OgilvyRED will tap into rapid adoption of digital by brands: Sonia Khurana

Ogilvy India has announced the launch of OgilvyRED, a new consulting arm that brings together senior strategic specialists to consult on digital transformation for brands in India. OgilvyRED will have five specialist service offerings – Digital Transformation Consulting, Data & Marketing Analytics Consulting, Marketing Technology Consulting, Innovation Consulting and eCommerce Consulting. 

OgilvyRED Consulting is already present in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. In India, it will initially operate out of Mumbai and offer its services to clients across the country. 

Speaking of the launch, Sonia Khurana, Senior VP, OgilvyRED Consulting, remarked, “There couldn’t have been a more opportune time to introduce OgilvyRED Consulting in India. India is one of the largest and fastest growing consumer markets in the world. Rapid adoption of digital by consumers is continuously changing the way they behave and what they expect. The big challenge for companies is how to grow brand and business value through relevant, connected and innovative consumer experiences. Our world-leading customer insights, combined with marketing transformation expertise, helps us frame problems through the eyes of the customer, identify customer-led solutions and create new business models for growth. I am really excited about the possibilities.” 

Kunal Jeswani, CEO, Ogilvy India, commented, “Now, more than ever, brands need to take a transformative approach to connect with consumers. There are many challenges that our clients face today that cannot be solved by a traditional agency approach. Ogilvy has a long-standing history of helping clients stay ahead of the curve when it comes to all things digital. Now, with OgilvyRED, we have the unique ability to investigate every aspect of consumer experience and influence it deeply. The world of ‘consulting’ has always been about strategy devoid of any accountability for execution. The difference with OgilvyRED is that it is digital transformation consulting that is deeply tied in with Ogilvy’s ability to execute with creativity, impact and speed.” 

In a brief chat with Adgully, Sonia Khurana outlines the objective behind the launch of OgilvyRED in India, the core focus areas, challenges and more. Excerpts: 

What was the need to bring an agency like OgilvyRED to India?
The need is very evident. Ogilvy has always been a consulting agency to its customers. So, the questions that customers have are real concerns. We could either let those questions be and walk away by saying that we can’t help you on that or evolve ourselves and our services and say we will help you respond. If their problems are changing, we have to evolve to be able to respond to their requirements. So, it was a natural course for us to take as we partner with our clients. 

Customer Centricity has always been the goal, so is ROI, but a lot of agencies have started working on the customer journey so to say. What are the differentiators that OgilvyRED brings in the field of identifying the purchase journey and providing full service solutions to your customers?
OgilvyRED is a customer consulting agency. Few things that we have as differentiators are: firstly, the way we deeply understand our consumers. It’s in our DNA. We have always worked on insights and that continues to be our stronghold and that becomes a very critical thing. We also have tried and tested very successful methodologies that we use, which have also been used in other countries. This has enabled us to map customer journeys, find out the motivations and barriers and figure out solutions to be able to respond to them. Also, the fact that we are part of a larger creative agency helps in a big way. So, delivery is an important aspect. It’s a make or break thing. 

What are the challenges that you foresee for OgilvyRED in India considering the kind of services that Ogilvy has been providing is so different from this route?
First of all, getting invited to the party! When clients are thinking of these territories, the agency doesn’t come on top of mind. They don’t think of going to an agency for a solution. That is the biggest barrier we have. But we have existing relationships where the conversations are happening, because we know the brands, we know the consumers and their business. It gives us an advantage here, however the biggest challenge is to get invited to the party. 

What would be the do’s and don’ts that you will be following for your customers?
In terms of Do’s, we have to look at our clients’ problems from their customers’ point of view and frame solutions accordingly. 

For the digital players, apart from the customers’ needs, what are the top Do’s that you would suggest companies need to follow to stay in compliance with the digital transformation?
From a business point of view, what we have been seeing is that businesses really need to shift focus and adopt technologies in order to really deliver value. Secondly, infusing data in their marketing programmes. There is no shying away from the fact that Indian companies are not as mature as those in the West when it comes to adopting and using data intelligently, mining insights from data and infusing that with the work they do. The other thing is the end-to-end customer experience; ownership of that and looking at all the opportunities that come by along in that way. Lastly, the delivery. All of this is great, but if you are unable to actualise the delivery in line with the brands’ promise, all the work that you have done doesn’t mean anything. Finally, measuring outcomes most importantly. So, it is all about delivering it well and measuring success, which is very important. It is alright to fail as this is a new thing. Digital throws up many new things. The intent always is how you use all those new technologies and practices in the most appropriate ways, in a way that you have permission to use for your customers and then measure the outcomes.

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