First published in 2019 by Hachette India
(Registered name: Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt. Ltd)
An Hachette UK company
www.hachetteindia.com
This ebook published in 2019
(Text) Copyright 2019 Aashish Chopra
Illustrations copyright 2019 Aashish Chopra
Aashish Chopra asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be copied, reproduced, downloaded, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover or digital format other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own, and the facts are as reported by him and have been verified to the extent possible. The publishers are not in any way liable for the same.
Paperback edition ISBN 978-93-5195-275-6
Ebook edition ISBN 978-93-5195-276-3
Cover design by Haitenlo Semy
Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt. Ltd
4th/5th Floors, Corporate Centre,
Plot No. 94, Sector 44, Gurugram 122003, India
Originally typeset in Cardo 11.5/15
by InoSoft Systems, Noida
Praise for Fast, Cheap and Viral
In Fast, Cheap and Viral Aashish Chopra shares his secrets for creating engagement-worthy content. With actionable insights drawn from his extensive personal experience, Chopra gives readers a blueprint for getting results. Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable
Aashish Chopra is a disruptive voice in the marketing and start-up ecosystem in India, demonstrating consistently how to reach millions on shoestring budgets. Obsessed about his process behind viral content, his methodology, with the strength of idea and in-house execution, is something start-ups can apply to compete with biggies. In Fast, Cheap and Viral , he provides actionable insights on how to catapult your brand with the power of great content, be it your start-up or your own personal brand. Alok Kejriwal, CEO and co-founder of Games2win, and author of Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks
Aashish, through this book, brings life to the art of content creation. What was until now considered the haven of only creative mavericks has been democratized by Aashish, inspiring all of us to produce content that touches peoples emotions. This is a timeless book, the prescriptions of which will last even when the medium of distribution has changed. Ankur Warikoo, CEO and co-founder of Nearbuy
Ive been fortunate to have Aashish on our team, offering me a ringside view of his journey of mastering the art of storytelling, perfecting the science of video making, and using the creative power of content to create a bridge of empathy between brands and consumers, resulting in millions of content shares and oodles of customer love for Ixigo. Aashishs frugal and humane approach to building share-worthy content instead of ads offers a disruptive way of building a brand by gaining trust and respect. Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder of Ixigo
A natural storyteller, an animated speaker and a truly gifted artist, Aashish is a leader with a noble heart. Aashishs strength lies in how he challenges himself and the team to find the best creative solutions, accepting ideas from wherever they may come from customers, clients, the team, even thin air. Aashishs work is so refreshing it reminds me of those drinks you enjoy nose-tickling and effervescent! Shilpa Dureja Puri, General Manager (Digital), Samsung India
In a world of clutter and too much information, Aashish makes things simple and specific while still being creative and innovative. What more could you possibly ask for. Papa CJ, award-winning comedian and motivational speaker
If the top ad-film directors in 2000s were people like Dibakar Banerjee, Prasoon Joshi, Sunhil Sippy, Budhayan Mukherjee, today you hear of young talented digital-first video makers like Aashish Chopra. What is amazing about Aashish is that he is the complete package from writing scripts, shooting, editing and finally, handling awesome content distribution, he and his team have been prolific is showing Indian Internet companies how to growth hack into video marketing and that too frugally! If you are interested in breaking through the clutter and capturing the elusive attention span of customers, there can be no better book for you to read than Fast, Cheap and Viral . I would strongly recommend you read this to win the battle for eyeballs, and discover how Aashish and his team regularly create videos that are watched by millions of viewers. Apurva Chamaria, Chief Revenue Officer, RateGain and bestselling author of Master Growth Hacking and You are the Key
Aashish Chopra has continuously demonstrated how creativity and insights win over production value in creating content. The viral videos made in-house, under his leadership, are exemplary a case study in itself. His passion and ownership shows up in his work. If you care about marketing, your brand should be powered with content, and Aashish is the person youd want on your side and not as your competition. Deepali Naair, Director Marketing, India and South Asia, IBM
Every page of this book is a gold mine in its own might. I see a beautiful and crisp translation of action to words, which I have come to realize is far more difficult than turning words to action. I can see how years of hard work and experience has been woven into this magnum opus of content marketing. From understanding the attention span of viewers to identifying your business values and finding the right meld between the two this publication covers everything. I love how Aashish has been unabashed about his writing style, making it a true doppelganger of his personality. Every single instance of his life, and the lessons he got out of it have been metamorphosed into actionable outcomes for everyone curious in our field of play. The chapters are crafted in a very crisp and concise manner as in the authors words our BS horizon is limited. Brilliant perspective, thought-provoking episodes, an easy read and, yes, the icing is humour. This book will be the next chartbuster! Good luck to Aashish, who has realized early on in life that sharing knowledge is the ultimate path to nirvana, and that nirvana is quite a no BS zone. Hitesh Malhotra, Chief Marketing Officer, Nykaa
Aashishs work reflects a maturity that very few creative people in the business can boast of. Aashish is a true digital native, a brand champion and a master storyteller. In one word, he was born to be viral. And viral and cheap are but two sides of the same genius. I wish him all the best and am looking forward to seeing more of his work, in the years to come. Rameet Arora, Chief Operating Officer (Digital Business), Hindustan Times
Aashish Chopra is someone everyone in the marketing and advertising world should look up to (I do) for inspiration and learning. In this digital world, he has demonstrated time and again how relevant, engaging content is a secret weapon every brand can possess, but very few actually do. His campaigns over the years are a masterclass of producing entertaining, on-brand creative without having to resort to budget-busting production values. His work for Ixigo has been a cornerstone for communication strategy. Lakshmipathy Bhat, Vice President Marketing Communications, Robosoft
