Ankita Nandkeolyar
IN A NUTSHELL:
- IED Milano
- Brand management and communications - 2012
- Founder & Chief Brand Strategist - Firebrand
YOU NOW:
Firebrand is a strategic branding and marketing studio based in India with clients across India, North America & Europe. We follow a very detailed research-driven process and help new businesses, start-ups and established businesses - create, re-structure, re-asses and market their brands. We believe brands lie at the intersection of purpose and meaning. We offer an honest, simple & human approach to branding. We have worked with clients across Fashion, Retail, Automotive, F&B, FMCG, Pet Supplies, Technology, Manufacturing, Hospitality and Education etc. - which makes us truly sector-agnostic.
Some projects we've worked on: https://firebrand.co.in/fireworks/
Can see more on our Insta profile: https://www.instagram.com/firebrand_india/
ITALIAN CREATIVITY:
I was fascinated by Italy while choosing my course as Italy has historically been responsible for bringing into the world some authentic, original and successful brands. Plus as a country, it has something for everyone right from history, to art, to culture, to sport to fashion. It was truly an immersive experience for me - hence Italy was a huge influence. I've always had a creative mindset. Logical and textbook thinking can easily be taught but creativity I believe is something that's more experiential. And being in IED, in Italy, gave me that exposure to brands and cultures.
IED LOCATIONS:
I chose Milan, as the course I shortlisted was in Milan. Milan is a wonderful city which I was proud to call home for close to two years. I love how the city is a mix of local and cosmopolitan crowd. It's buzzing with opportunities and vibrancy. Also, the location is very conducive to travel to other countries in Europe too. As a student, I loved the experience - the nightlife was fantastic and there were always activities to do outside - cultural & social. And the student vibe made it very easy for me to adapt to a non-English speaking country.
CHALLENGES OF OUR TIMES:
Since our business is about people, about interactions, it has slowed down in times of Social Distancing. We are getting used to working remotely or with less frequent meetings. So that does come as a challenge - as while developing brands, working together has always been the norm. Another challenge has come about on the business front - client budgets and spends have been hit and reduced due to the current situation. The market is looking up, and slowly in a few months it should be up and running again (hopefully back to pre-covid days).
SUSTAINABILITY:
We are making small changes like using glass bottles and paper cups instead of plastic ones. Apart from that our business doesn't directly impact the environment. Some of the clients we work with are focused on Sustainability in a big way.
ADVICE
Be unstoppable. Be Brave. Be Authentic.
Just believe in your inner voice and remain fearless in achieving your goals.
MORE ABOUT YOU:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankitanandkeolyar/
https://firebrand.co.in/squad/
LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
Travelling across Europe really helped me get exposure to various cultures and people. I got a chance to interact with so many people - understand their life and talk about their backgrounds. It helped me understand various perspectives and contributed to my personal growth.
My thesis project was with the MaxMara group - how to build, strategize and market their sub-brand - "Sport Max"