Meet Shonell Thakker: The woman-preneur who owns the Digital Marketing game today

Diquery Digital has been an integral part of Shonell's life - the entrepreneur eats, sleeps, breaths digital today and bags some of the best brands in the industry today

BRAND CONNECT

Published: Aug 7, 2020 03:07:19 PM IST

Updated: Aug 17, 2020 03:31:05 PM IST

Meet Shonell Thakker: The woman-preneur who owns the Digital Marketing game today

"To me, the world of marketing and branding is sacred. Digitalization is a way of our lives now, not just a trend. If done right, incorporating Digital ecosystem into one's business can bring about phenomenal transformations. The key factor is to focus on quality rather than quantity."

Between Inception and Institution

Shonell tells Harshita Dagha how she never really had a fixed career path in mind and how she was always an average student.

"Writing kept me grounded for a while though, while I never stuck to other things for long, so I chose to work within media & entertainment eventually,"

Having written for Disney UTV, 20th Century Fox, Excel Home Entertainment among others, Shonell has a myriad of entities in her content-expertise kitty.

It is later that she met with her (now) partner during an industry interaction and came up with the whole idea of Diquery.

The Hare And The Tortoise

Diurnal emergence of aspiring digital marketers have shabby-ed the entire digital playground, Shonell feels.

"They have devalued the entire ecosystem and hence the clients mostly choose Digital as a flavour of the month rather than truly embracing it's power," her truth rings true.

Digital vs Print? She has a winner

Print vs digital has always been everyone's favourite debate, but Shonell has an interesting dimension to offer, "Print is preferred only as a function of being the oldest. Digital helps the brands get more value at a fraction of the cost. It also has the advantage of micro targetting that helps reach the right audience."

To Women And Entrepreneurship

It's taken from nature (read patriarchy) that women are multitaskers. In such situations, women can't escape their multiple duties, but asking for help is surely something that they can do.

"Don't be afraid to seek help. Every self made person has had a lot of help in various forms. Also chalk out your own journey and come what may, don't back out." she tells Harshita Dagha.

Pro tip?

The digital marketer believes in working with integrity and keeping the client a priority. "Aim to create brand loyalty despite distractions and keep learning constantly else it's easy to be outdated in the ever-evolving industry." Shonell suggests.

The Journey: Employee to Employer

"While transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship there was so much I didn't know." Shonell explains. She adds that she literally had to go back to the drawing board - she devoured relevant book and videos and seeked guidence from everyone willing to offer some.

Entrepreneurship seems enticing from the outside but it really needs a lot of hard work to keep up the lifestyle. She gratifies her experiences that have led her towards ultimate entrepreneurial pursuits.

Shonell's love for brands and brand stories is totally unapologetic and undying.

Shonell Thakkar in conversation with Harshita Dagha.

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Forbes India journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.