In conversation with Sunny Nagpal, httpool
On the occasion of Httpool’s tenth anniversary we spoke with Sunny Nagpal, Co-founder, and Regional Managing Director of Httpool APAC about their journey so far and the challenges that the B2B digital advertising and marketing domain has faced till now and about the transformation that digital advertising industry in India has undergone.
Agency Reporter – Congratulations on Httpool’s 10th anniversary! Can you please shed some light on Httpool’s work in the APAC region?
Sunny Nagpal – Thank you! Indeed time flies quickly if you’re enjoying the ride. I am immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished, where we have come in this past decade. In this time, we grew from scratch into a multi-million dollar business and expanded across the APAC region to Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. At the same time, we have constantly been adding new products to our portfolio. We are proud that major platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and others have entrusted us to represent them at these markets.
But what is really exciting is that we have been actively participating in the creation and development of the digital advertising ecosystem. We wanted to be trendsetters, invest in technologies, and support local businesses in competing globally. To all markets, where we are present, we brought opportunities, but also knowledge and experience. One of our very important tasks is to support local businesses through knowledge sharing and education; we provide best practices to help them grow quickly across country and language barriers.
AR – How has your journey been like in India as you worked with major media platforms?
In 2009, when the Indian media and advertising industry was going through a digital transformation, traditional powerhouses companies were drifting. I identified this as an opportunity to support them by starting a joint venture with an emerging international partner of the major media platforms- Httpool. The Httpool global company was established in 2000 and was already at that time known for its advanced hold on technology and efficient cross-channel advertising propositions.
Today, as part of the IMS corporation, Httpool represents some of the largest global and regional media platforms in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The company supports international and local media agencies with technology and access to the relevant global and local media partners to achieve their business and marketing objectives efficiently. Moreover, it is a strategic partner for all top global and regional app developers, gaming, blockchain, and e-commerce companies in Asia. It enables these partners to efficiently connect with international audiences via its global media partners like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify, Ogury, Daily Motion, etc. Based on advanced technology and extensive knowledge, it ensures that clients consistently exceed the return on investments and maximize business efforts.
AR – The digital advertising industry in India has undergone a transformation over the last decade but it remains in its nascent stages. What major changes have you observed in your experience?
The field of advertising has indeed gone through some profound changes over the past decades. One of the most prominent media that has drastically changed the advertising landscape is the ‘Internet.’
The central aspect to consider in the internet era was personalization and customization, as these experiences are high in demand. The new shift to digital advertising called for a particular need for consumers to bring across diversity within the ads that were produced by brands across sectors. According to recent figures from the Zenith study, Digital now accounts for more than half the world’s advertising for the first time.
Harnessing personalisation and customization can be challenging. And for this purpose, Httpool developed its own Twitter certified API tool Wise.Blue. This solution helps advertisers and brands with real-time insights and automation of their campaigns on Twitter for the excellent use of resources and best results. Wise.Blue it allows advertisers to create solutions that completely utilize the prospects of newer technology and their impact through its advisory for brands and agencies towards knowledge transfer.
AR – According to you, what are the biggest challenges that the B2B digital advertising and marketing domain has faced till now? How has that changed in 2020?
Digital and social media marketing does have certain challenges, but the opportunities far predominate whatever hindrances one may face in this digital age. Digital and Social Media Marketing are here to stay in their ever-evolving forms. Marketers must embrace this new world.
COVID 19 still continues to affect every area of business. The roles of sales and marketing functions have been changing for a while, and this pandemic is just the latest repetition.
We all know B2B marketing was hysterical as a matter of on-ground physical one. We have seen an enormous change in the past decade. Disruptions are happening at every step of marketing. Technology has helped in accelerating the change with small functions such as databases, email, social media marketing, etc., all dramatically impacting the way we do business and overall in the customer engagement process.
Marketing is no longer just advertising; it is now present at every stage of the customer relationship.
AR – In the new era of digital advertising, data seems to be the new king. What are the challenges that come along with it, and how can B2B advertisers make better use of data to effectively connect with their audiences?
Data is becoming an integral part of marketing. The need for data has now become an important aspect of procuring insights on customer relationships and business performance, which in all leads towards improving product experience, customer service, and marketing efforts.
As an industry, we must have an adaptive approach towards the way we engage with customers, or else there could be a larger risk of losing your consumers to the competitive market. The consumer journey is no longer a definite path, an overflow of technological advancements, and changing consumer habits has seriously altered the world we live and market in.
AR – How long do you think it will take for B2B to fully adapt to data-driven digital advertising and marketing in India?
It is a matter of time, to be honest. We have seen in the past that Indians are typically much faster in adoption of latest technologies, than usually anticipated. We saw it with mobile/handset adoption that happened at unprecedent pace and scale giving rise to a mobile first ecosystem.
Both the mobile consumption as well as experiential consumer is likely to increase, which will give rise to bug transformation in the way businesses operates in India, and SMBs would be equally impacted to adjust and embrace the game changing technologies of digital marketing, more so “ data driven” approaches of reaching out to their consumers.
Besides for SMBs, it is all about simplification, and as soon as we are able to provide a more seamless interface to engage with large media platforms, and drive core business objectives through intrinsic and date driven approaches, we will see instant scale in adoption.
At httpool, we are working towards developing one such platform that shall allow mom and pop shops to be able to advertise on some of largest media platforms with AI support as well as human interactions.
AR – As technology provides the digital advertising industry with more opportunities, it can also be intimidating for small-scale, new businesses to venture into. What advice would you give a new brand while just starting out?
I would say that try venturing if it’s the business that excites you, do ample ground research before starting on, and plan your finances well till the time you start making profits. Digital advertising, using the biggest platforms, opens up the whole new world for even the smallest business. Now, every small business in any part of the world can talk to global consumers.
At Httpool, we are working towards developing various initiatives and solutions that can help SMEs within the APAC region to use digital platforms that can help their brand grow and eventually market it well.