The marketing domain in India is still trying to evolve. People still lack the confidence to try new things and adopt a bolder approach. Pune-based firstofjan(FOJ) is trying to bridge this gap by devising a brand tool, which identifies the emotional connect between a consumer and the brand. It also places the meticulously derived consumer insights in front of the brand owners. This has helped marketers tremendously in understanding what the new-age consumer really wants out of a particular product segment. FOJ is a brand growth solutions specialist that partners with brands by providing professional assistance to help them achieve their desired growth objectives. The company is a strategy-based, full services ecosystem offering integrated communication solutions covering research, brand planning, media planning, advertising(traditional + modern), design and digital marketing. “We are primarily a brand strategy & design company. Our services include identifying and building communication narratives that can help a brand grow, both in stature & revenue,” says Jagpreet Vig-CEO.

Jagpreet had been working with a reputed Brand communication company with much content. Things began to change when bit by bit the quality of work got overrun by the commercial interest. A few good creative brains opted out of his ex-company. That’s when he felt an evident disconnect between him and the organization’s elementary objectives. He decided to take a bold step and do something of his own. This sparked the start of firstofjan(FOJ)in May 2016. As the name suggests, the vision of FOJ was set as ‘Think New, Every Day’. “We consider every day as a new beginning, a new opportunity to create memorable and innovative communication,” he asserts.

The Silver Lining
What makes the company stay ahead of the game is its intent to produce clutter breaking ideas for any brand big or small. The company abides its core belief ‘EVOKE’,

which primarily means that any communication that is strategized at FOJ has to have the fuel power to generate response for the brand. There are impact measurement tools that the FOJ team applies to pretest a communication, just to ensure the message is right and benefits the bigger cause, which is business growth.“We have always placed the creative itch above commercial interests. To an extent that we have gone ahead and done worked for peanuts for a few clients, just because we knew we had an opportunity to showcase our creative talent,” he mentions. FOJ is very fortunate to have such a talented bunch of professionals who are always keen to take up new challenges and have stood by the company under all circumstances.

firstofjan’s services include identifying and building communication narratives that can help a brand grow, both in stature & revenue

Summing up the Journey
The journey of firstofjan has been a roller coaster ride. The company had its share of ups and downs and these experiences helped the team pin point their strengths and areas of improvements. Jagpreet mentions, “We feel ecstatic & proud to have conceived and launched some good brands including FMCG, retail, real estate and more. To make all this work, the most important part was to have the right mix of talent and to streamline their energies. We believe we are in the pink of our health today and ready for many more such joyrides.”

In the years to come, team FOJ is looking for an organic growth. “Going forward, acquiring brands-of-choice will be our mantra. It will include startups, reputed brands and also brands who will give us the creative freedom. We have specific strategies to reach out to such brands and offer our services to them,”he concludes.