Joyeeta Ghosal, Head of Marketing at GoKwik, is an industry expert with over a decade of experience in marketing and brand building. Skilled at Content Marketing, Brand Building, Demand Generation and Performance Marketing, her prior experience spans across Fintech, Telecom and Media industries. Adept at working in MNCs and startups alike, Joyeeta has been instrumental in leading GoKwik’s Series B funding.
In a conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review magazine, Joyeeta shares with us the various marketing lessons she has learnt while working on diverse brands. She talks about strategies to build brand identity and crafting impactful marketing campaigns while also highlighting the role that technology can play in enabling marketing outputs. Drawing from her extensive marketing experience, Joyeeta uncovers different technologies and tools that plays a crucial role in the industry, sharing insights on decision making process as well.
Read out the conversation to know more.
Prior to joining GoKwik you have worked with a host of brands such as Vodafone India, ABP Group, etc. What were some key brand marketing lessons you learned while working with these brands?
My journey with brands like Vodafone India and ABP Group has been incredibly enriching and has provided me with a deep understanding of brand marketing. At ABP Group, I was part of the core team that launched a new daily newspaper in Kolkata. This experience taught me the power of storytelling and how a compelling narrative can drive brand engagement. We grew the readership from zero to six lakhs in just three months, which was a result of a well-planned and executed brand campaign. I also learned the importance of integrating various marketing channels to create a cohesive brand message.
Working with Vodafone India further honed my skills in managing large-scale campaigns. I led end-to-end ATL and BTL campaigns such as "No. 1 Network" and "SuperZoozoo at ComicCon," which helped reinforce Vodafone’s brand identity and engage customers in innovative ways. These experiences highlighted the significance of understanding consumer behaviour, staying consistent in messaging, and continuously innovating to stay relevant in a competitive market. The ability to adapt and align marketing strategies with evolving consumer preferences was a key lesson that I carried forward to my role at GoKwik.
In today’s highly competitive business landscape, brands are required to build a strong and unique identity to succeed in the market. What are some key pointers marketers must keep in mind while building brand identity?
Building a strong and unique brand identity is crucial in today’s competitive business environment. One of the most important aspects is consistency. It is essential to maintain a uniform brand message across all channels, from social media to traditional advertising, to create a recognizable and trustworthy image. This includes visual elements such as logos, colours, and fonts, as well as the tone and style of communication.
Authenticity is another key factor. Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that are genuine and transparent. It’s important to stay true to your brand values and ensure that your messaging reflects them authentically. This builds trust and fosters a deeper connection with your audience.
Understanding your target audience is paramount. Marketers must delve into consumer insights to tailor their brand identity to meet the needs and preferences of their audience. This involves creating a brand persona that resonates with your target demographic. Additionally, innovation plays a critical role in keeping the brand relevant and engaging. Regularly updating and evolving your brand to reflect current trends and consumer expectations can help maintain a competitive edge.
How do you ensure consistency and effectiveness in brand and product marketing across various customer touchpoints?
Ensuring consistency and effectiveness across various customer touchpoints requires a strategic and holistic approach. At GoKwik, we develop comprehensive brand guidelines that serve as a blueprint for all marketing activities. These guidelines cover everything from visual identity to messaging tone, ensuring that every piece of communication aligns with our brand values and objectives.
Collaboration across departments is crucial. We work closely with teams from product development, sales, and customer service to ensure that everyone is aligned with the brand’s goals and messaging. This cross-functional collaboration helps in maintaining a unified brand experience for our customers.
Technology also plays a vital role in maintaining consistency. We use integrated marketing platforms that allow us to manage and monitor campaigns across multiple channels seamlessly. This ensures that our brand message remains consistent, whether it’s through email marketing, social media, or direct interactions with customers. Regular training sessions for our team members are conducted to keep everyone updated on brand standards and best practices. Lastly, we have a robust feedback mechanism in place to gather insights from customer interactions, which helps us refine our strategies and improve effectiveness continuously.
How can marketers leverage data to take sound marketing decisions and design effective brand campaigns? Can you cite a relevant example for the same from your recent experience at GoKwik?
Data is the new goldmine for marketers. At GoKwik, we harness the power of data to make informed decisions and craft compelling brand campaigns. One vivid example from our playbook is how we tackled the checkout drop-off issue.
By diving into the data, we identified the pain points and revamped the checkout process. The result? A significant boost in conversion rates and a sharp drop in cart abandonment. This is the beauty of data—it gives you clear, actionable insights that drive real results. Not only this, we used AI and data-driven intelligence to analyse shopper behaviour patterns across multiple parameters and understood who is more likely to cancel a COD order before delivery, thus placing risk-based interventions, and minimising RTO (return to origin) for brands.
That’s what we do in our marketing too, balancing creativity with analytical reasoning. We continuously measure the impact of our marketing activities. For instance, we see the search volume of the brand keyword, advertising value equivalent of our media activities, channel-wise lead attribution, understanding of the impact of the events, social media activities and more. By doing a detailed analysis of the data across all touchpoints, we are able to double down on the strategies that have worked for us and relook at the ones that didn’t.
How do you approach the integration of new technologies and tools into the marketing processes while ensuring alignment with organizational goals and culture?
Integrating new technologies and tools is like upgrading your toolkit to build a more robust structure. At GoKwik, we start by ensuring that any new technology aligns with our overarching business goals. It’s about finding the right fit that adds value and complements our existing processes.
Cultural fit is a critical consideration. We evaluate whether the technology aligns with our organizational culture and whether it will be readily adopted by our team. To facilitate this, we involve key stakeholders from various departments in the decision-making process. This collaborative approach ensures that the new technology meets the needs of different teams and aligns with our overall goals.
Once a technology is selected, we implement it through pilot projects to test its effectiveness and gather feedback. Comprehensive training and ongoing support are provided to ensure smooth adoption and integration. We also continuously evaluate the performance of the technology to ensure it continues to meet our needs and drives our marketing objectives forward. This iterative process allows us to stay agile and adapt to new developments while maintaining alignment with our organizational goals and culture.
Drawing from your experience, what advice would you offer to young marketers for future-proofing their respective organizations?
Future-proofing your organization in today’s dynamic landscape requires a proactive and adaptable approach. My advice to young marketers is to embrace change wholeheartedly. Be open to new ideas and ready to pivot when necessary.
Continuous learning is your best ally. Keep upskilling and staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies. This not only enhances your capabilities but also empowers you to bring innovative solutions to your organization.
Data-driven decision-making is critical. Use data to understand your customers, optimize your strategies, and measure success. This approach provides a solid foundation for making informed choices and driving growth.
Stay customer-centric. Always put your customers at the heart of your marketing efforts. Understand their needs and preferences, and tailor your strategies accordingly. Building a strong emotional connection with your audience fosters loyalty and long-term success.
Foster a culture of innovation and experimentation. Encourage your team to try new approaches and learn from failures. This creates a dynamic environment where new ideas can flourish and drive the organization forward.
Finally, focus on building resilience. Develop strategies that can withstand market fluctuations and unforeseen challenges. By being adaptable, data-driven, and customer-focused, young marketers can future-proof their organizations and navigate the ever-evolving business landscape with confidence.
