first big investment, I brought it to India.
speaktoBWBusinessworld,
aboutChopra’shaircarebrandAnomaly About Anomaly, beauty has been a big part of my work
andthecollaborationwithNykaa and interesting to me, I started looking for areas where in-
novation could take place. In haircare, I found what we are
offering with Anomaly, a nutrient rich, sustainable brand
that is affordable, did not exist. And, I was interested in cre-
ating and innovating in this space and upon research found
148 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
world. It is the first brand that I have founded and I am very
proud of it. At the moment my focus is the growth of the
brand.
Did being an actor help with the entrepreneurial journey
or was it tougher?
PC: Being an actor helped me with my beauty entrepreneur-
ship because I always had the best products used on me. In
that I knew the best of the best and knew the kind of products
I would want to give to the consumer.
Aside from that, being an entrepreneur is completely dif-
ferent from acting, one has to trust and learn from people.
Please tell us about your upcoming movie projects.
PC: I have a romantic comedy slated for next year. The show
Citadel with Amazon Prime is also slated for next year. And,
then there are others that are ongoing and slated for later.
Your favourite movie?
PC: That’s a tough one. I would say Qayamat Se Qayamat
Tak (1988), and Jerry Maguire (1996).
that it could be done. How do you beat stress ?
PC: I totally switch off. My work hours are very clear. When
We launched two years ago during the pandemic and to- I am done with work, I belong to my family. For me work-life
day, we are with multiple retail partners in the US. And, we balance is very important.
have launched with Nykaa here in India.
ANCHIT NAYAR, CEO,
How did the brand name come about ? Beauty E-Commerce, Nykaa
PC: The name came from trying to find a word that describes
the unique nature of the brand. I feel like every consumer “The launch defied our
is an anomaly and has different needs. I liked the sound of expectations, on the first
anomaly for the brand name. day, one Anomaly product
sold every seven seconds
What’s unique about Anomaly? on the platform”
PC: It is sustainable. Our packaging is made out of trash -
ocean bound plastic and landfill. We spent so little on pack-
aging and therefore, could invest in our formulas. The idea
was to democratise formulas and we figured the way to do
that was to spend less on packaging. We give you superior
products that are nutrient rich. In addition, we are clean,
vegan and cruelty free and this is what makes Anomaly dif-
ferent.
As a business woman, what can we expect from you in Please tell us about Nykaa’s collaboration with Anomaly.
the near future? AN: It is a partnership. Nykaa’s mission is to democratise
PC: There’s always more. I am someone who is creatively access to beauty and that means partnering with some of the
greedy, I like to keep my mind active. Anomaly was the prod- best global brands and bringing them into the country. And
uct of the pandemic and of not being on a film set. There are giving the Indian consumer a chance to interact with the best
many categories in business that one can explore. the world has to offer. Anomaly fits perfectly into that mould.
I am hoping that I can give Anomaly a big push. I hope And, of course Priyanka Chopra is a global icon and has
to create access and awareness about the brand across the
149 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
INTERVIEW
made a seamless transition to be-
coming a beauty entrepreneur. We
saw a lot of similarity between her
and how we began - a female found-
ed company, a professional banker
turned entrepreneur.
What makes Anomaly unique?
AN: I would say it is the passion that
Priyanka Chopra has brought to this
project. She has been involved right
from the start with the formula-
tions, packaging etc. The other fac-
tors are the high quality products
and the pricing.
How have the last few months ground, we know our category well and we definitely know
been for Nykaa and Anomaly? the consumer well.
AN: There’s been strong perfor-
mance from us, which is apparent in
our results. (The company reported
a healthy increase in net profit for
Q2FY23). There is indication that
consumer demand is picking up for
retail and especially in the beauty
segment.
In India, beauty is still an under
penetrated category. The is so much
more consumption that is yet to
happen in the category. The timing
for a brand like Anomaly is perfect
to enter the Indian market.
We launched Anomaly three
months ago. The launch defied our
expectations, on the first day, one
Anomaly product sold every seven
seconds on the platform. The brand certainly has legs, and
our focus is to collaborate with Priyanka and help it grow.
How does Nykaa stay top of mind with consumers? A person who has inspired you the most, and why?
AN: There is no one thing. It is a lot of detailed orient- AN: I would say it is my mother. I have had the chance to
ed work. It is not all about technology. A lot of it is also work with her closely over the last couple of years and the
old school retail and consumer business best practices. relationship has become that of a mentor and mentee. It is
To simplify, it comes down to being in tune with what the incredible to watch what she’s built. I learn something from
consumer wants. At Nykaa, we keep our ears close to the her every day.
150 | BW BUSINESSWORLD | 03 December 2022
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