“I think personalized data-driven marketing is going to be an essential differentiator for brands in the future.”
Diptii Tiiku is recognized for her exceptional contribution of 18+ years in the field of marketing. Her contribution to the industry has turned marketing into a powerful revenue-driving force for enterprises and startups across North America, EMEA, and APAC.Truly being one of the driving forces, Diptii Tiiku proudly participated and was among the other speakers at Plug and Play Tech Center where she was also announced as the winner of the startup pitch 2018.Diptii is all set to be among the list of inspiring women from the marketing and communication industry. Playing the role as the Senior Director Marketing for one of the leading companies in New York, RIDECELL, she is well evolved to accelerate the services with her innovative ideas. One aspect of her innovation involves the reintroduction of the imaginative genre of ‘marketing’ to the small and large groups of community members and professionals. She also provided marketing thought leadership to key countries in Asia. During her tenure with Standard Chartered, the team under her leadership won the ‘Most Innovative Digital Campaign’ award. Apart from serving in the industry, Diptii is also an active volunteer at Isha Foundation, founded by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. She believes in raising human consciousness and fosters global harmony through individual transformation.
There are many skills one can learn to be a good marketer. But in my opinion, the one thing that makes a great marketer is ‘customer-obsession.’ Whether you want to attract, engage or retain customers, you have to uncover their innate needs, understand what motivates them, and what drives their purchase decision. The importance of customer research cannot be understated. Also, great marketers need strong story selling skills to craft messaging that is easy to understand, relatable and helps customers connect with the brand.
What are the different types of marketing strategies one uses in a business especially during these covid times?
The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global locked down changed the lives of consumers and businesses alike. Businesses scrambled to distribute their goods and services in new ways. And marketers had to step back, rethink, and adapt their marketing strategies to address the change in consumer behavior
The fear of crowding and social contact altered the purchase behavior of consumers. The discovery, evaluation, and purchase of products and services are now mostly done online. So, it has become imperative to have digitally-minded business and marketing models. From a marketing mix standpoint, digital channels with the most significant increase in consumption include mobile, social media, and video, so companies need to modify their media mix appropriately. For B2B companies, with in-person events canceled and with most of the sales cycle taking place digitally or in a remote setting, content marketing has become even more crucial in building and fortifying trust with customers and prospects. Also, there is now a renewed focus on brand experience. Health and safety have emerged as the key differentiator for brand experience during these covid times, even for industries that traditionally did not market themselves in that space–auto businesses, hospitality, or even bricks-and-mortar retail. From fully sanitized hotel rooms to no-contact test drives and no-contact service appointments, brands need to adapt to include these experiences as part of their marketing strategy.
How is the India market different from the US market?
Here are some key differences that I’ve observed working in both markets
American companies tend to have a flat hierarchy structure, unlike Indian companies. There is less focus on superiority, and everyone has a voice irrespective of seniority. This tends to create a more healthy working environment. On the flip side, sometimes this leads to diffusion of responsibility. Communication style also varies significantly. In the US, it’s more straightforward, concise, and explicit, while in India, it tends to be indirect, authoritarian, and implied. Written communication tends to mirror the verbal communication style with direct asks, agreed actions, outcomes, and deliverables. Lastly, from a work-life balance perspective, western countries certainly lay a premium on their time and strike a better balance between work and personal commitments.
What role do you think marketing communications should play in the future?
I think personalized data-driven marketing is going to be an essential differentiator for brands in the future. Marketers already have tools and technologies at their disposal today to collect and analyze customer data. A one-size-fits-all messaging will increasingly get replaced with personalized targeting in a more meaningful way. And marketers will need to rely on advanced AI capabilities to sort through all the data and connect disparate data sets to enable personalized offerings and real-time experiences that customers demand.
In the marketing industry, women are generally under-represented as keynote speakers at conferences – what do you think can be done to address this imbalance?
There is no denying that the representation of women as speakers and panelists at conferences and summits is low across most industries. And while there is some change happening, unfortunately, it hasn’t been fast enough. To address this imbalance, conference organizers need to consciously look outside their immediate networks and set diversity goals on the conference agenda. Organizations can also take active steps to encourage women executives and leaders to be the voice of the company. Highlighting women in company news, blogs, press releases, and webinars provides an opportunity for conference organizers to find them. I’ve been an active speaker at conferences and tradeshows, and what has worked for me is simply asking to be the spokesperson for the company. As women, we tend to shy away from exerting our credentials and asking for speaking opportunities. Do your research–identify events where you’d like to speak and their speaking submission timelines. Get help with drafting submission abstracts. If submissions require sponsorship, again, just ask your organization. They might be willing to sponsor you as part of a learning and development initiative. And lastly, what’s helped me is networking and attending meetups. It’s a great way to build new connections, become known, and see what opportunities are out there.
What do you think young women entering the marketing communications field should know? What advice do you have for them?
Don’t be afraid to try new things and new roles — especially early on in your career. This will give you some perspective on yourself and what you actually want to do before you settle into a career path. Also, remember that you will need to be a lifelong learner and keep growing your skills. Dive into opportunities when they present themselves because they will be great learning opportunities for you. And be an avid reader to keep up with technology and trends by reading various publications and networking with colleagues.
