PEAKLIFE

In conversation with the couple behind the most successful brands in India today. peaklife.in
conversation with Aman Swetta and Tanya Swetta of id8 Media Solutions.

Being one of the few pioneers behind the success of Luxury Brands in India, id8 Media Solutions founders Aman and Tanya Swetta’s vision is a success story not only in the business sector but also as promising partners. In conversation with Aman Swetta and Tanya Swetta. Peaklife scoops in on the couple’s relation.

1.) From a dream in 2001 to reality. Please tell us about the journey of id8 Media Solutions so far?

Tanya: Founded in 2001, id8 media solutions began its journey using the strategic marketing tool of Public Relations. While studying communication in XIC, I took up a job in PR and was exposed to a gamut of different industries including Hospitality, Film, Consulting, Corporate, and Fashion. With my background in psychology and philosophy, I have always known that any story has to be multi-dimensional. I saw a gap in the market in terms of having a deeper understanding of how PR can truly help build a brand with an EQ and an IQ, going beyond straight press releases and media interaction. The economy was booming and many brands were entering the Indian market looking for the right representation. I found myself as the bridge between international brands and the Indian market, becoming the preferred choice of partner for communications and marketing and that is how id8 media solution came to existence.
Aman: In 2008 Tanya and I met and the journey went into overdrive! As we chose to be partners in life, we came to our understanding and the guiding light of being a true partnership across all aspects of our lives. I pursued acting, filmmaking, and scriptwriting from top institutes across the world. I started my career with launching the world’s first media convergence project- TANMAN.COM – centered around wellness, which gave me invaluable experience across the workings of Bollywood and the IT industry. Tanya and I realized how important it is creative when it comes to brand communication and had the vision to evolve id8’s services into Design, Digital Marketing, Filming, Production, Event Management, Graphic & Visual Communication and a diverse range of other offerings to evolve id8 as an integrated marketing consulting agency.
As the world gets more integrated in its thought process, the understanding of the ethos moves towards a mind, body and soul connection. In a similar way, the way we communicate and market a brand, product or service must be aligned holistically – this was our thought and vision for the company in creating an integrated marketing communications approach. This means that we offer and have the value of multiple tools of marketing under one common goal and thinking with skilled teams in each department working in collaboration with each other, thereby offering a much higher value and more effective messaging for brands both internally and to external audiences.

Today, id8 media solutions have successfully established itself as a reputed, result-oriented and innovation-driven integrated marketing communications agency with a repertoire of International and home-grown companies that look towards our advisory for their marketing and communication goals.

2.) Aman you joined the business in 2008 almost 7 years after its inception. How has the consumer demand for luxury accessories changed in these years?

As an integrated marketing consultant, our sole responsibility is to have a thorough understanding of the consumer, thereby adding great value to the brands and companies we work with. When we see the evolution of the consumer over the last decade, the growth has been stupendous! This is largely due to external influences and stimuli arising from the data and globalization age. Digital has opened up lines of learning and communication to a whole new level. Hence, we naturally see the Indian consumer to being empowered with knowledge and hence choice! The consumer today is much more educated about what he or she is desirous of purchasing, they do spend a considerable amount of time researching the brand to see if it is a fit with their personality, rather than just purchasing a luxury brand due to its lineage. The luxury consumer today believes in getting an experience – hence the brand has to this deeper in terms of its brand experience, right down to the simplest communication, be it in-store or external. Being conscious also means that the consumer is a planet lover- the youth of today believe strongly in ethical and best practices across the value chain.

3.) What do you think of the global fashion industry when it comes to premium accessories, patterns, and colours?

We have never had it better. Today, fashion is a representation of your personality. There is no one style or silhouette that is globally worn unanimously as it was before – for example- bell bottoms were the fashion trend across the globe for a considerable amount of years. Today, two things that people look for in their choices of fashion are – uniqueness and innovation. Innovation comes in many forms, be it tech-enabled gear, the utility of the garment to the colours, cut and style. Premium labels and brands today that have made a mark globally are ones that successfully infuse these concepts into their design thinking. An example of this would be Lulu Lemon.

4. In this digital age, how is id8 Media Solutions keeping pace in trying to understand the change in consumer preferences?

Understanding consumer preferences is the fuel that drives us! At id8 media solutions, we implement a balance of both EQ and IQ. IQ is derived through various methods of research – informal – surveys, consumer behaviour pattern knowledge through white papers, tools to measure consumer preference digitally. EQ is achieved through the data we collect from our brands, whom are customer facing, the consumer is both in the B2B and B2C segments. Our relationship with the brands we represent is a true partnership, through sharing of knowledge and information, we are able to derive and understand core consumer behaviour pan India.

5.) Could you please elaborate on your work ethics as a couple and how do you work together as a team?

Aman and I manage the company. We both strongly believe that the core of success is derived from thoughts, because thoughts are the seeds of all your actions. We work Keeping in line with the company’s pillars Honesty, Integrity, Quality & Innovation. We believe that life cannot be lived on separate parallels, and our work and life culture are uniform and in sync with each other. Our individual strengths when brought together bring a well-rounded thought process and skill to the table. We are an integrated marketing communications consultancy, where Aman’s focus lies towards the Creative, Film and Digital world and mine towards PR and Marketing. It’s amazing and a blessing to work together, as we bring all the elements in place. We bring two different perspectives to the fore.

6.) What advice would you give to working couples in managing their personal and professional commitments?

In today’s world as we all know marriages are falling apart and divorce rates are going up. What we realized is having a partner as a companion and not a spouse with having same goals across both personal and professional life helps two people to seamlessly grow together, this is the first step towards integration. Value your partner in life as you would your partner or boss in business. There is always so much to learn from each other. Work independently and collaborate on projects – collaboration always leads to great innovation. After all, two minds are always better than one! There is the danger of letting your work-life filter into your home life – set rules and boundaries, have a life after work and don’t confuse the two. Releasing bad habits from each other and adapting good habits from each other definitely helps you evolve as a couple.

7.) Please tell us about your plans for 2020.

Scaling up globally, strengthening our New York office. Introducing new extensions to our consulting business that compliment what we do and will propel us forward into a leadership position. Travel a lot as this is the greatest learning.

QUICK BYTES

1.) Your favorite holiday destination. – The world is our Oyster; we love exploring new destinations with and without our kids. Most recently, Amsterdam left an indelible impression on us, imbibing the sustainable way of life is something we aspire to.

2.) As a couple your travel preference – hills or beach, city or countryside. – History, Culture and great people is what we look for, the world has too many places to explore, this year, we would like to explore beautiful India.

3.) One personality trait you adore about each other. –
Tanya – that Aman adores me so much
Aman – that she is so different from me and yet our values and culture is the same.

4.) One personality trait you tolerate about each other.
Tanya – tidiness
Aman – impulsiveness

5.) What would be a hashtag that you would make for yourself?
#TanyAman

6.) Your favourite romantic getaway.
Anywhere we can be pampered in luxury – somewhere within nature – together!