Introduction

Hi everyone,

The first Langoor Podcast is below. Click play to listen to my chat with Ruchir and Venu. The transcript is also available below.

If you have any suggestions for the next podcast, email me at robk@langoor.com.

Cheers,

Rob Kaldor
Head of Digital – Australia

Listen to the Podcast

SoundCloud podcast embed

Podcast Transcript

Introduction

Rob Kaldor:
Hi, everyone. My name's Rob Kaldor, and I'm new to Langoor. I thought the best way of finding out how Langoor works was by spending time with our Founder and Chairman of the Board, Ruchir, and our CEO, Venu.

Welcome, boys.

Venu:
Hey.

Ruchir:
Thanks for having us.

What's New at Langoor?

Rob:
What a rare opportunity to have you both in the same room at the same time. Tell me, what's new in Langoor over the last month or so? What's new, Venu? Any big news?

Venu:
What's new? More work, more craziness, more logos, I think better customer engagement the way I've seen it.

Lastly, we are trying to chase something which is an audacious goal for Langoor. It is all about creating what we call a Blue Ocean Strategy for brands.

We're trying to teach India design thinking. From there comes product experience, then web and mobile experience, and finally digital marketing activities.

That's what is exciting in Langoor right now.

iMedia Australia Experience

Rob:
It's a big strategy. I know both of you spent some time presenting Langoor at iMedia. How was iMedia on the Gold Coast, Australia, Ruchir?

Ruchir:
Really cool, actually.

It was a great opportunity to understand the digital marketing landscape in Australia.

What I found was that a large part of the conversation focused on the hygiene and technology attached to marketing—reaching customers more efficiently.

I felt conversations around creativity and strategy were still missing, despite having so many marketing leaders together.

iMedia India Experience

Rob:
And how was it in India, Venu?

Venu:
In India, it was my first opportunity to represent my personal brand at an event like this, so it was a unique experience.

Meeting 40–50 senior CMOs from well-known brands was exciting.

Putting Langoor's name in front of them was equally exciting.

Apparently, almost 70% of them already knew about Langoor, which made us proud. The remaining 30%, although unfamiliar with us, were curious to learn more—thanks to our crazy name.

From a learning perspective, it gave us a good view into what brands are doing, especially around programmatic media buying and automation.

It appears that today, programmatic buying and the ability to reach customers at the right time are influencing marketing strategies more than simply asking, "What do I say at that time?"

What Is Agile Marketing?

Rob:
Interesting. Ruchir, I've spent some time with you recently. What does agile marketing mean to you?

Ruchir:
We've spoken about this a few times.

Conventionally, most people have thought about marketing without having the opportunity to run large campaigns or leverage technology effectively.

The idea of agile marketing comes from agile programming.

The strategy is about testing ideas, deploying campaigns, learning from them, improving them continuously, and repeating the process.

Instead of relying on one large campaign, you have an overarching goal and strategy while experimenting with multiple tactics to achieve that goal.

Changes at Langoor Australia

Rob:
One of my learnings at Langoor is that we need to communicate more effectively with each other.

I know there have been some changes in Langoor Australia. Unfortunately, Prashant has left the business, but we're grateful for everything he contributed.

We've also hired a very attractive Head of Digital—myself.

(Laughter.)

Nagi is also here on secondment for a couple of months.

Any other staffing changes?

Venu:
I think until now we were operating in an extremely aggressive start-up mode.

Now we're turning the corner.

We've reached an inflection point where we want to ensure we're putting the right people in front of our customers across the globe.

We want more people to take customer-facing roles in Sydney and Melbourne so they can learn directly from customers, bring those experiences back home—whether after three, six or twelve months—and help the organisation deliver truly customer-delightful programs.

That is one of the biggest organisational shifts we're making.

From an attrition perspective, there isn't much happening apart from the usual industry movement.

Closing Thoughts

Rob:
This has been the very first Langoor Podcast, and I'm very excited to be part of it.

It's been a great learning experience for me.

As probably the only Australian-born person in the company at the moment, it's time for you to start teaching me some Hindi before my trip to Bangalore.

I want one word that I need to learn and remember.

Venu:
I think Ruchir is the best person.

Ruchir:
You should know "Accha."

Rob:
Accha?

Ruchir:
Yeah.

It just means "Okay."

Venu:
It's okay.

Ruchir:
And you can say Accha to everything.

Rob:
Okay.

So, to end this podcast...

Accha.

Ruchir:
Thanks, Rob.

‍