A Digital Media strategist Tanushree Radhakrishnan has spent 15+ years in this industry. She has been instrumental in driving the strategy for existing business and spearheading new business acquisitions. She had started her digital career with Webchutney.
In this StraightTalk with Medianews4u, Tanushree Radhakrishnan, Chief Operating Officer, LIQVD Asia speaks about her new role at LIQVD Asia and much more.
You have 15+ years’ experience in Media Agencies, can you take us through your journey?
It has been a long a fulfilling journey from being a CA aspirant to finally convincing my parents to go for an MBA and then eventually ending up as a digital media exponent over last 20 odd years. My tryst with the media industry started way back in 2005, when I got an opportunity to intern with Carat and that is where my love for media planning was seeded.
I started my career with Webchutney in 2005, I went on to work with 3 different managers, working on 3 business verticals simultaneously and that helped build a solid foundation for me. As an executive who took it on herself to do things on her own, derive propositions and drive business, grew my first client 10X in first year of the job, and get my first mid-term promotion and increment too. And this kick start early in my career helped me boost my confidence and go places across different organizations, in different roles and responsibilities.
Zenith (Zed Digital) happened in 2008 where I joined to set up the SEM arm. Working at Zenith gave me the exposure into display advertising and helped me build an integrated conversation with clients. Because of my extensive experience on SEM, I became the first choice of the management to set up Performics, the performance marketing arm for Zenith and that’s something I love flaunting till date; that I am the very first employee of Performics India.
My journey with Zenith/Performics lasted close to 6yrs and then I moved on to join MEC (Group M) as Head of Digital for North India. It was another fantastic stint with loads of new business pitches and phenomenal wins. Working at GroupM was a humbling experience and induced a lot of patience and processes into my veins.
After a few years I joined back at Performics to set up their programmatic division. At Performics it was a roller coaster ride yet again, moving from programmatic to heading strategy and then becoming a Managing Partner handling all India operations. And then life came a full circle when I became the Chief Digital Officer at Zenith.
Now with LIQVD Asia, how different will it be?
It’s different on many aspects. First of all, it’s something that I can call my own, and that was my biggest reason to take this plunge, the thought that I can be an entrepreneur and be part of a growth story of having created something beautiful and amazing. Secondly I have always worked with media agencies, crunching data and numbers, delivering ROI. While that aspect still continues, the charm of being able to control the entire consumer journey from creative to conversations to conversions is amazing. Our vision here is to provide solution to clients, irrespective of whether it entails creative or tech or media and that is a phenomenal space to be in. We believe that we have an idea at the core of everything we do and that makes everything a lot more efficient and effective.
Now with this COVID 19 crisis, and marketing budgets plummeting, how challenging is it going to be to strategise for your clients?
The spends have taken a hit and there definitely is a challenge in terms of making the best use of every penny invested, but that’s what we excel at. As mentioned earlier, we take pride in the fact that we have ideas at the core of everything, now the ideas we share have changed, based on the scenario and the consumer mindset, but we still continue to deliver. Brands, in certain categories, may not spend the way they used to before, but if we are able to show a business case and still help them make a buck, it always works.
Which were some of the important lessons that you brought from the previous organizations that is helping you in LIQVD ASIA
With every job, with every experience, with every interaction, you evolve as a person, so it’s really difficult to pinpoint and say what lessons from previous organisations are helping me here. It’s actually how those experiences or lessons have shaped me up as an individual both professionally and personally that comes into play. It’s the entire package of being who I am that’s helping me here at Liqvd Asia.
Who was your first or most significant mentor or teacher in the professional space? What specifically did you learn that has held you in good stead throughout?
I think it was my interaction with the founder of the company where I had started off my digital career, that really paved the way for me in this industry. I don’t think I probably would have been in the digital space had it not been for his perspective of the business. Having a vision and an action plan to deliver on the same, taking decisions on the fly and treating even the youngest/newest member of the team with respect, are some of the amazing traits that I remember of him.
Apart from being the young marketing veteran, you are…what are some other activities or hobbies that excite you? What are your weekends like?
I have got shocking responses from people who only knew me through work, about me being a painter because they can’t map the strategic thinker/numbers person to a free-flowing artist.
For me, unwinding is a very important aspect of work-life, and knowing how to do that has helped me do well in the most testing times of my career.
Travel makes a very big part of me and I believe that you shouldn’t just read about places, you should go and see them. This has helped me in understanding different people, cultures, and lifestyles and I have used this knowledge in my work in building consumer insights.
I’m into fitness, so I rarely miss my workout and weekends mostly turn out to be extended sessions of the same. A good workout, followed by a hearty home-cooked brunch, and then some painting is what I usually indulge in. During the evenings I try and catch up on some flick with my family.
2020 is gone, what is your plans for the next 3 years? What specifically do you want to achieve? Personally, and professionally?
That is true, I’ve written off 2020 too. I am usually not the kind of person who plans way into the future, I like to go with the flow. On the personal front, I am quite content with what I have in life, professionally I really want to make Liqvd Asia grow. I think if I were to establish LA as one of the best solution providers or marketing partners in the advertising industry and reach the magical number that I have in mind I would be good.
Talking about her new role, Radhakrishnan said, “‘I’m impressed with the vision and clarity of thought that LIQVD ASIA has and am really excited to join them. Having predominantly worked with media houses, LIQVD gives me an opportunity to look at the business through a different lens. I’m hoping to unleash my creative side, while using media values and principles to deliver the best-integrated solution to clients.”
