A STRATEGIST WHO LIKES SPREADSHEETS

Bigideas.Betterevidence.

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Akshit

Basur

Hi, I’m Akshit.

I find the story in research and data, then turn it into strategy a team can act on.

3+years of work experience

10+industries worked across

4internships, agency to analytics

→ based in Mumbai ⇄ Bengaluru

● currently: MBA, Business Analytics
● previously: brand strategy

CHAPTER 01 · THE AGENCY YEARS

TwoandahalfyearsatGozoop,workingalongsidesharpstrategists,writersanddesigners.Fourthingswelearnedalongtheway.

Tap a card to see how we got there.

01 / 04live entertainment · social strategy

You can’t post hype. You have to start it.

The brief asked for FOMO. Posting more wasn’t going to get us there. Giving people something to join in on did.

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01 / 04 · live entertainment · social strategyflip back ↻

How we got there.

01The ask

Broke the brief into three clear jobs: create FOMO, build hype and get people talking. Each job got its own success signal, so the team knew what working looked like before anything went live.

02The idea

A campaign in three acts, each giving fans something to do online and on the ground. Teasers, on-ground moments and fan challenges were sequenced so interest built week on week instead of peaking on day one.

03The pay-off

Every act fed back into social, so the fans spread it for us. Fan posts and reactions became the content plan, so the conversation kept going between drops.

TAKEAWAYHype is a sequence, not a post.

02 / 04market entry · community building

Grown-ups still want to play. They just need an invite.

Mapping the audience showed a large group of adults who had simply stopped making time to play. A reason to return mattered more than reach.

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02 / 04 · market entry · community buildingflip back ↻

How we got there.

01The audience

Sized and segmented the potential fan base using platform data. Looked past the obvious core of young enthusiasts to see who else was already curious but not buying.

02The insight

A big group were adults who had simply stopped making time to play. They hadn’t lost interest. Play just didn’t have a slot in a grown-up calendar.

03The plan

Brand collabs and community play nights to give them a reason to return. Recurring formats built a habit, and partner brands brought play into places adults already spend time.

TAKEAWAYGive the ones who drifted a reason back.

03 / 04positioning · communication strategy

Nobody falls for a spec sheet. They fall for who they get to be.

Young buyers weren’t choosing on features alone. The strategy led with how the product makes you feel, and used the specs as proof.

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03 / 04 · positioning · communication strategyflip back ↻

How we got there.

01The category

Mapped competitors, pricing and what young buyers say they want. Most brands were shouting the same numbers, so specs alone couldn’t set anyone apart.

02The insight

Being loud had stopped standing out. Value had become emotional. Buyers wanted a phone that said something about them, then looked for specs to back the choice.

03The shift

Lead with who the buyer gets to be, and use the specs as proof. Messaging opened on identity and attitude, with features placed where buyers go to justify the decision.

TAKEAWAYSell the feeling first. Let the facts close it.

04 / 04hospitality · full-funnel planning

People don’t book rooms. They book a vibe.

Guests buy into a mood. We planned for that feeling at every stage, then let guests share their own version of it.

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04 / 04 · hospitality · full-funnel planningflip back ↻

How we got there.

01The funnel

Split the plan into awareness, consideration and post-stay love. Each stage got its own job, message and measure, so effort followed where guests were in the decision.

02The content

Paired lifestyle campaigns with always-on content about the experience. Campaigns set the mood. Everyday content showed the rooms, food and moments that made it real.

03The guests

Invited guests to share their own version, so stays became stories. Guest content fed back into awareness, giving future guests a version of the stay they could trust.

TAKEAWAYPlan for the feeling at every touchpoint.

25+brands,onecuriousbrain.

From music festivals to five-star hotels, mostly client work with agency teams at Gozoop, Ogilvy and TBWA. Plus in-house roles at Newfold and Titan, the last as an analytics and insights intern.

CHAPTER 02 · THE TURN

Dataisastorywaitingtobetold.

A line from one of our hospitality decks that stayed with me. In 2025 I started an MBA in Business Analytics at SIBM Bengaluru to get better at the telling.

Where do good decisions come from?drag ↔

GUT

DATA

All gut. Exciting, but hard to defend in a meeting.

Strategy✦Consulting✦Analytics✦Consumer insight✦Digital strategy✦Data storytelling✦Pitching✦Strategy✦Consulting✦Analytics✦Consumer insight✦Digital strategy✦Data storytelling✦Pitching✦Strategy✦Consulting✦Analytics✦Consumer insight✦Digital strategy✦Data storytelling✦Pitching✦

CHAPTER 03 · THE PATH SO FAR

Year by year.

EDUCATIONINTERNSHIP

2018

BBA, and a first agency internship.

NMIMS · Client Services Intern, Ogilvy

tap for details ↻

2018 · Education + internship↻

BBA Marketing, NMIMS · Client Services Intern, Ogilvy

Started a BBA in Marketing, then spent a summer month with an agency account team on FMCG work. My first look at how a brief becomes a campaign.

LEADERSHIP

2019

Ran digital for a student forum.

Head of Digital Works, Social Responsibility Forum

tap for details ↻

2019 · Leadership↻

Head of Digital Works, Social Responsibility Forum

Worked with a 20+ member team and co-led a 120+ member committee to grow event turnout, social presence and the website.

INTERNSHIPINTERNSHIP

2020

Two more internships, both remote.

Ogilvy · TBWA\India

tap for details ↻

2020 · Internships↻

Client Services Intern, Ogilvy · Account Management Intern, TBWA\India

Learned the craft of client servicing from home: briefs, timelines and keeping everyone in the loop.

FULL-TIME

2021

First full-time role, in sales.

Sales Associate, Newfold Digital

tap for details ↻

2021 · Full-time↻

Sales Associate, Newfold Digital

Part of the APAC retail sales team, working to acquisition and performance targets. Learned to listen before pitching.

★ Manager’s Award ×2

FULL-TIME

2022

Into agency life.

Account Executive → Sr. Account Executive, Gozoop

tap for details ↻

2022 · Full-time↻

Account Executive → Senior Account Executive, Gozoop

Part of the team running day-to-day social, content and performance reporting for live entertainment and events.

★ Rising Star of the Quarter

FULL-TIME

2023

Moved into strategy.

Senior Executive, Brand Strategy, Gozoop

tap for details ↻

2023 · Full-time↻

Senior Executive, Brand Strategy, Gozoop

Worked with planners and creatives on research, planning and new-business pitches across tech, hospitality and building materials.

FULL-TIME

2024

Led strategy on accounts.

Brand Strategy Manager, Gozoop

tap for details ↻

2024 · Full-time↻

Brand Strategy Manager, Gozoop

Worked with clients on annual planning, and used performance data to decide what the team should make next.

★ Most Hungry Gozooper

EDUCATION

2025

Back to school.

MBA, Business Analytics, SIBM Bengaluru

tap for details ↻

2025 · Education↻

MBA, Business Analytics, SIBM Bengaluru

Class of 2027. Statistics, modelling and turning numbers into decisions people can act on.

INTERNSHIPLEADERSHIP

2026

Analytics internship, then student council.

Analytics & Insights Intern, Titan · President, SLC

tap for details ↻

2026 · Internship + leadership↻

Analytics & Insights Intern, Titan · President, Student Leadership Council

Three months in analytics and insights over the summer, then elected to lead the Student Leadership Council at SIBM Bengaluru.

Strategy, consulting or analytics.

hello@akshitbasur.com

tap for details ↻

Next · What’s next↻

Full-time roles in strategy, consulting or analytics

Somewhere creative thinking and data work side by side. If that sounds like your team, let’s talk.

Let’stalk.

Hiring for strategy, consulting or analytics? Or just want to swap notes? I'd like to hear from you.

hello@akshitbasur.com

LinkedIn ↗ Download CV ↓