Prasanth Mohanachandran: Mobile internet to witness a sea of change with 3G

The year 2011 will definitely mark a new chapter for AgencyDigi both in terms of services and operations. Our primary focus will be on strengthening the existing market. Thus, we will work to attract more digital talent.

The company is looking at expanding its wings to Bengaluru in the coming year, as well as in two major international markets probably in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, because of the growing mobility market there.

Last year being the first year of AgencyDigi, we had our share of challenges. Primary among that was attracting and retaining talent. The bigger challenge was to learn to say No to some prospects, both talent and clients. And if this was not tough enough, we had to learn to say 'No' to those who wanted to fund us even when they didn't understand our philosophy.

For talent, we decided to do away with designations and set job roles. People at AgencyDigi will have to understand, research, plan, design, draw, animate, write, code, produce, build, manage, test, track, measure, optimise, influence, inspire and support ideas for a digital world. And each individual had to bring in at least three of these qualities to the fore.

I feel that we should learn the art of saying 'No' by reading the book Don't say Yes, When you want to say 'No' and applying it in the best possible way. Saying no to funds and fund partners was perhaps one of the toughest jobs to do. And this was made possible by a team that learnt to smile in the toughest of times, made clients smile and in turn ensured that clients now keep us smiling.

2011 will perhaps be the year of partnerships for AgencyDigi. Social media is being used by brands not just to get fans but also to actually engage these fans. We are gearing up for this by partnering with one of the sharpest technology companies in Israel to change the way communities are being used. As mobile marketing is expected to come of age this year we need to ensure that we - and our clients - are not left behind.

In the digital OOH space, we are already committed to working with Milestone Brand Communications, the fastest growing OOH player in the country.

In India, the mobile space will be the space to watch out for all the action in 2011. With the launch of 3G services and the expected launch of 4G from Infotel, mobile internet access is bound to witness a sea change. We are also keenly watching Blyk Mobile and the way the market adopts it both for usage and for advertising. In fact, the Blyk model could change positively the way we use the mobile for brand messaging.

As far as the worries are concerned, I feel that the biggest concern will be about those clients who were bitten once by bad experiences in digital marketing. Winning them back would be our biggest challenge. Another concern would be about brands continuing to re-use techniques, in the name of innovation, and not particularly focusing on ideas which actually engage and move people.

To read about other digital media professionals, click here.