Sujoy Sinha on Audience Segmentation, Consumer Journey, and AI Integration

Dive into an insightful conversation with Sujoy Sinha, an expert in the evolving world of content marketing. This conversation delineates the key changes and growth experienced within the field, primarily focusing on audience segmentation, consumer journey mapping, and AI integration. You will gain access to firsthand perspectives on individualizing content and the journey of transitioning from generalized to segmented content creation. Sinha also offers reflections on learning to align with consumer interests. Moreover, he touches upon the integration of AI in marketing, comparing previous transitions, such as from print to TV and TV to the internet, and envisages what the AI immersion could hold for marketers.

Kunal Bajpai, Senior Associate Program Management at Pepper Content, talks to Sujoy Sinha, Brand Marketing Lead At Vedantu, about all this and more.

1. Can you please tell us about your journey?

For the past 16 years, I've had an exciting career journey in advertising sales, working with different companies. It all started in 2007 when I joined the Times of India as an advertising response officer. When I began, I used to meet with brand managers and marketing leaders as part of my job. Their talks about customers and marketing strategies fascinated me. This made me realize that I wanted to shift to the marketing side of things. After my time at Times of India, I went on to work with Danik Bhaskar and India Today. During this period, I got to work closely with famous brands like Louis Philippe and Kingfisher.

Over time, our marketing changed greatly because of digital tools like Google Analytics and AdWords. When I think about those years, switching from old-school advertising to digital methods was important. TV and newspapers used to be very powerful, but the rise of digital platforms changed how we approached marketing. Later, I moved to the agency side of things. I spent six years at Opus CDM in Bangalore, learning a lot. We worked as a small team and had some creative brainstorming sessions. I remember one campaign where we tried to change how printing was done, even though TV and newspapers were still trendy.

With the rise of digital platforms, everything changed. We went from using Orkut to seeing Facebook become a big deal. How we measured success also changed, focusing more on CPM. Through all this, I understood that a company's success mattered more than how long I worked there. As I moved through different career stages, I got to work with great brands like Xiaomi and Vedantu. Learning how each of these companies worked taught me a lot. Having experienced leaders to guide me was helpful.

I'm in a new journey phase, working with Adventum Student Living. We help students who study abroad, ensuring they have everything they need. This includes counseling, getting loans, and finding a place to stay. It's an exciting new chapter, and I look forward to learning and growing even more.

I feel the content has become such a major part of a marketing journey or a marketeer's handbook that it is very important to understand what content to create.

2. What do you think of brands using personal and human-like content in marketing, and how might this impact the industry's future?

The idea of content being fundamental in marketing has been around for about seven, eight, or even ten years. It was there before but became a big deal with the internet and YouTube becoming popular. Content is a big part of marketing now. Making the right content is crucial; a good content strategy is essential for all marketers. As a marketer, understanding the people who might like our stuff is super important. We can't just make any content. It has to be content that people want. In marketing, we used to focus on getting content out there in places where people see it. But now, we've changed how we think about it. We make content for different stages of how people decide to buy things. For example, we don't discuss something in detail if people haven't heard of it before. We need to match the content to people's decision journeys.

In my past job, we learned a big lesson about this. We used to make content that was kind of the same for everyone. But we found out that different people like different things. So, we started creating content for different groups of people. We made content for kids 10 to 14 years old and different for kids 14 to 18 years old. We even made content for parents. People started liking our stuff more. Measuring how well our content works is essential. We look at how many people like or share it and if it helps us make more money. However, we discovered that when we made content that fits what different groups of people like, more people started to enjoy and engage with our content.

As a marketer, I think it's not just about making lots of content all the time. It's about making the right content for people at the right time. It's about understanding what people like and ensuring our content matches that. When we do that, people pay more attention to what we say, and that's a win for marketing.

3. Have you explored using advanced tools like generative AI, such as GPT-based chat, or design tools like Jasper, in your work?

I'm pretty confident that, like me, every marketer is still in the process of understanding and harnessing the power of AI to enhance our strategies and become more effective over time. The journey of technology adoption has been intriguing. Consider the shift from print to television; it was monumental for marketers. Initially, print was the go-to medium, but then television took center stage. And now, the internet has become the dominant force. As marketers, we've learned to adapt and grasp the nuances of each platform. For instance, television brings both advantages and drawbacks, like potential ad overload. This led us to emphasize reach and frequency for optimal messaging impact. These principles still hold true, even as we navigate the digital realm.

The emergence of technologies like chat GPT and generative AI has introduced new dimensions to our field. Audiences today evolve rapidly, and as marketers, we need to keep pace with their changing preferences. These advanced tools enable us to create more tailored and engaging content. Embracing them is crucial, as our audiences will likely adopt them too. Remember when people hesitated about ordering food online, and now platforms like Swiggy and Zomato are essential to our lives? It's a testament to the ever-evolving technological landscape.

Speaking from experience, I've explored chatGPT and open AI platforms. These tools offer intriguing possibilities, generating content that resonates with human-like understanding. However, the human touch remains unparalleled. Our unique insights, nuances, and ability to connect emotionally with our audience set us apart. While AI continues to evolve and produce human-oriented content, the depth of understanding we, as marketers, bring to the table is irreplaceable.

Despite concerns that AI might overshadow human creativity in marketing, I believe our distinctive human perspective and experiences will persist. AI might refine certain processes but won't replace our intricate understanding of our audience's psyche. The future holds exciting prospects, an ever-evolving journey we're all eager to witness.

One thing I always believe as a marketer is that understanding the consumer is very important to generate any content. We just can't be a part of generating content that my consumer is not interested in consuming.

4. What do you believe makes great content, and how should brands determine the best content strategy to create high-quality pieces consistently?

Defining great content revolves around captivating my audience's attention and sparking ongoing conversations. It's more than a mere consumption; it's about leaving a lasting impression that keeps them engaged and eager for more. To put it in a relatable way, consider the timeless charm of a Kishore Kumar song that continues to resonate across generations, adapting while retaining its essence.

Three fundamental aspects are essential when crafting content: relevance, engagement, and shareability. These elements form the core of effective content creation. All three pivot around the central axis of the audience or target consumers. Understanding them isn't just a process; it's a way of living and breathing your brand or product. This perspective allows us, as marketers, to step into our consumers' shoes, observing and absorbing their preferences, desires, and behaviors. While research is invaluable, true insight often emerges from experiencing the brand firsthand. This involves staying attuned to research findings and immersing ourselves in our consumers' lives. We can uncover unique angles to create deeply resonating content by continually observing and interpreting their world.

Content must be relevant to their interests, hold their attention through engagement, and inspire them to share it within their circles. It's a dynamic process fueled by understanding, connection, and the ever-changing relationship between content and consumer.