Faisal Amin’s journey
Faisal Amin is the co-founder of a Mumbai-based creative agency called Fruitbowl Digital Media and running it successfully for 9 years. The agency caters to more than 200 national & international brands. Since 2010, Faisal has been one of the driving forces behind the agency’s growth from a small startup to Social Media Agency of The Year 2017, with a foothold in three countries. Today, Fruitbowl Digital is acknowledged as The 10 Most Mind-blowing Corporate Media Solution Providers by Insights Success.
Most recently, Faisal has built/developed Kira Smart, an app that is shaping the future of the retail industry by automating retail outlets in India. Kira aims at providing the most simplified and reliable retailing solution that enables growth. Started in 2017, with a vision of automating 11 million Kirana stores all over the country, KIRA (Kirana Integration & Retailing Application) is a multilingual tool that aims to organize the 92% of the unorganized retail segment of the country.
This besides, Faisal is also successfully running one of the largest co-working spaces in Mumbai called CoLabOratory Asia.
He has been featured in the list of Top 50 Digital Marketing Professionals in India, Top 50 Most Influential Strategy Leaders by World Marketing Congress and CMO Asia in the recent past and The 30 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs of 2016 by Insights Success. He was also been one of the panellists at The Mobile & Digital Marketing Summit on the topic Mobile Brand Engagement – Creating An Emotional Attachment To Your Brand in November 2018 in Mumbai.
To know more about him, you can visit his LinkedIn and Twitter profiles.
We got the chance of interviewing Faisal Amin and knowing his thoughts about Digital influencers and and the future of advertising
What made you choose this industry?
Faisal- I realized very early on during my Masters that India was a very virgin market for the digital industry. Digital as a segment was evolving, Facebook was on the cusp of its boom, Google was growing energetically and I knew I had to make a mark in this industry. Everyone globally was following the digital trend and I knew India would do too. Even today, when we look at this segment, it is still erratic. It is a package of new ideas, opportunities, and experiences, and that only solidifies the decision I made all those years ago.
What was the turning point for you?
Faisal- I can safely say that I am still waiting for the turning point, you know. This industry is evolving and changing ever since. It’s been a long journey when you look back at it but when we look forward there is still a long way to go, so much more to achieve and so many more stories to make.
How do you create content or make decisions on what will be the topic?
Faisal- Every individual has a different take on what their interests would be. Coming from a Marketing background, my interests revolve around technology, innovations, marketing, etc. The current ongoings in the world are something that I write largely about. I feel every influencer will have a different opinion – positive or negative and so do I. I find it of utmost importance as an influencer, to put my word out there.
So, when you look at European Union introducing GDPR, being a marketer this is something that caught my eye and I thought it was essential for my set of followers to know what is my understanding and point of view about it because I have had the virtue of reaching out to a number of audiences and bringing out a relevant change in their minds.
What are some difficulties that you face as a digital influencer?
Being a LinkedIn Influencer, the fact that 16.5K followers are looking up to me sometimes can be a pressure point. The content that I choose to write on needs to be well researched on. When you look at Instagram as a platform which is more lifestyle based, LinkedIn is more research driven. Like, the young minds following me can relate to the content and this could affect that career path, maybe even in the smallest way.
The digital industry comprises of a relatively limited audience as the platforms are used extensively in the metropolitan cities and there are around 20% of the people from my followers who belong to that industry. So, I feel by choosing the content to put up to the audience, I have a responsibility and it also comes with a considerable risk which has its own adventure thrill as well.
What are some Marketing tips you want to share with our audience?
Faisal- Marketing as a field is ever evolving and it is important to stay updated with the trends. It is essential to understand that we can never know a little too much about it but there will never be a time when you will know a little too less about this field too. The most successful ideas can be the ones which you never thought would make any sense hence, the way you communicate them also makes a huge impact. So, be clear with your communication and be passionate about what you are doing and you will have a long way to go.
Which other Influencers do you follow?
Faisal- Being a travel enthusiast the content that Nas Daily produces is something that I love. I’m also a huge Guy Kawasaki fan. For me, he’s like this “influential” influencer who got the startup ecosystem concept on board and gave it a new direction. Also, I like to keep myself updated about Silicon Valley as it is home to many startups and global technology companies.
Where do you see yourself after 5 years?
Faisal- I feel Steve Jobs puts it out there really well- “Stay hungry, Stay foolish”. I feel that’s the same for me because, after 5 years, I’ll still not be satisfied. I would want to do so much more. Be out there, making a difference in every way possible and never backing out. Because for me, there’s no settling down for the moment.
