MAM
Brands need to keep the customers at the centre: Ray Velez
VARCA: At Goafest 2013, Razorfish chief technology officer Ray Velez explained how a company should organise a brand around the consumer by busting silos and applying the principles of agile development across one‘s business.
“A brand should always keep his customer at the center. One‘s organisation must be structured around the customer that will in a way help in building relationship with him. A marketer should plan his strategy based on the data from the actual customer activity and also understand that customer will give a feedback whether you like it or not,” he said, while talking about the five principles one should embrace in order to evolve their business to deliver new customer experience.
He also said a marketer should measure the data and see how to maintain the interactivity with the costumer. “Think of your brand as a service,” he emphasised.
He added that a customer should be serviced well so that he comes back. One needs to fulfill consumer needs which will henceforth enhance customer relationship and deliver happiness. Loyal customers buy 75 per cent more than the others, Velez mentioned.
Velez also added about how to thrive in our age of disruption. He highlighted on how the lines have blurred with technology, media, and creativity coming together, and how this shift is revolutionising marketing and business strategy.
“Convergence of technology, media and creativity allow you to imagine, create, and enable customer experience like never before. Media allows a two way communication through a hash tag which is a way for a customer to talk back. Creativity can come from anywhere and everywhere. And these are the provisions that technology provides,” he said.
Vezel believes that it‘s all about telling a brand story and providing an experience in a whole new way.
“Simple plug in buttons such as Facebook‘s “Like” and “Share,” Google‘s “+1,” and Twitter‘s “Tweet” and “Follow” dramatically lower the barrier to users sharing content from one‘s site out to their entire social graph,” he added.
Social cloud services provide digital experiences or web properties with the ability to connect up with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Microsoft and other social services.
These services come in the form of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that a technologist can integrate. Whether a digital experience is a mobile application or a traditional desktop site, these APIs are available.
According to Velez, one should create a 360 degree view of the consumer with analysing his media exposure, offline consumer data and the website behavior. ‘Data is something which tells you what your customer wants. Also, employ agile methodology and rapid prototype,” Velez said.
Velez said that one needs to embrace the diversity of culture and other diversities in order to deliver new customer experience. He picked a statement from Frans Johansson‘s book The Medici Effect saying, “When you step into an intersection of field, disciplines of culture, you can combine existing concepts into a large no. of extraordinary new ideas”.
Brands
Sony Pictures Networks India names Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships & key network initiatives
Aneja takes charge to deepen agency ties and boost revenue across Spni channels
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India has appointed Shruti Aneja as lead – agency partnerships, signalling a fresh focus on closer collaboration with advertising agencies and a sharper push for revenue growth across its channel portfolio.
In her new role, Aneja will chart strategic engagement with agencies, unlock new revenue streams, and nurture long-term partnerships. Her mission includes driving sales performance, adding value for clients, and delivering inventive solutions for advertisers — cementing Spni’s position as a preferred media partner.
Aneja brings over 12 years of experience with Spni, having risen through the ranks from manager to associate vice president. She has led high-performing sales teams across key clusters including sony hindi gec, free-to-air channels, and english entertainment channels like pix, axn and bbc earth.
Her track record includes driving integrated ad sales for popular shows such as Celebrity MasterChef, Indian Idol and Superstar Singer, pioneering first-time brand integrations, and repositioning channels for maximum impact in both urban and rural markets.
Aneja’s approach combines content-first thinking with solution-led selling, focusing on empathy, insight and storytelling that resonates with audiences and brands alike. Colleagues praise her knack for building trust with agencies and clients while spotting innovative ways to convert ideas into revenue.
With this appointment, Spni aims to strengthen its agency relationships and continue delivering compelling advertising solutions that combine creativity with performance.
