Staying relevant and performing consistently key to my success: Sahil Shah

Shah, EVP, Operations & Media, WATConsult, shares his experiences and learnings as he completes 10 years at WATConsult

e4m by Noel Dsouza
Published: Jul 19, 2019 8:20 AM  | 5 min read
Sahil Shah

In an era where ad experts are shifting from one agency to another, Sahil Shah, VP, Media and Operations West, WATConsult, has been able to thrive in one place.  Today he commemorates his 10-year anniversary at the digital marketing agency WATConsult. His first-ever campaign was for Sony Music India in 2009, and he has created many impactful campaigns in the social media space since then. We at exchachange4media spoke to Shah on completing this milestone journey.

His entry into the advertising industry and the first campaign he worked on
I moved to Mumbai in 2006 for further studies and while completing my graduation, I fell in love with the world of advertising and marketing. I was very strong-headed about moving into advertising as a career in spite of having a well-established family business to look after. Although I knew what I wanted to do; how I wanted to do was still a question. After multiple failures at figuring out the 'how' I stumbled upon a magazine with its cover shouting out loud- 'Social Media for Brands is the Next Big Thing'. The next thing I did was to find top social media agencies in Mumbai on Google. I applied to all and got a call only from WATConsult, met Rajiv for a 50-sec interview and got hired. Rest is history.

The same magazine that left me a trail to join WATConsult, honoured me with the prestigious ‘Impact 30 Under 30’ title in 2018, and today with you guys again, I am doing this interview. Very uncanny!

The first campaigns that I had worked on was for Sony Music India. It was for the launch of Shakira’s latest album, ‘Shewolf’ in 2009. We came up with an ambush-ish marketing strategy where we took over famous monuments in India; superimposed Shewolf’s paw marks on them and leaked these images online to tease people into a Shewolf coming to India. It was very early days of social media and online PR, but the campaign did earn us a lot of appreciation from the client, industry and general people alike.

On completing a milestone of 10 years with WATConsult. His views on ad agency people moving from one agency to another rather than sticking to one.
As I reflect, I think the key to achieving such a milestone was by staying relevant and performing consistently.

People have asked me as to why I stayed with one single agency for so long. And my answer to it is that I didn’t. WATConsult over the last 10 years has transformed; from being a 5 people start-up trying to make a name for itself to scaling into an excited team of 25 odd people to being a mid-size social media agency turning a lot of heads and now one of the leading creative digital agencies in India, a lot has changed. So yes, I did change agencies, had unique experiences in different timeframes of my career, but by being in one agency. 

On the digital campaigns, he has worked on
There have been a lot of campaigns across different teams that I have been involved in. A few select ones are close to my heart as they are new, next and never been done before. Right from building a dynamic content platform which made students fall in love with a boring subject like chemistry, to executing the first calendar app-based notification campaign that drove tune-ins for a sports channel. From getting sales on Amazon by leveraging an insight of phonetically influenced keywords and a neuroscience-based study that takes the planning of digital creatives to the next level. 

How the agency helped him grow and his involvement in the growth of WATConsult
The opportunities for growth have been immense and to that effect, I have always considered myself an entrepreneur inside the agency. For instance, I joined WATConsult as a social media executive back in the day and currently I lead a significant part of the organisation as a EVP of Operations & Media for its PAN India business.

What I bring to the table is a balance of creative plus business mindset and I guess that’s worked for me to address a client’s need for scaling their business as well as winning accolades by doing it in the most creative way possible. While doing so, I’ve gained a lot of invaluable experience, which I only would have dreamt of in my early days. All in all, WATConsult has given me a platform where opportunities of scaling were immense from day one and I hope to have played a part in where the agency is today.

Learnings from a decade of experience at WATConsult
A lot of what I’ve learnt is thanks to all the people I have worked with or currently do. Fellow WATizens, clients, folks at DAN and the entire advertising fraternity: Everything I am today, I owe it to you all.

 

 


 

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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