Digital Agencies

Vishnu Kanth Gokul ‘leapfrogs’ into creative carnage

Published

7 months ago

July 20, 2025

He is not just any punter. This is the top dog with 300+ WhatsApp groups under his belt and 20 thriving communities he’s built from scratch. One man, pure genius and probably a tad knackered from all that graft!

Need a community so strong it could win a rugby scrum? Or perhaps just a bit of a kick up the arse (aka mentorship) to get your career motoring? Vishnu Kanth Gokul’s strategic noise is the game-changer you are looking for. He’s got more tricks up his sleeve than a magician at a royal variety show.

Over the past two decades, he’s had the smashing privilege of contributing to the growth stories of some of India’s most iconic platforms from Rediff.com, Sify.com, Rajshri.com, 123Greetings.com, Cricbuzz.com to Percept, Qoruz, FoxyMoron Sida (South Indian Digital Awards).

Today, he’s the co-founder and chief revenue officer at The Leapfrog Network, leading the charge on growth strategy, revenue and brand partnerships. He’s blending content, media and creative innovation like a master chef, cooking up brands that actually matter. None of your wishy-washy rubbish here, just pure, unadulterated brand brilliance!

Indiantelevision.com’s Rohin Ramesh managed to collar Gokul for a tete a tete via email. Keen as mustard, he was ready to spill the beans on his spanking new role and a whole lot more!

Excerpts:

On taking the leap with The Leapfrog Network whether it was love at first brand or your co-founder buddies Yash and Rishabh charmed you over a chai banter

It was a bit of both, honestly. The vision was clear from day one, we weren’t building just another agency, we were building a cultural engine. Yash and Rishabh brought the firepower with their storytelling chops, and over multiple chai sessions, it evolved into a blueprint for something bigger. It wasn’t just about creating content but is all about shifting conversations. I knew this was the leap worth taking.

On any original clients who jumped on early and are staying loyal

Yes, we had a few early believers who backed us not just for the work we promised, but for the energy we brought. OTTplay was one of our first marquee collaborations, and working with a brand that already had scale gave us the chance to shape something culturally sticky. Their trust gave us the runway to experiment, fail fast, and grow sharper. We’ll always tip our hats to early partners who saw the spark before the flame.

On the overall team strength creative and strategy wise

We’re a tight-knit crew of 65 today. Honestly, we don’t like boxing people into roles. One day someone’s cracking memes, and the next they’re presenting to a boardroom. That agility is our edge. We hire for mindset over resumes, people who think like strategists but execute like creators.

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On secret of brands taking the leap with The Leapfrog Network

Our superpower is cultural intuition. We don’t chase virality, we engineer resonance. Every campaign, every post, every reel is backed by behavioral insights. We bridge brand goals with cultural fluency. And we’re not afraid to tell clients what not to do. That honesty, paired with hustle, builds trust. That’s our secret sauce.

On juggling all the responsibilities without going wrong on creative

There’s always a bit of creative chaos, and that’s the fun part. But I believe in systemising creativity. We’ve built ops that are robust enough to track ROI, but flexible enough to pivot when a trend shifts overnight. Delegation, clarity, and trust in the team allow me to juggle without burnout. It’s not about doing everything, it’s about empowering the right people to do the right things.

On balancing bold commercial moves without losing the agency’s pop culture

That’s a tightrope walk, no doubt. But for us, business growth and cultural relevance are not at odds, they’re intertwined. The brands that win today are the ones that can entertain, engage, and still convert. We ensure every growth lever we pull still speaks in the language of our audience. It’s a strategy without selling out.

On keeping your machete sharp and staying ahead of the algorithmic anacondas

We keep our machete sharp with a mix of curiosity and humility. Platforms evolve, but audience behavior is the constant. We’re not chasing every new feature blindly, we’re observing, testing, and iterating. Weekly trend roundups, tight feedback loops, and a very geeky media + analytics team ensure we’re not just following the algorithm, sometimes, we beat it to the punch.

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On missing the good old sales floor days at Rediff where the only strategy was hustle

I do. There was raw energy on the floor, no decks, just drive. But those days taught me resilience and the power of showing up. Now, I bring that hustle to a more structured ecosystem. It’s still a people-first business, whether you’re selling ad slots or narratives. What’s changed is the toolkit, not the hunger.

On TLF ever be the next Marvel of branded content

We’re definitely building our own universe just not with capes. Thinking creator-first IPs, snackable series, and community-led platforms. We don’t just want to activate influencers, we want to co-create with them. There are a couple of IPs in stealth mode right now, and if they hit like we believe they will, we won’t just be running campaigns, we’ll be producing culture.

On your personal mission at TLF whether it be saving the world, one meme at a time

My mission is to make marketing more human and more honest. I want to help brands speak with people, not at them. If a meme can spark a conversation that leads to a connection, our job is done. The world doesn’t need more ads; it needs more clarity.

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On cracking ROI or decoding the Gen Z lexicon

Decoding Gen Z, hands down. ROI has formulas. Gen Z has feelings, filters, and a whole vocabulary that evolves faster than a budget cycle. But once you stop overthinking and start listening you realise they’re not that complex. They just want brands to show up real, not rehearsed.

On a scale from “mild disruption” to “creative carnage,” you see TLF heading under your revenue radar

We’re definitely mixing up with “creative carnage” but the good kind. We’re not here to play it safe. We’re scaling, yes, but not at the cost of our creative soul. We want to be the agency that launches narratives, not just ads. So expect disruption, with a healthy dose of discipline.

On some new ripples we expect from you in the Leapfrog way of working

Trends are table stakes. What we bring is foresight, basically the ability to spot shifts before they become mainstream. We’re building playbooks that are agile, data-rich, and culturally sharp. The goal is not to ride the wave but to shape it.

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Digital Agencies

GUEST COLUMN: Deepankar Das on the feedback problem slowing creative teams

Published

2 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.

But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.

Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.

The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given

Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.

In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.

Scale has changed rverything

Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.

Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.

Guesswork quietly wears teams down

One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.

When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.

Actionable feedback is a shared skill

Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.

Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:

What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.

Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)

The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.

When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.

From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:

● Does this meet the brief?

● Does this solve the problem?

● Does this align with the goal?

This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.

2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops

There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.

In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.

Ending guesswork is a mindset change

Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”

Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.

Digital Agencies

Kunal Wanvari steps up as senior brand and digital marketing manager at Franklin Templeton India

Published

4 weeks ago

January 19, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Franklin Templeton India has elevated Kunal Wanvari to senior brand and digital marketing manager, signalling a continued push towards data-driven brand building and digital-first engagement in a crowded asset management market.

Wanvari has spent nearly eight years with Franklin Templeton India, steadily rising through the marketing ranks. Prior to this role, he served as marketing manager and assistant marketing manager, working across brand strategy, content, digital media and campaign execution from the firm’s Mumbai office.

Before joining Franklin Templeton, Wanvari built his digital credentials at WATConsult, where he handled brand strategy and account leadership roles, and earlier at Kush Infosystems, focusing on SEO and performance marketing. His career began in sales and marketing roles, giving him a ground-up understanding of commercial storytelling.

A computer engineer by training with deep digital marketing expertise, Wanvari’s elevation reflects Franklin Templeton’s bet on hybrid marketers—equal parts brand, data and digital—as competition for investor attention intensifies.

Digital Agencies

PSB Xchange appoints Ankush Aggarwal as CXO, Sahil Sikka as CBO and CFO

Published

1 month ago

January 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: PSB Xchange, India’s digital marketplace for financial solutions and a flagship platform of Veefin Solutions Limited, has reinforced its leadership team with two senior appointments as it prepares for its next phase of growth.

Ankush Aggarwal has been named chief experience officer, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience across corporate banking and the SME ecosystem. In his new role, he will focus on shaping simple, seamless and results-oriented experiences for banks, corporates and ecosystem partners. Aggarwal has previously held leadership roles at Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank and SG Finserve, where he led initiatives across customer onboarding, credit processes, servicing operations and digital transformation.

Widely recognised for connecting technology, operations and business strategy, Aggarwal has consistently built scalable and compliant experience models. At PSB Xchange, his focus will be on strengthening platform thinking, governance and continuous improvement to enhance efficiency and customer outcomes.

Alongside him, Sahil Sikka joins PSB Xchange as chief business officer and chief financial officer. With over 15 years of experience in banking and financial services, Sikka has played a key role in building and scaling businesses. He was part of the founding leadership team at SG Finserve, where he helped create a listed NBFC, overseeing business strategy, capital planning, product development and governance. His work earned him the best CFO financial services award at the India CFO Awards 2024.

Earlier in his career, Sikka worked with HDFC Bank, Aditya Birla Finance and Kotak Mahindra Bank, driving growth across corporate banking and structured finance. In his dual role at PSB Xchange, he will focus on strengthening growth strategy, scaling operations sustainably and delivering long-term value through strong governance and collaboration.

Commenting on the appointments, PSB Xchange and Veefin Solutions Limited CEO Sorabh Dhawan, said the additions reflect the platform’s ambitions as it expands its engagement with banks and financial institutions. He added that Aggarwal’s experience-led approach and Sikka’s strategic and financial expertise will be central to driving sustainable growth and value creation in the years ahead.