Funchaiyat: A celebration of industry experts organised by NIHT Digital Marketing Institute

NIHT Digital Marketing Institute, in association with Mad Over Ads, organized Funchaiyat, a marketing event that brought together influencers, content creators, and industry experts for fun and hearty conversation sessions, on topics ranging from product branding, design, and social media.

Speakers from all across the country came to participate in the sessions held atFunchaiyat, to educate the audience about content creation, digital marketing, branding, and social media. The event took place at Apeejay Oxford Bookstore, Park Street, on 11th March 2023 from 3 pm onwards. The event saw students from all over Kolkataattend the sessions, which were also promoted on air by 91.9 Friends FM

The first session for the afternoon was called The Consumer’s Canvas, which was a discussion about the evolution of design and the impacts of societal changes, on these changing trends. This was moderated by Dr. Maumita Sengupta, Head of the Dept. of Education & Humanities at Techno India University.

The speakers of this event were Abhishek Sarkar, senior UX designer at Deloitte USI, sr. UI UX Designer at Schbang, Ambika Pandey, creative strategist and lifestyle curator, Irah Deb Roy, and Illustrator & Designer, Anwesha Paul. They primarily spoke about the inclusivity of designs, and how it is always better to focus on the end user. The speakers were quoted to have said: “Design should not just be a colorful media, it should also have inclusivity. The user is at the foremost, and design should be made easier for them. Feed the consumer what they want to be fed.”

The session following this, called Foodies on the Gram, was a discussion about the impact of Instagram on the food community as a whole, and how social media is acting as a bridge between consumers and brands. This session was moderated by ShreyaAgarwal and saw notable speakers like Naim Alam, growth marketing manager at TacoBell, Aerica Sardar, owner of the Eten Rovers, Jude Martin, digital creator, and food blogger, and Content Creator & Pastry Chef, Ritika Jaiswal, take the stage. They spoke about having a unique approach to Instagram, connecting personally with your audience, and the right feedback.

A direct quote from the speakers: “Influencers make brand pages interesting. Brands want to grow, and bloggers are their first tap.”

The concluding session, once again moderated by Dr. Maumita Sengupta, was called Branding Beyond Products, which was about branding luxury products as an experience, and how marketing a lifestyle helps create exclusivity for the brand. It saw YashDabriwal, co-founder of Around Always take the stage & Ranadeep Saha, the owner of RarePlanet Handicrafts and Shark Tank season 1 participant, join the event via video call from Delhi. They spoke about the significance of the brand and its public perception, as well as how this approach helped identify many popular brands we know nowadays.

The two speakers were quoted saying: “The whole perception of the brand is what you are selling. One significant product becomes the identity of the brand. Centricity around the customer is what we are trying to build.”

Funchayat celebrated content creators, social media, and design like no other. It was all about learning in a fun way, by experiencing the fun discussions. The event witnessed a phenomenal response, and it certainly educated lots of budding marketers in the audience.