Plan, set goals and boundaries, adhere to them: Ritu Mittal of Bayer

Ritu Mittal, Head - Marketing and Digital at Bayer Consumer Health Division India, swears by planning with purpose, and maps out the week ahead of her by setting clearly-defined priorities.

“My calendar is always updated. On Sunday evening, I will scan through my calendar. Both personal and professional priorities are already mapped out. It helps me ensure that I stay focused on what truly matters while allowing space for some flexibility and creativity,” she says.

Edited Excerpts:

Can you list five of your favourite quotes on marketing and leadership?

One of my favourite quotes on marketing is by American author Seth Godin, which says people do not buy goods and services, they buy relations, stories and magic. The second one is a quote by internet personality Tom Fishburne. He says the best marketing doesn't feel like marketing. The third one on leadership is not about being in charge. It's about taking care of those in your charge, which was said by English-American author Simon Sinek.

In your free time, what kind of marketing-related content do you consume?

I am quite passionate about both creativity and technology, and how it can create solutions for consumers. I am consuming a lot of content that is being generated on influencer campaigns these days. I value spending time with consumers, sifting through insights in consumer behaviour and how it is changing. I think that really keeps you in touch with the consumer, which is very important in jobs like ours. And, it is very important for developing effective marketing strategies.

Where do you get your social media fix?

One is LinkedIn, and the other is Instagram. LinkedIn, for me, is primarily staying connected with people, whether I have worked with them in the past or have met at various events.

It also offers a lot of professional insights, thought leadership articles that you can browse through and read through. So, it helps you in sharing knowledge with others, it helps you in reading what others are sharing on the platform and in staying updated on the industry trends.

I think nothing really beats the experience of meeting people in person which I thoroughly enjoy at various networking events. These face-to-face interactions foster deeper connections and provide richer opportunities to exchange insights -- be it emerging trends or best practices in their industries.

Instagram is the place where I spend a fair bit of time, both at a personal and a professional level. It's a go-to source for creative inspiration. The combination of LinkedIn's professional depth and Instagram's creative flair is what allows me to stay balanced and inspired in my marketing endeavors.

Who are your favourite creators and what draws you to them?

On LinkedIn, I do see a lot of campaigns shared by consultant Karthik Srinivasan. I like his perspective and keeping everybody up-to-date with the latest campaigns. I also follow a lot of content from Simon Sinek. Many of the concepts he has shared in leadership and marketing is something I truly relate to -- whether it is the basic theory of reaching more people and getting more trialists who buy you less number of times versus going after a few people who buy you frequently.

What is your fitness well-being routine like?

I focus on yoga as a part of my well-being routine. As somebody who works in consumer health, I cannot emphasise the importance of self-care more. It is important that I personally practise it as well.

I do believe that prioritising well-being is really crucial. Whether it is physical fitness or practices like mindfulness, they enhance personal resilience and fuel creativity and clarity in professional life.

How does your routine weekend go? What does your favourite kind of weekend look like?

My weekend is a lot about my family and it is about enjoying simple moments with them, whether it is at home or outside, preferably somewhere in nature.

As a working mother, weekends become very important for me to spend time with my seven-year-old daughter. I do try to catch up on some Netflix, some TV series or OTT series or have meals together with family. Some weekends, I'm able to meet friends, explore some outdoors because it's a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle of the week.

What have you been watching on weekends?

Recently, it was ‘Emily in Paris’. When Season 4 was released, I managed to catch all the previous seasons and the latest one. The latest one is interesting because it's a blend of fashion culture and a bit of marketing as well. It also gives some insights into branding and consumer engagement.

Any work or life hack you swear by?

There is one which, in the last few years as a working mother, I firmly believe in. The principle of planning with purpose is something that I swear by now. I take my time to map out the week ahead with very clearly-defined priorities and designated time blocks.

My calendar is always updated. On Sunday evening, I will scan through my calendar. Both personal and professional priorities are already mapped out, balancing my professional responsibilities and personal commitments. It helps me ensure that I stay focused on what truly matters while allowing space for some flexibility and creativity.

What are you reading? Any recommendations?

There is this one book I recently found and I highly recommend it. It's called ‘The Power of Moments’ by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. It's about experiences that have an extraordinary impact. It offers a lot of lessons for marketers who are seeking to create impactful experiences.

It emphasises the importance of designing moments that resonate deeply with you, ultimately leading to more meaningful connections and lasting impressions. So that's something I would highly recommend for marketers and for anybody else as well. Besides, I do keep finding literature that's about future trends in marketing, technology, etc., from time to time, and I do read through some of those reports as well.

What's your advice to avoid personal and professional burnout?

I think planning, for sure, can truly help in prioritising. It is important to sift through and see what is important to me as a professional and at a personal level. Set clear goals for yourself, set boundaries for yourself and adhere to them.

I do not think that success should come at the cost of personal health. That’s why right planning, prioritisation and setting clear boundaries are important. Despite that, if you know somebody personally or you feel that someone around you is probably going through a phase of burnout, it is very important to give it immediate attention.

A piece of professional wisdom you would like to share with next-gen marketers?

Be endlessly curious, always keep learning, experiment and stay connected to your consumers' needs. I think this approach will definitely help the next-gen marketers build meaningful brands.

What's the best advice you have got or heard on life?

Don’t fight every battle. Sometimes, you need to let go of a battle to win the war. Always choose your battles wisely. You can't fight every battle and you should be clear on which battle you want to fight and which battle you are okay to not fight as well.

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