Ad land’s young guns: Shashwat Vatsa, AVP - Brand, Olyv

Shashwat Vatsa is the Assistant Vice President (AVP) - Brand at Olyv, formerly known as Smartcoin. With extensive experience in brand strategy and development, Vatsa has been instrumental in redefining the brand’s identity and aligning it with its evolving business objectives. Under his leadership, Olyv has strengthened its presence in the market, focusing on innovative solutions and customer-centric approaches. Vatsa’s expertise lies in crafting impactful narratives and leveraging strategic insights to build memorable and trusted brands.

In conversation with Adgully, Shashwat Vatsa, AVP - Brand, Olyv, discusses the challenges of brand leadership and shares insights into his daily workflow, career milestones, and inspiration for pursuing branding. He reflects on the mentors who shaped his approach and the strategies he uses to maintain work-life balance. He also highlights his passion for branding, how he stays updated on industry trends, and his commitment to continuous growth and innovation.

How do you balance the diverse responsibilities that come with being a Brand Lead, and what are the main challenges you encounter when managing these duties?

Balancing responsibilities as a Brand Head requires strategic prioritization and effective delegation. On any given day, I’m coordinating cross-functional teams, be it product or the performance side of the marketing, ensuring the alignment of brand messaging, and overseeing the brand’s growth trajectory. The main challenge lies in balancing long-term brand vision with ROI driven immediate performance goals, particularly in a fast-moving digital landscape where we constantly need to respond to changing user expectations. Staying adaptive while consistently embodying our brand values is key. I also tend to put a lot of emphasis on adhering to legal and compliance backed work and have always set guardrails around the same for any of our work that goes LIVE.

What does a typical day look like for you in your role at Olyv? Could you share the top 5 to 7 key activities that are essential to your daily workflow?

Each day at Olyv is dynamic, but my workflow often includes these key activities:

• Strategic Planning:Mapping out brand initiatives to align with our monthly and quarterly goals. Business stays at the heart of all the decision making. 
• Team Collaboration:Engaging with marketing, creative, and product teams to ensure a cohesive approach to asset and brand narrative creation
• Performance Monitoring:Analyzing performance metrics to ensure we’re meeting campaign goals and optimizing strategies where needed.
• Creative Development Oversight:Reviewing and refining creatives, ensuring they’re on-brand and resonate with our target audience.
• Market and Competitor Analysis:Benchmarking stays one of the rigorous iterative processes that we have set in our team. Staying attuned to market trends and competitor moves, allow us to stay agile and relevant.
• Mentorship and Guidance:Supporting the team in skill-building and growth to foster an empowered, creative environment.
• Stakeholder Engagement: A proactive approach to keeping the relevant stakeholders well informed via mailers, performance reports, future marketing strategies ensure key stakeholders are aligned with our brand vision and initiatives.

What inspired you to pursue a career in branding, and how did you prepare for this field? What motivates you to continue on this path?

Branding appealed to me because of its potential to shape perceptions and create meaningful connections with audiences. Nothing can match that feeling of creating something from scratch and own the same as a proud medallion of the work you are capable of doing. A lot goes in building and sustaining a brand depending on where exactly does a brand stand in its respective journey. My preparation involved a combination of formal education, hands-on experience, and a genuine curiosity to understand consumer psychology and market dynamics. What continues to motivate me is the evolving nature of the field – each campaign, initiative, and market shift presents new learning and creative possibilities. Seeing our brand resonate with users and positively impact their lives is incredibly rewarding. I believe at the end of it when I will sit back to reflect on the work that I have done I want to be proud of the brands I have helped in building during the entire course of my professional career.

Did you have any mentors or industry icons who guided you in your career journey? How did their influence help shape your approach to brand leadership?

Yes, I’ve been fortunate to work with mentors who taught me the value of authenticity, resilience, and innovation in brand leadership. They emphasized understanding the consumer deeply and building a brand that resonates beyond superficial metrics. Their guidance helped me see branding not just as a business function but as a tool for connection and influence. Today, I try to pass these values on to my team, fostering a culture of empathy and creativity.

How do you manage a healthy work-life balance in such a fast-paced role? Are there specific practices you rely on for managing stress and ensuring personal well-being?

In a role that’s inherently fast-paced, establishing boundaries and setting realistic priorities is essential. I make it a point to disconnect after work hours and engage in activities that recharge me, whether that’s swimming, meditation, travelling, or spending time with family. Mindfulness practices and time management help me focus on what truly needs my attention, allowing me to approach my work with renewed energy. I want to believe that I have been incredibly lucky with the kind of work assignments I have been able to pick in my career. This has ensured I enjoy the hustle instead of feeling stressed due to work.

Could you share some of the key milestones or accomplishments in your career so far? How have these achievements impacted your professional growth?

I have worked on a bunch of brand assignments and each one of them has come up with a set of challenges that I have enjoyed solving for. Some memorable milestones include launching impactful brand campaigns that exceeded engagement goals and building a high-performing team aligned with our brand’s values. To name a few, IPL campaigns of 2020,2021 and 2022 working in different capacities for each of my respective brands, gave me the kind of professional high that has stayed with me. To be able to tap into the biggest sporting event of India ensuring phenomenal success for the brands I worked for, gave me a lot of satisfaction.

These experiences are also the reflections of how good a team I have been a part of and how well they have responded to the requirements. These professional moments have refined my strategic thinking, but have also taught me the importance of leading with empathy and adaptability. Every achievement reinforces my commitment to pushing the brand forward and fostering an innovative and collaborative culture within my teams that I have worked with.

How do you stay updated on the latest trends and insights in brand management? Are there specific resources or strategies you rely on?

To be working in the brand management space, one needs to be a student throughout their life. It’s an ever evolving process driven by dynamic changes happening in different segments of the businesses. You need to be ahead of the curve with the industry practices as well as sharpening your skills to continue thinking innovatively. I believe in continuous learning and staying curious. I follow industry publications, attend webinars, and actively network with other branding professionals. Benchmarking against industry leaders and engaging with cross-functional insights helps us remain agile and responsive to new trends. Leveraging data analytics tools and feedback loops also provides real-time insights that guide our brand strategy.

What drives your passion for branding, and how do you continue to grow in this field to ensure ongoing success and relevance?

My passion for branding is fueled by its power to create emotional connections and shape culture. To stay relevant, I prioritize adaptability, seeking out emerging tools and methodologies, and staying attuned to consumer behaviour shifts. Mentorship, industry networking, and an openness to new ideas allow me to grow alongside the brand, ensuring that we remain impactful and responsive to our audience’s needs.

Also Read: Ad land’s young guns: Shashwat Vatsa, AVP - Brand, Olyv