Taniya Kurve - Availability of Technology Has Enabled the Quicker and Wider Access to Information (Head of Marketing at Financepeer)

Head of Marketing at Financepeer

LinkedIn - @Taniya Kurve

1. Tell us more about your journey and background.

I am an alumnus of IIM Indore and am currently working with Financepeer as the Head of Marketing. Prior to joining MBA programme, where I majored in marketing and business strategy, I had completed an electronics and communication engineering degree from UMIT, SNDT University, Mumbai. 

During my engineering and MBA, I’ve always had a keen interest in learning new creative skills. Since marketing provides all the opportunities to be creative while making an impact in people’s lives, I chose to pursue that as my career. I started as a Marketing and brand manager at Hamstech, Hyderabad where I was responsible for handling the coveted Hamstech Institute as well as their startup Hunar Online. 

I then got an opportunity to lead and initiate the marketing department at Finance Peer. During my tenure at Financepeer, I worked on building a strong marketing foundation for the first 5-6 months by myself and later onboarded, trained and led a team of marketing professionals handling 360-degree marketing for the company. 

I am responsible for developing and implementing marketing and media strategy for the company which assisted in increasing the impact audience from 300+ institutes to 5000+ Institutes. I am also managing events, media relations, branding for the company under the guidance of Vivek anand Oberoi sir and Mr. Sunit Gajbhiye, and managing our Brand Ambassador, famed cricketer, Rohit Sharma. 

In my free time I enjoy developing my marketing and fashion blog which is focused at empowering young female professionals, dancing, reading books and I have also been a TedX speaker at TedXGHRCE.


2. How according to you has marketing evolved over the years?

Marketing has witnessed tremendous evolution over the years. If we talk about the last decade or so the digital has emerged as the leader of the pack. Availability of technology has enabled the quicker and wider access to information. 

It has become easier to reach the audience but more difficult to catch and keep their attention. The conventional mediums of marketing have seen headwinds and the negative growth. With technology percolating to the bottom of the pyramid the digital mode of communication would gain more prominence in the coming years. 

Not only that the digital mediums also offer the targeted approach for any marketing activity which makes companies evaluate and analyse the campaigns with precision.


3. Where do most of your marketing budgets go, traditional or digital?

We (Financepeer) are a tech driven start-up where the use of technology is always at the helm. Our marketing budgets are divided as per the need and requirements of a particular campaign and other factors such as demography, activity, objectives etc. Colloquially speaking the majority of the marketing spent goes to digital.


4. How can one reach the top echelons in marketing?

Marketing is such a dynamic field that an idea can turn the fortunes of a company and Individual. The combination of following the process and being open to new ideas makes a person climb the ladders faster than contemporaries. One should be open to innovation and learning new things. 

With the changing environment, customer behaviour and their pain points too, keep shifting. It’s crucial for a marketer to understand and deliver value that best suits their target audience. 

Be open to analyse the customer behaviour, interact personally with them and never hesitate trying out something which is unconventional. Also, Work with empathy, a sense of ownership and the intention to make a positive impact in the lives of your customers.


5. How will marketing change in the next decade or so?

Marketing is such a beautiful field which keeps evolving and throws different challenges every day. I foresee the increased role of technology in how brands engage with their customers. The penetration of technology is increasing at a faster pace and the companies are also adapting themselves to use the medium appropriately. The customer engagement and interaction would become important for marketers in the coming decade. Use of AI and ML would happen on a mass scale.

I also believe there will be a huge shift in how the audience makes their purchase decision. People have started placing more trust in reviews, influencers and their peers more than advertisements. A boost in influencer marketing can be anticipated.


6. Which is your favourite book and why?

I love reading Autobiographies. Among my favourites is 'Bill Gates: A Biography' (by Michael Becraft) Bill Gates’ autobiography is like a canvas which has all the colours of life. The book talks about his achievements, his contribution in transforming and reimaging the world we live in. 

It also teaches us humility and to stay grounded as much as we can despite being successful. When you become privileged you may try to uplift and improve the lives of those who are underprivileged. He is a perfect role model for every individual and indeed a living institution in himself. 

- Interviewed by - Sanjana Jain