This article has been contributed by Shiraz Khan, Founder/Director, Spicetree Design Agency (SDA).
A report published by Kalaari Capital revealed that there are around 80 million online content creators in India, including video streamers, bloggers, influencers, and physical product creators. Of these, only 1,50,000 could monetize their offering and earn around Rs 16,000–Rs 2 lakhs per month. To establish a financial safety net, many influencers are launching their businesses or trying their hands at acting and coaching!
The creator economy has witnessed exponential growth in the past few years. Data suggests that the influencer marketing industry in India was valued at INR 900 crore in 2021 and is expected to grow to INR 2,200 crore by 2025 at a CAGR of 25 percent. From small to medium to large-scale brands, companies of all sizes invest in social media marketing and partner with leading influencers to promote their products and services. But what is driving this surge in demand?
Besides their immense talent, their creative ideas, distinct content, and unique ability to connect with their audiences have made them new-age internet icons. Though influencers initially relied on brand deals, sponsored posts, network monetization programs, and affiliate marketing, some well-established ones are stepping into new territories. On the one hand, where beauty and lifestyle creators are trying their luck in Bollywood, healthcare and fitness influencers, on the other hand, are turning to life and wellness coaching as alternate careers.
Recognizing the power of their popularity, individual brand authority, and the reach of millions of followers on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, popular influencers are jumping from social media content creation to OTT platforms and the big screen. For instance, Prajakta Koli, commonly known as MostlySane, began her career as a radio jockey and eventually rose to popularity through her YouTube channel.
She earned further recognition after debuting in “Khayali Pulao,” a short film highlighting gender bias. She garnered widespread critical acclaim for this performance, which helped her bag a role in the Netflix romantic drama “Mismatched,” followed by a Bollywood debut in Jug Jug Jeeyo alongside top stars like Kiara Advani, Varun Dhawan, Neetu Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor.
Kusha Kapila, too, has witnessed a similar career trajectory. Despite starting with Idiva in the content team, she found her calling as a comedian, fashion influencer, and YouTuber; her strong persona and presence on social media attracted the attention of top Bollywood directors like Karan Johar. She has done everything from Netflix starrers like Ghost Stories and Masaba and Masaba to Koffee with Karan on Disney+ Hotstar and Bollywood movies Plan A and Plan B. Her journey from being an influencer to an actor serves to prove that a solid online presence, coupled with a knack for acting and the right network, can present excellent opportunities beyond one’s professional skill set.
After creating a solid audience base, many creators like Raj Shamani and Ranveer Allahbadia have launched their respective businesses and actively invested in startups. They also host podcast shows that feature top Bollywood stars, entrepreneurs, historians, environmentalists, and politicians, each with a community of millions of loyal listeners. Similarly, luxury lifestyle influencers like Shaurya Sanadhya, Simran Bhatia, Vishnu Kaushal, and Juhi Godambe have broadened their career prospects by launching clothing brands. Most of these labels and brands have found considerable success in their own right.
Limited Scope Calls for Breaking Out of Comfort Zones
With increased competition and the continual entrance of new creators in the ecosystem, not all can monetize their services effectively. The report by Kalaari Capital revealed that creators with 10,000 to 10 lakh followers earn approximately Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 2 lakhs per month. Those with more than 10 lakh followers earn between Rs. 2 lakhs and Rs. 52 lakhs monthly. Though the grass seems greener on the other side, surviving and thriving in the teeming influencer industry has not been easy for many of them.
This fear of uncertainty has forced several influencers to identify alternate opportunities where they can create value. By investing in new business ventures, these influencers-turned-entrepreneurs and actors channel their earnings and create a passive source of income for their future selves, thereby building financial security. In the near future, it will be interesting to see the state of the influencer industry amid these significant shifts and ever-evolving trends!
StartupTalky presents Recap’22. This is a series of interviews in which we conduct in-depth discussions with founders & industry leaders to understand their growth in 2022 and their predictions for the future.
A digital marketing and design agency is a company that specializes in providing marketing and design services to clients in the digital space. These agencies offer a range of services, including website design and development, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, email marketing, and digital advertising.
The goal of a digital marketing and design agency is to help clients build and maintain a strong online presence, increase brand awareness, and drive more traffic and conversions to their website. They use various digital marketing strategies and techniques to reach and engage with their target audience and achieve the desired outcomes for their clients.
According to MarketsandMarkets, the global digital marketing and design agency market was valued at USD 48.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.0% until 2026, reaching a value of USD 97.9 billion by the end of the forecast period.
For this Interview, we invited, Shiraz Khan, Founder Director of Spicetree Design Agency (SDA), and we talked about the growth, challenges, insights, and future opportunities in the Digital Marketing industry.
StartupTalky: What service does your company provide? What was the motivation/vision with which you started?
The company provides various marketing and design services across digital, online, and print media platforms. The gamut of services includes website design and development, conceptualizing and designing print artwork, and digital marketing, which involves SMM, SMO, SEO, e-mailers, and retargeting.
The company was started with a vision to deploy a unique mix of creativity and advanced technologies to enhance the brand presence of every client business. Over the journey, SDA has been able to deliver on that front.
StartupTalky: What new services have been added in the past year? What is/are the USP/s of your service?
Shiraz: In the post-pandemic scenario, the world of marketing and brand communications has undergone a sea change. There is a greater emphasis on engaging customers through content marketing, and we have accordingly expanded our capabilities and technologies in SEO, SMM, SEM, and various aspects of digital communications. The USP of SDA’s service is the excellent mix of creativity with advanced technologies that help us consistently create impactful branding campaigns for clients.
StartupTalky: How has the digital marketing industry changed in recent years, and how has your company adapted to these changes?
Shiraz: There has been an incredible shift in how digital marketing is approached, and we are witnessing greater tech sophistication and communication maturing. Old and pushy sales initiatives are now replaced by steady content-driven campaigns that engage the customers and sustain their interest.
Marketing is no longer a standalone function related to creating ads but a collaborative effort with the clients. We focus on understanding their business, USPs, products, and services and use our creative and technical expertise to help the brands grow. We have also introduced relevant services and tools from time to time.
For instance, now there is a greater focus on effective communication through various formats of creativity (Audio, Video, Animation) and marketing automation and we are helping our clients with that.
StartupTalky: How do you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the digital marketing industry?
Shiraz: Our industry is highly dynamic, and as we work hands-on daily with the clients, we also keep an eye on the global players. Technological innovations, creativity, and changing customer sentiments are all routinely observed, and we keep testing ourselves with the best practices to ensure that we are constantly updated and competent enough to support our clients.
StartupTalky: What key metrics do you track to check the company’s growth and performance?
Shiraz: We check our company’s growth and performance via two metrics, internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders for us are our team; if we have managed to retain the right talent and acquire the right talent and keep them motivated and happy, then we think we are doing well internally. External is our relationship with our clients, vendors, and partners. We have been in this business for nearly a decade, and we have managed to retain almost 60% of our clients and, at the same time, onboard some big names. These two things help us understand that we are doing well and are on the right path.
StartupTalky: What were the most significant challenges your company faced in the past year and how did you overcome them?
Shiraz: Budgets and more than required interference in the creative process. Our scientific approach helped us reason it out with them to show them why they should spend the apt amount to expect the kind of results they have in their mind. And give us creative liberty, it’s evident that if they have a suggestion that makes more sense, it is most welcome, but if it does not, then we explain our bit to push our ideas through.
StartupTalky: Good service is something everyone is talking about in the service industry. How do you ensure that your clients are happy?
Shiraz: The definition of good service has changed over time; the client now feels that good service means attending to their numerous calls, changing the creative as per their creative sensibilities, and matching their unreasonable timelines. We focus more on the outcome; if the bottom line is met, then clients take a back seat, and that’s how we have managed to sail smoothly.
StartupTalky: What are the different strategies you use for marketing? Tell us about any growth hack which you pulled off.
Shiraz: SDA is a premier multi-faceted marketing agency. We have been deploying a healthy mix of digital marketing tools, SEO, paid advertisements, print and digital media content, and video communication to promote our brand and client organizations.
The one growth hack that SDA has leveraged over the years is to ensure an optimum balance between technology and creativity. SDA’s core philosophy is to obtain factual creativity through a perfect blend of creative vision and scientific analytics. Most people believe that science and creativity are two different domains, but we have been able to use these in complete harmony to achieve a unique and previously unexplored manner.
StartupTalky: Foreign clients- this is what most of the service-based companies are looking for. What has been your experience?
Shiraz: For us, every client is equally important. Agencies indeed get greater creative freedom and economic opportunities with foreign clients, but our focus is on being the best in what we do. Our work speaks for itself, and we do get regular opportunities to work with Indian as well as foreign clients. We have expanded our operations in the US and Indian cities such as Chennai and Bangalore.
StartupTalky: What are the important tools and software you use to run your business smoothly?
Shiraz: Apart from the regular Digital marketing tools for the marketing side of things, for our web, we use a wide range of technologies such as LAMP stack, HTML5, CSS3, SCSS, JQuery, Angular, and other web tools such as Bootstrap, WordPress, Code Ignitor, Shopify, Magneto and so on. Further, SDA has its video animation and production team to create short films, motion graphics, stop motion, etc., which are a critical part of digital communication today.
StartupTalky: What opportunities do you see for future growth in your industry in India and the world? What kind of difference in market behavior have you seen between India and the world?
Shiraz: India is adapting super-fast to all the global trends; we are moving hand in hand with agencies worldwide. There is so much outsourcing happening from overseas that is testimony to the fact that we have a grip over this game. The market behavior and the buying patterns of markets across cities and countries are different and must be dealt with differently. Here is where our expertise in having a scientific approach helps us understand the TG more effectively. We do not try to please the client but always prefer to look at the result.
StartupTalky: What lessons did your team learn in the past year and how will these inform your future plans and strategies?
Shiraz: We have learned to become more flexible and stride forward with confidence. Bucking the slowdown trend, SDA managed to expand its domestic presence to Chennai and Bangalore, and we have also entered the US markets. Thus, this year has been great for the company, and we have added Indian and foreign clients and expanded our range of offerings.
StartupTalky: How do you plan to expand the Customers, service offering, and team base in the future?
Shiraz: We have plans to open more offices overseas and have appointed a team of consultants to help us take the franchise route to service more clients. As far as the internal team is concerned, we are looking for varied talents 365 days a year.
StartupTalky: One tip that you would like to share with another Service company founder?
Shiraz: Please refrain from falling prey to clients willing to pay peanuts and expect great results. Some don’t even want to spend monies on paid promotions and expect magical results. The ones that pay less are the ones that expect the maximum. Interview the clients before onboarding them.
We thank ShirazKhanfor spending his valuable time and sharing his learnings with all of us.
This article is contributed by Mr. Shiraz Khan, Founder/Director, Spicetree Design Agency. SDA is an integrated digital solutions agency with expertise in developing strategies across web design/development, print designs, digital marketing to brand identity and consultation in products & services.
When you start a business and see it evolve into a successful organization, it is natural to think that it is all because of you. You start feeling like the boss. As the owner/founder of the business or the CEO.
If you think entrepreneurship is about being the boss, then you are completely off the target. Any managerial position gives you the authority to issue orders, give instructions and ask people to follow your command. However, it doesn’t make you a successful entrepreneur. After having spent long years leading the team towards greater achievements, I (Shiraz Khan) can say with confidence that one can lead only by example.
The first and foremost thing that every entrepreneur should remember is that they can’t complain. The business you have built is structured by your vision, and where it will go also depends on your vision for the future. Whether it is smooth sailing or adversity, an entrepreneur never loses sight of the big picture, and even in the toughest scenarios, they will focus on finding solutions and making progress. This hunger should never get satiated.
One of the best ways to do so is to display solid work ethics and a zeal to perform. Be the first one to arrive at work and the last to leave.
Isaac Newton had once remarked, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
Every working day, I reach the office early just because I know that nothing works better than showing the way. People will adopt best practices when they see them in action. Instead of preaching the virtues of punctuality and an early start, I prefer to demonstrate how it is done.
To be honest, there is ample chance of being misunderstood by people. Some people might see it as indirect pressure, and others as old-school practices, but what truly eggs me on is that my actions as a leader are going to motivate people to focus on self-improvement. I am giving them the reason to walk the path of self-betterment. It is this responsibility of a leader, and the opportunity to bring about a change each day, that makes me step forward with double enthusiasm, each morning.
A major challenge that I have seen a lot of people struggle with, is monotony, boredom, or the complacency that creeps in subtly and creates a negative, low-energy environment at workplaces. It is important to be constantly on the guard against such a negative state of mind. As a leader of my pack, I enthusiastically promote a work culture and environment that helps my employees align their job responsibilities with their purpose and enjoy doing what they do.
Being the Founder-Director makes me the torchbearer for my people and leads them to achieve organizational as well as their own growth. I have constantly strived to build an environment full of equal and attractive opportunities for all the employees. A company’s growth is best exemplified by the growth and success achieved by its people. If the people are unhappy and stagnant then the company is not doing well, and if the people are happy, full of purpose then the company will scale faster. Also, the opportunities for growth shouldn’t just be decided from the top down. As the leader, I believe it is crucial to ensure that the opportunity is packaged and presented in a manner that entices people to go for it.
Also, there is no doubt that being able to command the ship and having a good grasp on the pulse of the business is the greatest joy for an entrepreneur. Whether it is internal management of the company or the successes one achieves in the market, it is highly satisfying to see that each gain benefits all the people. This is one of the major factors that drives me towards finding new and interesting avenues of growth for the people around me.
The best part of leadership is to see that each and every person around you get better at the game, each day. Once you are able to inculcate that culture and zeal in the organization, everything else falls into place automatically!
An attractive website, a well planned digital marketing strategy or an appealing print ad campaign, all these are quite essential for every company big or small. SpiceTree Design Agency in Mumbai provides a one-stop solution for all these needs.
Shiraz Khan, a man with a passion for creating unique and innovative advertisements and marketing messages, founded this venture. SpiceTree Design Agency was set up in 2004. This creative branding agency is now operating in a wide field from website designing to CMS, from digital marketing to print media marketing services like designing print ad campaigns and marketing collateral.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Mission and Vision
SpiceTree Design Agency’s vision is to create marketing opportunities that will inevitably drive worldwide growth of their clients. The company’s mission, on the other hand, is to push brands into unchartered but engaging territories; continuously inspiring effective communications using new-age technology that create and stimulate their clients’ growth opportunities.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Industry Details
As per reports by Magna Global, a division of media agency group IPG Mediabrands, print media ad revenues are expected to reach Rs 22,424.3 crore in 2019.
The digital marketing industry is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, with no intentions of slowing down. The Indian digital marketing industry is expected to grow at 32% CAGR to Rs 18,986 crore by 2020.
The advancements of technologies like AI and machine learning, analytical tools and blockchain technology aren’t merely trends in the industry. These developments are instead raising the threshold for industry performance. In addition, voice searches and other personalized approaches are expected to become a mainstay in digital marketing strategies. All these prospects cumulatively make it a fascinating time to contribute to the industry as the horizons of consumer personalization and engagement are broadening.
Mr. Shiraz Khan, is the founder director of SpiceTree Design Agency.
The other core member is Mr. Mehmood Khan who is the Director and also chief of business development.
The business development team consists of, Rekha Khanna, who is a computer science graduate with over 25 years of industry experience and Sanju Sharma Khan, who is an engineering graduate and have over 12 years experience in IT sector.
The web development team consists of Parveen Shaikh who has eight years of experience in web designing and development and Gaurav Nimkar who is an experienced SEO specialist and web developer.
The Digital Marketing team consists of Amita Bhoir, a Social Media and Digital Marketing expert and Manasvita Subramanian who has over 4 years experience in digital marketing.
The Creative team consists of Shruti Rajpara. Shruti is a 3D Animation Specialist, Jagrut Save is trained in Visual and Amp and expert in art and design and Monali Shinde, who is in charge of the graphics team.
SpiceTree Design Agency Team
SpiceTree Design Agency – The Idea and starting up
Inspiration struck gradually over a period of time rather than a cliché ‘Eureka’ moment.
Shiraz had a very comfortable and secure job as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at a company before envisaging SpiceTree Design Agency. Though he had financial and work stability, he felt that the more creative part of his mind was being suppressed by the mundane coordination of sales. The monotony was uninspiring. That was the moment when the fire began stirring in his belly, fed with his growing thirst for creativity.
Shiraz had always been a creative person. He liked unveiling the concealed and subliminal meanings behind several brand ads and campaigns. Finally, he came to the realization that his passion for creativity and innovation would perfectly compliment his knowledge of science, detail, and analytics.
He began his entrepreneurial venture on the 6th of June 2004.
Once I began, I was spurred to keep marching forward with no inclinations to look back. The philosophy thankfully continues till this very date.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Name and Logo
A tree symbolizes abundance and offering while spices represent color, vibrancy and flavor. The company is named ‘SpiceTree Design Agency’ because it strives to emulate these traits of trees and spices.
It just bodes well for us that its abbreviation ‘SDA’ has a nice ring to it.
The concept of the company’s logo came from a very simplistic approach: to create an identity that is simple and easy to register in the minds of people. The color red is associated with energy, strength, power, determination as well as passion.
SpiceTree Design Agency Logo
SpiceTree Design Agency – Services
SpiceTree Design Agency curates web, print, and social media design; offer digital marketing solutions including Social Media Marketing, Social Media Optimization, Search Engine Optimization, mailers and re-targeting. It also develops clientele’s brand identity while offering consultation on products and services.
The agency has diverged its offerings based on advancements in technology, new dynamics of consumer behavior, and the perpetually adaptive nature of the industry.
As said by Shiraz, the agency’s difference lies in its core philosophy of obtaining ‘factual creativity’ viz. the perfect blend of creative thought and scientific analytics. The agency lays immense importance on offering practicality through its creative solutions in a unique manner. It aims to enable its clientele to stand out from the crowd.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Revenue Model
The Company works on retainer and project basis, and charges for the services provided to the clients.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Customer Acquisition
Philosophically I acquired our first client due to my conviction.
Shiraz is very confident and passionate about his creative marketing ideas. It is this confidence and passion that helped him acquire his first client. Impressed by his creative ideas, one of his acquaintances referred ‘Timeout Mumbai’ to get in touch with him for creatives of their Mumbai edition. Slowly as people got to see his unique creatives, the agency started attracting more clients.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Funding
The agency is bootstrapped. It started off with a sum of Rs.1,00,000 from Shiraz’s personal savings.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Challenges
As per Shiraz, the countrywide economic decline posed a challenge as sales declined and clients delayed payments. However, the agency has now formulated effective plans to remain unhampered by economic decline.
Again a self-imposed challenge that he has taken up is that of maintaining the team spirit and keeping the team motivated to do their best.
The Agency has an income of Over 2 Crores. More than One lakh and eighty thousand visitors have visited its website till date. Also SpiceTree Design Agency has served over 1200 clients from various verticals such as event management, travel, retail, corporate, manufacturing, finance, architecture, engineering, food and beverage, education and real estate.
The agency has been recognized as the best digital agency in the E-mailer category for 2 consecutive years by AFAQ’s.
SpiceTree Design Agency – Competitors
Very honestly, I haven’t understood what this word “competition” actually means till today. In my childhood, I was given very simple teaching. I was told that you do your best each year and everything will just follow.
Shiraz strives to keep adding an imaginary feather in his cap each year by doing better than every passing year for the brand. He believes in self-improvement rather than imitating or competing with others.
The objective for each business is conspicuous – growth. We believe that the plan for growth lies in growth itself: growth for all above all. This means the inclusive growth of clients, team, and all associates.
In terms of tangible growth, the agency intends to dwell into digital AD film production. It is planning to feed the YouTube, Vimeo, and other related platforms with meaningful content in the form of video ads, short films etc. The agency also intends to build a state-of-the-art in-house studio with all resources to make video ads and short films of the highest quality.
FAQs
What is SpiceTree Design Agency?
Spicetree Design Agency is a fully fledged marketing agency specialized in Website Design & Development, Print Design and Digital Marketing since its inception in 2004.
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