"Keeping our audience engaged is the biggest challenge"

How are the young, 30-something foot soldiers of the ad-media space coping? Our series 'Anonymous Angst' explores the underbelly.

This is the view of a 30-year-old, with 10 years of experience in the marketing world. He presently works as a client servicing director at a Delhi-based, mid-sized marketing agency. 

He says that these days, "I have daily calls with all my clients."

"If any situation were to occur, an in-person casual discussion would be enough to solve it."  

But, things aren’t the same anymore. 

How has the ongoing health and financial crisis affected your work? 

The current situation is truly unprecedented. In my 10-year-long career, I have never dealt with a work-from-home (WFM) situation. 

Coordinating from home is a challenge for everyone, but technology makes it easier. Video conferencing has made it easier to keep everyone in the loop. I’m missing a work desk, or workstation, set up at home, which is quite common in the US and UK. 

The focus of the brands has suddenly shifted from being ATL & BTL to more digital. Keeping our audience engaged in times like these is the biggest challenge. But we’re overcoming it, one day at a time.

What worries/scares you most?

The uncertainty on how the market will react post the lockdown is worrying all brands across categories. This will impact the targets for the next year and the growth of the brands, and have a trickle-down effect on the advertising industry. 

The major worry I see is, brands trying to play it safe during these tough times and not spending much on marketing. This will affect the advertising industry badly.