This episode features Vaishnav, a dynamic professional in marketing and corporate communications, seamlessly blending technical expertise with a background in electrical and electronics engineering. His insights span the integration of offline and online campaigns, the transformative impact of AI, and the dream metric that blends traditional and digital strategies seamlessly.

Introduction

00:50
Vaishnav is currently the head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Praxis Global Alliance in India, leading a team of around 10 members. Praxis Global Alliance is recognized as one of the fastest-growing consulting firms in India, experiencing substantial growth in the past five years. In his role, Vaishnav emphasizes key activities, with a primary focus on public relations (PR), followed by a significant emphasis on new-age marketing strategies, including social media and digital campaigns. Prior to joining Praxis, Vaishnav gained valuable experience at NEC Corporation, a Fortune 500 Japanese electronics and tech brand, where he led various brand-related campaigns within the marketing team. His professional journey also includes stints at IDP Education and Safexpress. Vaishnav’s educational background includes a degree in electrical and electronics engineering, followed by an MBA in marketing management. His interest in the field of communications and marketing was sparked during business school, where he delved into case studies and books, such as “Competing for the Future” and those focused on advertising, shaping his understanding of brand building and advertising campaign design.

First Interaction with Data

3:29

Vaishnav’s initial exposure to working with data occurred during his tenure at IDP Education. Here, he was actively involved in planning national and regional campaigns for student placements. The primary objective was to attract a targeted number of students to various events hosted at different regional offices. Each regional office had specific attendance goals, and parallel offline and online campaigns were meticulously executed. Vaishnav emphasized the importance of numerical targets for each campaign, where they anticipated a certain quantity of attendees. The dynamic nature of these campaigns became evident as they encountered instances of surpassing or falling short of their predetermined targets. Analyzing the data generated from these campaigns became pivotal in shaping the subsequent steps, prompting adjustments in communication strategies or the need for alternative events. This experience marked Vaishnav’s introduction to the strategic use of data in campaign planning and decision-making processes.

Favourite Campaign

5:02
Vaishnav reflects on a standout moment in his career, highlighting his favorite campaign while working with NEC Corporation. Recognized globally as a Fortune 500 company and among the top 100 innovative brands worldwide, NEC faced a challenge in establishing a strong brand recall in India. To address this, Vaishnav and his team conceptualized the “NEC Makes It Happen” campaign. The campaign aimed to forge an emotional connection with the audience through social and digital channels, portraying NEC’s contributions to society under the tagline “Orchestrating a Brighter World.”

The campaign showcased various pioneering projects, including the use of NEC’s biometric technology in a submarine cable project and a visualization system. By integrating these impactful projects into their communication strategy, the team successfully launched the campaign, garnering positive mentions on social media, extensive PR coverage, and earning several awards, including the prestigious TV awards and recognition within the Power Brands of India. Vaishnav emphasizes the comprehensive approach undertaken, involving daily efforts to analyze data metrics, refine communication strategies, and create compelling collateral. The campaign’s success was a result of meticulous planning, collaboration, and a dedicated team effort.

In addition to this memorable campaign, Vaishnav highlights another significant project at NEC focused on logistics data analytics. Managing the logistics data bank project, Vaishnav and his team assisted Indian ports in analyzing their performance through visualization capabilities. Monthly reports, incorporating metrics such as port in/out times, were shared, contributing to an enhanced Logistics Performance Index and overall logistics ranking in India. Vaishnav underscores the impactful role of data analytics in improving operations and the company’s economic standing. This campaign and project showcase Vaishnav’s strategic prowess in leveraging data for successful marketing and operational outcomes.

Important metrics to measure success

9:19

Vaishnav underscores the variability of important metrics across different brands, emphasizing their brand-specific nature. Drawing from his diverse experiences, he highlights the significance of tailored metrics for assessing campaign success. During his tenure at IDP Education, the key metric revolved around the total number of students attending events. In a broader context, especially for online and offline campaigns, Vaishnav identifies website visitors as a crucial metric applicable to any brand. Monitoring daily or weekly performance, he advocates assessing total and unique visitors, understanding their interactions, and optimizing content based on user behavior.

For social media endeavors, Vaishnav emphasizes tracking total impressions, conducting A/B testing, and focusing on increasing impressions for paid campaigns. In the realm of email marketing, an area of focus at Praxis Global Alliance, metrics include click-through rates, open rates, and benchmarking against industry standards. Vaishnav specifically mentions maintaining an open rate above the industry average of 20-25% as a goal.

Impact of AI on Communications

11:32

Vaishnav discusses the widespread adoption and impact of ChatGPT and other AI tools in the current media landscape. Noting the continuous news coverage of CEOs transitioning in and out, he highlights the prevalent use of ChatGPT and other AI tools across various organizations. These tools are celebrated for their effectiveness in content creation, data analysis, and creative ideation, significantly reducing the time required for tasks traditionally undertaken by data analysts.

He acknowledges the emergence of new AI technologies focused on video content, data analysis, and numerical insights, providing marketers with powerful tools to enhance their strategies. Vaishnav emphasizes the efficiency and time-saving capabilities of these AI tools, enabling swift data analysis and content generation. However, he underscores the importance of balancing AI capabilities with emotional intelligence and understanding the brand’s message and target audience.

From a marketing perspective, Vaishnav highlights the applications of AI in content curation, media monitoring, audience analytics, and tools like Mailchimp for industry benchmarking. While AI facilitates quicker data analysis and strategy planning, Vaishnav emphasizes that the infusion of emotional creativity and personalization remains crucial for effective marketing. The reduction in the time required for various tasks allows for more strategic planning and competitor analysis, offering marketers the opportunity to delve deeper into industry trends and refine their approaches. Overall, Vaishnav sees AI as a valuable ally, simplifying processes and enabling marketers to achieve more efficient and effective results in a shorter timeframe.

Dream Metric

15:37

Vaishnav envisions his dream metric as the seamless integration of offline and online campaigns, a challenge many brands currently face. While online metrics are readily measurable, tracking the impact of offline campaigns remains a complex endeavor. He points out the significant financial investments made in offline endeavors and highlights the need for a comprehensive metric that combines the outcomes of both online and offline initiatives.

In his dream scenario, Vaishnav imagines a metric that not only evaluates the effectiveness of traditional media, such as paid newspaper campaigns or advertorials, but also correlates it with simultaneous digital campaigns. He emphasizes the importance of assessing audience interaction with online content, proposing a score that reflects user engagement—whether they liked the content or bounced from the page. Additionally, he envisions metrics that synergize paid and non-paid online campaigns, providing a holistic view of their impact.

Vaishnav’s dream metric seeks to bridge the gap between the measurable outcomes of digital campaigns and the often intangible results of offline efforts. By incorporating data points that showcase audience behavior and preferences across both channels, this metric would offer marketers a more comprehensive understanding of the overall campaign impact, fostering better-informed strategies and decision-making.

My two cents

17:32

Vaishnav offers key advice for marketing and corporate communications professionals, urging a mindset of perpetual curiosity and a hunger for learning. He emphasizes the necessity of staying updated on evolving tools, SEO strategies, and emerging technologies. Understanding the intricacies of targeted industries is crucial, requiring a solid foundation in marketing fundamentals. While digital marketing might be overlooked in some educational settings, Vaishnav recommends aspiring professionals to delve into it, engaging in practical projects to enhance their understanding of metrics. Lastly, he underscores the pivotal role of developing robust communication skills for effective engagement in the competitive marketing landscape.