Ad land’s Young Guns: Ramya Nagesh, The Glitch

Between channeling forces when it comes to winning pitches, building analytics for brands, and industry-category-platform insights for all clients, Ramya Nagesh, Planning Director, The Glitch, has and remains to be the go-to person across teams for all strategy needs. 

With a penchant to learn and be the source of learning across the company, Nagesh has built the company expertise from simply digital to very strategically led 360 marketing solutions for brands which are backed with data and insights. 

She has been the brain and heart behind not just expanding the business, but also the minds of the people building this business. As Planning Director, Nagesh currently leads the Strategy, Planning and New Business leg of The Glitch. 

What does it takes to climb up the ladder in advertising? Here’s Ramya Nagesh in her own words... 

How did you get into the role you are serving?
I wish I could say I knew exactly what I wanted to do and went right for the jugular, but I initially just started wanting to learn as much as I could about digital marketing. What got me going was really uncovering how people consumed content, discovered it and in the past few years also did all their shopping on digital. In a way, I would say that the agility for people at The Glitch is what helped me switch from an account management role to that of really leading new business, categories and overall planning and strategy. 

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
The ability to think from both a strategic and human insight lens as well as wear the creative hat is what I would put ahead of most things. I feel like as people grow up the ladder, it’s really important to take ownership and be a solution provider first even if it’s not necessarily in your job description. Being someone that people come to for help is something that I take pride in. As a person in business building, what I believe I bring to the table is opportunity spotting and mapping, whether it’s a possibility to deepen the client relationship or build a new service. 

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.
A major part of what I do is behind the scenes, so for me to lay claim to the creative execution may not entirely be warranted. There is a part of me in every campaign that we’ve rolled out, but the sum is really greater than its parts. What I am extremely proud of is the depth of understanding that I have about consumers and their behaviour across several categories. It’s also the fact that a lot of future work stems from the analysis and learnings that I have on hand. When I look back, it’s not a single campaign but the growth and evolution of several brands that we handle from a brand story perspective that really hit home for me as an achievement. I also lead new business so every win is the secret sauce that keeps me going. 

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?
I’m not really in the role of making the creatives, but what I do set myself up for is clarity of thought. Every part of the puzzle should fit just right whether it’s a platform mix, influencers or social creatives. Also, the end objective of what you want the consumer to take away from it is something that is a constant ticker. 

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
I’ve come to realise that in any campaign or piece of work, it’s never a single person’s effort, so my kudos and appreciation typically goes to the output rather than the only makers mentioned. 

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

• Read, read, read some more
• Make sure I get some time in silence to focus
• Take care of mails while on the road
• Calendarize my day (As much as possible anyway)
• Eat on time. I can’t think when I’m hungry (I guess Snickers got it right on that one).

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?

Yes, absolutely. I really believe a career in any field can be a long term one. It really depends on your appetite and interest in keeping the flame alive. 

What does it take to succeed in a career like advertising?
Being hungry to learn, passionate, being indefatigable and having an open mind. 

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
Sometimes, it’s better to be thrown in the deep end rather than dip your feet in the water. Try and get your hands dirty with as much work as you can – it’s really the best way to identify your skill set. Never be shy about saying the first thing that comes to your mind, you never know what could click. 

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I really can’t say and I’ve made my peace with that. It’s just the nature of the industry I work in – things are changing every day and there’s something new on the cards. So, possibly a role that does not even exist in today’s structure. 

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
As much as I look up to work that a lot of other agencies are putting out, I’m more excited about how we can grow The Glitch over the next 5 years and hopefully, be the frontrunners in yet another new agency model.