VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1, DEC -2016
#InterView
PAGE 9
SHOBITH SHETTY
PGDM 2015-17
Till
a few months back digital marketing was only a buzzword and it began and ended for us at Google ad
-words and SEO. This was until Harsha came to teach us about Digital Marketing. From being com-
plete Noobs to having a 360 degree level of understanding of what encompasses digital marketing; Harsha was
able to do it all. However, I felt there is still some more insights that can be learnt. So I caught up with him for
a quick interview for DYNAMISM(E) .
Shobith: What is your definition of Digital Marketing ?
Harsha : ‘Digital’ Marketing is a bit of a misnomer, more of an industry term borne out of repeated usage. I
would define it more in the following way. A brand or an organization that has a marketing objective now has
yet another channel by which it can achieve these objectives, namely the digital (or online) channel. The beau-
ty of digital is that it itself, is comprised of several sub-channels such as owned media, earned media(e.g. social
channels) and paid media (e.g. online ads)
Shobith : How does one join a Digital Marketing Agency ?
Harsha : By applying for a position! And clearly demonstrating a desire to become a
practitioner of medium.
Shobith: What skills is an interviewer looking for in a potential candidate?
HARSHA D
Founder, AdVerb Inc.
Harsha : This depends on the level of the position that the candidate is being inter-
viewed for. For any role, I would repeat, demonstrated keenness to be a digital mar-
keter still makes a big difference to a recruiter. For more experienced hires, based
on what department the candidate is interested in (media, content, design, analyt-
ics), the recruiter would look for a well-entrenched professional who has actually
worked in that area and also knows what it takes to stay updated (since this medi-
um is evolving so rapidly). For a medium that is relatively in its infancy, knowledge of
theory helps but gives no major advantage.
Shobith : Is being creative a very important part for all roles in organization ?
Harsha : Yes it is and we all fall into the common fallacy of assuming that creativity is the domain of the people
employed in the creative department. The reality is this: People work to solve someone else’s problem - a per-
son, an organization, a brand. If the problem didn’t exist, then there would be no work at all. The person who
finds the best way to solve that problem is the most employable. The finding of the best way is creativity. And
‘best’ can be ‘more efficient (process)’, ‘nicer looking (design)’ or ‘lower battery consumption (R&D)’.
Shobith : What do you enjoy most and dislike most about working in Digital Marketing ?
Harsha: What I enjoy most is that unlike traditional marketing, Digital is comprised of so many sub-elements
with so many different nuances. So as one learns more, one becomes more muti-faceted inherently. I can’t say I
dislike anything about digital marketing; it has a science, it has processes and it has creativity - I love it.
Shobith : How was your first Digital Marketing JOB ? and what has changed since then ? and what changes
do you foresee ?
Harsha : (On his First Digital Marketing Job) My first digital marketing job was with a start-up in 2000 and it was
interesting to try and fit my earlier media planning experience into this new uncontrolled animal called ‘the
web’. But it worked out. (On what has changed since he began) Marketing on the Internet or the Web or New media
or Online or Digital has taken more shape, become more malleable, more influenceable over the last 15 years
and more multi-faceted, giving rise to an ecosphere of highly relevant skills. Because digital is so utility based,.
(On what he foresees) I foresee more attention being paid to technologies, processes and creative ideas that are
aligned with how we actually behave and want things to behave.