Fiercely Focussed

In his current stint at StrobeWorks, Shiva Sharan is conceptualising performance-driven marketing campaigns with a 360-degree approach, primarily focusing on the hospitality and education sectors. On being featured in the winners' list, he comments, "Such recognition boosts the morale of the organisation and fuels the passion to strive towards our vision. On a personal note, this award is a great motivator to overcome the challenges we face daily as entrepreneurs."

His observations of the current trends shaping the industry include personalisation and customisation, which are heavily driven by AI. He believes that customers have become extremely detail-oriented and love to know more about the brands they are purchasing or interacting with, whether it’s the brand’s promise, characteristic, or commitment to sustainability. "Moving forward, we will notice that brand marketing campaigns are more holistic, relevant, and customised across regions as per the preferences of the audience," he expects.

The marketing ecosystem is moving very fast in terms of innovations and trends, and hence, playing catch-up is extremely difficult. "I would advise future marketers to only focus on trends, innovation, and technology that add value to their core strengths and keep their uniqueness intact," he expresses.