Managing 1100 Crores in Digital Ad Spends & Building India's Top 3 Independent Digital Marketing Agency | Ep 15 IOP ft Suneil Chawla, Social Beat
Suneil talks about how Boat grew from a couple of crores to 4000 Crores in revenue working with Social Beat
Hello everyone, welcome to The India Opportunity Podcast where you get a front-row seat to people building India’s future. We talk about unlocking the potential of the country with founders, investors, creators, and successful leaders from different fields to bring you real-life stories and behind-the-scenes of what it takes to be at the forefront of building the India Story.
The 15th episode of The India Opportunity Podcast is out now! You can watch it on Youtube or tune in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Our guest today is Suneil, cofounder of Social Beat, one of India’s Top 3 independent digital marketing companies. Social Beat has often won awards such as the ‘Fastest Growing Agency’ and ‘Digital Marketing Agency’ of the year, and in 2021 set a new benchmark by managing close to 3% of all digital ad investments that happen in India. Since then they have grown to manage ad spends of 1100 Crores and have a huge roster of marquee clients including Tata Cliq, Mankind Pharma, Boat, Jupiter, Licious and many more! They’ve been the first players in the space to productise many services for influencers, marketplace promotions and languages and have been tirelessly dominating the landscape over the last 12 years with their exceptional work. Suneil is an IIM-Ahmedabad graduate who worked at Bain Consulting before starting his first company, Koolkart - an online social shopping platform and has been building Social Beat for the last 12 years. An article recently referred to Social Beat as the ‘Tiger from the South’ and I so look forward to doing a deep dive with Suneil today on the digital marketing space!
Quick update: From this week onwards, we’re changing our release time to Saturday, 8pm every week so that you can enjoy the latest episodes on your chill Sunday!
Takeaways
Socialbeat has achieved remarkable growth in the digital marketing industry in India over the past 12 years.
Their success is attributed to their strong relationships with tech giants like Google and Meta.
They have productized their offerings, focusing on influencer marketing and e-commerce.
Socialbeat prioritizes company culture and invests in the growth and development of their employees. Understanding the customer and addressing their needs is crucial for building a successful brand.
Investing in brand building and long-term marketing initiatives is essential for sustained growth.
Influencer marketing is a powerful tool for brand promotion, and a balanced mix of macro and micro influencers can yield the best results.
Maintaining a balanced life and enjoying the journey of entrepreneurship is important for personal and professional growth.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:02 Building Relationships with Tech Giants
05:25 The Changing Landscape of Digital Marketing
07:08 Suneil’s Childhood and Formative Years
09:34 Lessons from Failure and the Inspiration for Socialbeat
11:33 Productizing Offerings and Unique Agency Model
16:08 Nurturing and Retaining Talent at Socialbeat
20:09 Investing in Tech and Providing Insights to Clients
23:30 Designing Company Culture and Managing People
28:49 Navigating Challenges in the Digital Marketing Space
33:28 Partnering with Brands and Unexpected Growth Stories
35:22 Introduction and Growth of Digital Marketing in India
37:45 Building Successful Brands: Understanding the Customer and Addressing Their Needs
48:49 The Power of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Macro and Micro Influencers
57:18 Balancing Life and Entrepreneurship: Enjoying the Journey
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