CHANGE IS THE NEED FOR THIS HOUR – IGNITEE ROCKS

As the heading goes “Change is the need for this hour” now you might ask why this gyaan session is happening. After joining Ignitee an advertising agency from a usability firm, I thought it will be just another Web Designing Firm but it is it surely more than that. Now you might ask, Why this title? Because just having a “Need for the Change” is not enough But “Getting Adjusted to the Change quickly” is also really necessary.

It really took me 1 & half month to adjust to this firm, but after 3-4 months I had a feeling that I was in Ignitee from 1 & half year or so.

Now you might ask, Why this difference?

Understanding the whole structure of Ignitee & in what way I am helping the company. As Ignitee have lots of Skill sets in many different fields, which makes the company different from a normal web designing firm. Tech team, Search Team, Creative Team, Operations Team, Accounts, HR etc & each team having different Skills sets within them.

AFTER 3-4 MONTHS…

The happiest thing for me as a part of Ignitee is, I get to interact with as good as everyone in one way or other & get to know them.

The other main happiest things to be in Ignitee are Table Tennis, Carrom, and UNO. Friday Fever being enjoyed with Dance, Fun-fair, Parties, in teams: Power Rangers, Fanatics, Angels & Demons, Holy Cow. These things are being carried out with loads & loads of work to everyone.

This was what Ignitee is all about.

Now it is the time for a Joke (PJ) in Hindi:

Que: आगर एक आदमी के ३घुट्ने है तो उस का नाम क्या होगा?

Ans: Nitin he he he

Now this is the Change from serious talks to a Joke. Work to Games/party, from being a superior to a being a friend etc and everything at Ignitee.

What else can you Change???

So what did you ignite today?

I am sure everyone reading this would be wondering what this post is about. Enlightenment! Perhaps you are considering becoming a speculator to comprehend the content of this post. Wouldn’t you like to know what it’s really about? Well, now you will! This series profiles a day in the life of every Ignitee professional.

All experiences are original & firsthand encountered. I hope you find this write-up handy as you go about reading it further or just too curious to know the end.

A morning, in the life of all Ignitee’s begins with a warm welcome, by our very own Julie at the reception further as you walk in to the office we are greeted with big smiles by our fellow colleagues. This gives us feeling of warmth that we share here at ignitee. Then starts a challenging day with some 10-20 odd mails to check & respond to over the past 8 hours of the last accessed mail box. Too time consuming to find that one message (Job list from our boss) in the mailbox offering a perfect day’s planning. After which begins the not so easy chores at work with a very little time for most of us to realise when the clock strikes 2 pm. Anxiously awaited cafeteria welcomes the cross table conversations during the lunch hours & unnecessary discussion accompanied with positive arguments amongst fellow colleagues or let me put it rightly as friends. 2.30 pm return to all the new challenges waiting for you to come & accomplish until you realise its 7 pm & people have started playing TT & fooling around in the office. Either you join them or you realise that there is too much of work for you to complete & submit for an upcoming pitch or complete some incomplete work for the existing clients. In fact right now while I am writing this post I realise there is still a lot of work pending for me & my team to complete for the day.

Well to cut this post short all of us would agree to this that despite the challenges that all of us face @ work, we are in no doubt that we @ Ignitee would always commit to hard & smart work without compromising on the output.

Cheers to all those who have helped Ignitee to prosper & attain a spearhead victory.

Still wondering about the title of the post.....Well the origin of this question comes from the scribble pad that acts as a true motivating factor for all of us @Ignitee. I don’t know how many of us have actually read the interesting facts at the bottom of every alternate page in the book.

PS: Spare some time to read the facts at the bottom of the book, some are worth reading.

A new synonym of ‘Faith’ = ‘Ignitee’

“Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth of or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.”

Its only when someone challenges your faith is when you stumble. In an ideal scenario one either defends strongly or gives up post struggling a little. Coming to the point and cutting the gyaan. Advertising agencies be it traditional or so called ‘BTL’, let me term is better, the so called ‘non conventional’ agencies are present due to ‘Faith’. Why? How? Is that what you are thinking? The answer is very simple. It’s because the client believes in the work. It is ‘this’ work that will do marvels to my brand. Obviously, not always does a miracle take place.

Just the other day I saw Bournville TVC again. To me it really didn’t make much sense. Well it’s my opinion. However back then the outdoor was just right! They did make the chocolate look very tempting and definitely they won at least one new customer (me). That too loyal. If a marketing head see’s that the communication message is actually showing what his customer wants to see, he is bought in. However, not always his prediction turns true because not all campaigns are successful. Point being, he had faith in what his agency did. Whether it is / was rocking or not.

It’s on this faith that we as agency survive. If they stop believing in what we are saying then digital agencies wouldn’t ever have got embraced by the brand managers. Going back into recent past, this new media- the world of digital was accepted by client because they liked what traditional advertising never got them. ‘Numbers’! This is exactly what marketing & sales manager’s love i.e. they exactly get to see what the ROI is. Hence the invention of CPLs. Is it just about getting leads? (coutesy: Dharma) Well, that’s what we made the clients believe and hence today we see lot of clients asking for CPL deals. That’s the faith they have in the medium. Rather that’s how they started believing in the medium.

However, as time changes and medium gets advanced, we always see revolution. Digital is one medium where magic happens probably every second. Today in this time of downfall where markets are collapsing, and companies don’t have money for advertising in traditional media, we see shift in digital media as well. Yes, this is the time when Digital media is being talked about the most. Yes, this is the time when we are seeing companies doing more of brand awareness campaigns and not just wanting a CPL deal. It’s right here in Ignitee where we beat challenges and battle the war and not let the client get misled. Its right here, that we speak their language, a language that they have been hearing for years ‘reach’ & ‘frequency’.(coutesy: Gautamm) We make them believe us and they do. Its faith after all. It’s their faith in us because of which we have made these magical campaigns which are one of its kinds.

They believe us not just because of what we commit but the experts behind it. The knowledge they have and with this expertise we win the clients faith. It’s about building the relationship with client. It’s in this wonderful place that I work where I have always heard Ramani challenging to client ‘We can beat your expectation and my team is ready to do that.’ Its not just client but internally we believe in each other and work together. We have faith in us. Yes! Ignitee Rocks!!

-- Mahek

Ignitee rocks!!

Nine Months back when I was suppose to be dreaming about my much awaited wedding scheduled in October’08 all I was dreaming was the Launch of “Ignitee” which was scheduled on 30th September precisely 8 days before my ceremony. My first ever experience in an agency, my first launch ever and of course my first ever wedding. All I had launched previously was SOP’s (Standard operating procedures) and promotions in hotels! Butterflies flew all of that month in my stomach. To do list was endless and words like Virals, DM’S, and JPEG sounded Latin! I dint even know what Afaqs and E4M were.....hush hush!

Youngest Ignitees cut the cake on the day of Launch!

Now when I think back it truly has been the most amazing time. A roller coaster ride which I am never ever gonna forget. I enjoyed every bit of it and more then I enjoyed, I was learning something new every nanosecond. By the way now when I am asked to launch any project I always think of the Dhoni’s Aircel ad “Aur Bolo”!!!

Some of our prominent launches have been Spark, Our event initiative, Ignition and Ignitee but everyone’s favorite is Moksh. I feel elated when I see ignitees distressing and enjoying themselves in Moksh. I love Bhavna’s painting there. I am so happy to be associated with such a forward thinking company. I think ideas like Moksh and Spark are super cool!!!

Before concluding I wanna use this platform requesting all of you to chat with me as and when you think of any new initiative Ignitee should take!

Signing Off,

Ruchika

First Times...

This week seems to be full of ‘first times’ for me.

This is the first time I am writing a blog!

We are in the midst of receiving our first major rain-fall of the season.

Today I will experience, for the first time, the flooding lane outside the office.

The new business we signed on yesterday was the first new business I helped get, since I joined Ignitee.

Last night was the first time I went for ‘post work’ drinks with my new friends from the office.

And this week I signed on my first recruit for Ignition.

First times can be supremely exciting, some times nerve wracking, sometimes easy and sometimes, the hardest thing in the world.

But it is something that we all experience at some point of our lives. And more often than not, it symbolises accomplishment.

This week saw exciting ‘first times’ for me and here’s to many more for all of us at Ignitee

Cheers

-- Tarini

Winning IS everything

Revealed! 4 Friends that Get You Gold

And 3 Enemies that Take it Away

On June 19, 2009, the Power Rangers—a live wire team of fifteen (Captain Sahal and cronies Manish, Ritesh, Ajit, Rahul, Priyal, Devendra, Sandip, Suresh, Ganesh, Kaushik, Radhika, Harry, Sejal, and yours truly)—romped home with the GOLDEN TROPHY of the IHE series and individual medals inscribed with praise: ‘Best House 09’.

Celebrating the sweet taste of success

Missing in the snap: Power Rangers Harry and Radhika

Three days prior to our victory, on July 14, 2009, a team was defeated. India, Defending Champions, crashed out of the T20 series after losing by a whisker to England—a team we beat easily in 2008.

Both incidents compelled me to think about what it takes to win—or lose—a match.

From whatever I’ve read in Management books, there are 4 Friends that can undoubtedly ensure the outperformance of a team:

Friend # 1: Courage

To think BIG, to go against the grain.

Friend # 2: Conviction

To follow your heart—against all odds.

Friend # 3: Commitment

To give it all you’ve got—right till the very end.

Friend # 4: Confidence

In yourself, but more importantly, in your team.

And who are the enemies just waiting to snatch victory away?

Enemy # 1: Fear

Enemy # 2: Pressure

Enemy # 3: Wrong decisions

What warms my heart is that Ignitees have loads of Friends. How else could we have grown so exponentially—and won 3 of the most prestigious accounts in digital history: IPL, MOT (Ministry of Tourism) and the Indian National Congress? And still be hungry for MORE?

Keep rocking, Ignitee! Here’s to greater times and still more success. Cheers!

Glory, Glory To Ignitee!

Yes, I am an unabashed Man United fan. Who isn’t? It’s really great to see them win game after game (ok, so they lose a few times, but who doesn’t?) And, my favourite colour happens to be RED…

Oh, you must be wondering then what Ignitee’s all about. It’s the place where I work these days. No, sorry, not work, ENJOY. When you do something you really enjoy, you can’t call it work, can you? I’m a web designer and I get to do the coolest stuff around here. Websites, banners, site caps, you name it, I done it.

The best part about this place is that I don’t have to sit hunched at my desk all the time. We have a TT table, and a room for relaxation we call MOKSH. In the evenings, after office hours generally, there’s an army that gathers at the TT table. I form part of this small army and I enjoy myself after a day’s hard work (oops there I go again). Another great thing is the events that are staged every alternate Friday. It is fun to see everyone run helter-skelter at the last minute, and even through ridiculous deadlines and mountain loads of work, we do manage to have a lot of fun every time!

If I had to describe Ignitee in one word, it would be ‘magic’. It really is a magical place. Even my team is a magical team. And every day, from Monday to Friday, we perform magic tricks to amaze and appease our clients. Come over sometime. You’ll enjoy yourself, I promise!

- Elton Afonso

Ignitee Days

As I was not comfortable working with my previous company, my friend Aurnob Mitra suggested that I should try out Connecturf (Connecturf had not changed to Ignitee back then). Gautamm took my interview—believe me, I was extremely nervous. But I realised pretty soon that there was nothing to worry. Gautamm called me a few days later and told me I could join from 29 September, 2008.

Ah! This indeed was the perfect place to work in. Every morning I am greeted by the smiling face of Julie, our receptionist, who wishes me good morning.

In the beginning, my team (Search Team) was a small one—it consisted only of Gautamm, me, Kamlesh and Monali. Within a short span of time, the number of projects increased tremendously and we had to hire two new recruits, Krutika and Bhakti.

But Ignitee isn’t ‘all work and no play’. We do have a TT table and a carom board. And we also have an ‘Inter House Event’ every alternate Friday, where Ruchika (Corporate Affairs Head) and Yamica (HR Head) organise events like karaoke, Antakshari etc. We also celebrate everyone’s birthday in office.

What I enjoy most is LUNCH TIME, when we all sit together and think about how we’re going to tackle the post-lunch session. The most memorable time is when Ramani (Chairman), Sandy (Vice-President), Gautamm (Business Head—Search/SMO aka my boss) and Kamlesh (Manager—Search, another boss of mine) sit together and share thoughts.

All I can say is that Ignitee has given my career a new dawn. Thanks to Ignitee, there has been a significant improvement in my work, skills, knowledge and thinking power.

-- Kunal Shah

Another Business Pitch?

It’s really encouraging and heart warming to read all the passionate posts that have been put up so far. There are posts by the new Ignitees talking about how they like the place, how it’s not just an office, but a learning ground; and how they look forward to each day at office. There are posts by the older lot talking about how they have seen the undying spirit of Ignitees in good times and bad. And then there are posts by Ignitees talking about how they have embraced the digital media and how the digital media has touched every small spec of their life. And of course there are those entertaining posts and musings from Nihal after almost every post .

So what’s new about this post? Well, this post is about a business pitch at Chennai. (At this point, I’m sure you are thinking, what the hell? but just humour me)

It was in the sweltering May heat that three of us (Sandy, Ashok and I) had landed up at the Chennai airport for a business pitch. We were very pleased and confident of the work that we were carrying and therefore the usual nervousness and last minute fixes were missing. We gorged into the Masala Dosas and the Idli Sambhar at Suvarna Bhavan, courtesy our hosts (Priya and Arun). In our excitement, we landed up early at the client’s office. The client was also quite accommodating. We had a good meeting. Came out and celebrated at Kalakuddi with some awesome prawns, mutton, chicken and fish. Shopped in the bylanes of Chennai, saw the Marina beach, waited for four hours for our flight at the airport and reached home at 1:00 AM.

Sounds like any other business trip right? So, why am I telling you all this? Because, when we entered the client office, the client politely told us that he had shortlisted another agency and that the deal was done. But we insisted on presenting our work. Thirty minutes in that conference room and the client promised us more ‘eyeballs’ in a follow-up meeting to see the great work that we had put together! We made a client rethink his decision about signing up an established local agency, purely on the merit of our work!!!

And that’s what this post is all about—the pride I felt to be part of a brilliant team, a team that is

• So passionate and so hungry for winning that it opens up even closed doors

• So full of ideas that it there are ideas flowing in even at three in the morning

• And so full of life that it doesn’t miss out on its food parties and IHE even in the midst of handling the biggest three campaigns in the last six months of digital space!

I’m sure I echo the sentiment of all of us when I say, “Proud to be an Ignitee!”

- Harminder Kaur

My experience @ Ignitee…

I distinctly remember my first day @ Ignitee. It was 10.00 a.m. when I, along with Dharini and Ritesh, three of us having joined on the same day, was waiting with immense anticipation in the visitor’s lounge. It being my first job, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. I was scared, happy, excited, anxious, nervous, all at the same time. I didn’t know what to expect out of this organization. From what I had heard about the corporate world, I was not expecting much except for deadlines, targets, formal environment etc.

The wait got over as we met Yamica, and there began our day with friendly smiles and warm welcome. Next few days we got to know the industry we had ventured in, the agency we were now a part of and the people we were to work with, thoroughly. Each day and each task brought with it more inquisitiveness, excitement and exhilaration.

Six months down the line, I don’t yet feel I have taken up a job. Rather than an office, it’s more like a college, each day loaded with friends, canteen, and assignments. Your bosses at Ignitee are mentors who guide you at each step, making sure you not only perform but outperform. And not to forget, your performance is rewarded with appreciation, time and again.

I have been the quieter lot amongst the always buzzing Ignitees. But even in my silence, I have cherished each moment @ Ignitee. The lunches with Dharini & Samruddhi @ Cafeteria, the evening snacks, the Friday evening events, the rare but fun late work nights, the challenging tasks, the list goes on and on.

Here I end my note, awaiting more fun and thrill in my tenure at Ignitee.

What’s on my mind? I don’t know!

I have started to type this sentence without any knowledge of what I am going to say in the next 300 odd words. This is a familiar situation to most creative people who sit and stare at the white blank paper everyday of his/her life while cracking an ad. A blank paper is scary at times; you don’t know where to start, what to draw or what to write.

The Facebook status asks ‘What’s on your mind?’ And I find it extremely difficult to fill in that blank. My mind is constantly churning thoughts. And they happen to be random every moment. Good, bad, meaningless, philosophical, childlike and wicked. And the list is endless. Information, Messages, Words, Images, Sounds gets tattooed on the brain. And this hard disk is storing everything I think or not think? Where am I heading? Why am I thinking in the first place? Why can’t I stop thinking? Shut my brain. Was it like this a few years ago? I ask this question to myself. I don’t think it was. Life was definitely not like this.

So, what has made this change? Not long time ago someone helped me open an email account. It was simple; writing a mail to a friend. Today, I don’t have the time to reply to any mails. Too much is happening in the virtual world which I have been part of it knowingly or unknowingly. I am sucked into it. It’s like I live another life in the virtual space. Can I discover a new dimension of myself? Am I the same person who is in the real world? I have noticed, otherwise unassuming, shy and quiet person suddenly showing completely opposite personality on the social networking sites. Should I call this double life?

We are social animals. But today we want to be even more social in a new world.

We like to know what is happening in other people’s lives, we want to share, we want to comment, we want to chat and we want to give our opinion. We want to sell, we want to buy and we want to get entertained. We have the option of changing our identity. Live vicariously. Will it stop here or is there something to be unraveled; something different and bizarre. Is life getting simpler or complicated? I don’t know. I don’t understand. I am not a psychologist.

We (Ignitees) live in one world and work in another. Isn’t it fascinating?

A project developed by American scientist for the United States Defense way back in 1973, known to us as Internet is now become part of ‘our’ DNA. And everyone’s too.

- Ashok Karnik

My Affair With Ignitee…

Fast, challenging and thrilling, is how I can describe my journey so far. Travelling woes to action filled schedule, happy/not so awaited moments make every day special in its own way.

Day starts with Julie’s sweet smile at reception desk, smiling faces, greetings by fellow Ignitees as you enter, which is followed by witty & humorous comments of Naresh and Nihal (they sit in the opposite bay) and by the time the work station is up you are geared up for the week.

Time actually flies, it’s been less than a year but it feels as if have been around for ages. The strength has almost doubled in last few months (renovation has already started), many new faces on the floor. However, the way they bond with each other, crack jokes and have fun while at work or in our small and special “Ganesh cafeteria” is awesome to see.

Friday (when we have IHE), I think is the attraction of the month as of now for Ignitees. Struggling with the daily work schedule, house captains & members running from post to pillar till the last moment, enthusiasm and the “Lets do it” attitude is something to look for. Bottom line is to have fun, fun and fun (no hidden agenda!!!).

Another common interest (how can I forget that!!!) of the Ignitees is “GOOD FOOD”, its one of the hottest and attention grabbing topic of discussion for majority of us. May it be the hard core maharashtrain cuisine of Annanthashram, Chinese of Shang Dynasty, Maroosh or any other outlet where you get taste bud tickling and to “die for” food. We, very regularly update each other of the newly discovered “Best food outlet” references too, which is almost a part of our TO DO list.

Even with all the fun, seriousness for work remains intact. Working on stringent deadlines, striving to do and deliver best is what I can see everyone is up to right now. Coming days are going to be filled with much more action and rocking stuff for sure!!!

Come so far but still a long way to go…

……And 9 Months after….

It was 20th August’08…I was coming for the Interview in Connecturf……Gautamm gave me address. It was something like Sitaram Mills Compound, N.M.Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E).

I got a cab and told driver “Sitaram Mills Compound Jana Hai “...he took me to all compounds in Lower Parel except Sitaram Compound. Lol. After the lower Parel darshan when I finally reached Sitaram Mills Compound I saw all the old mill buildings and I thought where I am? It seemed as if time had stopped, koels chirping merrily. The hot blazing sun silently continues to throw more heat. No noise of cars…it felt like I was far off from Mumbai. I started wondering is this the right place for me? After the nomadic roam around for half an hour, I called up Gautamm several times to help me navigate my way. I finally reached & to my amazement the office seemed exceptionally larger-than-life, serene & full of positive aura.

Looking back now, when we started Search Department, we were only 3 people and we had only 2 small projects to handle. But things changed very rapidly after that. We had the opportunity to work with reputed clients. It’s just the beginning...Goodwill spreads eventually & here we are- NOW looking out to grow our Search Team...And after almost 10 months…with Jai Ho Congress, MOT and may more clients. Sparks like Ignition happening, I can safely say that this is the right time to dive into Digital Marketing & Advertising. I am proud to be a part of Ignitee which has a blend of talent, creativity, madness & lots of fun…great people to work with…hardcore foodies…hilarious dancers…crazy workaholics…singers…actors…& what not!

- Kamlesh Ek Sawal?