Interview with Vinita Daki from Zycus

By Deepak Kanakaraju in Digital Marketing — Nov 27, 2020

Digital Marketing is an evolving space and it requires a sheer passion for this medium to produce successful strategies. In the past 15 years, Vinita had the opportunity to help brands and companies to build their digital footprints to constantly innovate and engage with the right audience. She currently manages a digital marketing team with a key focus on social media, blog and performance marketing at a B2B software company headquartered in the US. Running and marathon training, reading, poetry writing and cooking are a few of her hobbies and she takes a keen interest in fitness, travel, world cinema and photography. She is also a trained Kathak dancer. Further, Let us hear from her,

Hello and Welcome Vinita,

I think the most unique thing about my professional journey is that I aspired to become a journalist but became a Digital Marketing Consultant instead. I did not choose Digital, Digital marketing chose me. My first job interview changed everything. In the year 2006, I joined Communicate 2 as a copywriter but Vivek Bhargava, who was the CEO of Communicate 2 ( Now iProspect), gave me an opportunity to explore Google Adwords and pursue Pay per click advertising. Our batch also happens to be the second batch of GAP professionals in India. In those days there were hardly a handful of PPC agencies in Mumbai. Having worked as a PPC professional and working on search engines like Google, MIVA and Yahoo I developed a keen interest in the world of CTRs, CPMs and CPCs.

Two years later, I joined Web18, the online arm of Network18 group. This was a great learning curve for me as this is where I fell in love with websites, rich media banner advertising and launching innovative ads on portals like moneycontrol.com, ibnlive.com, cricketnext and in.com. In those three years, leading the Ad operations and collaborating with an excellent set of sales and marketing professionals, helped me in understanding the importance of customer engagement, data and web analytics and content marketing.

In 2010, my friend and ex-colleague from Web18, Arjun Chatterjee, offered me an opportunity to work with him for an assignment that required Social media expertise. To the client’s surprise, we delivered 2x outcome and that’s when I knew what I wanted to do next. My offer letter followed and we managed to grow Runtime Solutions from a 3-member team into a fun start-up of 25 young and talented design and marketing professionals in just 5 years. Accolades and recognition became a regular thing for the team. This journey will always be special for me as I realised my true potential and found my passion and made some amazing friends. It is a great feeling to build your own team and when your clients become your friends. I have enjoyed working with bigger brands and companies like Wizcraft, Tata Motors, Doordarshan, Times of India, Asian Paints, Mastek, Tata Global Beverages, NDTV Imagine, USAID and Viacom18 amongst others.

In 2015, I joined Capgemini’s Marketing and Creative Services team where I had an opportunity to lead the global thought leadership program for Sogeti which was headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In the three years, I launched the SogetiLabs website and built a strong presence on Social media platforms. It was a fun learning experience to lead this program and to work with technology experts across AI, Machine Learning, Software testing and collaborating with them to produce exclusive video and blog content for the web. The quarterly events across European cities helped me understand the international audience and strengthen my marketing skills.

In 2018, I joined Zycus as a part of the Marketing team and have been leading functions like Social media, Performance Marketing and Websites. Zycus has helped me polish my digital marketing tactics and enhance my understanding and knowledge of the B2B landscape. Having a supportive and young team has been a key driving factor in my growth at Zycus. My Linkedin Profile

According to you, what’s the best way to start the day?

I start my day with a nice short run or simply listening to instrumental music while doing some yoga stretches. I think meditating or exercising in the morning helps me plan my day better and charges me to take on the day with a positive spirit. Sometimes, I don’t even look at my phone for the first 1 hour when I wake up which helps in focussing on my priorities.

Who do you look up to? Who is or has been your inspiration?

I have always looked up to my father. He was a self-made, disciplined and a man of his words. He built his life with just 10 bucks in his pocket and dedicated most of his time in social work and helping the needy. As a kid, he inspired me and his invaluable teachings help me stay humble and grounded. I’ve seen him struggle yet never give up and that motivates me on my low days.

What makes digital marketing different from traditional marketing?

I think measurability and the fact that digital marketing is dynamic in nature. These two factors differentiate digital from traditional marketing. In digital, an advertiser can measure ROI on every dollar spent which is not possible in traditional formats of advertising. AI and programmatic advertising has changed the way advertisers engage with their target audience.

What are your three favourite digital marketing tools?

Social Media Marketing,
Robust SEO tools and
A world-class website top the list

whereas performance marketing, ABM, podcasts and vlogs have become necessary to tap in the potential customer as more and more people are spending time watching videos or listening to podcasts.

How would you define success in your career?

Success to me is when you are remembered and recognized for your work. I’d any day rate a client’s happy to note higher than any award trophy. As a marketeer, I’ve been lucky to have had worked with clients who trusted me with my ideas and strategy.

What is your biggest dream in life?

Well, dreams are dreams. Big or small. I want to do something constructive for the underprivileged in the edu-tech space which empowers them to become successful entrepreneurs. I think there is a lot of talent out there but they don’t have the right resources or knowledge to grow. If my experience and knowledge helps in any way, I’d definitely want to help. In the lockdown, I have been taking free online classes and mentoring a couple of students who have a keen interest in Digital Marketing but cannot afford the fees.

What’s worth spending more on to get the best?

It’s always worth spending more time on education and learning the right skills and staying up-to-date with the trends. Enhancing soft-skills can also help in long-term as great leaders are not made of great minds alone.

Lastly, would you like to say something to our readers?

As entrepreneurs, always invest in the right talent. Having a strong and supportive team is a great virtue and success will follow.

Thank you, we truly appreciate your valuable time spent with us.

Thank you so much!

Wishing you the best in all your future endeavours.

Cheers,

Deepak Kanakaraju