Being a huge ad tech enthusiast, I decided to join mediasmart Mobile as Marketing Manager in July 2021 for the INSEA region. Prior to my joining, I was very curious to comprehend how virtual onboarding would work, as there was a factor of familiarity with remote working but not with the remote joining process. The most exciting part of going all virtual was to set up my own office at home. The second most exciting part was to receive the brand new company goodies, laptop, stationery etc., and that also in a different city!
Little did I know that it would be an exhilarating experience for me. In the first few days, the onboarding process was quite smooth and more about face-to-face introductions with the team. This made me understand the team structure, key internal stakeholders, creative process and the business workflow. Soon after the introductions, I started to learn about the solutions which mediasmart provides to different advertisers, agencies and trade desks like Connected TVs, Household Sync, Drive-to-Store campaigns and Proximity Marketing. These solutions were so far ahead of the existing ones in the DSP business.
As I went through the product demo, mediasmart academy materials and finally got my hands on the product console, I slowly but surely started to understand how advertisers could create audiences based on user's location patterns, target them in the real world and measure the real impact of Drive-to-Store campaigns in terms of increased footfall to their stores. Then I learnt about how advertisers could reach their audience on Connected TVs along with increasing impact by syncing campaigns across household devices. These learnings were quite advanced yet blissful for me as I dug deeper into the product roadmap.
Another new thing for me was the people and the culture which made this product a success. I learnt about the basics of the Spanish language, got well-versed with cultural diversity and different time zones at the workplace. The biggest plus about working with cross-cultural teams here has been the openness to new marketing ideas, creativity and collaborative team efforts. It’s very important for me to work with passion and respect which goes along with the company values as well. Another thing that I have realized being here is that everyone in the team not only helps their teammates to succeed but also celebrates their achievements.
Great leaders make great teams! Speaking of which, Nikhil Kumar who is my immediate manager and Adriana Ullivarri who leads the Product Marketing responsibilities were there to guide me through the entire process, the technicalities of marketing role and requirements along with the expectations from me. With their guidance, it was easier for me to bifurcate in terms of what I have known from my previous experience, what I still need to explore and take on as a challenge for myself. The latter part always excites me and keeps me motivated, as for me it's very important to learn and evolve simultaneously.
I eventually started to get a hold of things and think of what kind of marketing campaigns, virtual events, branding and promotions I could do to make mediasmart the next big thing in the INSEA region. Then, I started to structure a plan of action for the current and upcoming quarters. Also, my manager gave me the freedom and motivation to ideate, have a creative approach and experiment to make things happen. I always wanted to be a part of such a team that promotes trust and confidence amongst their teammates. I believe that this has to happen during my stint at mediasmart because most companies only talk about entrepreneurship, but here if you possess “entrepreneurship by virtue” then it also leads to “entrepreneurship in action”.
