MxMIndia

Tag: Relative Values

  • MxMIndia spoke to two brothers who are different in many ways but pooled in their strengths to start a digital agency – TonicMedia

    Relative Values | Brothers in Biz: Samir and Chetan Asher

    Every Friday, MxM takes you beyond our regular news and look at the people in the business of media and marketing. So on the first Thursday of every month, we have a section titled ‘RELATIVE VALUES’ featuring siblings, parents-children, cousins etc who may be working in the same or allied sectors of media, advertising and marketing.

     

    This first Friday, we met Samir and Chetan Asher of digital agency TonicMedia.

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    “Our differences have made the working relationship healthier”

    Siblings taking over or starting a venture together isn’t something out of the blue. There are numerous cases where siblings have gotten together in the world of business. While there are cases of family feuds, many have survived to carry on a legacy or to leave a mark of their own.

     

    One likes DJing and the other can’t stand loud music. Well, like no two fingerprints are alike, most siblings aren’t same as pods of peas. MxMIndia spoke to two such brothers who are different in many ways but pooled in their strengths to start a digital agency – TonicMedia.

     

    “I was already into SEO (search engine optimization) & internet marketing, helping agencies/websites in Europe increase their online presence, Chetan being the writer, used to help me with content. He used to work with Indiatimes managing short code 8888. “As it says on our website Tonic started out as a single PC for a workstation on a rainy day back in June, 2005. We knew it was time for the world to get a shot of Tonic,” says Samir Asher, COO of the company.

     

    The company executes idea across media, mobile and interactive. With change as a constant parameter in the digital industry, it constantly tracks global trends and adapting it to benefit their clients.

     

    Different work backgrounds, different likes and dislikes, so how do they manage intellectual and business differences? According to both, what has worked so far for them is the fact that most are ‘different’. “There are always differences, and that makes the working relationship healthy. Samir being the technology brain looks at a project differently from what I would perceive and in the process we have our constant debates. I always put creative / design first and he puts tech / backend first. But that ultimately leads to better execution and helps achieve client’s objectives,” explains Chetan Asher, CEO of the company.

     

    Samir further adds, “I would call it ‘sharing” instead of interference. We both discuss and share our ideas to archive the best outcome.”

     

    But how to they keep work-personal life balance? “Being entrepreneurs we need to be always connected. Also the digital media scenario is so dynamic that agencies today have to work in a 24/7 environment. We have managed to plan and organize to achieve a balance. And not just for us but for the entire team at Tonic we want a healthy work-personal life balance and it’s an ongoing process to plan, organize and better it,” says Chetan.

     

    As working partners, the two have grown as individuals too. “As brothers it hasn’t changed much. I’m still that brother who will ensure your PC would never work if you trouble my brother. But as partners we understand each other a lot better than we used to do before. We have both learnt from each other immensely and have grown closer running tonic together,” concludes Samir.

     

  • Sanjoy and Samyak Chakrabarty talk about life's teachings

    Relative Values | More like friends: Sanjoy and Samyak Chakrabarty

    Every Thursday, MxM will take you beyond our regular news and look at the people in the business of media and marketing. So on the first Thursday of every month, we will have a section titled ‘RELATIVE VALUES’ featuring siblings, parents-children, cousins etc who may be working in the same or allied sectors of media, advertising and marketing.

     

    This Thursday, Sanjoy and Samyak Chakrabarty talk about life’s teachings. A child’s first and greatest teachers are none other than his/her parents. And since yesterday was Teachers’ Day, we spoke to a father-son duo to understand how one has been able to shape each others lives.

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Samyak and Sanjoy Chakrabarty

    Zenith Optimedia’s managing partner Sanjoy Chakrabarty is a well-known name in the media fraternity and his son Samyak Chakrabarty made headlines when he became Chief Youth Marketer at DDB Mudra Max and Managing Director at Electronic Youth Media Group at the tender age of 18.

     

    Both belong to the media industry, though there is a difference between what they do, but when asked if his father influenced his choice about entering the same field, Samyak recalls, “I have learnt the ropes through my father and my first orientation into the media industry was through him since I would keenly follow the work he does and I even got a chance from a very young age to interact with his colleagues from whom I got to learn a lot as well. Also I got to learn that working in the media is more of a state of mind than just a mere mechanical profession.”

     

    Over the years, their relationship has matured and now they are more like friends. “We share a good healthy relationship wherein we are open to listening to each other’s point of views and thoughts. And whenever he seeks views on his new personal ventures, we do chat. Otherwise no work-related discussion,” says Sanjoy.

     

    However, Samyak does feel that it is his father’s goodwill in the industry which gave him a push initially. “It is only later that I started building my own contacts since I have always been taught that being self-sufficient is more sustainable and would help me command more respect.”

     

    So, what is one big lesson he has learnt from his father? “It has to be that I and my approach to what I do must evolve with time along with always having a strong value proposition to offer so that I am able to maintain demand for me/my product in the constantly changing market,” says Samyak proudly.

     

    And like any other father, Sanjoy too has big dreams for his son. “He has very strong leadership skills, is intelligent, a go-getter, and he has enterprise. He is going to be very successful very soon.”