How this one-stop solution startup changed the dimensions of marketing in the country- Following Affinique Marketing on its success trail

• ByStartupStory     |    December 27, 2021

“Just like intense heat and pressure transforms a clump of carbon into a beautiful, sparkling gemstone; the journey of my life made me grow as a determined, firm, and steadfast person. Some believe in destiny; some believe in fate, but I believe in the happiness that we create,” said the founder and CEO of Affinique Marketing in an exclusive interview with Startup Story Media.

In today’s dynamic era, product marketing is of utmost importance and plays an integral role in shaping the growth curve for an organisation. Keeping the scenario of globalisation and the need for a consumer-centric approach in mind, organisations need to enforce a plethora of marketing techniques to drive sales. In an attempt to allow organisations to outsource their marketing needs and offer a one-stop solution to all marketing hurdles, Affinique Marketing was conceived.

Founded in February 2018, Affinique Marketing provides 360-degree solutions to its clients with expertise in BTL- events (traditional/virtual), exhibitions, brand activations, market study, retail marketing, outdoor branding, digital marketing and merchandising and gifting. The startup offers cost-effective solutions to its clients in quick, clear and actionable form to enable a multitude of benefits.

Marking a bold entry

Born in the coal capital of India, Dhanbad, the founder of Affinique Marketing, Panna Gupta has resided in Delhi for more than 23 years. Gupta completed his graduation in Commerce and Post-Graduation in Marketing from AIIMA (All India Institute of Management Association).

Following his graduation, Gupta earmarked the commencement of his corporate journey with McCann Worldgroup as an experiential marketing employee. After 18 years of service in the former, Panna set out on his entrepreneurial journey and invented Affinique Marketing- a startup which offered a one-stop solution to all marketing needs.

Reminiscing back to his ideology which led to the conceptualization of the startup, Panna Gupta said, “Affinique Marketing is not just an organisation, it’s an emotion and that’s what sets the 4 core values of the agency – Affinity, Approach, Agile and Analytical. It’s the trust of my family, friends and associates that motivated and inspired me to set up Affinique Marketing. They professed their confidence in my abilities, leadership, networking, and analytical skills. The idea was to set up an organisation which is built on faith, long-term relationship with stakeholders, transparency, and quality services.”

Unveiling the backbone

The founder accredits his team to be the foundation stone of the marketing startup and emphasizes that the past projects are a reflection of the committed team that he has. With a diverse team from a rich educational background, the founding team is undoubtedly the backbone of the startup. Gupta further highlighted that the team of diverse individuals helps the organisation decipher a myriad of opportunities available in hand.

Expressing his views on the startup crew, Panna revealed, “Strength of Affinique lies in the team and people associated with it. This is reflected through our past projects we do. Diversity in the educational background of team members helps us get different perspectives and expertise which adds value to our ideas and successful completion of projects. We work as ONE TEAM because a great idea can come from anyone, and they are brought to life by everyone. Started with 3 team members to 20 team members currently and planning to have 100 members in the next 1 year.”

With a strong foundational team and an eye catching idea, the startup received a tremendous response from its target audience. The overwhelming response and encouragement from the clientele thus played an integral role in scaling the stature of the organisation to its current status. In 3.5 years, Affinique has worked with 96 clients, successfully delivered 2300 projects & experiences, and reached more than 3.8 million people.

“The feedback we receive from brands and audiences is incredible, inspiring and encourages us to deliver our best every time. Each project is a new learning. As an integrated marketing agency, we solve challenges effectively and deliver strategy-driven innovative solutions to our clients – all whilst minimizing business disruption,” remarked Gupta.

Circumventing the gruel hands of Covid

With the onset of the global pandemic, the economy faced a backlash wherein all economic activities came to a halt. Various businesses experienced hefty losses and unemployment was at an all-time peak. However, not giving in to the cruel hands of Covid, Affinique Marketing was able to circumvent the devastating impact by incorporating unique ideologies and maintaining a resilient attitude.

Highlighting the key strategies that the startup deployed to avoid monetary losses, Panna Gupta expressed, “Covid-19 created havoc on marketing industry, decimating the conferences, exhibitions, and activations space. In initial 2-3 months, we faced significant revenue losses, but I had trust on my team & associates who came up with novel and innovative ideas which became catalyst for the rapid growth of the agency. Working alongside great brands worldwide, we’re committed to doing something extraordinary every day. Considering the challenges faced by our clients, we provided our support by launching ‘Affinique Health Essentials (AHE)’, an extension to our Merchandising & Gifting division to provide brands with value-added services during the pandemic. AHE served the healthcare needs of our clients and offers a varied range of products & services. We helped our clients, boosting their organisation’s productivity by improving the overall health of their workforces that lead to a more successful business.”

Advocating words of wisdom

When asked to administer words of advice to the budding entrepreneurs, Gupta emphasized on two aspects- passion and consistency in order to develop a successful startup. He further elaborated by stating that entrepreneurs should be focused towards their end goal and should enjoy the overall process which shall in turn positively reinstate the mission of the startup.

Enfolding his words of wisdom in a dialogue, the founder and CEO, Panna Gupta responded, “Being a director of an organisation isn’t about drinking champagne while you recline in first class. The best part of my day is when I get to talk to our clients. I welcome all feedback, good or bad; as it is important to listen to the people you serve. I realized that every leader has a multiplying impact on the people around them. With success, it became important for me to place people in the right roles and give them the ability to manage performance. It is important to gain the trust of both – your clients as well as your team.”  

Currently operational in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, Affinique Marketing aims to sail its way across the country to have a strong Pan India network with efficient associates and partners through which we deliver national campaigns with quality execution. In next 3 years, the startup plans to expand its presence across the globe.

Follow Startup Story