Rubi Gupta

Staying Ahead in Marketing: Rubi Gupta Shares Her Expertise

In this insightful conversation, we had the chance to speak with Rubi Gupta. She is a seasoned marketing professional with a wealth of experience in the industry. Rubi shares her thoughts on a wide range of topics, including challenges faced by modern marketers, the importance of data analytics and talent, the evolution of content strategy, and how businesses need to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. In today's fast-paced world, where customers are more informed than ever, marketing strategies need to be agile and innovative. Rubi's insights provide valuable guidance for businesses looking to stay ahead of the curve and deliver a memorable customer experience.

1. Tell us about your job path, main problems, and successes in your work life.

I started my job in 2005 when digital marketing was not big in India. I began as a coder, using PHP and making basic websites. Later, I went into digital marketing and joined an agency called Communicate 2, now iProspect. I have worked in many areas, like travel, e-commerce, and healthcare, with firms like Expedia UK, Cleartrip, Myntra, and MedLife. My big wins include growing Myntra's app users and keeping more customers at MedLife. The key issues I've had in my work life are adjusting to new areas and knowing what customers want in each one.

2. How did your time at Myntra help at MedLife?

At Myntra, I learned much about app marketing and how data helps with business growth. When I went to MedLife, I used my Myntra knowledge to keep more customers using the app. I found out that older customers, a big part of MedLife's users, liked an easy-to-use app without learning new ways to browse. This made me focus on making MedLife's app better for its users. As a result, more customers stayed.

3. Can you share your experience working at Spinny and how it has been different from your previous roles?

At Spinny, I've been responsible for overall acquisition, retention, and content. The company operates in the automobile industry, and its primary challenge has been building trust in the used car market. The best part about working at Spinny is the company's focus on customer experience rather than rapid growth. My time at Spinny is like my time at Myntra in terms of who the customers are. But building trust and focusing on customer experience make it different from other jobs I've had.

4. What challenges do you foresee in the future? How do you plan to overcome them?

Some future issues are retaining customers and making the business bigger without more money for marketing. To beat these problems, I think it is key to care about customer experience and get people talking about the product. If our customers like our products and services, they will tell others about it. This will help the business grow naturally.

5. What has been the biggest challenge you've experienced in the digital marketing industry over the years? How has talent in the field changed?

The biggest challenge in digital marketing has been talent. The composition of teams has changed drastically over time. Earlier, you would need multiple campaign managers to handle an AdWords account, but now, with the advancement of ML algorithms, fewer people are needed. The role of campaign managers has also evolved, shifting from execution to providing insights, testing data, and training AI engines. Talent growth has also changed significantly, and teams now require a mix of campaign managers and data analysts for better results.

It's crucial for marketing to be both purpose-driven and data-driven. The challenge often lies in getting into too many details and potentially getting confused when data provide contradictory answers. As customers become more aware and cautious about sharing their data, marketers need to use data responsibly and provide personalized experiences without being intrusive.

For any marketeer, it's very important to learn what are you solving and for whom.

6. In an industry with many competitors, is it a good or bad thing for consumers and brands?

From a consumer's perspective, having many competitors is a good thing as it provides variety and encourages brands to innovate. For brands, competition can be both good and bad. It's good because it pushes brands to become better and surpass their competition. However, it can also lead to challenges such as high advertising costs and difficulty in retaining customer loyalty.

7. How has marketing changed over the years? How do you see its future?

Marketing has changed fast because of new tech, how customers act, and worries about data safety. In the future, we might see more growth in marketing tools, like AI, big data, and AR/VR. Keeping data safe will be more important. Content based on research will help get and keep customers. Also, knowing how customers act both on and off your site will be more important for doing well.

8. What do you think about AI in digital marketing?

AI should be seen AI as a helper, not a rival, in digital marketing. It can do boring tasks, letting people focus on creative and smart work. The main thing is to ask good questions and train AI well for helpful results. As AI gets more important, we need to get better at working with it. AI now understands questions better than before, and we expect the same for GPT in the future. To do this, we must ask good questions and train them right.

9. What are the best marketing tools you use for your brands? Which is your favorite?

The best tools depend on the company's goals. Common tools are AdWords, Facebook console, Google Analytics 360, Tableau, and Supermetrics. They help with ads, studying data, dashboards, and getting data from many places. We also use SEMrush and internal CMS for SEO and to know our rivals.

I like Google Analytics the most because I like to know how users think and act. I enjoy looking at data and thinking about why users go from one page to another or don't go back to a page. My experience with it might be why I like it.

10. What effect do you think AI will have on the world in the future?

AI will change how people work, how we do things, and how we hire. Many tasks will be replaced, but jobs will get better, not replaced. AI will make people compete more and wonder what else we can do. It will speed up tasks, like making content or websites, and make product experiences better with AR and VR.

AI will make projects faster. For example, in making content, once we have a plan and experts, AI can help with research and data. This gives people more time to think and put things together, making the process better.

AI is more accepted now than 7 or 8 years ago. As people learn more about AI and what it can do, it will likely be even more accepted. The main thing is how well AI gives helpful answers that fit into people's lives and work.

11. Can you talk about any special marketing trends or plans you've seen with different brands?

Yes, I remember a trend where brands used mirrors in marketing. Some brands even added it to their store designs. This new marketing generated a lot of buzz. It made people and marketers excited.

12. What are the biggest problems and pain points for you as a marketer?

The hardest part for me is having less money for marketing but still needing to grow. This means we must spend every cent well and make our sales funnel better. We also need a smooth customer experience to cut down breakages and make conversion rates better. Another problem is helping our team learn new ways and unlearn old ones. We also need our data teams to be efficient because they are very important for our marketing success.

13. How do you deal with growing competition and the need for consistent branding and customer experience?

To deal with more competition, we need to give customers helpful information and not use tricks. Customers now know a lot. They won't fall for false promises or fake discounts. We must focus on keeping our branding consistent. We must aim for the best customer experience. In the end, the customer is king. Brands that don't see this will have a hard time succeeding.

14. How can a brand set up the right machinery and strategy for creating great content?

To develop a successful content strategy, a brand must establish a small, dedicated team within the organization. This team should consist of subject matter experts, tone-setters, researchers, and writers. Additionally, the brand must clearly define the objectives, scope, and target audience for its content. It's essential to strike a balance between niche content and more general topics to attract a broader audience. Analytics must also be utilized to track user engagement and adjust content strategies accordingly.

15. Can you elaborate on the importance of aligning content strategy objectives and keeping the right team in place?

Aligning content strategy objectives is crucial to ensure that the content is relevant and valuable to the target audience. A well-defined strategy helps maintain focus and prevents content creators from crossing predetermined boundaries. It's also essential to have the right team in place, including skilled writers, researchers, and analytics professionals, to execute the content strategy effectively. Proper alignment of objectives and a strong team will enable a brand to create high-quality content that drives user engagement and adds value to its offerings.