My story Chapter #24 #25 #26
About Me
Three qualities really signify my nature: adaptability, creativity, and self-motivation. I have a very focused and entrepreneurial work ethic. Personally, I am a dynamic, energetic, and multifaceted individual who enjoys exploring new ideas, places, and meeting new people. Some of my hobbies include traveling, watching movies, and painting.
I post-graduated from NIT Nagpur and was offered a job by General Motors. However, I chose to attend IIMB in 2013 with the intention of building my profile in business strategy and operations. I worked with every fest or event in the college, which helped me build one of the largest personal networks in the IIMB community. I interned with PepsiCo during the summer, working in Tamil Nadu in the Pepsi beverage division. My project involved evaluating and increasing revenue potential from the road transportation channel, which required traveling to various geographies, visiting bus stands, and conducting primary research on customers and retailers. I devised a differential pricing model for the Madurai and Coimbatore bus stands to increase revenue from that channel. This experience taught me a great deal about the FMCG business and the cola industry.
Returning to IIM, I focused on building my marketing and sales skills. I took electives like brand management, pricing strategy, search engine marketing, retail management, sales management, international marketing, and Spanish. I chose to stay back instead of going for an exchange to do a project on the print media industry under Mr. Srinivasan, a renowned professor of business strategy. I also did a short business field visit to Singapore as part of the course.
In 2015, I received a job offer from HT Media during final placements for their media marketing role. I worked with HT Media in three different teams. My first role involved media marketing, which included media sales and client solutions for real estate clients in Mumbai. My second role was as a marketing manager for the product launch of HT’s new radio station, 91.9 FM, in Mumbai. Finally, I was promoted to brand promotions manager for Mumbai’s English newspaper edition. However, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to build my profile in PR and publicity within the print media, and I felt that my values didn’t align with the company. So, I decided to leave HT and search for better opportunities.
Work at HT Media
I worked with various teams, each with different functions and people. My first role in media marketing involved business development with real estate clients in Mumbai through media sales, including print ads, client-customized events, sponsorships for HT initiatives, radio ads, digital solutions, and customized activations. This role included client servicing, brand idea creation, initiative execution, sales forecasting, negotiating advertising deals with realtors, managing client expectations, and researching Indian media buying behaviors. I also studied consumers to build solutions focused on the real estate category. Two major initiatives I created were special print features on commercial developers and redevelopers, which brought in incremental revenue from new clients who had never advertised in print before. Additionally, I was a frontrunner in executing initiatives. I got Broex, a broker network for real estate brokers, involved, leading to HT organizing the biggest channel partners meet in Mumbai. I participated in seven various real estate-related exhibitions and broker meets, achieving 144% growth in sales, for which I received special incentives for exceptional performance.
After 11 months with HT, I was selected for the marketing team among 17 management hires for the nationwide product launch of HT’s new radio station. I launched 91.9 FM in Mumbai in June, working with creative teams, artists, celebrities, media agencies, and other creative vendors. I managed a budget of 60 lakhs and the in-house media budget for the west product launch. We conducted all BTL marketing activities such as outdoor advertising, transit, celebrity engagements, brand associations, events, and initiatives. Along with that, we did ATL marketing like print, radio, digital marketing, social media management, and buzz creation through online platforms. The station achieved 1.5 million listeners in two months, gaining 0 to 6% market share in a short span of time and won the best in-house self-promotion award in December 2016.
After the launch, I was confirmed as the brand promotions manager in August. This role involved business development from media net solutions for brands, which included working with journalists to create brand associations and generate business. I worked with retail clients in Mumbai and organized initiatives like the Print Fashion Week to provide designers and private brands with a platform to showcase their collections in the newspapers. Another interesting initiative was World Heart Day, which involved providing PR for major agencies, celebrities, and niche specialists from various categories.
Why Did You Leave HT Media?
Why does anybody leave a job? Either the money isn’t good, or the job does not serve their professional goals. For me, it was the latter. My professional goals include exponential growth, learning new things daily to keep my edge, having a mentor who values my work and professional growth, working on innovative projects that impact society or a specific sector, and building and growing my professional network. I felt that I had gained all the possible knowledge from the print, radio, PR, and publicity industry during my time at HT. The last role wasn’t serving my professional goals, and I didn’t want to be stuck in the same role for a long time, which would stagnate my growth. I felt that my skills, experience, and knowledge could be utilized much better elsewhere, so I decided to leave.
Why Did You Leave Without Having a Job?
As I mentioned, I wasn’t satisfied with the opportunities my last role provided. My philosophy towards work is that instead of working a 9–5 job all year, I would rather work 12–15 hours a day for 11 months and then take a vacation. I had good savings from my performance bonuses and incentives, and I have no financial liabilities. Therefore, I had the opportunity to take a risk and leave without having another job lined up. I am confident in the quality of my work and my skills, so I decided to take a break, spend some time with my parents, think about my next move, and then look for new opportunities in a more focused and definite manner.
