Vinit Kapahi, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing, Aviva India, believes in categorising work which is important, urgent, and critical. Because he believes that one has got to be sure of what it is that one needs to look at. Edited excerpts:
The creator economy has taken the world by storm. Which influencers and trends are you following?
There is a plethora of influencers that I look at because I find that there is an evolution of influencers on a day-to-day basis, be it nano, micro, or macro.
What I look at is the innovative communication style of each of the influencers and their ability to attract attention and new followers. I look at trendsetters who may be nano at the moment but could become micro and macro at a later stage.
I am intrigued by what makes consumers engage with them, whether it is the style, the video techniques, the characters, or unique communication approaches.
What marketing-related content do you consume in your free time?
I am consumer-psychology-driven. It is an evolving landscape. I look at consumer habits and consumption patterns.
There is a lot of talk about burnout, workplace toxicity, and hustle culture. What steps have you taken to avoid the adverse impact of the always-on culture on yourself and your colleagues? What advice would you give to your peers, colleagues, and next-gen marketers on this?
I encourage everybody to work hard and play hard. That also means that they need to take time to rest. I understand that the younger generation today has a struggle when it comes to work-life balance. I talk about picking up at least one healthy habit and doing it for about 30 days at a stretch.
At Aviva, we started looking at mental and physical wellness. We conduct yoga and meditation classes every Wednesday and Thursday.
We have an open culture of people coming and telling us what it is that they are looking at. If there are any work-life balance issues, we discuss them in an open forum with everybody. One healthy habit, half an hour a day, one year, makes it 188 hours. Work hard, play hard.
Is there any sport or fitness routine you practice during the week to steal a few minutes of me-time for yourself and keep the momentum going?
I have been into sports since my teenage years. I do physical activity depending on my schedule. The kind of sport that I am fond of is tennis. Sometimes I play golf. On an ongoing basis, I make it a habit to at least do a 10-km walk.
What does your weekend look like?
The weekend is the time for me to recharge, introspect, and look at the way forward for the coming week. I do engage in physical activities, watch some good series on OTT, or read a book.
Share one work hack and one life hack you swear by.
When you have a lot of work, you’ve got to categorise it into what’s important, what’s urgent, and what’s critical. I certainly look at taking decisions on the critical part, ensuring that the urgent part is also in the pipeline in the coming time.
From a life hack point of view, choose your battles. You can’t win all of them. You’ve got to be really sure of what it is that you need to look at. And don’t fight them all. You’ll burn out.
What are you watching or streaming this weekend?
There is a nice series on Disney+ Hotstar called Billions. It’s a wonderful series to watch. I’m also looking at certain other historical political series like ‘The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die’ or Peaky Blinders’ on Netflix.
What are you reading? Any recommendations?
There is a book called ‘Factfulness’ written by Hans Rosling. It’s about distorted worldviews and how to overcome them. There is one book on short stories, which is about ‘The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing’ by Al Ries and Jack Trout.
A piece of wisdom you would like to share…
There are three that I would like to share. One is what I call the ‘Practice Pause’. I think it’s extremely important for everybody to practice this in their normal routine. The second is about ‘Don’t Procrastinate’. Please make a decision and go forward. The third is about choosing your venue. The way to fight is what decides who the winner is.