He made a mark in the advertising field in Mumbai as a creative hotshot and moved on to set up his business. Like many Goan’s however Aneet Coutinho never forgot his roots and set up shop in the state. Rubiq Solutions provides advertising and digital solutions under one roof. He spoke to Ajit John about the challenges of doing business in the state.
Herald: What made you start business?
Aneet Coutinho: After working for many years with large advertising agencies in Mumbai, I was fortunate to be offered the chance to consult for a new business of Hindustan Unilever and develop some of their brands. This gave me the confidence to set up my own agency in Mumbai …and since then there’s been no looking back. 6 years ago when I moved back to Goa, I realized that the market here was opening up as well. That’s when I met Joel De Souza, and we started RubiQ to offer our expertise in advertising and digital communication under one roof.
Herald: How do you find the market at present?
AC: As more and more local businesses get exposed to national and international markets, the need to build and position their products and services and build brands is growing rapidly. This presents a big opportunity for marketing professionals and branding agencies.
Herald: What do you think needs to be done to make it more exciting ?
AC: While Goan companies are fast realizing the need for brand building, there is still a large segment that needs to educated about the long-term value of brand and image building.
Local media definitely needs to innovate a lot more and improve in terms of quality of content, design and print.
And of course, Marketing professionals and agencies simultaneously need to improve their service offerings.
Herald: What do you think is the mentality of the average company with respect to what you do?
AC: As I mentioned, companies are becoming more and more receptive to brand building services. I think it key challenge is to make small businesses realize the need to focus not just sales and promotion, but also on vision and strategy.
Herald: What are the trends one will see emerge in the next 5 years?
AC: Primarily, with more and more local companies looking to tap outside markets for growth, digital marketing would see tremendous scope. Companies have already begun adopting various digital solutions to gain visibility in markets outside of Goa. However as competing in the digital space is becoming more and more challenging, companies would need to focus a lot more on creating good innovative content and design as well.
Herald: How easy or difficult is it to conduct business in Goa?
AC: Goa is a growing market with tremendous opportunity for business. However like any local market, to be successful, the most important aspect is understanding the dynamics of that market and adapting to it.
