Bibek Binod Pokharel is the Managing Director of Linez Marketing which he joined in 2003 as an Executive. Today he is a partner in the company with a team of 20 plus people and representatives spread across the country.
His urge to be financially independent began right after he completed his SLC examinations. He began working as a tutor, ventured into desktop publishing and in 1998, even started a computer institute. Pokharel has diverse creative interests which include a television show he initiated called ‘Public Hearing’ that received the highest TRP in the country. It was this tryst with television which marked the direction for a career in marketing.
In this edition of B360, Bibek Binod Pokharel shares with Ankita Jain the five major highlights of his life and career which shape his present.
Personal and professional inspirations
My father inspired me in every way. And professionally QFX Board of Director, Nakim Uddin taught me the basics of digital theatre marketing. I learnt a lot from him. Another person who inspired me to become an entrepreneur is Sulav Budhathoki, Chairman of the Innovate Nepal Group.
Linez & QFX
I belong to a middle-class family where no one ever had a business oriented mindset. In 2003, I joined Linez as an employee and today I am the Managing Director of the company. When I joined Linez and started working with QFX, my life took a sharp turn. I was only 22 years old then. I am student of finance but marketing interested me. I taught myself the marketing know-hows, one lesson at a time. It was my passion and interest in marketing that has helped shape my career and made me reach where I am today.
Digital Theatre Marketing
We are one of the pioneers in digital theatre marketing in the country. Only limited companies are offering full-fledged marketing services here. Also, there is a dearth of professionals in this field. Sales professionals are in abundance but when it comes to marketing, it does not enjoy the same luxury. People need to be groomed for this job profile. We have been in this business since the inception of QFX in the country which made possible our more than 90% market share in digital theatre marketing. With QFX, we are expanding and the growth has been enormous over the years. With the introduction of QFX in Civil Mall in 2011, digital theatre marketing escalated. Simultaneously, the quality of advertisements in the theatre also improved. I still remember the first movie which released in Civil Mall was Dabbang, a Bollywood film. And when I witnessed the projection quality of the film, I was sure that the marketing business from now onwards would boom. And it did. There has been no looking back after that.
Dedication & Patience
Since a young age, I have proved my commitment to any work that I am assigned to. I still remember managing my sister’s entire wedding when I was just 14 years old. Today this practice is widely known as event management. Dedication to work is something that has been inculcated in me since childhood and it has remained with me.
When it comes to the entertainment business, theatre rules the market. There were days when I pitched for one advertisement at a time and today the market has ballooned to a 25-30 crore business per annum. Success in my line of business was possible largely to the values I held dear. Through my 18-year career, I have been offered lucrative jobs frequently but I decided to grow my roots in digital theatre marketing. I believe that when I change myself, the world around will change eventually.
A will to introduce new elements in the market
Digital theatre marketing was a new thing when we started. Even today, I am eager to introduce new slements in the market. Along with my team, we keep brainstorming about the ‘big’ next. Similarly, we were the first ones to introduce Google advertisement nine years ago but our effort was labeled ‘too early for the market’ then. Also, we came up with digital marketing eight years back. During that time, people were hesitant to spend money on digital platforms. Today, the same people allot a separate budget for digital marketing.
Talking about marketing, the market size the country offers is not sufficient. Because of this factor, many ideas fail. We compare the market with neighbouring countries but do not realise that the market in these countries is 100 times bigger. Currently, we are expanding on digital marketing.
.jpg)
.jpg)