VOGUE INDIA | ANITA DONGRE & SUMMER STYLE

Category: Fashion, Featured, India, Profiles

Marissa Bronfman Vogue India Anita Dongre Summer Style Tips

Marissa Bronfman Vogue India Anita Dongre Summer Style Tips May 2013

ANITA DONGRE GIVES MARISSA BRONFMAN HER TOP 5 TIPS FOR LOOKING STYLISH THIS SUMMER.

5 EASY STEPS TO SUMMER STYLE. VOGUE INDIA. MAY 2013.

MOXIE MEDIA & GOODEARTH | WSJ MINT

My online life

Right now 26-year-old Marissa Bronfman is working on a deadline to launch a blog to accompany their new e-commerce site. “The beauty of Goodearth is that everything has a story, rooted in Indian craft, tradition, heritage and philosophy, and we wanted to create our own space online to share those inspiring stories,” she says. Bronfman, who moved to India in early 2011 from Toronto, Canada, after an assignment, wears many hats—apart from her role at Goodearth, she works as a writer, editor and digital media consultant. She tells us why everyone should be on Twitter and Facebook. Edited excerpts:

Not many job profiles say digital and social media head. What does your job description really entail?

I manage all of Goodearth’s social media platforms—Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest—some of which I created and others that I took over. I work to ensure that communication and interaction on social media stays true to the brand’s style, while at the same time working to grow their reach and audiences. I track and analyse the analytics for all platforms, which informs and sometimes helps shape future content and digital strategy. For example, from tracking fan response on the Goodearth Facebook page, it’s very clear to me that our bright, colourful photos are one of the best ways to engage fans through likes and comments. Fans also love to see behind-the-scenes pictures, perhaps a craftsman carefully stitching an embellished Goodearth cushion.

What is the best part of your job?

That I get to experience or have access to all the beautiful things that I have to talk about. In some small way, I even get to tell the companies what will be viable for this market. For my first digital and social media consulting assignment in India, I worked with a luxury travel company and travelled to all of their properties in breathtaking Ladakh and Kumaon. A truly memorable first client in India.

How did your relationship with social media start and grow?

My first job was in New York City with The Huffington Post. It was there that I began to not only understand the power of digital but to learn its inner workings and become genuinely intrigued by it.

Which is the one network a brand serious about social media cannot ignore?

No person or brand serious about having an online presence can ignore Twitter and Facebook. Instagram and Pinterest are a close second.

You run a consultancy, Moxie Media… How is this different or similar to what you do at Goodearth?

I do for Goodearth exactly what I do for other clients: Translate their brand online in a sophisticated, beautiful and intelligent way that captures the spirit and integrity of the brand while ensuring that it’s modern, compelling and worth talking about. At Moxie Media, another client is a British luxury beauty company that will be launching in Mumbai and online. Of course, trying and testing dozens of luxury beauty products—everything from make-up, skincare, haircare and accessories—is a wonderful perk.

How is writing 600-word articles different from saying your piece in 140 characters?

As a writer and journalist, I always sought precision in language and to cut out the superfluous—Twitter demands just that. If you can’t distil what you want to communicate in 140 characters, then your message needs refining.

READ THIS ARTICLE ON THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.

VOGUE INDIA’S STYLE MAVERICKS

Category: Fashion, India, Profiles, Toronto

MANY THANKS TO VOGUE INDIA FOR FEATURING ME AS PART OF ‘INDIA’S NEW FASHION VANGUARD’.

THE MAVERICKS. VOGUE INDIA. OCTOBER 2012.

TWO MANGOES | STYLISH & SUCCESSFUL

Category: Entertainment, Huffington Post, India, Profiles, Toronto, Travel

Read the Daniel Pillai’s full interview with me on Two Mangoes here.

THE STAR | BOLLYWOOD IDOLS

Category: Entertainment, Fashion, India, Profiles, Toronto

During IIFA 2011 Leanne Delap from the Toronto Star called me to chat about Bollywood fashion – read my thoughts in the article below.

Canadians not of South Asian descent may have trouble wrapping their heads around just how flipping huge Bollywood stars loom in the lives of the Indian diaspora.

“The level of idolatry is unprecedented,” says Toronto-based actress Lisa Ray, who lived in Mumbai and worked in Bollywood for more than a decade.

Vinay Virmani, one of the stars of Breakaway, a Hollywood/Bollywood fusion flick set to premiere in September, was also born and raised in Toronto. “Bollywood film stars are held in such high regard within many households that people literally can’t distinguish between onscreen and off-screen sometimes. So the actors are idols, and they have to be very responsible about how they conduct themselves.”

That means they have a talk to walk: Women, especially, have to be demure. “You may see a low back on a sari, but that is as racy as you will get,” says Mohit Rajhans, the film critic for Omni TV’s Bollywood Boulevard and CBC Radio One’s Metro Morning. “You see some little minidress costumes on screen, but at premieres and awards the women always look regal.”

Among both the fêters and the fêted this long bollyweekend there is likely to be a real mix of traditional garb and funkier western gear.

Toronto-born Marissa Bronfman is a blogger and contributor to The Huffington Post who recently relocated to Mumbai to cover the Bollywood beat. “When I worked in Toronto and New York, my uniform was basic black,” Bronfman says. “Since I moved to India, though, I’ve come to appreciate it as a rare place that still appreciates traditional dress. I’ve become passionate about colour and embellishment.”

Bronfman packed “a real mixed bag” for a trip home to cover International Indian Film Academy events. “Colourful, embellished Indian skirts with a crisp white blouse.” [* Which is exactly what I wore on Bollywood Boulevard, see the pictures and video clip here.]

Ray similarly plans to mix things up, day over day. “I also love to wear Canadian,” says the actress, who appeared Tuesday at the Mad Hot Ballet fundraiser in a turquoise column sheath by Andy The Anh. Speaking on a Bollywood cultural panel at the ROM Wednesday, she had Kim Newport-Mimran whip up “an orange-red tribute to Bollywood.” She may go with an old-school sari this weekend.

Read the full article on The Toronto Star website here.

ON BOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD

Category: Entertainment, India, Profiles, Toronto

I connected with Veronica Chail, the host of OMNI’s Bollywood Boulevard, over IIFA 2011 and she was kind enough to invite me on the show yesterday. We chatted about the 2011 IIFA Awards Weekend, why I’m living in Bombay and what I love so much about India.

Watch the June 30th episode online here and see me at the 12 minute mark.

See lots more pictures on Facebook here.

Thanks Veronica! xx

IN THE NEWS | I GO TO INDIA

Category: India, Profiles, Toronto

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A BIG thank you to Karen Aagaard at Post City for her profile on me as a recent Toronto graduate, and of course, to my high school Branksome Hall for featuring me in their magazine and having me interview fascinating Alum Maggie Palmer!