NEW DELHI: The digital marketing industry experienced a massive upswing in its growth trajectory last year, as companies big and small realised the importance of a strong online presence. The marketing pies reshaped quickly and opened a barrage of opportunities for the players in the domain to feed upon. The recently appointed VP - growth & operations at digital communications agency Chimp&z Inc, Ashish Duggal is excited to be a part of this moment and has big plans for the agency’s future. In a recent conversation with Indiantelevision.com’s Mansi Sharma, he talked in detail about his new stint, his romance with the digital world, and his vision for the future. Edited excerpts follow:

On joining Chimp&z Inc

I was never planning to get into the digital marketing industry. In fact, I had studied management. But it was at my first job that I fell in love with digital. From there on, I joined LogicServe Digital when it was an early entrant in India with just two employees, one of them being me. So, in the early stages, I learnt all the aspects of the work from planning to technology, to sales execution. I gained a 360-degree experience from there. However, I felt that I still had to learn the creative and production aspects of a campaign. That’s why I decided to join Chimp&z Inc. 

On his love for digital marketing

My first job was all about getting local businesses from Mumbai on digital platforms, promoting them, and getting the customers to there doors. It was at that time that I realised the beauty of digital marketing. First of all, it costs way less than the traditional mediums to promote it online. Secondly, it gives you all the control in the world to analyse, rework, and strategise your campaigns. The most important facet being the analytics that you put on it; it keeps you in sync with the changing consumer habits. The sheer plethora of services and technologies that are at your perusal while working on digital campaigns is exhilarating. 

On gelling with the team

The most beautiful thing about Chimp&Z Inc is that the company is a people-focused entity. In fact, in my first meeting with the founders, I was told that they see the people as their true assets. That really motivated me and pushed me to excel at my job. 

We are still working on a part work-from-home basis. Only 15-20 employees are in the office on any given day. So, I am making sure that I am visiting the office at least twice a week and meet the people personally to set my momentum. And they have been really supportive. In fact, I am learning something new from them every day. 

On his short-term & long-term goals 

If I talk about my long-term vision for Chimp&Z Inc, I see myself contributing immensely to the technical side of the campaigns. The agency is already an established name and has worked on some great projects as well. Right now, they are positioned very well to scale it to another level and that’s what I am working on. I want to have more clients coming on board and have at least five top products from each sector on our roster. We are looking forward to expanding our services overseas. I want to make the agency a one-stop-shop for all the client needs. 

To reach there, my short-term goals are: adding more muscle to the tea; contributing more to the success of any client at a business level; and take the ownership of the client projects. On my horizon are some great projects that we will be disseminating across channels, take them offline, and do great content partnerships with digital platforms, marketplaces, and creative powerhouses. 

On the ideal framework for digital marketing pies

Honestly speaking, there is no ideal framework; it depends on business to business and clients to clients. I can say that it is a jungle pond strategy that works. If you want to go hunting, you won’t keep shooting across the forest but will sit near the pond where all the animals will come. So, you have to be present at the right place where the maximum of your customers is. You should also be able to go back and analyse your strategies and realign them for the best results. 

On the big trends that will define digital in 2021

The top three trends that will define the year are going to be an increased focus on relevance (of products and campaigns), technology, and giving an end-to-end solution to any business. Regional is going to come out even more strongly when it comes to the creative aspect of digital properties.