Coming from a family of business owners with entrepreneurial spirit, Karan Parikh found marketing to be a natural fit for his impressive abilities. He shares how he got his foot in the door and what he has planned for the future.
During my third year of university while studying finance, I had completed half of my chartered accountancy courses when I realized my inclination towards marketing. Although marketing is a broad umbrella, I soon discovered that my interests lie in the advertising and brand awareness space. I was always impressed by the various campaigns launched in my home country of India. This is when I realized I wanted to enter the marketing world and create advertisements that others could relate to like I did.
In my school days, I was a very shy and independent boy who would work diligently to finish his studies. But as time passed, I gained the courage to participate in public speaking. Eventually I grew confident to communicate with strangers at various networking events. I even took part in various model United Nations conferences where I had the opportunity to speak on various topics. This is when I fully understood the power and importance of networking in one’s career. In fact, I got my first job through a reference from a friend that I spoke to at a college event. Now, I’m a post-graduate pursuing a marketing management certificate at Seneca College.One of my greatest achievements was accomplished during my tenure at Zomato, the largest food tech company in India, where I worked on the subscription launch team. While there, I got the opportunity to interact with various hotel and restaurant owners in Mumbai, India. I successfully completed over 130 deployments and onboarded these restaurants onto the Zomato Pro platform. Due to my exceptional performance, I was appointed to onboard Hyatt Hotels, First Fiddle Group and Specialty Restaurants Limited.
The pandemic has impacted our lives in many ways we couldn’t imagine. This is when I realized I had to be a responsible citizen and do my bit to help the people in my city. So, I decided to get involved with an organization to help individuals in their fight and remind them they are not alone.
At Parikh Charitable Trust, I led a team of over 25 volunteers who helped me manage the organization's activities. Alongside planning campaigns, I created a website and established social media accounts to spread awareness and reach a wider demographic. Our team activities were not just restricted to fighting Covid-19. We raised our voice in support of mental health issues and also the importance of education for all.
I noticed when people are asked whom they admire, the answer is generally their parents or a prominent personality. In my case, I look up to my great-grandfather. Although I have never met him in person, the stories I have heard about him have inspired me greatly. My great-grandfather was born in a small town in Gujarat, India and at a young age he moved to Mumbai along with his elder brother. These two brothers successfully built a strong business and expanded it in various locations. It’s this entrepreneurial spirit I love and why I aspire to be like him.
My great-grandfather was not only a successful businessman but also a philanthropist. He received various appreciation letters from government offices for the social activities he actioned. I have hung one of these framed letters in my bedroom as it inspires me to be a better person.
That said, growing up in a Gujarati family, I have learned a lot about businesses and how to run them. Once I complete my education, I aspire to be an entrepreneur and look forward to the day when I can set out on my own, with my marketing firm that will create advertising campaigns for luxury brands. Until then, I want to fully understand the luxury goods market through my studies and gain hands-on experience with a marketing agency. By gaining substantial knowledge and experience in this sector, I aspire to career climb towards my end of goal of establishing a business.
Working in the tech industry, I have observed how artificial intelligence has powered optimization and and that 5G networks have already made their mark on multiple industries. But in my opinion, there is still a lot of potential is yet to be discovered.
With the help of AI, businesses can churn loads of data to find out buying patterns of customers and benchmarks. Currently it has taken over various tasks that were previously done manually, helping businesses complete their daily goals in an efficient fashion while also adding a touch of crucial personalization.
I predict that visual search will begin being adopted by many modern businesses. This new tech helps customers find products that look similar to the item in any given picture. As per my research, I believe that the fashion industry and e-commerce websites can incorporate this innovation to make their customer interface seamless. Lastly, I suspect that with the help of the 5G networks, self-driving cars and telemedicine will eventually thrive.
All the above factors will definitely impact me when I join the workforce. If AI can help marketing teams gather various insights, then one day in a marketing role, I will be able to know my potential audiences to frame my campaigns accordingly. Also, these sorts of insights will help me bring meaningful conversations to business tables.
