DV’s Nachiket Deole Discusses the Future of Digital Advertising in India

In an effort to expand coverage across APAC, DV recently opened an office in Mumbai and appointed digital media veteran, Nachiket Deole, to launch and lead operations in India. Deole will be driving adoption of DV’s best-in-class measurement and programmatic solutions across the digital ecosystem in India, establishing strategic relationships with brands and agencies to help them drive better ROI and ensure success for their digital campaigns. A 15-year digital media veteran, Deole was previously the Agency Relationship Lead at LinkedIn after being Partner for Digital at Mindshare. We talked to Deole about his experience in the industry, and discussed some of the challenges brands and agencies in the Indian market face in 2020.

Could you tell us a bit about your background and what motivated you to join DoubleVerify?

Fresh out of college, I had two offers — to join a large conglomerate (good money but run-of-the-mill job) or to join a small advertising agency. My fascination with brand building made me choose the latter, and I joined an agency called Media Estate. Then, after helping brands build their digital strategies with agencies like GroupM and IPG, I moved to LinkedIn to set up their agency business.

Transparency and measurement have always been a pain point for digital marketers. Brand safety, ad fraud and viewability are fundamental and real obstacles that impact business results —and DV helps solve for those challenges. I am keen to leverage my expertise in technology and digital media and am really excited to build a scalable business for DV in India.

What is unique about online media & advertising in India?

Given the exponential rise in India’s digitally-savvy middle class over the past few years, it’s no surprise that digital advertising spend is growing 25-30% annually and brands are investing anywhere between 15-40% of their budgets there. Marketers want to make sure that their investments are delivering value, and sophisticated ad verification is a critical component in making this possible.

What are the challenges brands and agencies are dealing with right now?

When it comes to digital advertising, the issues of viewability, ad fraud and brand safety have only grown more vital and complex in India’s advertising ecosystem. During the pandemic, brands have further sharpened their focus on digital and demand for sophisticated ways to measure the actual business outcome. Expanding our presence in this region will allow DV to bring in much-needed transparency and ensure the quality of media.

What are some of your initial goals at DV, and what do you expect by the end of 2020?

India is a massive market geographically, and the first priority is to build a team that can support key markets like Mumbai and Delhi.

Ad verification is still nascent in India. Clients and agencies realize the underlying challenge, but, the lack of industry standards on digital advertising fraud is a cause for concern in India. We want to take this head on and work with industry bodies to create awareness and build thought leadership in the space.

We want to establish DV as the best and biggest ad verification company in the country.

Did you always think you would go into advertising, or was there another profession you wanted as a child?

As a kid I wanted to be an F1 driver. However, when I seriously started thinking about my career, advertising was the one and only choice!

Outside of advertising, what is your biggest passion?

Driving…It’s a new adventure every time I go for long drives. Visiting new places, trying local food and cruising at fast speeds while listening to my favorite music — that’s my nirvana!

What is the best piece of advice you have heard during your career?

When in doubt, always follow your intuition — the heart never lies!