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Tag: Rajan Narayan

  • Rajan Narayan is known by industry peers for his quick turnarounds and is a part of several growth stories

    Thoughtblurb appoints Rajan Narayan as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    thought blurb, a Mumbai-based full service design and advertising agency appointed Rajan Narayan as its Chief Executive Officer. Rajan Narayan is an experienced communications professional and has worked on several national and global brands at FCB Ulka, McCann Erickson, Young & Rubicam, Lintas, Ogilvy & Matter and Business India Group at leadership positions for over 20 years. He was the President and CEO for Quadrant before taking over the mantle at thought blurb.

     

    Rajan Narayan’s appointment marks a new phase of accelerated growth at thought blurb. The agency steered by Vinod Kunj has been associated with an impressive portfolio brands including Reliance Industries Ltd, Godrej & Boyce, Morarka Organics, Abad Group, Synthite Industries, LG Mobiles, Huawei India, MTS, Viacom 18, Union KBC, ICICI Prudential, Baskin Robbins, Kelachandra Group, etc. in the last eight years since it was established. The agency has created a niche for itself in strategy and design led communications.

     

    Commenting on his appointment at thought blurb, Rajan Narayan said, “It is exciting to drive the growth of thought blurb. I believe that it is an opportune time for us at thought blurb as we have proved our strengths. My mandate to take thought blurb to its next level of growth trajectory will also be aided by the growing awareness on the importance of strategy and design among the marketers. The team at thought blurb is hungry to do much more”.

     

    Rajan Narayan is known by industry peers for his quick turnarounds and is a part of several growth stories. Besides, he is an Electrical Engineering graduate from Manipal Institute who has written a novel – The Lonely Cloud which is based on a love story.

     

    Announcing the appointment, Vinod Kunj, Managing Partner, thought blurb said, “Author, App developer, advertising man. An extremely interesting person with a well rounded approach to work and life, Rajan is just the kind of guy to lead a bunch of interesting, quirky, creative minds at thought blurb. I know Rajan from the days we worked together at Lintas more than 15 years ago. Then as now, he is an exacting professional with an intuitive knowledge of communication and brands. With his experience and expertise, Rajan will work closely with the various branches and divisions to usher in the next level of growth for thought blurb”.

     

  • It is possible that Digital inIndiamay follow the West and completely overtake traditional media. It is also possible that like Retail inIndia, it may never take off beyond a limited scope, says Rajan Narayan

    The Anchor: Rajan Narayan on 5 reasons why ‘Digital’ isn’t the only way forward

    By Rajan Narayan

     

    1. Data says so

    Yes, digital advertising is growing rapidly at 28 per cent but then its base is small at Rs7.7 bn and surprisingly despite print and TV being more than 13 times the size of digital advertising, both are clipping at 14 per cent growth rates with Radio matching digital advertising in size and growth. The traditional media will still account for more than 75 per cent of the industry in 2015. (Source: The PWC report on India Entertainment and Media 2011)

     

    2. TV and print still reaches out to many more people than digital

    TV/Print/Radio reach 57/20/18 per cent of India’s total population. Internet is at just 3 per cent. Even in urban India penetration for TV/P/R/I is loaded against digital at 82/36/22/9 per cent. (Source IRS 2011 Q4)

     

    3. Every medium plays a unique role that is irreplaceable

    Try reading from a laptop on your hammock, or keep your family glued for 3 hours around your tablet. And we won’t discuss what to read in the loo here. Got the picture? Our habits are so deeply entrenched within us that changing it would mean re-ordering the entire process. Much easier to stick to the habit. Digital is creating new habits but not at the cost of others. Digital is very personal: It’s you and your pc/tablet/laptop/phone connected to the world. By that very reason the sender is made physically lonely. On the other hand, a theatre or your TV is media that bring the world to you and your dear ones to share simultaneously. Here your happiness is multiplied by the shared joy of your close ones. A sensation digital can never replicate.

     

    4. People consume digital differently from other media

    The big plus about digital is its interactivity. It’s the place where you put out your ideas and share things. But where do you get the stuff in the first place? From other media! The songs you like you first hear over the radio, the films you watch on the big screen, the game and contest you follow on TV. You then download or share this on the digital platform. So there are these two roles of media: one that gives you the information and another where you put out what you like. Put in which will remain largely traditional and put out media which is and will largely be digital.

     

    5. The idea of the brand is what people connect with; the medium is created to serve this end

    The start of the American War of Independence was spread to hundreds of thousands of people in the course of one single night. The medium? Word of mouth. The medium had nothing to do with the speed at which the message spread. It was the message itself that was galvanizing enough to get people to ride and walk hundreds of kilometres to spread it. The message was Liberty. WOM is still what sells iphones and ipads in a single night!  Never confuse the medium for the message. ‘Let’s do a viral!’ is the wrong way to begin digital activity. Choose digital if it is the most cost efficient or most penetrating of media among your consumers. Keep in mind that no medium can help a weak message.

     

    These views have a current context and a three-year horizon. It is possible that Digital in India may follow the West and completely overtake traditional media. It is also possible that like Retail inIndia, it may never take off beyond a limited scope. Or India may yet surprise us by evolving an entire new method of consuming media unlike anything the World has seen. Wait for the magic to unfold.

     

    Rajan Narayan is President, Quadrant Communications

     

  • Where else are the essentials of a brief: the product, the TG and the market in one place says Rajan Narayan

    7 Days to Go-Goafest: Rajan Narayan on why Goafest is a hub of creativity

    By Rajan Narayan

     

    Because our clients do not allow us to say interesting things on their behalf.

     

    Because where else would you find people who’ve chucked high paying jobs for peanuts?

     

    Because Goa is far, far better than Gokul. Because we’re too honest to do financial scams.

     

    Because Cannes is beyond reach.

     

    Because we aren’t dull boys.

     

    Because where else are the essentials of a brief: the product, the TG and the market in one place?

     

    Because even if we don’t have a heavy bank balance or a heavy address at least we’ll have a heavy brass trophy.

     

    Because it’s a low-cost, self-paying method for the big seths of advertising to humour their underlings.

     

    Because only so many drunks will listen to the gyan of old men.

     

    Because client deadlines can wait at least one weekend in a year.

     

    Because we need better memories than staring bleakly as our best ideas are thrashed about by lesser men.

     

    Because if not an award, at least there’s a chick waiting in the white sands of Goa.

     

    Because in one shot, in one place we can show our peers, our metal.

     

    Because pure art needs a gallery.

     

    Because there are only some who’ll get it.

     

    Because we want to spend some time with people with our abilities and frailties.

     

    Because if a salesman and a banker can get an award, we can too.

     

    Because we need to do a pilgrimage at least once a year.

     

    Because even if no one cares and no one applauds our work, it should not mean that we can’t.

     

    Because indeed, we’re worth every bit of it.

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories