Batul Turab shares her business lessons and success story.
Tips to use Design processes for effective Branding and Marketing Strategies
The answers to those questions were discussed at the first installation of the Aala talk which took place on the 31st of July, 2021. This online webinar interviewed Batul Turab, who is the CEO & Founder of the advertising agency, ‘The Raven Claw’. Batul has over a decade and a half of experience in the marketing and branding fields. She has worked with several organizations including large vehicle manufacturers, one of the largest health and wellness companies in India, multiple heritage FMCG companies and along with many others.
Her work has been shortlisted for the CANNES LION International Festival of Creativity in France 2010. Till date, her work continues to be listed in the Top 15 Ads in the World published by Times of India Ads at 14th place. Also, she is the recipient of the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 2020’ awarded by Karaikal Ports.
Batul explained how the Covid situation has helped people realize the importance of digital solutions. From the medium the webinar took place on, to everything that’s happening in the world, are all design solutions. She believes that everything is Design. From marketing, film making, graphics, fashion to the objects we use everyday are all the result of design thinking.
When asked about the most important trait of a marketer, she answered that it was to empathize. Understanding the customer’s pain points, directly empathizing and addressing it are skills a marketer should develop. The host questioned her about the opportunities available in Chennai, for which she replies that Chennai market and the Chennai talents are pretty enthusiastic. She has worked in many places but Chennai has her heart, which is why her company is headquartered in the heart of the city.
The market in Mumbai and Bangalore is quite competitive and exhaustive, but Chennai requires more entrepreneurs, creators, marketers and designers. The options for a career in communication design, marketing and branding is huge. The market here is also distinctly influenced by the tradition and culture that’s imperative to Chennai. These strong aspects make Chennai one of the booming cities in terms of a career in Marketing and advertising.
Gone are the era of single companies encompassing the entire market. Entrepreneurs, Boutique agencies, and individual designers are running the show. People are more innovative, collaborative and open to work with independent designers.
When asked how Design ties up with innovation, Batul replied that Design was a gamble. She gave multiple examples to explain how the technology required to do something is secondary. But to think of a particular problem and ideating the solution is Design. Once again she mentioned that everything around her is Design. From the ice-cream scooper, to the lipsticks with magnetic heads, the gap between the Mug handle and the mug, the specially crafted paper for artists such as handmade paper and watercolor paper are all design solutions.
“Design is everything. Everything. “ – Paul Rand
It was also discussed how design has been translated into stalwarts like Facebook, Google and Apple co. Design is an integral part of these companies’ structure.
Post which the Q & A session was opened to the audience. Batul was asked to elaborate on the process behind branding for any business. To which she answered that understanding the target audience was crucial. She used the example of toys to explain how mothers are the target buying groups and we need to message it to them directly to increase the impact of the campaign or the brand. Our communication needs to be strong and different in terms of branding.
Finally she was asked to explain why she named her company ‘The Raven Claw’. She explained how the thirsty crow story was the inspiration behind the name and that her brand represents curious creative creatures who come up with simple executable solutions.
The webinar ended after an hour of fun-filled and informative discussions on design and marketing. We believe that the energy of the host and the speaker transmuted to the audience on the evening of the 31st which made the event enjoyable and memorable.
To be a part of the upcoming AALA TALKs, follow us on our instagram page (@dotschoolofdesign) to receive information about the talks. Also, if you have missed out on this exuberant talk by Batul, you can watch it on our Youtube channel .
