Mastering the marketing pivot: Atul Raja on building meaningful brands

With a career spanning over 30 years across telecom, FMCG, real estate, pharma, media, and tech, Atul Raja is no stranger to the evolving landscape of marketing and branding. Having played a pivotal role in launching and scaling some of India’s most iconic brands like Airtel and Tata Indicom, Raja has now embarked on a new chapter as an International Marketing Consultant and Brand Strategist, helping businesses navigate complexity with transformative strategies that drive exponential growth and market leadership.

In this exclusive interaction with Adgully, Atul Raja, International Marketing Consultant and Brand Strategist, shares insights from his cross-industry journey and discusses what excites him most about this entrepreneurial leap. “What excites me the most about this new journey is the freedom to create impact across multiple brands and industries,” he says. “Having shaped large brands within corporations, I now have the opportunity to apply my expertise to businesses that need strategic direction and innovation.”

From sector-agnostic brand thinking and adaptive marketing models to his predictions on AI-driven personalization, omnichannel integration, and purpose-led storytelling, Raja offers a deep dive into the art and science of building meaningful brands in a fast-changing world.

You’ve had a dynamic career spanning 30 years across various industries. How have these cross-industry experiences shaped your approach to marketing and branding?

Over the past three decades, I have navigated the dynamic landscapes of multiple industries, from telecom and FMCG to real estate, pharmaceuticals, media, and technology. I can now look over my shoulder and vouch that this cross-industrial exposure has not only deepened my marketing and branding expertise but has also equipped me with a holistic understanding of consumer behavior across different spectrums of the target audience since each industry has its own consumer psyche, decision-making process, and purchase drivers.

While telecom taught me the power of data-driven customer segmentation and retention strategies, FMCG emphasized the importance of impulse-driven marketing and mass appeal. Real estate, on the other hand, reinforces the significance of high-involvement decision-making and emotional branding.

Also, having worked with both legacy brands and emerging challengers, I have developed a nuanced perspective on brand positioning. For example, in telecom and FMCG, where brand recall and differentiation are crucial in saturated markets, my focus was on sharp, clutter-breaking communication. In contrast, my experience in real estate and B2B sectors required trust-building, reputation management, and content-driven thought leadership.

These are crucial learnings on tailoring brand narratives for different market maturities.

From launching iconic brands like Airtel and Tata Indicom to working in FMCG, automotive, and telecom—how do you adapt your strategies to different industries?

Each industry operates within its own set of norms, but the most successful marketing strategies often come from cross-pollination of ideas. Therefore, strategizing for different sectors and product categories is all about adapting to varied consumer psychologies. While sectors like telecom and FMCG thrive on data analytics, others like real estate and pharma demand strong storytelling. So, there is a delicate balancing act betweeninsight-driven strategies and creatively engaging ones.

Leveraging cross-industry best practices comes in handy with experience. In my case, I found it fascinating to integrate FMCG-style packaging innovations and brand storytelling into the real estate sector, making property marketing more consumer-centric. Similarly, the use of digital automation and performance marketing strategies from telecom and media has been instrumental in enhancing B2B lead generation and sales in technology-driven industries.

With three decades of experience, what key learnings from your past roles are you applying to your new venture?

Every industry operates differently, but the fundamental principles of brand building, consumer engagement, and strategic storytelling remain universal. My biggest learning has been the power of adaptability. I have been a great votary of marketing, being sector agnostic. Some key learnings that will drive my new venture include:

• A “business-first” philosophy ensuring that every marketing dollar is invested strategically, maximizing the ROI. Balancing brand storytelling with ROI-driven execution will be reinforced by clarity in positioning, differentiation, and consistency.
• Data-driven strategies driven by analysisof the market, target audience, and competitive landscape, leading to measurable results.
• Having understood first-hand the realities of budgetary constraints, I will work within the available budgets using cost-effective but powerful solutions to maximize impact and deliver a strong punch.

As a columnist and thought leader, what key trends do you foresee shaping marketing and branding in the next five years?

I foresee a few defining changes that will drive marketing in times to come:

AI will redefine customer engagement through hyper-personalization. Brands that don’t leverage AI for consumer insights and engagement will struggle to stay relevant.

Content will become the cornerstone of branding, and storytelling will take center stage. Consumers are no longer buying products; they are buying into stories, values, and communities.

Omnichannel Marketing will gain prominence. The lines between online and offline are blurring. Customers expect seamless experiences across digital platforms, social media, e-commerce, and brick-and-mortar stores.

Integration across touchpoints will be crucial.

Community-driven marketing will focus not just on selling products, but also on creating immersive digital experiences (Metaverse, VR/AR). Engagement beyond transactions will become a norm.

Purpose and sustainability-driven branding will gain momentum. Consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are demanding that brands stand for something beyond profit. Sustainability, inclusivity, and brand reputation will build stronger consumer loyalty.

Given your expertise in branding and marketing, what key principles will define the branding strategy for your new venture?

Firstly, my brand consultancy will not be just another marketing firm—it will be a high-impact, strategy-first partner for businesses looking to scale. Therefore, strategic brand positioning will be a key focus area. Defining a clear, compelling, and differentiated value proposition will be the starting point for me to scale brands.

Secondly, my endeavour will be to provide customized support to different clients and sectors, as these have nuanced differences in market dynamics, TG profiles, and competitive landscapes. This needs to be taken into account while planning market support and undertaking media planning.

Thirdly, I will focus on an integrated marketing approach combining traditional and digital channels, allowing for omnichannel marketing campaigns that drive impact through a 360-degree perspective to influence brand perception and consumer engagement.

Fourthly, my approach will prioritize performance-driven marketing and developing thought leadership by blending brand storytelling with data-backed performance marketing.

How do you plan to leverage digital marketing and technology to enhance brand presence?

In today’s day and age, the digital strategy needs to be multi-faceted and deeply data-driven. My approach will be combo-driven:

• LinkedIn for thought leadership, and Insta for brand engagement
• SEO & content marketing to establish authority and drive organic traffic
• Performance Marketing to amplify reach and get quality leads
• AI-powered consumer insights for driving strategy
• Social listening to refine strategies based on real-time data
• Marketing Automation for implementing CRM and automating lead nurturing, email marketing, and client interactions

Will your marketing approach be more consumer-focused or B2B-driven?

This depends on the organization and the industry type. So, it will be both, depending on the profile. However, sharp positioning and brand differentiation strategies on one side and value creation for businesses on the other are applicable to both B2C and B2B.

How do you see traditional marketing evolving in today’s digital-first world, and how will your venture adapt?

Traditional marketing is far from dead and is evolving to complement digital strategies rather than compete with them. Hence, my venture has positioned itself as a full-spectrum marketing partner by integrating traditional and digital strategies in a way that maximizes impact. The objective will be to continually look for opportunities to effect an omnichannel marketing approach blending brand storytelling, tactical performance marketing, and experiential engagement through data-leddecision-making, hybrid marketing models, and community/ TG engagement.