Hcl Technologies will expand in-house creative team as it looks to focus efforts on helping the company win digital mandates, even as other IT firms have been acquiring companies to fill the digital marketing holes in their portfolio.
HCL Technologies believes that having an in-house team will help the company win deals, as it offsets the idea that Indian IT companies cannot provide good services in building user interfaces and creating great user experiences.
“While Indian-origin IT companies are viewed to have the technical skills required for the digital future, they are perceived to be low on creative ability,” Krishnan Chatterjee, head of strategic marketing at HCL Technologies, told ET.
“However, at HCL, we have our own in-house creative team. An industry response to the creative challenge has been significant acquisitions – we have already built this organically.”
Digital marketing is becoming a key part of IT companies’ strategies as it focuses on the chief marketing officers in a company, rather than a chief information officer. In 2013, research firm predicted CMS would spend more on technology than CIOs by 2017.
A number of firms have already made acquisitions in this space. Last October, Cognizant bought digital marketing firm for $30 million. Earlier this year, Accenture also announced acquisition of digital agency Reactive Media.
HCl in-house team has about 60 employees and operates out of its own separate premises. The unit also has also won over 40 global creative and marketing awards in the last 18 months, Chatterjee said. “It is not too much to get productivity improvements, especially when we build underlying platforms and workflows to enhance productivity.”
Analysts point out that digital technologies need companies to go beyond a linear, headcount count focused mindset, into a more consulting, expertise-driven Model..
