HERALD: What is your field of specialty?
BALKRISHNA KAMAT: We specialise in storytelling for business by creating a video that tells about a brand. A story helps to engage, appeals to emotions and persuades if you want to convert viewers into customers. We did our research and found that the average adult attention span is eight seconds. The first eight seconds of your story have to be exciting and engaging enough to get them hooked into watching till the end. A video is great for today’s attention spans. It helps the viewer understand the essence of an idea faster than with words alone.
HERALD: So how did it all begin?
BK: Upon research on behavioural economics, we found that consumers are moving away from purchase based on functional and technical characteristics alone. Moreover, people are making buying decisions based on how they ‘feel’ about a brand and its offers. Consumers today, research for purchases online. They respond to online content based on the emotions it evokes. Video marketing is one of the most effective ways to make an emotional connection with them.
HERALD: In your business, communication skills are a key element. How do you look at it?
BK: The famously quoted words of Steve Jobs, “Design is not about what it looks like or feels like. Design is how it works for you,” which stands true for marketing too. The irony of our situation is that there are very few who understand the difference between marketing and sales. B-schools that churn out specialists in marketing get absorbed in chasing bottom lines of sales and most often than not no one even realizes the difference. The old school of thought more often than not, attempts to give conventional treatment to marketing concerns. All forms of communication today bombard the consumer with information that most marketers fail to understand that their target audience, treats as trash.
Humans have been using a powerful communication tactic for thousands of years through storytelling. It’s a highly effective method to get messages to stick and to get people to care, act and buy. The stories that truly engage and are shared across the Web and social media are typically personal and contain some aspect of usefulness, sweetness, humour, inspiration or shock and are able to serve as not just informative media but also serve as persuasive influencers. Storytelling can be used to make the brand to be seen as authentic and genuine so as to foster feelings of trust and reliability.
HERALD: How does your company help Goans?
BK: Local businesses need a facelift for the good work they have relentlessly been doing over the years. Also we wish to break the perception that a TV advertisement is something which will cost lakhs of rupees. We want to make video advertisements affordable enough to provide a sophisticated appeal to local businesses and that is what makes our strategy of being a ‘differentiator’ in business.
HERALD: Who are your major customers?
BK: In less than a year Thinking Tortoise has catered to giants in real estate, hospitality, healthcare, refineries, shipbuilding, IT, FMCG brands etc. Some of our esteemed clients are Nanu Estates, Tulip Diagnostics, OMPL, Goa Shipyard, E-dotSolutions, DG- Mart etc.
HERALD: What new innovation have you added in your product?
BK: We are the first in Goa to have made storytelling for business using audio-visual communication, affordable and accessible. What businesses fail to understand is that unless their communication in engaging yet resourceful, it will be treated as a mere broadcast. The aim of all business communication is not to gain acclaim for being creative or witty. Any content that is targeted to its respective audience should be able to influence and persuade to cause a sale. If you are not thinking about connecting with your audience, building trust and selling your products or services you are not marketing right. At Thinking Tortoise, We do not just create visual content that is engaging, we also think it through as to how it can help one make compelling decisions.
HERALD: How do you see the Goa market?
BK: The Goa market is slowly opening up to new trends in marketing and brand building. With patronage from industry giants we are very positive that all enterprises will be interested to create a brand for themselves to be proud of and let the world know about what they do. With reduced concentration spans in this era, a video is the most effective way to project a company profile to your target audience in the shortest possible time.
HERALD: Where do you see yourself in the next five?
BK: The possibilities are endless. We wish to be market leaders in helping brands think clearly with respect to their positioning and brand perception.
