COO MEDIA TRUST, ABHAY DESAI EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
BUREAUCRACY IS TOUGH BUT MORE TOUGH IS MEDIA MARKETING THESE DAYS -DISAGREE THEN DO READ THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW OF DAILY TRUST MD ABHAY DESAI
COO MEDIA TRUST, ABHAY DESAI EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OUR EDITOR
Media Marketing is not a cup of tea for everybody and there are few who really lives up to it and excel even internationally and Abhay is one of them ,come know more about Abhay Desai ,COO OF MEDIA TRUST ,the publishers of international daily newspaper “The Daily Trust” in a chitchat with our Editor Tarun Sharma.
Editor: Please tell us something about your current role as a MD of Daily Trust.
AD: This is an interesting role “it’s basically two positions rolled into one so I am the COO of Media Trust and also function as the MD, the role puts me in charge of operations, revenues, profitability and the value we create both financially and in terms of business for the stake holders”.
Editor: You had been from an engineering background how did media marketing happened.
AD: Pure Accident or can I put it as immaturity of the youth, I was working in Pune for Piaggio then the need to grow took me to Eicher Motors in Indore (Pithampur) as a part of their marketing department responsible for thier HCV project, “I must admit I was pleased as then Eicher was considered as a premier automobile company, but I wasn’t prepared for what I met there, the marketing office was in the factory and adhered to factory timings imagine reaching office at 7 am wearing a boiler suit uniform !” Also Indore wasn’t exactly a progressive town, finding a place to let your hair down was next to impossible, so basically the young me got very very bored. “As luck may have it the Marketing Director from Piaggio had joined HT as thier Marketing Director and while speaking to him he mentioned he would love to have someone like me in his team”. I did not have the job but I packed my bags put them in my car and drove to Delhi.
Editor: Being from Pune you spent a lot of time in Delhi how did you filled up the culture and language gap in Delhi during your work span with India Today Group.
AD :I think Delhi is a brilliant place to be in, it’s a heady mixture of smartness, heart and brawn, I strongly feel that living in Delhi shaped me as a complete individual, must admit it was difficult to understand the very Delhi over the top marriages and spending (especially coming from a sedate Pune) but hey once you understand why it’s done you love it. To me Delhi is straight from the heart.” I have the best and worst experiences with Delhiwallahas but hey you will always find jerks around the world, it’s important to remember the good people because they are rare”.
4.What according to you are the important aspects which are required to become a successful media marketeer.
AD:” Build strong and honest relationships, always remember ideas have more value than just servicing”.
Editor: What are your Hobbies and what kind of sports entice you,one i already know its cycling.
AD :Cycling thanks to my friends in Delhi, gym as a routine painting thanks to my mom and photography thanks to my friends.
Editor: Media marketing involves lot of stress ,and international media a more stressful one how you cope up with such pressures.
AD: Once you realize that your role is eternally linked to the top line things become easier, but you are right it’s a never ending pressure month after month and year after year it’s unrelenting,” what makes it easier is having a “super team” while “superman” maybe a fictional character a “superteam” is reality” and I have been blessed with superteams that have actually become family, you work together, cry together, party together and the targets become achievable.
Editor: Back here in India you worked with top brands to name a few HT,DNA and India Today,which one was more enriching for you and why .
AD: HT definitely, I joined when HT wanted to change its typical “North Indian Media company” image and the Executive President was open to ideas, he hired people from a cross section of companies Auto, Telecom,Finance etc we remodelled everything, a lot he did then is what you see today. Also I got a chance to head the SAP implementation across the company it helped my understanding of the processes in newspaper companies suddenly I was looking at the entire company and not at a single department.
Editor: Your valuable message for all the media marketing person here in India and Globally.
AD:
“Well it’s pretty simple, a sales job is pressure all the time its 24X7 it’s 7 days it’s 365 days and the number of years you spend in sales, it’s a good idea to accept the reality”.
Secondly never forget the value of a team, no matter how good you are break down tasks and delegate.
finally media sales is about relationships,” if you really want to be successful spend time with your clients, take ideas,make sure that you remember that nothing is more important than knowledge so if you bring valuable information to your buyer or client which helps him/her to progress careerwise he/she will always meet you”, and importantly don’t fake relationships build them if your buyer is sick and you know what can help him take the medicine along or if your clients kid is trying to crack an exam and you have access to some valuable study material….give it. “The more you build honest relationships more you will achieve”.