Rafa Forever let a fan, anywhere in the world, say ‘I'd like to see Rafa play in my backyard, I'd like to see him perform on top of Mount Everest’ and in about four seconds, a beautiful image gets generated that they can share on social media. Suddenly you had a moment of sadness turn into a moment of celebration. Thousands and thousands of people jumped onto it.
15 November 2024
Putting Rafa Nadal in your backyard: Infosys Chief Marketing Officer on brand partnerships and marketing careers
Sumit Virmani, Chief Marketing Officer of Infosys, joined King’s Business School marketing students this week for a masterclass in marketing from one of Kantar’s top 100 brands.
Chaired by Professor Oguz Acar, King’s Business School’s Head of AI, the discussion opened with an exploration of Virmani’s views on the role of AI in Infosys’s marketing strategy. Virmani explained that AI had become a core part of Infosys’s day-to-day activities, so that for Infosys, generative AI is both a creative tool and an opportunity to showcase a competitive strength. He gave the example of their campaign with Rafael Nadal. The player had been forced to pull out of the Australian Open, but the company’s ‘Rafa Forever’ platform allowed fans to use generative AI to create their own image of the icon.
Virmani noted that this initiative also illustrated the potential risks associated with Generative AI, which range from misinformation to data misuse. In this instance, the team had worked hard to anticipate and prevent the creation of any inappropriate images, successfully protecting both their own brand, and Nadal’s.
Building Successful Partnerships
Infosys’s association with tennis is just one of a number of successful strategic brand partnerships. He explained that for Infosys a partnership must enhance brand visibility and provide recurring opportunities for brand exposure, while also demonstrating their capabilities.
“Whether it's with tennis or with Madison Square Gardens or the Economist, the idea is that we partner with them on the brand side, but at the same time, they partner with us to use our technology to really improve the potential of their platform, ” he said.
For example, the Infosys partnership with the Economist uses their AI-driven data analytics and personalization tools to tailor content delivery, while Infosys technology optimises the Economist's digital platforms for faster loading times and better navigation.
Career Advice
Virmani drew on his career of 25 years to share advice with the student audience. He emphasized resilience, cultural alignment with your organisation and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone as key factors in maintaining a successful and long-lasting career.
He also highlighted the importance of embracing technology and maintaining a learning mindset:
Ask yourself: how close are you to this disruption called tech? Because tech is becoming a transformational lever for every organisation in every industry. The base at which you will grow is directly proportional to how quickly you're embracing what's coming next. So just stay hungry and keep learning.
He emphasised that students aspiring to international careers must be ready to immerse themselves in the culture and changing attitudes of the markets that they are interested in. Finally, he pointed out that students can learn by observing:
In our world of marketing, brands learn from their mistakes. Students of marketing get to learn from everyone's mistakes, so use them to create your own experiments!
Sumit Virmani, Chief Marketing Officer, Infosys
