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In this interview with Adgully, Dinesh Gulati, COO, IndiaMART InterMESH Limited, sheds light on the inspiration behind the company’s compelling new campaign, “Kaam Yahin Banta Hai”. Gulati elaborates on the strategic choice of a father-son dynamic to illustrate the digital transformation sweeping across Indian businesses and discusses IndiaMART’s evolving approach from pure utility to more emotionally resonant storytelling. He also addresses the lasting impact of the pandemic on digital adoption and the key metrics IndiaMART will track to gauge the campaign’s success.
What inspired the “Kaam Yahin Banta Hai” campaign, and why did you choose a father-son relationship to frame the story of digital transformation in Indian businesses?
Reliability, consistency, and transparency are three important legs to build trust. For a small business owner looking for raw materials or any products, finding dependable sellers who will supply quality products, on time and on agreed terms, access to a wider selection, and affordable prices every time is a form of trust. Through Kaam Yahin Banta Hai, the purpose is to dramatize the real-world moments such as bulk buying, sourcing something unique, affordable prices, showing how with one click at IndiaMART, you get reliable quotes, honest reviews, and fast responses.
We chose a father-son dynamic to communicate this because it gives a unique yet relatable scenario to showcase the shift in mindset across generations of business owners. From conventional ways of doing business to more digital-first thinking, business owners across metros and tier-2 & 3 cities are now embracing this change, owing to the entry of the younger generation (business owners’ sons/daughters taking over the business).
The phrase “Lagi Shart?” is catchy and conversational — was this drawn from real interactions or behavioral insights among MSMEs?
The idea of ‘Lagi Shart?’ came directly from observing the change, a playful bet between trust in old ways and confidence in the new in -first solutions. It’s rooted in real behaviour we’ve seen in the field, especially as more users discover IndiaMART’ s wide variety, best prices, and trusted seller base and understand – Kaam Yahin Banta Hai.
IndiaMART has typically focused on functionality and utility. What led to this shift toward more emotional, insight-driven storytelling?
B2B businesses don’t follow a lowest-price-only approach. There are multiple parameters in place, from getting the right matchmaking of sellers, the right product from the exhaustive range, quality, delivery times, and other terms and conditions, which normally cover any large volume of orders or B2B deals. Thus, the challenge lies in building trust around how a marketplace can help in fulfilling all these demands of a buyer, through a single window.
Kaam Yahin Banta Hai weaves each of these parameters —wide catalogue, competitive pricing, vetted and trusted suppliers—into short, relatable films. So, while it feels utility/ functionality-focused, every message is rooted in real user need.
Post-pandemic, have you noticed a permanent change in how legacy business owners perceive digital adoption? Has this been factored into the campaign narrative?
During the pandemic, a large number of buyers and sellers turned to digital modes to keep their business up and running. However, this digital shift was purely because there were no other options. Thus, a lot of responsibility lies on digital/ online marketplaces to continue to foster trust and confidence among that set of buyers, which can encourage them to remain on the platform and use it as a primary source of connecting with relevant suppliers. Buyers, who were once hesitant to search online, are now open to exploring online platforms, but seller trust and reliability remain core parameters, and that’s what we are addressing through our campaign.
How do you plan to measure the success of this campaign beyond views and impressions? Are there specific emotional or trust metrics you’ll be tracking?
At IndiaMART, we remain committed to improving the experience of our buyers and sellers via multiple product and tech innovations. From investment in AI/ML to improve matchmaking to further penetration in vernacular, image, and voice-related search and hyperlocalization, our objective remains to build IndiaMART into a one-stop solution for all business-related needs. We are already seeing a healthy response to our product and tech-led innovations. The campaign will further help us affirm our commitment to our buyers and brand promise by reiterating – Kaam Yahin Banta Hai.
To understand the impact, we are looking at engagement in the campaign, repeat customer visits, increase/ decrease in average time spent on the platform to explore products, buyer registrations, etc., as some of the KPIs. In addition to this, we also look at any search uplift and our offline research studies to understand how strongly they believe in the campaign’s thought.
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