It is all about how you manage your time and prioritize your work: Manjot Juyal, Korra

Manjot Juyal of Korra, explains how creating strong fundamentals can build stronger capabilities in the A&M industry

Manjot Juyal, VP & Head of Media at Korra and a part of the #SS40under40 2022 list, shares insights on her journey, the importance of work-life balance, and a moment that changed her outlook on her career, in this chat with Social Samosa.

Edited Excerpt:

3 ground rules/principles that have helped you excel in your career

Hard work, dedication, and consistency + honesty - are the three principles that have helped me throughout my career.

One takeaway from the pandemic & the whole WFH situation

The one thing that I learned during the pandemic is that there is an opportunity in every minute for you to explore and bank on.

Also Read: AgencyCon 2022: Curtain Raiser

What are your views on work-life balance? How do you achieve it in your daily life?

Being in an agency for more than a decade has been the toughest part, but one thing that has helped me achieve the balance is honesty and playing a fair game of give and take. Why honesty? I was, and am always honest about my hours of work. Very strict too and honest about my reasons to work, the way I work and believe me my; honesty has always been appreciated.

You can pretend a day or two but cannot sustain it. And it’s a game of giving and taking. Some days you got to extend and deliver going out of the way, some days you close your laptop before it hits 6 and most of the days you are on time.

This way the balance is always maintained, it's all about how you manage your time and prioritise your work which helps a lot. In fact, that’s the key.

One moment that changed your career...and how?

The day I realised I can work and deliver 2-3 levels up my work designation and responsibilities given. That was the moment I could see the change in me and around me. That helped me not just grow at an individual level but help in the growth of the organisation and team I am working with. The biggest motivation is oneself, and when you outgrow your goals and achieve at an overall level by mapping your everyday short-term goals and long-term ones - that’s when you know you are on the right path. The beauty is that you are not alone. You are enabling people and businesses around you grow as well.

Top advertising & marketing trends that you have come across in the last year - these can be takeaways from your daily work-life experience

The biggest trend seen last year was the increase in adoption of content consumption on OTT platforms and snackable content. Which has increased the mobile penetration into smaller towns as well; making digital transformation easier for many small D2C brands which have been born in the last 2 years and have contributed to digital-first media.

Another trend that I came across was digital shopping. 70% of the people, due to the lockdown have started shopping for basic needs online and have become comfortable with the concept. So it's not just digital currency but doing their complete shopping online that has changed dynamics for marketers as well as publishers.

One thing that you would like to change in the Indian A&M industry

I think that the industry needs better work-life balance and more transparency with the clients.

Any jargon that you think needs to be banned from the A&M lingo?

None

One message for aspiring A&M professionals.

I have always given two tips to my team and the freshers around me:

Always learn the basics first. Understand why it is done instead of just doing it. If a task is given to you, understand why it is given to you and why you are doing it, instead of just doing it. Because, if basics are strong, we can build stronger capabilities on it.

And, being consistent always helps, always.