Page 18 - Masala Lite Issue 156 December 2023

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working alongside the team so I can experience firsthand
the challenges, and listen to customer feedback to assist
them in filling the gaps in customer experience; while also
giving my team freedom to make decisions and empowering
the prioritise pushing star performers for career growth, and in
them to have ownership in their responsible areas. I highly
doing so, it gives me a different level of fulfilment.
Were there any specific challenges you faced climbing
the corporate ladder?

I thrive in multicultural organisations that promote equity
SHARIN CHAWLA, and inclusion, and I have been fortunate to align myself
with the right organisation that supported my growth.
the Country Manager for Taboola Thailand, However, there were moments in my past career where I
landed myself in an organisation where the culture in the
local office leaned more towards prejudice and ingratiation.
proves what it takes to be a leader in this This was at a time when I was already in the role of first
world’s rapidly-changing digital landscape. line management, which meant I was more confident to
take charge of the situation and decided I needed to step
out to step up.
BY AYUSH MADAN What are the current trends in content discovery and
user engagement? How have they changed over the last
two years?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been voted amongst the
efore stepping into the realm of media as a writer, my personal definition of
advertising was quite simplistic: you figure out what people want, and you highest technology trends that have a huge impact on
appeal to their desires. However, after sitting down for a chat with Sharin content discovery, user engagement and personalisation. At
Chawla, Thailand’s Country Manager for Taboola, my initial understanding many winning tech companies, Generative AI can be used
of advertising has been permanently reshaped. to produce creative copy, creating variations of campaigns
titles and descriptions that appeal to multiple audiences.
I arrived at Major Tower Thonglor last Wednesday and made my way up to the 9th floor Generating original images, allowing for experimentation,
where Sharin and his associate Ran gave me a tour of their offices. It was quite spacious, and building multiple creatives, keeps campaigns fresh, and
with floor to ceiling windows and neat little quirks like a fish tank, a tuk tuk in the lobby, maximises seasonal opportunities. AI enables personalised
and even a game room complete with consoles and a ping pong table. I poured myself content recommendations and increased content relevance
a lemon-infused water as I took in the playful energy of the place and finally sat down to users. Al also allows for user behaviour analysis, which
to talk to Sharin in the conference room. in turn allows advertisers to understand preferences and
target audiences effectively.
By complete coincidence, we learned that we have the same alma maters. Both of us
went to Thai Sikh International School, and Sharin graduated from Mahidol University In the modern media landscape, video continues to gain
International College (MUIC), which I currently attend. As we slowly found out more prominence in content consumption. The rise of short-
about each other, I formed my initial impression of Sharin as a man who exudes confidence. form video content, live streams and how-to content
His suit was perfectly tailored; his dastaar beautifully tied and taut. He reminded me of have become increasingly popular, fostering higher user
Mad Men (2007-2015)’s Don Draper, suave, locked in, and ready to pitch. I watched as engagement. We are also seeing increasing popularity of
he effortlessly presented my publisher with a comprehensive plan of how Taboola could audio content, such as podcasts and audiobooks, as well
streamline and effectively integrate ads into our website. as use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
to create more immersive content experiences.
As we began our conversation, Sharin shared an anecdote with me that shifted my
perspective of advertising. It showed me his out-of-the-box thinking when it came to ad What are the current challenges digital advertising
campaigns, and was a testament to his team’s ability to increase brand awareness and companies face, and how are you tackling them?
compete with advertising giants like Google and Meta. He spoke to me further about The rise of privacy regulations such as General Data
what drives him, and what sets Taboola apart; proving that it takes a dedicated team, Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Personal Data
proper framework, and a steady hand at the helm to ensure smooth sailing. Protection Act (PDPA), which requires companies to obtain

Taboola is a global company with a presence in various countries. As Country Manager, consent from users before collecting data, is making it more
difficult for digital advertising companies to target ads.
how do you adapt Taboola’s services to best suit Thailand’s advertising market? And with the depreciation of cookies in 2024, we expect
Taboola is the largest discovery platform through our exclusive partnerships with many reduced audience targeting, less effective ad measurement,
of the world’s leading publishers. In Thailand, a big portion of advertiser campaigns and increased reliance on first-party data. Partnering with
target local audiences. With that in mind, one division of my team is focused on diligently publishers through programmatic advertising and sponsored
sealing and optimising strategic partnerships with local renowned publishers, which content can help reach target audiences.
allows advertisers in Thailand to reach their local target audience and create meaningful
engagement and impact. Another challenge is the increasingly fragmented media
landscape with audiences (end consumers) consuming
Taboola is all about providing personalised and relevant experience to users. For me, content across a variety of devices and platforms.
this means ensuring that the other part of my team focuses on providing consultancy Additionally, businesses are competing for the same
to our advertisers as to what type of content, images, and catchy headlines that are audience pool which drives up customer acquisition cost
most suitable in getting the best results with their target audience in Thailand. We are and takes away profit margin for advertisers and digital
able to provide such recommendations to advertisers based on network learnings and advertising companies.
data signals that we have collected with our partnerships to publishers across digital
properties, such as mobile, app, and web. We’ve then built these into Taboola Trends, By addressing these challenges, digital advertising companies
a free accessible tool to the public. can continue to grow and thrive in the years to come.

Can you give an overview of your career leading up to this position? Ad tracking has been the industry standard for years now, but data privacy has
become increasingly relevant and important to users. How should users think
I started off my career at an Indian-owned hospitality company as an e-marketing
coordinator, focused on building an online presence and driving hotel bookings on direct about their data safety?

websites and various online travel agencies. After that short stint, I moved into the Choose products and services that have privacy baked into their design, and
performance-driven agency as a client services manager, and grew after a year and half businesses that minimise the collection and use of your data. Choose platforms that
to be a senior client services manager. After five years at this agency, during that period are committed to providing full transparency and cross-functional teams that take
meeting and getting engaged to my now-wife, I knew I was ready for bigger challenges privacy seriously - comprising leadership legal, privacy, business, product, IT, data, and
and growth to ensure further stability to the family that I would be building. R&D teams.
In December 2018, I joined Taboola, first as a media account director for India. I travelled Choose to work with tech companies that are also PDPA compliant, which is Thailand’s
to India frequently, covering Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. I was then given additional first consolidated data protection law.
responsibilities to cover Thailand as a market, before getting promoted to Country Manager On a more personal note, what are some of your personal hobbies and passions
of Taboola Thailand, and I am set to complete my five year journey here with Taboola.
outside of work?
What does your leadership and management style look like? I strive to go to the gym at least four times a week. Working out not only helps with my
How I look at leadership and management is not that my team works for me, but rather physical health to counter the sedentary nature of my job, but is also a stress release
that I work for them. I focus on fixing any challenges that they face so they can perform activity for me. I come back home from the gym feeling energised, and usually with
their jobs efficiently. some creative ideas for work.
In addition to coaching and guiding, I let them know that I am an available resource that My biggest passion is to watch combat sports. I thoroughly enjoy watching and analysing
they can rely on to support their sales pitches and relationship-building efforts. I enjoy events like boxing and MMA (be it ONE or UFC). I was recently at an ONE fight and I

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