Avidha: The little girl big on dreams, who made her dreams of becoming a copywriter real.

Avidha Mitra – The little girl from Indira School of Communication is now fast rising to be an accolade-winning copywriter in the Mecca of Advertising in India, Mumbai. I remember the Avidha of 8 years back, a simple girl, mischievous, fun girl, yet one who loved what she was studying – Mass Communication. She had told me once - She wanted to become an ideator. I had told her in no uncertain terms that our industry has no such 'ear marked' role of an ideator. I had said that you could either be a copywriter or an art person, who could also ideate. Art required a specific degree in art, which she did not have and for copywriting, it required different skill sets. She took the feedback on her chin but kept marching ahead in search of her dream. Next is I know that she has joined an agency in Mumbai as a Copywriter. Wow!

Our little bundle of fun would now leave no stone unturned to fulfill her dreams, now that she had got a foot in the door, I thought. And she did. She ideated very well, as she always did, wrote well and kept moving ahead conquering one milestone after another.

Here’s a little chat I had with her a few days ago, reproduced below with #nofilter

“Frankly, I never knew my passion lay in writing. Though as a kid I was fascinated about ideating things and probably had a passion for writing, but again, never knew it. When I was standing on the threshold of my career, lost and confused, there was one friend-philosopher-guide who helped me take my decision – Sonali Ma’am. 

I worked as a junior copywriter in a Mumbai-based advertising agency, The Code. I used to write for print advertisements and radio jingles. It wasn’t easy getting in though. Absolutely not. The industry was tough and to make an entry I made myself work hard, very hard. Right now, I am working at Shreyansh Innovation as a Sr. Copywriter and Creative Supervisor.

I got my first accolade at Engage Digital Summit  2016.  I participated in a social campaign #TheFagEnd, which was ran by CK Birla Hospital. Among thousands of entries my entry got selected and also the campaign bagged the award of Best Practices Use of Social Media, 2016. 

My dream role is to be a Creative Director in a renowned advertising firm like JWT or Ogilvy & Mather. My mantra is ‘Think out of the box, not out of the frame’. I would like to tell the current students to be proactive and spontaneous, as much as you can. Also, that they should look for good mentors. Mentors should ideally be spontaneous, less strict, friendlier and someone who allow the student to think as they like to. Along the journey, I had many good mentors. Like Sonali Brahma Ma’am, who guided me on the right path, and most importantly at the right time. She’s the first and only one who believed in me. I am grateful to her and will always be.”

Avidha, my best wishes are always with you!

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"Content" Talk with Sonali Brahma

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SMCPune up,close and personal with Sonali Brahma.Want to know more about the content queen , read our interview with her.

SMCPune : Who exactly is Sonali Brahma?
Sonali Brahma is a writer, a student (there’s always so much to learn from life), a mother, a daughter, a trainer, an honest and committed person. But more importantly, she is an explorer who is 12 years old in this world. She likes to ‘see’ and ‘understand’ the world,  to inquire, probe the depths of her ‘subjects’ (target audience) when she is writing a story, just as it is, when she is writing for an ad campaign. To connect to these people so she can capture the core of their thoughts, their feelings, their fears, their joys through her words. She believes that the world and life has so much to give that there really isn’t enough time to do it all. But she tries. And so, she writes and leads – copy, content, scripts, short stories, profiles, letters, features, articles, and of course some inspiring and thought-provoking FB updates! To describe her in three words – Never say enough!
SMCPune : What is your passion? Tell us about your experience with different brands you worked on.
Sonali Brahma : Writing is my passion. It is the origin of my odyssey into the world of brands. I have had some amazing experiences building brands. Right from building a baby brand seeing it blossom and mature into a fully grown, much envied beauty (Mont Vert Real Estate) to working on the my alma mater (SIBM) as a lead creative resource, to working on a Child Care brand from scratch and watch it take baby steps (Innocent Times) and then proudly talk about a hospital one had helped launch (Oyster and Pearl Hospital), it’s been a truly overwhelming journey. A world that is at once exhilarating and adrenalin pumping and at times nail biting, a roller coaster ride with its ups and downs. Explore, love, fall, learn and conquer…it is this creative world that drives me that I am so very passionate about.
SMCPune : Being a content writer, do you think it’s important to express yourself via blog? Your website doesn't showcase your industry work ..Any particular reason of not including the details there?
Sonali Brahma : Yes, blogs are a great platform for self expression. But I believe they play a far larger role today. Blogs have become a great business and marketing tool. You can not only write about your line of work, your views about things in your domain, but you can ensure the right ‘pull’ (drive the right target audience to your blog). Moreover, a blog is dynamic, can be updated to the last minute, and is easily editable, unlike a website. To me, my blog is my online marketing showcase, my website, its more formal sibling.
SMCPune : You have recently joined social media channel. What prompted you to join and what are your views on it?
Sonali Brahma : I have always been a social media enthusiast. FB, Linked In and more recently, Twitter have been my bridges to a world of opportunity. As against popular opinion, which says, Social Media is for those who do not have much to do, I believe in the power of social media. It is online networking and networking is the best way to build your business and brands. It’s like playing golf, only, you play it online. Joining the Social Media Club has brought me closer to a tribe which has experienced the power and felt the success of social media for itself.
SMCPune : Great Content is required but if it is not shared via proper channel, it loses its essence. What are your views on this?
Sonali Brahma :One of the pivots of successful communication and advertising is ‘the right message (content) at the right time, to the right audience, through the right channel’. Even if one is missed out or incorrectly used, the entire point is lost. So great content, whether expressed through traditional media or new media, needs a proper, well thought-out channel/outlet to create an impact. The power of words and equally important, the power of media must never be undermined.