Smita Rajgopal, Smitten: Branding strategies & creative consulting

The creative consultancy business is a patience game and the revenue takes time to trickle in. And for a creative consultancy to click, you need a bright whacky team with someone full of zeal and vigour at the helm. Smitten is one such consultancy which has a story to tell.A 27-year old woman quits her cushy job (art director of a graphic design studio), shrugs off an independent life in a fine city (Mumbai), moves to Chennai and starts her own company because she thinks she can. She goes on to call it Smitten because it describes exactly how she feels about her work, its impact, life and love. And 3 years down, you have a successful 30-year old woman with an upcoming graphic design studio in Chennai, with branches in Manhattan and Mumbai and this time around, she owns it! This is story of Smita Rajgopal, the founder of Smitten.

Smitten, which is into its fourth year now, boasts of clients like Disney, Barbie, Panasonic, Johnnie Walker, CEAT, ITC Hotels, Audio Technica and SunEdison as well as upcoming brands such as Terra, The Cherry Tree, Desi Pleats, Headphone Zone and Tracktical Entertainment. Smita Rajgopal has a MBA in Marketing from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and has also authored two books. Speaking about their ‘methods’, Smita says, “Using some complicated analysis and planning, various media channels, a whole lot of creativity and a mean cup of tea, we create branding strategies that leaves everyone smitten. We believe every brand has a story to tell. So we use our eccentricity and a little bit of skill to showcase the story better.  Right from brand identity to communication design to social media madness, we do it all.”Based in Chennai, Smitten has recently scaled up and has set up base in the United States as well. JEAstudio, a boutique architectural design firm has recently invested in Smitten NewYork and the partnership should bear fruits soon. JEAstudio brings 15 years of luxury design experience to Smitten. With partnerships and clients that lend Smitten a lot of merit, the venture has had a very successful first three years and is set to scale greater heights.

To know more, check out www.smitten.in and www.smittennewyork.com.

Jubin Mehta | YourStory.in