Strategic storytelling and empathy shaping Kadambari Zokarkar’s creative vision
With her sharp strategic mind and passion for human-centered design, Kadambari is redefining immersive experiences at our studio. Get to know her insights and approach as our new creative strategist in our 60-second interview.
by Kadambari Zokarkar
Kadambari, welcome! How will you leverage your background in global brand and marketing communications to enhance Battle Royal Studios’ immersive experiences?
Thank you, it’s been a great start so far!
I’ve spent the past several years extensively building muscle in strategic planning, digital strategy, and research across the marketing and events initiatives of legacy brands and local startups alike.
Blending my understanding of brand building through creative solutions, decoding consumer behaviour, conducting market and business analyses and more have all helped shape the well-rounded perspective that I now have and hope to contribute to the immersive experiences strategies we design at BRS. Crucially, I want to help place real human insight and trends at the center of crafted concepts.
How are you transitioning from a corporate setting to now a boutique creative agency?
While the set-up of a boutique creative agency isn’t unfamiliar territory, I find it exciting to be in a reframed role as a Creative Strategist, with a scope that is expandable and grants end to-end visibility from concepts to execution. Here, taking the onus of staying on top of evolving digital tools and developing expertise in the dynamic world of emerging technologies will be integral to remaining successful. I also look forward to the extremely valuable learnings and exchanges drawn from my colleagues here at BRS and the potential for deeper cross-functional collaborations.
Having worked with diverse brands, how do you adapt strategies for varied clients? How will you bring that versatility to Battle Royal’s projects?
Research and analyses truly help to gain a grip on a brand and its DNA, the industry it functions in, and the target audience it wants to resonate with. The assimilation of this knowledge combined with awareness of emerging trends is what translates into original ideas and strategies for respective brands. When working on a specific brand, I like to think of myself as an implant in their company to help me think in the perception of stakeholder priorities and treat them like my own. At BRS, I hope to bring this structure and outlook to support our creative strategy internally.
What’s your approach to storytelling in immersive experiences?
A great deal of empathy. From personal experience as well as through proof of concept in BRS’ past activations, it is evident that a narrative where people are made to feel like protagonists is what makes an experience memorable. My storytelling approach seeks to structure consumer journeys in a way that inspires moments of creativity on a personal and social level, nail down real brand-consumer needs, and create solutions that activate multi-sensorial stimulation powered by purposeful technology.
What KPIs are essential for assessing brand activations? How do you measure the impact beyond digital metrics?
When it comes to brand activations, the real question isn’t just “Did people show up,” it’s “Did we create a unique moment they will remember?” KPIs like foot traffic and participation rates are a solid start, but the magic lies in measuring engagement like the length of duration and conversion such as sign-ups and purchases.
In the long run, ROI, is of course, the ultimate proof but there are many means of value generation that go beyond traditional outlook. Qualitative feedback, traceable through exit interviews, surveys, or even social listening are powerful ways to measure how people felt about the experience. Physical-world tools like RFID trackers or heat maps can show how attendees moved through and interacted with your space. When people talk about your brand long after the event, you’ve nailed it.
When impact goes beyond numbers, that’s where emotional connections and resonance enter the equation, which in turn, drives brand love, the ultimate driver for brand sustenance.
Which emerging trends will shape experiential marketing? How do you envision Battle Royal’s role in leading these trends?
In my view, experiential marketing is being reshaped by hybrid experiences and personalization through technology. Events that seamlessly blend virtual and physical elements allow brands to reach global audiences while still delivering that “you had to be there” emotion. Personalization, powered by AI, means activations can tailor experiences in real-time with, for example, customized interactions or AI-driven recommendations. Innovation surrounding immersive experiences will continue to grow, with brands competing for consumer share of mind. Further, with sustainability rightfully rising to center stage, efficient green choices will take precedence.
BRS continues to expand its creative thought leadership, envisioning solutions that not only speak to current climates but are also often ahead of their time. Having already championed a focus on hybrid events, building end-to-end services with an impressive portfolio that demonstrates volumes on the agency’s capabilities, BRS is set to grow and own emerging trends in experiential marketing. And of course, this is all made possible by the very versatile and talented pool of contributors, led by a team of brilliant, enterprising folks with deep roots in the world of experiential experiences and culture.
