For Arpan Biswas, chief marketing officer (CMO), Ajio.com, finding purpose in whatever he does helps him think beyond work:life balance.
In a freewheeling conversation with Storyboard18, he said, “Reinvent and rewire yourself every now and then as per the situation — be it a difficult boss, or toxic culture or a challenging situation at work. That will help you cope up better.”
Edited excerpts of the interview:
If you can list five of your favourite quotes on marketing and leadership?
“Brand is just a perception and perception will match reality over time.” — Elon Musk, billionaire entrepreneur
“Social media is more about sociology and psychology, more than technology.” — Tom Fishburne, Founder and CEO, Marketoonist
“We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.” — David Beebe, award-winning branded content storyteller
“A manager accepts the status quo, a leader challenges it.” — Warren Bennis, scholar on leadership
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.” — Benjamin Franklin, polymath
In your free time, what kind of marketing-related content do you consume?
I love Jim Stengel’s “The CMO Podcast” — that’s my go-to activity while driving. I am very active on Linkedin and follow top marketing leaders from across the globe and their work/posts.
Where do you get your social media fix?
Primarily through our social media team’s WhatsApp group. The team keeps sharing good, bad and ugly work from brands across the world.
What were the last five videos you viewed on any social platform?
I revisit a lot of the work we have done earlier. I was going through internet personality Rahul Subramanian’s crowd work at AJIO HQ.
A Ted Talk on how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing marketing.
I came across several videos and posts on Atul Subhash, a techie who died by suicide because of alleged harassment by his estrange wife and her family members. It’s a pretty sorry state of affairs.
I completed watching the long & fun trailer of Baby John. Actor Varun Dhawan is our newly-appointed brand ambassador.
Shantanu Deshpande’s podcast on and with entrepreneurs.
Who are your favourite creators and what draws you to them?
Among creators, I like Ranveer Allahbadia and TRS (The Ranveer Show). The podcast invites guests from different fields and discusses varied perspectives. I think he’s genuine, has a good story, built himself in public and is credible.
What is your sport/fitness/wellbeing routine?
Honestly, I am more reactive when it comes to fitness rather than being proactive. I need to do better there for sure.
A lover of cricket. Both playing and watching is a weekend ritual.
For well-being, I try zooming out and looking at the long term impact of most issues at hand. Ninety five per cent of current challenges don’t have any major impact in the long term.
How does your routine weekend go? What does your favourite kind of weekend look like?
I play cricket every weekend with a bunch of marketing folks. That’s a good way to start the next week.
Sunday evenings, post the mandatory dine out with my wife, I list down the tasks for next week.
What have you been watching on weekends?
Completely depends on my mood. I enjoy watching serious Iranian films to the fanatical, “India’s Got Talent”. Now, I am rewatching “MadMen”.
Any work or life hack you swear by?
Show others the big picture that enables them to push themselves and perform as per their potential. We all need to be gentle and at times, not so gentle, nudge from time to time to perform better.
What are you reading? Any recommendations?
I’m reading “A Double Life” based on the life of advertising guru Alyque Padamsee.
Recommendation would be “The Meadow” on the Kashmir kidnapping saga.
What’s your advice to avoid personal and professional burnout?
Look for purpose in whatever you do – that propels you to think beyond work life balance.
Reinvent and rewire yourself every now and then as per the situation – be it a difficult boss, or toxic culture or a challenging situation at work. That will help you cope up better.
A piece of professional wisdom you would like to share with GenNext marketers?
Looking at the recent delusional marketing campaigns pushed for shock value and the heck of virality, I suggest GenZs should prioritise the quality of awareness more than awareness itself.
What’s the best advice you’ve got or heard on life?
Your triggers are your responsibilities, it’s not others’ obligation to tiptoe around you.
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