Head : E-Business(E-Commerce & Social Media), Marketing, CRM
Carnation Auto India Ltd
Total years of experience :13 years, 5 Months
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Strategically driving the web business to grow Brand Visibility, Reach, Relevance & Recall, by building MoM Traffic, Sign-ups & Leads via Search Optimization (SEO), Social and SMO, Google SEM and Display & Affiliate Site strategies
2. Driving Customer Engagement, Cross-sales & Retention; also structuring the Lead Management System to Grow sales and its Merchant program
3. Spear-heading the company's online initiatives focused though its Commerce-Content website Carnation.in; increasing overall business contribution via a 'clicks-to-bricks' model
4. Lead Marketing Agenda - build sustainable brand leadership whilst driving near-term business objectives
4.1. Be a custodian of the brand & ensure all programs are developed in line with its core
4.2. Integrating efficacy in output across Online & Offline also with Partners & Digital / Creative Agencies in executing plans to a budgets, Ad optimization & appropriate communication to further build salience
5. Roll out of initiatives that sync Online with Marketing, Retail and CRM to deliver volume, revenue & profit growth at a higher ROI
6. Creating Business Intelligence Systems that offer insights to - Markets, Channels, Product performance, Consumer buying and Consumption behavior - for sharper action plans, and mapping the same through Google Trends, Keyword Search volumes & on-site Analytics
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
1.Shifted the dependence on outbound Calls for acquisition to E-mail and Referral approaches; Reduced Cost per Query (20%) and Cost per Transaction (11%) & Increased Gross Margin
2. Implemented a Share-of-Wallet driven Matrix approach in CRM to increase Customer monetization & engagement
3. Set-up, Aligned Management as well as Agencies & Deployed the complete Digital & Social Media Strategy to build availability, relevance & engagement in Social Media across Blogs, Facebook, Google + whilst strongly owning verticals / creating feeder traffic through an Affiliate Sites strategy.
Real Global Broadcasting (an interest-based, TV start-up - food, travel etc.- now inoperative)
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead Marketing mandate for the 'Food First' TV Channel targeted at both Consumer and Trade; Focus Online & Mobile initiatives, as also PR and On-ground / BTL. Build consumer uptake, affinity and channel share as key priorities.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Led the overall launch bundle, viz. Brand development, Communication & Media strategy, Trial generation roll-out - expressions of interest from Trade, sampling in Digital platforms
2. Launched the Foodfirst.com website and YouTube! Channel in record 6 weeks - via program content & promos, chef profiles and recipes - built viewer traction & sampling
3. Worked closely with leading Mobile service providers, to build properties around Recipes to offer as VAS; distribute & monetize channel content innovatively
As Associate Vice- President - Marketing
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Driving the Marketing, Brand, Retail & PR strategy focused on Online to build salience & share leadership
2, Synching Online with Offline initiatives that deliver volume, revenue share & profit growth to build overall Efficiency; deliver higher ROI
3. Optimizing Marketing Budgets, Spends & Activities across multiple Lines of Business (LOBs), keeping their sales targets and profitability in view
4. Synching the Retail Marketing activities at branches & stores across India
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS at Make My Trip, in the Marketing role:
1. Recently drove holiday product launch campaigns - delivered holiday queries in excess of 3 Lac (Q1 projections), which enabled Sales to overachieve targets by 23%
2. Developed new sources of quality holiday leads like 'Just Dial' (phone queries), Online Travel Networks & Tourism Boards - Reduced Cost per Query (34%) and Cost per Transaction (18%) & Increased Gross Margin per Booking plus built Reach via Net Affiliates
3. Set-up Social 'Listening Posts' for reputation Management & deployed Social Media plans
4. Conceptualized, launched & executed successful 'first ever' initiatives like 'MMT Times' (a catchment marketing initiative to build recall for holiday products, deals and stores locations; online version) & 'Go Green' (offering flight buyers Online, a way to offset their Carbon Footprint - over INR 4.6 million collected in donations till date, and 1.8 mn when last actively involved)
5. Successfully aligned cross-functional teams to create a strong CRM focus that led to targeted marketing with higher efficacy at one end & lowered complaint call drivers on the other.
ALSO: Led Make My Trip's Innovations Team to Win the People's Choice Award at the Global finals in the NavTeq Global LBS Challenge (the 1st and only Indian team to win so far); Mobile application marries Social Networks to mobile Location Based Services
Oct '06 - Mar '09: Business Head - OkTataByebye.com
(Online Social Networking website of Make My Trip India, focused on Travelers & Travel)
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Leading Business to ensure MoM Traffic growth, Set-up Revenue streams and Manage P& L
2.. Strategic & Product planning for OkTataByeBye to constantly increase Reach, Time-on-Site and Page Views; metrics that reflect Penetration, Engagement & Relevancy
3. Using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), E-mail & CRM programs to create Referral traffic, grow active Member Database & generate Sign-ups
4. Activating Partnerships, Affiliates & Promotional initiatives to ensure freshness in Content, deliver greater End-user value & build recurrent involvement
IN PARALLEL: Heading the User Interface (UI) & Content functions, for MakeMyTrip.com
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS at Make My Trip, in the OkTataByeBye.com Business Head role:
1. On a Zero A & P budget, grew OkTaTaByebye.com, to one of India's Top Travel Communities from 6, 000 Visitors in Nov '06 to over 9, 50, 000 UVs and 2.35 Lac+ members by Feb '10.
2. Drove Organic traffic growth with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - OKTTBB is the Top performing Social Website on 'Travel Directions India' on Google SERPs
3. Delivered proof-of-concept, of a Lead-Based Revenue Stream possible on Focused Social Networks. This unique Direct Hotel Booking Widget & Holiday Planning Tool (Article) is now significant source of holiday & hotel booking leads to Make My Trip - avg. 6 % conversion
4. Launched World's 1st - Strategic Hotel Partner Program Online on OkTataByebye.com to engage Hotels in India & build a self -sustaining Revenue & Content stream. (Approx. 50 web-pages of rich content & 30 incremental monthly back-links ~ Contribution 12%)
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Managing the Marketing, Advertising & Mass media Promotions for Bata, as well as Visual Merchandising, Local Area & Store promotions across its 1000+ India retail stores and aligning the same with the South-East Asia regional business plan & brand guidelines
ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Identified a new 'budget-comfort' segment for women's shoes - launched 'Comfit' range ~ 7% rev. share
2. Re-launched Hush Puppies
3. Initiated Regional, occasion-based activations/ promotions; increased footfall at Festivals and Themed activations
4. Coordinated with the South-East Asia regional marketing team to execute the in-store Visual Merchandising effort seamlessly across the 1000+ India stores to ensure synergies across the region.
2004 April - 2006 April
Brand Director
Leo Burnett Advertising, Delhi
Clients & Brand Portfolio:
1. Coca-Cola India (Corporate Key Accounts + Regional Marketing)
2. McDonald's India Ltd.
3. Make My Trip India Pvt. Ltd.
4. Incredible India (GOI)
5. National Geographic
6. Oriental Insurance Co.
MANDATE:
1. Partnering Clients with Strategic and Tactical Planning on Brands & Communication
2. New Business development. Managing Creative, Operations and Media teams in Agency
ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Launched the McDonald's 'Rs.20/- Happy Price Menu' (grew footfall 64% & revenue 35%)
2. Built & drove the Annual Strategic Communication Plans for McDonald's India, across the Affordability, Family Marketing, Home Delivery and portfolios
3. Led execution for occasion-based Marketing initiatives of Coca-Cola India & Diet Coke re-launch from the Agency end
4. Won Make My Trip & Incredible India businesses - INR 36 million
5. Led launch of Make My Trip in India on the Lowest Airfare Guarantee plank
6. Won the Abby's (2005)
2003 May - 2004 April
Associate Marketing Manager
Oman Trading Estb. LLC, Oman
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Countrywide Marketing duties for General Motors brands - Chevrolet, Hummer & Cadillac in Oman - including conceptualization & deployment of Launches and Promotions, Visual merchandising, Customer Contact programs & Sales aids and Marketing POP colaterals.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Launch of Hummer in Oman
2. Year 2003 - 2004 Annual Marketing & Comm. Plans of the GM Portfolio
3. Chevrolet 'Suburban' promotion in Hajj - grew sales 24%
4. Repositioning Chevrolet 'Lumina' to a young-adult segment
Asst. Account Director ('02 - '03)
& Account Supervisor (2000 -02)
Clients & Brand Portfolio:
1. Coca-Cola India (Key Accounts, Regional Marketing North, 'Shock')
2. SAB (Knock Out, 3-Lions beer)
3. Dabon International Pvt. Ltd. (Le Bon Cheese)
4. Philips India Ltd. (Lighting)
5. National Geographic Channel
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:
Managing the Team & Client portfolio, Strategic and Tactical Brand & communication Planning, New Business development also along with Media Agency
ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Led the Leo Burnett team to successfully partner in the launch of 'Georgia Coffee', 'Sun-fill', 'Shock' Energy Drink & the execution of 'Pricing focus- Rs. 5/-' activation for Coca-Cola in North India
2. Core agency lead on Year 2001-2002 Communication Calendar of all Coca-Cola National Key Accounts
3. Successfully launched the 'Mission Everest' project of NGC India - Won the NGC India & History Channel businesses basis this performance
4. Drove launch of brand 'Three Lions' for SAB-Miller - got the 'Knock Out' beer portfolio as a result
5. Led the new Packaging initiative on Le Bon Cheese & developed unique Shelf strategy in Modern Trade to increase visibility & Off-take
6. Won U.P. Tourism and Aeren's Gold Souk Businesses (worth INR 14 million)
Clients: Hewlett-Packard; Tefal
Achievements: Handled Launch of Vectra Corporate PC's and Notebooks & Asia-Pacific Countrywide Advertising Review
• Conceptualized & executed a Direct Marketing program for Tefal which opened up new distribution for the company
Helped Manage agency end operations, briefs & deliverables on clients - Duncan's (Double Diamond Tea & 'No.1' CTC Dust Tea); Baidyanath (Kabzhar) & Exide Batteries
1996 I Graduation in Sciences (Honors) - Presidency College, Calcutta (University Rank - II)
1993 I Sr. Secondary (ISC) - La Martiniere for Boys, Calcutta
