5 minutes with Anthony Chetty

Name: Anthony Chetty
Job title: Commercial Sales Director South Africa
First job in the industry:
My first industry related job was with The South African Post Office. One of my responsibilities was to oversee the National Key Accounts portfolio and this provided the opportunity for me to work closely with marketers, across all segments, to help grow their brands through the power of direct mail.
What is your area of expertise:
My area of expertise lies in strategy formulation and deployment and networking with people across various industries and cultures. I also have an in-depth knowledge of the major touch points of the marketing value chain and I have a hands on approach and enjoy working on projects from beginning to the end.
What do you love most about your job?
My job is quite unique in that it allows me the freedom to identify what is best for the business and to do what is required to enhance the customer offering. Dragonfly is a leader in its field and I love the ‘Can Do’ attitude that is embraced by all in the company.
What interests you the most about direct mail?
I am a very analytical person and the tracking capabilities to manage the effectiveness of a direct mail campaign throughout the customer journey is very rewarding. The flexibility of a direct mail piece also allows for creativity that compliments other components of the marketing mix.
Is there anything about you that you think people would be surprised to know?
I have from a young age been very passionate about martial arts, karate to be precise. I enjoy the discipline and the art of expression and self-control that is prevalent in this sport.
Favourite ad/marketing campaign?
My favourite direct mail campaign was the ‘Help Us Help Others’ campaign. This campaign was run by the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 2009 and is still being used to generate donations from sponsors. The campaign has been highly effective in raising funds and raised in excess of R100m in 2019. This campaign is close to my heart as I am passionate about helping others and community upliftment and development.
What excites you about the print industry?
The print industry has developed over the years and moved from a one size fits all approach to its current form of hyper personalised printing capabilities. Print has a unique way of making a digital image more real and as the old saying goes ‘A picture paints a thousand words’.
If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?
If I could have any superpower, I would choose the power of teleportation. I would love to travel to any place in the world and as often as I would like to and experience different cultures. With the power of teleportation, you never have to settle for bad weather.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I would love to live in Japan. I really enjoy the Japanese culture and their value system. There are many historic sites to explore and a wide range of food and fun activities to witness. Japan is also a very safe and clean country and the home of sushi and karate.
What was your alternative career choice (backup plan) before you chose this one?
I studied law for a brief period in my early 20’s and was always interested in commercial law.
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