With a commendable eight-year tenure in digital brand communication, Dhivaagar Kumaravel stands as a seasoned professional who consistently endeavors for and attains excellence in guiding brands to digital prowess. His expertise particularly shines in the domains of paid advertising management and content curation. Currently serving as a digital marketer and content and paid media strategist at Mandrin Reid (Pvt) Ltd., Kumaravel's journey includes impactful collaborations with distinguished entities like Red Bull Sri Lanka, Red Bull Maldives, Prima KottuMee, and Standard Chartered Sri Lanka. His rich experience has afforded him a deep reservoir of strategic insights, notably in the realm of digital storytelling, with a keen focus on crafting effective paid advertising strategies. Kumaravel's philosophy centers around purposeful connections, delivering meaningful content, and forging memorable brand experiences through paid advertising. These principles not only guide his approach but have also been honed through collaborations with diverse global and local brands, shaping him into a professional adept at refining and elevating strategies in paid advertising management.
Staying on top of the latest trends in digital marketing is like keeping up with the latest gossip in a bustling neighborhood. He makes it a point to chat with the digital trendsetters, those who are super passionate about soaking up knowledge and love to share their wisdom. For him, it’s like having a coffee catch-up with friends who are always excited to spill the beans on what's new and cool in the digital world. This friendly exchange of insights not only keeps him in the loop but also contributes to the collective growth of our digital community, making sure we're all heading towards brighter and better horizons.
Dhivaagar shared a cool digital marketing story where he mentioned that he and his team had this awesome project with Prima KottuMee, targeting the young and lively bunch who are always on the pulse of social media. Instead of just talking about the product all the time, they decided to ride the wave of daily news and social trends. With his amazing digital team, they tweaked their content plan to make it fun and relatable, weaving in the brand seamlessly. It was like turning the usual chatter into a catchy tune that everyone wanted to hum. He said more people started remembering Prima KottuMee, and they saw a boost in overall awareness. It was a bit like making friends by joining the conversation rather than just talking about themselves all the time.
Dhivaagar said, "Think of audience targeting like throwing a perfect party." First, he understood the main guests—the crucial audience for the brand. Then, he dug into their interests and found out who influenced their choices. It's like getting to know the main crowd and their influential buddies. Next, he created content that speaks to both, making it like playing everyone's favorite tunes at the party. To make sure everyone's invited, he mentioned they used targeted paid promotion, spreading the word by putting up posters.
Furthermore, he said that he adapts to digital marketing strategies by identifying the strengths of each platform and understanding their relevance to the brand, the services offered, and the potential target audience within each platform for the business. The content pushed on each platform is then customized to align with the observed user behavior on that specific platform.
In Dhivaagar's opinion, the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring the success of a digital marketing campaign are: Tailoring their strategy to the brand's lifecycle or campaign requirements, they typically begin with building brand awareness and consideration. Progressing strategically, he shifts focus to content engagement when aiming to enhance brand love and affinity. For campaigns with an immediate need to boost sales and revenue, our emphasis turns towards lead generation and sales conversion.
His team and he had a tough time figuring out who to target for an education provider's lead generation. So, he went straight to the experts—the faculty. By chatting with them, he said they learned what future students might be into. Then he put that knowledge to work, tested different approaches, and optimized like crazy.
Now, when it comes to decision-making, it's like cooking. Creativity is the spice, but you need the right recipe. Dhivaagar also mentioned, ‘Data is the recipe book’. Understanding it helps us see what people like, and that guides our tweaks and adjustments.
Dhivaagar approaches building and maintaining a brand's online presence through social media platforms. Rather than crafting short-term executions as quick fixes, his approach involves developing communication strategies that lay a robust foundation for long-term awareness and foster affinity within the target audience. This ensures sustained business operations and lasting brand impact.
My last and final question for Dhivaagar was: What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career in digital marketing?
He said, ‘It's not as easy as it seems or as flashy as portrayed. Behind the scenes, it's a hectic, tiresome grind. Be ready to invest hours in analyzing and understanding the data. Prepare to dedicate time to continuous testing, including budget allocation, targeting, and creative optimization. "Learn the ropes the hard way, and after a few years, you'll find yourself doing it with your eyes closed, relying only on muscle memory."
In the narrative delineating Dhivaagar Kumaravel's trajectory within the digital marketing domain, his noteworthy accomplishments include adeptly steering brands and overcoming challenges with strategic acumen. His impact within the digital sphere is significant, characterized by a series of insightful maneuvers. As we anticipate further successes, the scholarly community awaits the unfolding chapters of Dhivaagar's contributions in the realm of digital marketing.