MAM
I’ve got the power
The free hand – a mythical concept which has been in existence ever since the term ‘management’ was invented by a group of orangutans figuring out how to nail a bunch of bananas (ok, I lied about the orangutan bit, but there were definitely some bananas involved). It is meant to be an empowerment tool that serves to motivate and nurture employees and prepare them to assume more responsibility. However the chances of this definition actually being implemented in the real world are as remote as the odds of the orangutans returning those bananas, even it there is a world famous card and a curvaceously crafted star actress being waved in their faces.
“Never trust boss who says the decision is your own, soon the issue will come back and you will cry and moan.” The high pitched, heavily accented oriental cackle, and Chai-La, the mystical Chinese tea boy, had disbursed his morning ascetic pearl into the unsuspecting ears of Ram Shankar, as always with the customary tea cup, nestled in Ram’s fingers.
Vikas (Ram’s boss) had been away, incommunicado for a week. The office speculation was that the (in) famous Russian pole dancer who he used to chat with, was in town and Vikas had felt it was an opportune moment to learn the ‘Russian tongue shuffle’. Thus, he had excused himself by saying it was merely a case of paying lip service to some pressing issues for a while (which it was) and had zoomed off into an unspecified direction leaving behind an excessively overburdened and outrageously confused Ram Shankar in his wake. His parting words to the young chap were, “Don’t wait to get in touch with me for any decisions, act like you are captain of the ship and just move ahead. I am backing you all the way.”
Those words, after rather lazily tracing some motivationally challenged, elliptically orbital paths in Ram’s mind, had settled and resonated in meaning, inflating Ram Shankar’s ego and chest dimensions almost to match those of his stomach. He felt wondrously alive and detected a distinct surge of electricity running through his veins making his hair stand on end, until he realized that he had absent mindedly inserted his pen into a three pin socket.
Nevertheless thus ‘charged’, he had attacked each day with a ferocity that would have done a pack of teen age girls entering a shoe sale proud. And the days, as also the various assignments, had zipped by.
When Vikas resumed, looking a little odd with puffed and bruised lips, the first thing that he did was ask for a status update with Ram. Ram felt, for once, that he was in for some praise. Everything over the last few days was running extremely smoothly.
“Things will change when boss is back, as things need to get back on track,” Chai-La’s sermon for the morning had Ram a little bewildered. What could possibly go wrong? He had performed a minor miracle over the week. Even PP (the creative director of the hideous moustache fame) had a few good things to say about him, and if you were in servicing that was as rare as a meeting ending without an exhortation for the need of ‘out of the box’ thinking.
“What has been the progress on the market research brief that we were supposed to initiate?” asked Vikas, scratching his head in a bellicose manner.
“Well the research has been initiated, it began three days ago,” answered an elated Ram.
“What?” screamed Vikas, touching the high octaves, causing an ageing Indian ex-captain to momentarily take his eyes off the ball and nick yet another one into the waiting slips.
“I only asked you to initiate a research brief.”
“But you told me to take decisions; I was in charge you said.”
“You don’t know the sensitivities on the account, now talk to the research agency and stop whatever has been initiated.
Figure out how the costs will be absorbed.”
“Don’t you even want to see what the brief was?”
“At my level, I don’t need to. I just can sense things becoming issues.”
Retorted Vikas, with his mood visibly uplifted. Ram felt his morale sag like the male interest in a Ms. World pageant after the swimsuit round is over.
“What about the new press ads needed for the Gujarat market? Can we see the creative? When are we looking at releases?”
Ram’s mood perked up again.
“We have already begun the campaign, one ad has already appeared and the others are due over the next few days.” Ram replied, beaming ear to ear like a reality show participant waiting for the audience vote to come in Vikas’s clapped his hand to his forehead and slumped back into his chair.
“Why do you take these decisions? How much do you know of the brand?”
“But I presented it to Mr. Bose (the client), he approved it, in fact he said this was the most incisive idea that the agency has created over the last year.”
“Mr. Bose wouldn’t know an idea if it stood up and slapped him, get PP over here.” Interrupted Vikas, then seeing PP pass by hailed him.
PP sunny disposition vanished the moment he set his eyes on Vikas.
“PP, our boy here…”
PP brightened and slapped Ram on the back, “has come a long way, I never knew he was that smart, he hardly gets in a word when you are there. He has helped create and sell some cracking work.”
Vikas was clearly unimpressed with the endorsement.
“I was going to say that he has caused enough mayhem and was going to tell you to stop work on the campaign, we will give you a new brief.”
“Why?” boomed PP, always eager to combat his nemesis.
“Because I head the account and it’s my call.”
“Its better for the account when you are away, take leave more often.”
“This account is with this agency because of the relations that I enjoy at the client end. I have the final say on everything!”
They were standing toe to toe, just when the referee, oops sorry, the President motioned them both into his room in a manner that meant that the rest of the afternoon was gone.
“I want all the releases stopped by the time I get back, also you better reverse all the bright decisions you have taken when I was away,” hissed Vikas, closely resembling an extremely agitated viper as he left the cubicle.
PP offered Ram a sympathetic smile, and a wink of encouragement.
Ram sat in his chair, a little stunned by the course of events. His brain seemed to have shut down. He was trying to contemplate what all he would need to do to reverse the ‘Vikas effect’ and the ramifications on his esteem and his job list were immense.
“Never take decision when boss is away, when he is back he will make you pay,” those wise words of wisdom, the express delivery of the teacup and Chai-La had vanished into a page of a textbook on empowerment that was lying on Ram’s table. The page was titled. “How to use empowerment to keep subordinates motivated.”
Brands
Aviva India appoints Harshit Agrawal as head of marketing
Former Clix Capital marketing head to steer brand strategy and growth
MUMBAI: Aviva India has appointed Harshit Agrawal as head of marketing, bringing on board a seasoned marketer with more than 15 years of experience across financial services, digital agencies and brand strategy.
Agrawal joins the life insurance company after a nearly five-year stint at Clix Capital, where he served as head of marketing. In that role, he led the company’s brand repositioning as an MSME-focused NBFC and oversaw a wide marketing mandate spanning brand strategy, PR, omni-channel platforms, social media, SEO and high-performance media.
During his tenure, Clix Capital saw a strong digital push, including a 200 per cent rise in annual website traffic and a significant reduction in customer acquisition costs. He also played a key role in the firm’s digital transformation initiatives, helping design digital journeys for its personal loan business.
Before Clix Capital, Agrawal was head of marketing at Muthoot Fincorp, where he managed integrated marketing campaigns across the Muthoot Pappachan Group’s financial and non-financial businesses. His work ranged from rolling out a nationwide CRM platform to managing ATL and BTL campaigns, brand ambassador-led advertising and large-scale sponsorships, including those linked to the IPL.
Earlier in his career, Agrawal worked with digital agencies including BC Web Wise and Dentsu Webchutney, where he handled digital strategy and online marketing campaigns for brands such as Hero MotoCorp, SanDisk and Bharti Airtel.
Alongside his corporate career, he also co-founded SRB Automotive, where he has been involved in running one of Central India’s long-standing fuel stations, focusing on customer data analytics and service excellence.
Commenting on the appointment, Aviva India MD and CEO Asit Rath said, “At Aviva, we are on a journey of transformation, building a progressive, customer-first brand that moves beyond conventional marketing. Harshit’s contribution will be instrumental in elevating our marketing capabilities and strengthening our position as a future-ready organisation.”
Sharing his thoughts on the new role, Harshit Agrawal said, “Aviva has always stood out as a progressive organisation, constantly evolving with new innovations and a forward-looking strategy. It inspires me to build on this momentum, moving beyond traditional approaches to create campaigns that resonate with customers, elevate the brand, and reflect Aviva’s shift from protection to prevention. I look forward to shaping an impactful marketing narrative that drives trust, engagement and sustainable growth.”
Agrawal holds an executive management programme certification in sales and marketing leadership from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow and is also a certified CFA. At Aviva India, he will lead the company’s marketing strategy and brand initiatives as it looks to deepen customer engagement in an increasingly competitive insurance market.
