Navigating the Digital Frontier: A Discussion with Reena Jagtap, Lead Digital Marketer at Henkel

Reena Jagtap, a Lead Digital Marketer at Henkel is an accomplished marketing professional with a diverse background in engineering, brand communication, and digital expertise. She has worked with renowned brands, collaborated with industry leaders, and received multiple awards for her contributions.

In this insightful and exclusive interview, she shares her digital marketing expertise, campaign strategies, and industry wisdom.

 

Can you share your journey and experience in becoming a lead digital marketer at Henkel?

I started my career as a Production Engineer specializing in Switch Gears and EOMs for L&T. After pursuing an MBA in Brand Communication, I have led functions like digital marketing, social media, and PR for renowned brands.

I started my marketing career at Edelman India, where I worked on several projects in the consumer, hospitality, and auto industry. Here, I got the opportunity to collaborate closely with the team of Mr. Ratan Tata as I was handling the Tata Trusts account.

At Audi India, I joined the Digital and Digitalization team and got the opportunity to work with some of the best leaders in the automotive industry. I gained exposure to the world of luxury marketing and worked on several launch campaigns and global campaigns. There was tremendous learning across the Marketing and technology domains. I received the ‘Above and Beyond Employee of the Year Award’ from the Skoda Auto Volkswagen Group for my contribution and achievements.

With a perfect blend of years of digital expertise, an engineering background, and creative skills, I joined Henkel Adhesive Technologies. I am part of the Digital Transformation and Customer Experience team. I lead Digital Media, Content & Campaigns. I’ve been recognized as a ’40 under 40 Industry Expert 2023′ in Social Media Strategy by Business Mint and listed among the ’50 under 50 Inspiring Women 2022′ by Fox Story India. Additionally, I have served as a jury member for prestigious digital industry awards and enjoy mentoring talent at universities and on upskilling platforms.

 

What are the key components of a successful content strategy, and how do you ensure they align with the overall marketing objectives?

To establish a robust digital identity and achieve sustainable impact, brand marketers must prioritize-

a) Content Strategy: Create engaging content and deliver it through interactive formats b) Media Strategy: Targeting audiences based on their digital consumption patterns

In today’s content-saturated landscape, where various genres flood our social feeds, capturing attention is a major challenge due to fast-paced scrolling behaviour. Developing a thumb-stopping content strategy is the key to successful marketing. Your business goals should serve as the foundation for creating any type of content. Based on my experience, the focus should be on crafting content that grabs the audience’s attention, intrigues them to click, and prompts them to take the desired action. I view content through the lens of the marketing funnel, which consists of three stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion. To make an impact, it’s crucial to collaborate closely with creative partners and develop IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE, and INCLUSIVE content mapped to the different funnels. By implementing an effective content strategy, brands can achieve remarkable results in their marketing efforts as both factors are interdependent.

What are some of the most effective campaign strategies you have implemented, and what made them successful?

In the vast digital landscape, locating relevant consumers and driving online conversions is like finding diamonds in a coal mine. Throughout my career, I have developed content strategies for diverse categories, leveraging storytelling as a powerful driver. Working with top creative and media agencies globally, I crafted successful campaign strategies based on three pillars- campaign objectives, target audience, and key messaging. Thorough research, on consumer and brand studies, guides me to craft a robust communication strategy.

I believe in a phased campaign approach: Pre-launch for awareness and intrigue, Launch for showcasing product/service benefits, and Post-launch for retargeting and nurturing. Utilizing the right media channels and targeting based on interests and behaviour patterns are crucial. By tracking the end-to-end customer journey using CRM platforms and tools, helps attribute conversions to specific sources and enables better decision-making in terms of campaign optimization. Examples of some successful and engaging campaigns that I have executed over the years:

Category-specific campaigns:
Engaging the B2B consumer online is not as easy as marketing consumer goods. Identifying the right platform and creating category-specific communication that entices them to click and turn into prospects is the approach that I have taken for the Engineering Adhesive category.

Audi e-tron Launch: When we launched the first electric Audi, the Audi e-tron, in India, we generated significant buzz through #ReadyForElectric #etronInIndia #FutureIsAnAttitude.We collaborated with prominent influencers from various industries, who shared their electrifying moments and stories.

#DriveTheChange: This topical content campaign for Women’s Day was aimed at challenging stereotypes about women driving cars. We collaborated with our customers who are women and conducted a performance car drive to showcase their potential and capabilities.

#TogetherWithAudi: During the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, this campaign focused on creating an inclusive environment for Audi’s followers and fostering a sense of togetherness.

Also, can you describe a digital marketing campaign that presented unexpected challenges or outcomes? What were your learnings from them for future campaigns?

Media Challenge: Reaching and converting the relevant B2B audience for Engineering adhesives across digital platforms poses unique difficulties compared to consumer products and services.

Navigation of challenges: We focused on two key objectives:
a) Increasing e-commerce orders on the website with a higher average order value (AOV) and lower cost per order (CPO)
b) Boosting lead volumes and achieving high-quality conversions
To overcome these challenges, we collaborated with industry-specific platforms and database partners to target the right audience with tailored messaging, ultimately improving conversions.
Key Learnings: Invested in platforms that yielded higher ROI. These insights helped us develop performance-driven media strategies, setting targets based on previous years’ platform performance. Weekly reviews and campaign optimizations were conducted to steadily progress toward our objectives and optimize costs.

Content Challenge: While managing the digital Marketing and Digitalization responsibilities at Audi India, I faced the task of creating a strong digital impact for the brand by connecting with our luxury customers and fanbase on a local level. Our campaign visuals heavily relied on international premium imagery, and our communication lacked a strong local connection.

Navigation of challenges: To engage and connect with our audience, I directed my agency to create a campaign that leverages local elements. We explored adding a local touch to our campaign communication. We focussed on India’s diverse cultures and languages and created a video focusing on pronunciation. The outcome was the #MyKindofAudi campaign to celebrate 10 years of Audi in India. We highlighted the unique pronunciations of “Audi” across various regions in India. We curated a video to support this concept.

Key Learnings: The #MyKindofAudi campaign achieved high organic reach and engagement, generating substantial media value through PR. Collaborating with influential personalities such as Aditya Patel, Ravi Shastri, and Virat Kohli further enhanced its impact. Customized local content and relatable faces proved more effective than generic strategies.

 

How do you leverage data-driven insights to optimize your marketing campaigns and improve their performance?

Data lies at the core of my decision-making process. I track data across campaigns and platforms to set targets, optimize performance, and enhance conversions. Key metrics are assigned to evaluate content and ad format performance, enabling strategic budget allocation across platforms.

By utilizing first-party data, one can create audience cohorts and customize content based on customer profiling. This approach maximizes engagement and improves return on ad spend (ROAS). Collaboration with the sales team at every stage is vital across all businesses. Their feedback on lead quality helps us provide valuable input to agencies and publishers, enhancing our marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and aiming for higher sales-qualified leads (SQLs).

How do you think generative AI will shape the future of digital marketing, and what skills should marketers develop to stay ahead of the curve?

Generative AI, an advanced category of AI algorithms, has revolutionized content creation in the digital marketing industry. Tools like Chat GPT, Bard, DALL-E 2, Lex, and AlphaCode have simplified the once tedious task, enabling faster and more efficient content generation. This serves consumers with minimal effort, making their experience seamless. To stay updated with the latest trends and technologies, Google offers free courses, and universities now provide specialized modules. Keeping pace with ever-evolving consumer behaviour is crucial for professionals in this field. By embracing an innovative and impactful mindset, digital marketers can take their strategies to the next level.

How do you manage your time and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment to meet deadlines and achieve your goals?

Every day feels like an exciting adventure when you wake up to do what you love. The world of Digital always inspires me to think beyond the status quo and discover innovative solutions that benefit the brand, the consumers, and businesses. To stay organized, I plan tasks in advance, set deadlines, and track my progress using reminders and creating project plans. In the fast-paced digital industry, prioritizing work and effectively balancing personal commitments is essential. I make sure to allocate time for activities that help me relax, unwind, and focus on personal growth. Painting, swimming, dance workouts, meditation, and maintaining a balanced diet keep me energized and motivated to take on new challenges in the digital world. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in digital marketing, and what skills do you believe are essential for success in this field?

Believing in limitless possibilities and finding contentment within oneself are the foundations for excelling in any field. In the digital and digitalization industry, I’ve learned that trends and consumer behaviour can change rapidly. Agility at work and humility with all stakeholders are two vital learnings that guide my strategic decision-making and foster strong connections. 

To newcomers in this industry, a few words of wisdom that I can share is, “Believe in yourself and explore your talent and potential. Do all that it takes to nurture it to perfection. Learn to unlearn and create the best solutions with what exists around you.”