Ad land’s Young Guns: Jivyaa Shahani, Gozoop

Jivyaa Shahani, Senior Account Manager, Gozoop defines herself as a social media enthusiast, and exploring new roads is her way of living. Her love for Bollywood is showcased in the drama she adds to other people's lives. Travelling to different destinations is her journey. Holding on to her dreams and positivity are her biggest strengths.  

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

How did you get into the role you are serving?
While doing my Masters in Marketing Communications in London, I received a short but very interesting opportunity to intern at London School of Business and Finance as a Communication intern. There I was introduced to content writing and social media operations. This experience was the foundation of my journey as a digital marketer.

As a curious and inquisitive person who is always eager to learn about technological advancements, my first internship in India gave me the opportunity to work for the best automobile brands and challenged me to push myself in this field.

It has been an eventful journey, where I have been mentored and encouraged to take charge of situations alone, which has helped me lead a team effectively and handle key accounts even while I am currently working at Gozoop.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
This is best answered by my team and my clients. I believe they would say that a skill that sets me apart is that I am a finisher – I do not leave things in the middle and no matter what comes I way, I see it through till the very end. Whether it is a pitch or a campaign, it will be planned, managed and executed with careful attention to detail.

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.
While conceptualising for any campaign at Gozoop, we think of what do we want to communicate to the TG and how can we connect with them via different channels. The campaign needs to make a difference to their lives as well as take the brand to the next level.

Every campaign I have worked on is quite close to my heart, but the one which I am really proud of is “No Place Like Home”, which was executed for Asian Paints.

While brainstorming for 'No Place Like Home', the only thought was, how can we make hanging out at home “cool” for the target audience and make a commodity like paint take on an emotional resonance. We did this by showcasing the aspects that make the home a home, a space where life unfolds and the past and future come together in the present – here.

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?
There is a set of filters which is at the top of my mind when conceptualizing creative and briefing the team.

What is the idea of the campaign?

What is the target audience I want to communicate with?

What is the tone and voice of the communication?

The expected look and feel of the creative?

This is something which helps the creative team understand and conceptualize the templates for the campaign

It’s very important as the person leading the account to have a clear vision of the creative and ensure it translates to the end result.

Icons in Digital you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
Prasoon Joshi – The art of writing and showcasing his vision via ad films or films like 'Taare Zaamen Par' inspires me and pushes me to think laterally.

Amyn Ghadiali - Group Director - Brand Communications at Gozoop, for being a creative yet strategically driven mentor who always keeps his calm during any situation. His energy and zeal to do great work pushes me beyond my limits and keeps me motivated to bring my best to work, every single day.

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

• Huddle with the team – Team meetings just helps understand the team as well as the schedule for the day
• Fill my calendar – Extremely important to plan my day as this helps me meet deadlines
• Listen and read – Stay up-to-date with the latest campaigns, industry specific reports and listen to what other people like to say about a specific campaign/copy etc.
• Music – It helps me de-stress and helps me focus on things.
• Personal time – Introspect on the entire day and analyze what situations/ideas could have been done differently.

Do you think a career in digital is a viable one in the long term?
Definitely, every day there is something new which happens in the digital space and you need to have the will as well as passion to be challenged every day. Anyone who has been in the industry knows it is for long term but it totally depends on how you handle pressure and ensure the fire in you to strategise, ideate or service challenging clients doesn’t subside.

What does it take to succeed in a career like digital?
You need to have the WILL to stay for a long time in this industry, have the PASSION for the brands you are building, be TACTFUL so that you can deal with clients efficiently, be FLEXIBLE so that you can adapt to situations accordingly and lastly, be DRIVEN towards achieving excellence.

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
If you don’t try, there is no opportunity to succeed at all. I would recommend you give it a shot and trust me you wouldn’t want to try anything else. It takes time to move up the ladder but the journey has great experiences which you will cherish all your life.

If you are looking to learn, challenge your abilities and grow as a working professional, do join Gozoop. As an organisation it gives opportunities to people to understand their abilities as well as excel in life and work on the best of brands.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I would eventually want to give back to the world of advertising by sharing everything I have learnt with those who are just entering the industry and prepare them for the wonderful journey ahead.

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
I believe that I am running behind great work, and wherever I am, that will remain my focus. Right now, I'm exactly where I want to be and for the foreseeable future I would like to just focus my energy on doing some great work for Gozoop and the brands we work with!

For More Stories Visit Here.