Mediaboss Marketing

When Rupali Haque Chowdhury could not qualify in the medical admission test in 1977 little did she know where life would take her in the end. But the young woman had an unbending resolve not looking back at failure and not giving up.

Starting as an entry level executive in 1984, Rupali rose through the ranks over the years and ended up becoming the first managing director of a leading multinational company in Bangladesh in 2008. She also led major trade bodies including the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

Rupali Haque Chowdhury enrolled into the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Dhaka University in the early 1980s when girls would rarely take interest in studying business administration. After finishing her studies, she chose to join a corporate company, in contrast to the aspirations of most of her classmates, who were trying to land a government job.

Humble beginning

Rupali Chowdhury was born in Chattogram's Patiya. Her father Priyo Darshan Chowdhury was a physician who practised in Kolkata.

In 1957 he returned to Patiya and started seeing patients at home after Rupali's grandmother told her son, ""People are dying of diseases here and you are treating patients in another country!"

He used to take a fee of Tk2 per patient at the time, says Rupali.

"In my eyes, my father was an unsung hero. It was not easy to leave Kolkata, where the business was extremely good, and return home," she added.

Rupali Chowdhury was the fourth of her parent's five children. Eldest sister Shyamoli Chowdhury is a housewife. After Shyamoli, the eldest brother Shyamol Bikash Chowdhury is settled in the United States. Second eldest sister Anjali Chowdhury has passed away and the youngest brother Kamol Jyoti Chowdhury is a businessman.

"Our family was cultural minded. We had a happy childhood in Patiya. We had lots of Muslim and Hindu friends and never felt any communal discord. After college, I took the medical admission test as my father wanted me to be a doctor," she said.

"Not getting the chance into medical college was heart-breaking. Then I took admission into the chemistry department of Chattogram University. Later, at the inspiration of a very close friend at the time Abdul Haque, who is now my husband, I completed my MBA from Dhaka University's IBA department," said Rupali.

She added that her family discouraged in the beginning, but it was Abdul Haque's support that helped her relocate to Dhaka.

"Many say I have done my MBA for love," Rupali says, smiling.

"Inspired by him, I joined Ciba-Geigy in 1984. I started as the Planning Information and Control Officer in the company and my job was to help the department head with sales and management data. I managed to develop a good reputation and after a while I was shifted to the product management department. After six years in Ciba-Geigy I switched to Berger, where I am still working for 32 years," said Rupali.

Switching to Berger for family

Ciba-Geigy was an established company in the '90s. Her position in the company was also pretty solid because of her skills and performance. However she had to switch her job when her family relocated to Chattogram.

"After knowing each other for years, Abdul Haque and I tied the knot in 1989. The next year, my husband was transferred to Chattogram and I had no choice but to shift there," she explains.

"I was looking for a job in Chattogram and found a job circular of Berger in the newspaper. They interviewed me in a number of phases. They were unsure if a woman was ready to take on the task as the planning manager," says Rupali.

"It was a hard-fought job. The position required collaboration with C&F representatives, engage with Customs officials and liaise with port authorities. At the time, it was hard for them to rely on a woman to do the job," she adds.

Rupali Chowdhury eventually gained the management's confidence and excelled at her job to the extent that she rose to the upper echelons of the hierarchy to the post of MD.

"I never held myself back thinking I was a woman," Rupali says.

She added that she used to assist the department head with his job after finishing the tasks assigned to her and played a significant role in the company's transformation from manual to computerised working procedure.

Becoming the managing director

According to Rupali Chowdhury, her sense of responsibility and innovative mindset helped her climb the ladder to become the MD of a company like Berger.

"The task of transformation from manual to computerised way of working was vital. When I was planning manager, I also did important tasks at the sales department. A few years later, when the marketing manager left the company, the management sort of forced the responsibility on me. I was scared in the beginning as both my children were very little. It was difficult to manage the workload and give time to the family at the same time," she says.

Rupali elaborates that as she was based in Chattogram at the time, coordinating with the marketing people, most of them centred in Dhaka, was a big challenge.

"The managing director assured me and I managed to handle the job well. After a while I was made the general manager, operations. In 2004 I was promoted as the director, operations and in 2008 appointed as the managing director," she describes her rise to the ranks.

"Many say I came this far because I am talented but I beg to differ. I think honesty, integrity, commitment and hard work are the most important, and these were my focus" adds Rupali.

Speaking about leadership qualities, she says, "First and foremost, it is important to have an in-depth understanding of the work I am doing. Then you must have a vision and a mission. Another key point is the ability to assess potential demand for products in 5-10 years time. We also need to think ahead of time to determine the business policy after 10 years "

Mindset about hiring women should change

Rupali Chowdhury thinks mindset about working women should change as a whole both in families and the corporate world.

She says many business owners think women provide less time in the office because they have to give time to their families.

"But I have seen that even if they spend less time in the office, they provide more fruitful time and work sincerely," she adds.

"This idea needs to change," she says, stressing that the security for women should be improved.

Advice for new generation

Girls need to learn to make their own life decisions, says Rupali. "I have to raise my hand and say I can do it" is the attitude she advises women to develop.

"I see a lot of girls who do not go to university after internship. There are also some who do not dare join a job after finishing university. You must come out of the shell," Rupali stresses.

A simple Bangalee woman

Rupali Chowdhury wears saari all the time. Occasionally, she wears teep on the forehead. Rice, fishes and daal top the list of her favourite foods. She loves to give time to family. All in all, she is a solid Bengali woman.

"I like almost all fishes," says Rupali, who can also sing very well.

I nurture my Bengali culture within me while I am keen to learn about other cultures, she adds.

Rupali Chowdhury has two children. Her son Rahul Haque returned to the country after his studies in Canada and started a restaurant business. Her daughter Purna Haque is pursuing a master's degree in environmental science in Canada. Her husband Abdul Haque is currently the MD of Social Marketing Company.

"I try to give as much time as I can to my family. I go out with them whenever I get a scope," says Rupali.

Asked if there is any other engagement outside of her professional and family life, Rupali replies with a smile, "Where is the time? But I read books in my spare time, mostly biographies."

About Berger

Louis Berger, a German citizen, founded Berger in 1760 in the United Kingdom. In 1970 the multinational established its factory in Bangladesh, where it dominates the paint industry with an estimated 50 % market share according to a survey.

In the fiscal year 2020-21, the total sales of Berger Paints Bangladesh stood around Tk1,669 crore. When Rupali Chowdhury took over as MD of Berger, the company's sales hovered around Tk350 crore.

Original post:
From entry-level exec to countrys first female multinational MD - The Business Standard

Looking for new posts summarizing the #LMA22 conference? Head down to the green headings below for new content added regularly. Dont forget to let me know if Ive missed anything, okay? Thanks!

Its time!

Wow, it has been a long last few years. In my world, it has been both great and odd. Business has been very good, but the pandemic has turned a few things upside down, sideways, or some other way that I cant adequately describe. I think you know what I mean because youve lived it, too.

The pandemic caused conferences to be canceled or to move online. Virtual conferences are better than no conferences, but I prefer seeing my colleagues in person.

If you know me, and even if you dont, about this time of year, I typically begin to get excited. Im happy to say that I can say that again!

Why?

Because I will be attending the largest professional family reunion of 500 1000 very smart marketing and business development professionals in Las Vegas at the 2022 Legal Marketing Association annual conference, affectionately known by its hashtag, #LMA22.

I attend because this is our association, LMAs, annual international conference for all of us who care passionately about helping lawyers, legal marketers, and law firms grow and do what they do better.

As I have done in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, and 2014, I will be curating or creating content and linking to it from this blog post to provide a quick, easy place to find all of the information you might like to consume. I will also link to content from others that is written, or via voice or video. I will do this before, during, and after the conference. Stay tuned as this post will change frequently.

Please bookmark this blog post as I will continue to add content as I find it, or as you let me know youve found it, too!

Here are a few details about the conference:

A conference while trying to emerge from a pandemic is no small endeavor.

The muscle behind this conference is the Legal Marketing Association, or LMA, and our international board of directors.

Conference Advisory Committee

This conference could not happen without our amazing 2022 Annual Conference Advisory Committee. Thank you, thank you to all of you for your amazing time and talents.

You can learn more about our Advisory Committee members by clicking on their photos.

JENNIFER JOHNSON, CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR

DEB RUFFINS CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR

BRENDA PLOWMAN, LMA BOD LIAISON

JASON BOVIS

LOUANNE BUCKLEY

NATALIE MACKINLAY

RACHEL S. WILLIAMS

TONI WELLS

DAWN SHEIKER

There are 5 pre-conference programs you might want to consider. Im sure you can still register right here, and I feel fairly certain they will all provide high-quality insight and discussion you will find useful in your career. If you would like to attend a pre-con program and are unable to attend the entire conference, use the code LMAPRC212 to bypass registration of the entire conference.

Again, you might want to bookmark this post as this is where I will be curating all of the content I and others will be creating about the conference. I will also add an important links section titled in green below so you dont have to search for them elsewhere.

As always, if you see audio, video, or written content for me to add to this post, please ping me wherever it is convenient for you:

NOTE: In the comments below, or via message, let me know if you will be attending and what you are most looking forward to.

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#LMA22: Join Me As We Stretch Beyond, Together, At The Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference - JD Supra

After three waves of the coronavirus pandemic, the world is battling a ruined economy and shrinking employment opportunities. Some of the hardest-hit professionals belong to the creative sector, including content writers and photographers. In February, when startup Cast India launched in Pune, the aim was to form a bridge between creative professionals and employers.

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Since then, the startup has registered more than 800 aspirants from Pune and its surroundings as well as 40 companies with vacancies to fill for graphic designers, models and content writers, among others. We are starting to give them resources according to their requirements, says Praddyuman Bapat, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who founded Cast India with Pulkit Jain, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

The startup is targeting an estimated market size of nine million across India, and are focused on film and television, media, advertising, public relations, events and marketing though not limited to these. After the pandemic, we have noticed that employment opportunities have decreased but a lot of independent professionals have started emerging because of the low incomes they are getting through their jobs. Experts in social media, for instance, are in high demand from companies and small startups who do not have the resources for their social media. The latter employ social media experts, such as influencers and designers, on contract, says Bapat.

The expected growth of the advertising industry is 11 per cent, while media, film and television will witness a nine per cent growth, the public relations sector will grow by 10.50 per cent and the events industry will grow by 11 per cent by 2024. This rise will generate opportunities for aspirants in the market, he adds.

The company has identified more than 350 profiles that are required in the market on a daily basis, such as graphic designers, experts in social media posts, brochures and flyers, content writers for blogs and models for shoots. Businesses require these services but do not want to spend a lot of money since the market is still unclear about what is going to happen next, says Bapat.

Cast India is bootstrapped with the founders investing Rs 1 crore, though they have a potential investor on board. At present, the service is free for aspirants and employers but, in a few months, there will be a charge of Re 1 per dayor Rs 365 annuallyfor aspirants and Rs 399 per month for employers looking to recruit talent. A concierge service, where a relationship manager connects aspirants and employers, is to be launched.

We are interested in connecting employers to local professionals. The pandemic era has seen a rise in people who create digital content, some of whom have millions of followers but are not local to where the employer is based. We try to put employers in touch with local talent who understand the market better than others, says Bapat.

The companys strongest region is Pune, but they have begun to get applicants who are voice-over artists and actors, among others, from Jammu and Kashmir Chandigarh and Bihar. Our aim is to reach out to multi-talented professionals over urban and rural geographies through an ideal platform where they can showcase their talents to the world, says Bapat.

Go here to read the rest:
Pune INC: Pune startup helping the job market get 800 aspirants in a month - The Indian Express

Haniel Ukpaukure

The theme for the 2022 edition of the International Womens Day celebration Break the Bias is a fitting description of the tradition at Soulcomms Limited, one of Nigerias leading strategic communications and engagement consultancy companies, where women have consistently risen above their circumstances to attain heights and achieve great successes in a seemingly male-dominated profession. The theme resonates with the women who have not allowed themselves to be discriminated against; who have refused to be stereotyped on account of gender, boldly asserting their relevance and making invaluable contributions to the string of successes the company has recorded in its almost 18-year history.

Mojisola Saka, Chief Operating Officer; Omonigho Agbator-Momodu and Uyiosa Aigbe can aptly be described as The Wise Women of Soulcomms. They are currently flying the flag that indicates the milestones that have been recorded by women across generations at the top-rate company. It is a flag that symbolizes the DNA that runs in the company.

The women have succeeded because the company provides a conducive environment and a level playing field that allows each person to thrive, irrespective of gender. It is an environment that allows women to realize their full potential, which is evident in their ability to effortlessly juggle their roles as professionals and executives at the workplace, as well as wives, mothers, daughters and sisters at home.

Despite the unenviable reality of carrying domestic and official burdens almost on a 24-hour basis, women have been able to make their mark by contributing immensely to the growth of Soulcomms, thanks to their never-say-die spirit. It is proof of their ability to break biases in a society where women have to work extra hard, more than their menfolk, to be recognized and appreciated.

It is a befitting testimony to the resilience and resourcefulness of women at Soulcomm that Mojisola, the only woman to run the company since its establishment in 2004, has held the position longer than her male predecessors, literally responsible for the enviable height the company has attained today. She wears many caps that include team leader, business driver, mentor, entrepreneur, conceiver and administrator.

The propriety of celebrating the women at Soulcomm on this years International Womens Day must be viewed against the background of the general disapproval and outrage that has greeted the failure of lawmakers to pass the four gender equality bills which were expected to be part of the constitution amendment process currently going at the National Assembly. In the view of many Nigerians, especially women organizations, the action of the lawmakers is simply a reflection of the patriarchal nature of Nigeria, where male dominance forms part of the culture.

According to the Human Resource Management International Digest (Volume 27 No.7, pp.9-11), The patriarchal system such as seen in Nigeria remains a strong culture of male dominance and women continue to be subjugated. Thus, in Nigeria, the patriarchal system still forms a barrier to achieving a good work-life balance and advancement for women.

The patriarchal system accounts for why there is lack of access to education for the girl child, especially in some sections of the country where little value is placed on education of female children because of the age-old but erroneous belief that their place is in the kitchen as full time housewives. This belief is fueled by the thinking that she loses the family name the moment she is married off into another family, and is therefore not worth being invested in.

There is also the cultural factor that robs the girl child of opportunity to acquire education because she is given out for marriage even before she attains adolescence, as is the practice in some areas.

It is a system that encourages gender discrimination against women in virtually every segment of society at the work place, in schools, in politics, in social organizations, etc. Succinctly put, Nigeria is a place where gender disparity has virtually reduced women to second class citizens, though the constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities for all citizens. Even the statutes that set up public institutions discriminate against women, ignoring the same constitution.

Last month, an Abuja Federal High Court upheld the January 22, 2022 dismissal from the Nigeria Police of a female officer, Omotola Olajide, for getting pregnant while unmarried. The court re-affirmed Regulation 127 of the Police, despite the argument of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) which instituted the case, that the action is a violation of Olajides rights which are enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The NBA pointed out the discrimination in the action of the Police authorities in the face of the well-known fact that unmarried policemen impregnate women and are not dismissed from the service.

In December, 2021, an Army Private, Hannah Akinlabi, was arrested and detained by the authorities for publicly accepting a marriage proposal from a member of the National Youth Service Corps at a passing out parade in Kwara State. The ladys offence was that she violated military rules by publicly displaying emotion while in uniform. Incidentally, it was the time a video of a male soldier doing the same thing to a lady trended on social media, with Army authorities keeping mute on the matter. It took public outcry and appeals for the authorities to release the lady a day before Christmas to enable her to spend the festive season with her family, but not without a stern warning to ensure she did not repeat such an act.

This is the society in which women at Soulcomm find themselves, but have refused to be victims of the many biases that are stacked against the female gender. It is the same society where they are breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. This is a feat that deserves recognition and celebration.

Mojisola, a globally trained and experienced resource manager in Advertising, Experiential/Direct /Social Marketing and Banking, has handled projects within Nigeria and West Africa. An amazon in her own right, she leads the team from a strategic and execution perspective as COO. The numerous successes recorded by Soulcomm on all the projects under her watch have come about as a result of her knowledge and dexterity in Strategic Communications, Engagement and Messaging.

She holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology, a Diploma Certificate in Issues and Crisis Management, London School of Public Relations and an Advanced Certificate in Social Media Management, Chartered Institute of Public Relations, in the United Kingdom. She is also an alumnus of the International School of Communications, London and a member of CIPR, UK and NIPR.

Mojisola is guided by a personal philosophy of Stand and be known for the best, the reason she is seen by many as a torch bearer for the new generation of female professionals in the public relations industry.

Omonigho has competencies in Engagement and Experiential/Direct Marketing (Events/Projects Marketing and Operations Development and Management). Her expertise in operational development and execution strategies has contributed immensely to chain of successes that have attended all the projects she has been part of, right from her days at Neo Media & Marketing.

She is a graduate of Computer Science from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, and also has a certification in Administrative Management from the London Academy Business School. She brought to Soulcomm a diverse yet passionately immeasurable value to strategic thinking and output, and easily taps into her vast knowledge and experience, having successfully executed numerous pan-Nigeria activation campaigns for leading brands and across varied sectors. These sectors include FMCGs, telecoms, government and stakeholder/community relations, as well as financial services.

Uyiosa, with a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a Diploma Certificate in Public Relations, has handled engagements with high profile clients in banking, FMCG, hospitality, government and non-government sectors. She is often described as a motivated and passionate soul who brings unparalleled commitment and dedication to her job, the reason she excels in every task she handles.

Her ability to multi-task is evident in the fact that within and outside the office environment, she creates time to plan and execute projects in diverse areas. In addition to her job at Soulcomm where she helps the company deliver five-star performances in terms of strategic marketing communications on some of the most popular local and international brands across different sectors, Uyiosa is an interior decorator and designer whose works are found in commercial and residential properties.

A co-founder of Scents of Aurora, an aromatherapy and self-care brand, she devotes her private time to mentoring young female teenagers on how to aspire and actualize their dreams for the purpose of contributing to nation building.

As the world celebrates this years edition of the International Womens Day, heres to more great accomplishments to these wise women who have borne and are bearing great talents to the marcomms industry, their clients and community at large.

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Wise Women of Soulcomms Breaking the Glass Ceiling - THISDAY Newspapers

Effective marketing demands the skills to customize, humanize and repurpose content at scale using ... [+] AI.

Today, 82% of marketers actively use content marketing. Why is content king? Because it not only helps build brands and communicate both value propositions and brand values, it cultivates trust and converts interest into sales. High-quality contentand lots of itis not only good for business, its essential.

As content marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuck (Gary Vee) predicted, this decade has become a game of volume and targeting. Brands that can generate moreand more strategically targetedcontent will disproportionately pick up market share. Instead of trying to reach 10,000 people on one channel with one piece of content, Vaynerchuck recommends that marketers create 10 different pieces of content for 10 channels, each focused on reaching a specific group of 1,000 people in a way that will actually interest and engage them. The result is both more, and more effective, content.

Brands now need to create content frameworks that differentiate by platform and hone messages according to ideas that may already be resonating for target audiences on those channels. Social media video platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram, compliance with the ADA, voice-search optimization and personalized content experiences are surfacing as key trends.

Happily, marketers can compete in this race for quality and quantity of content without a team of creators and an unlimited budget. The trick is to focus on creating better content and effectively repurposing it.

Optimize SEO and extend reach to new customers on a variety of platforms. Evergreen content can be expanded, updated with new data, upgraded with visuals, and translated into infographics, videos, animation, or e-book offers. Invite audiences to share their own experiences. These are not only SEO wins, they create better engagement.

The bad news is that good writing is scarce. In fact, companies waste $400 billion on bad writing each year in the U.S. alone, from ineffective social marketing and sales copy to poorly written internal communications. As a result, remedial writing training is costing over $3 billion a year.

The good news? Following a few simple rules can quickly improve the quality of written content and A.I. can handle most of the rest, from creating custom feed algorithms, predictive analytics and researching trends to effectively customizing and repurposing content.

In this episode of The Groove podcast, Kate Bradley Chernis, CEO and co-founder of Lately, shares the rules she has followed to nearly double sales conversions in her own company and to build Lately, a technology that uses A.I. to learn brand voices and turn long-form content like blogs, videos, and podcasts into dozens and even hundreds of pre-tested social posts.

A former marketing agency owner, Chernis tells me that the idea for Lately was born out of the strategic thinking (and smart approach to repurposing) that allowed her to produce an avalanche of content and achieve a 130% increase in ROI for the retailers content marketing program, year-over-year for three years.

Other inspiration for founding Lately came from Chernis experience as Music Director and on-air host at Sirius/XM. There she learned about the neuroscience of music and how the brain compares new songs to its own playlist. The brain searches for familiar touchpoints it can find in order to index that new song in the library of your brain, and its the same in writing, she explains. It's your job as the author to give your audience the familiar touchpoints that trigger nostalgia, memory, and trust.

Chernis insights into what drives emotional connection, combined with 25 years of national broadcast communications, brand-building, sales and marketing expertise, has helped make Lately a game-changer. Gary Vee needs no convincing. He has created an entire Twitter channel fueled 100% by Lately thats yielded a stunning 12,000 % increased engagement.

The starting point for all the content Lately generates is Katelys Writing Rules, which Chernis followed to grow her monthly recurring revenue by 240% in 12 months with no paid ads, and no cold calls or emails. As she explains, through these rules, Lately learns from me first, and then it learns from my brand, our 98% conversion, and then it learns from you and all of our other customers, and your best practices.

First, write like a boss. Avoid using weak words like I think or I feel, or minimizing the impact and authority of messages as just a note, or checking in so as not to impose. What I found, especially in venture capital meetings, is that, the moment I say I think something, I totally kill my authority, because I should know it, she says.

Avoid inviting your audience to check out a site or podcast in favor of a more purposeful CTA. Give the reader a specific reason to read more, watch, listen, or respond.

Read what you write out loud; if it feels awkward saying it, it feels awkward reading itand its a great way to catch mistakes.

Do unto others by always having compassion for your audience. Like us, they are busy, stressed humans; they dont enjoy getting cold emails or reading material that is not useful and to the point.

Listen to the other six of Katelys Writing Rules on the podcast, where we also explore how she puts her experience as a DJ to work by applying the neuroscience of music, and how, by delighting clients who then spread the word, a great product like Lately can serve as its own new marketing.

More here:
Produce More Powerful Content With These 10 Rules And The Power Of AI - Forbes