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Junaid Hakim is Business Director at Mediacom, where he is responsible for traditional and digital media planning and buying. His previous stint was with Starcom MediaVest Group.
In a freewheeling chat with exchange4media, Hakim talks about his journey and his love towards work and his father who he looks up to.
What made you choose digital as a career option?
Honestly, I started as a traditional media planner and it was the sheer pace at which digital has been growing that scared me. Between 2006 and 2013, digital’s share of the ad pie grew from 1.6 per cent to over 10 per cent. It made me feel that the conventional agency structure of digital and traditional media planners operating in isolation was not going to work in future. So, I felt there was need to upgrade myself to stay relevant in this ever changing world of media.
Having expertise in digital media planning and buying, what do you like about digital media?
The best thing about digital is the targeting possibilities that the medium offers. This very concept has changed the way brands define their target audiences. Today, you can define people who have exhibited interest in a certain type of product as your TG or you may even go up to the extent of defining you TG in terms of certain behaviour people display.
And what do you not like about the digital space?
The monopolies that certain media owners enjoy in this space. For instance, there is no or negligible competition to YouTube or Facebook in India. I would love to see more quality options come up for netizens as well as brands.
Since you are responsible for media planning and buying, what are some of the things that you keep in mind while planning for your clients?
For us, the media choices are determined by the objectives that our brands are chasing and also the budgets. However, sometimes our decisions get influenced by the sheer novelty of certain technology based emerging media options. This happens because of the sheer desire to do something new. I always try and curb these tendencies from blocking my vision. So, while planning, I usually evaluate a medium basis how effectively and efficiently does the medium in consideration deliver on the brand objectives.
Who is that one person whom you look up to?
I look up to my father; if only I were 1 per cent as disciplined in life as he is. Professionally, it would be MD of our company, Debraj Tripathy.
How does your daily work day look like?
It’s hectic but fun. I love what I do. So, the fun begins slightly late in the morning, around 9:30 am and continues through the day.
Where do you see yourself five years down the line?
I have never thought about it. I believe in ‘Karam Kartay Raho…’