Pranjal: An economics graduate turned marketer

An economics graduate, Pranjal started freelancing, as a side hustle, while she was still doing her MBA. A lateral thinker, Pranjal uses her economics education with an understanding of human behaviour to deep dive into how a person makes a purchase decision. Having worked with big brands, she wants to be known as one of the renowned marketers of the country. Read Pranjal’s inspiring story here:

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? About your family, parents? How was your childhood?

My name is Pranjal which means unique and diligent, quite like the name. Currently, I help out startups and medium enterprises with their marketing and branding strategies. I belong to the capital region of the country, Delhi, and live with my family with my parents and elder brother. My childhood was like a roller coaster, well life still is. From all the ups and downs of either tackling academics to getting admission into the University of Delhi to winning debate competitions, it’s been a fair ride and I look forward to riding this roller coaster.  

Tell us about your educational background. Why did you choose marketing?

After scoring fairly decent scores in the 12^th standard, I got an admission into the University of Delhi to study Economics Honors. While studying Microeconomics and understanding the nuances of how a budget is controlled and a consumer decides to buy certain things for themselves, I slowly got pulled into the world of marketing. My curiosity to understand the human mind and how their behavior triggers business decisions and for managers to come up with ideas for their brand led me to do an MBA with a specialization in marketing from SDA Bocconi School of Management, one of Europe’s leading business school  

Why did you choose content marketing?

During my graduation, I started reading a lot of books. From fiction to non-fiction and even fan-fiction. My hunger for fan-fiction was so high that I used to sometimes finish a book within 2 days and up to 20 books in a month. From there I developed efficient writing and reading skills. Then I got the opportunity to apply as a content strategist for various startups and bring alive an aspect of marketing that now gathers and helps consumers make a decision to purchase.

What excites you the most about Marketing?

Insight generation. How by studying human behavior and collecting those insights, a business decision is made. Also, the different ideas which get formed into advertisements.

When did you start freelancing? Did you plan it or how it happened?

Well, I started freelancing before my MBA as a content strategist as I felt that a person should be paid worth the money that they are valued for and what they deserve. In a competitive environment like India, there are a lot of firms that take advantage by paying peanuts as they don’t understand the true value of content or marketing per se. However, with the increasing technology and consumer behavior, we are able to see a positive shift. Also, during the pandemic when people have more faith in the work-from-home system, their belief in the gig system is increasing which is a conducive situation for the growth of freelancers.

When did you think you could move into freelancing full-time?

For me, Freelancing is still part-time or side Hustle and not full time but I guess 2 to 3 years down the line, I will be able to have more clarity on this topic of where and how I see myself.

You are an avid reader. Share some books with our readers which are must-reads according to you.

I am a marketing maniac, so for me, This is Marketing by Seth Godin, and How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp are a must.

Rest I keep a balance between fiction and non-fiction but in fiction, I generally prefer the fan ones as it gives me an idea of the creativity of minds across the world. 

What according to you is the best or worst thing about freelancing?

The best thing is to put your value out and when the client recognizes your work and appreciates it. Plus, they pass it on to their network for your brand to grow. The worst thing would be every time negotiate and enunciate your value to those clients who do not understand the Gig economy in its true sense

What is the one thing you hate about clients? What can they do to make your life better?

When they keep on negotiating so that you can provide the services at a lower cost. They have to understand that good work comes at a price. And if you decide to go for something lower, the quality also degrades or somewhere the loyalty between the two parties ceases to exist. Understand the nuances of how Freelance works and state your requirements. Also understand that Sundays are me-time or for families so just like normal jobs, a freelancer would also want to spend their time like that.

What is your best work to date? Why do you think it is the best?

My marketing project for a consumer electronic company in the headphone category where they got funding of $250k for product development and saw their sales going up even during the lockdown.

What are your mission and vision? How do you want history to look at you?

My vision and mission would be, to be known as one of the renowned marketers in the country and to be someone who people can look up to. Also to stand out in a manner so that women are not only looked to be a part of certain curriculum or industry but as equals who can achieve any position and anything in life with hard work and determination. 

As you look back, do you feel satisfied with yourself or do you think you missed something?

I don’t think my age is that much where I can feel satisfied. That hunger and passion is still very much there to make a difference in society and it won’t die down until I achieve what I want to.

Pranjal can be reached out on Refrens, Twitter and LinkedIn

If this inspired you to start your freelancing career and you want to send cold emails, read our blog on how to send the perfect cold email?