Ad land’s Young Guns: Prachi Karan, Isobar

Highly creative, motivated and ambitious individual, possessing excellent management and leadership skills – that’s Prachi Karan, Associate Media Director, Isobar. Prachi has been a steady performer, with high ability to effectively strategise, plan and deliver on multiple responsibilities with very strong analytical mind-frame. 

Prachi started her career as a marketing executive with Everest Corporation in June 2008. A year later, she joined PepsiCo as a management intern (Marketing) and then joined Bombay Rayon Fashions as a design intern. She moved on to Havas Media as Associate – Digital Marketing in February 2011 and then joined Isobar in August 2013 as Media Manager. 

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

How did you get into the role you are serving?
I became a part of Isobar in August 2013 when I was hired as a Media Manager. Here, I had a chance to work with some of the most talented digital minds.

I was promoted as a Media Group Head in April 2015 and the next promotion followed in April 2016, when I became the Associate Media Director. 

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
From what I have been told and from what I have observed about myself, especially when I am working with a larger group, my skills lie primarily in strategic planning. 

I have always, as part of my job, enjoyed working on strategy frameworks which revolve around the ability to marry an idea and blend with a strong media platform for a unique user experience. 

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.
A recent one that I worked on – which was the Silk Valentine Day campaign. It was the limited edition Silk that had a section on packaging, which enabled the user to dedicate the chocolate to their loved ones with personalisation. The idea on digital was to hence create a seamless experience for the chocolate eater online where he/ she could dedicate personalised content to each other – irrespective of the platform they were on. Thus, working on the creation and implementation of personalisation at scale. We won some awards for this one too. 

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?
I always think from a consumer’s point of view and how can a brand be disruptive in order to stand out in their day to day lives. 

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
I have always drawn a lot of inspiration from Shamsuddin Jasani - his work and his leadership. I am quite lucky to have worked with him. 

I also love the work of Prahlad Kakkar, Josy Paul and of the new age creators like TVF. 

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?
Well, I like to start my day early. I am social, so I interact with people quite a lot, but I always make sure to keep sometime aside for myself every day. 

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?
I personally think that it is. 

What does it take to succeed in a career like advertising?
Adapting and evolving is the key. 

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
Never compromise on the quality of your output and never give up the desire to learn. 

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Doing more amazing work. 

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
I haven’t thought about it as right now I am quite happy with the kind of work that I am doing. 

But in terms of categories, I would love to do some detailed work on e-commerce as a category.

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