News Headline

Young Indian agencies begin to bloom in 2011

Published

14 years ago

March 3, 2012

The scene isn‘t scary yet for the bigger agencies. But 2011 is touted as the year when younger Indian creative agencies made their presence more visible as they took away accounts like the high-profile Pepsi World Cup campaign (Taproot), Godrej Hair Colour and Freshners (Creativeland Asia) and Tata Mutual Fund (11 Brandworks).

Considering that many of the start-ups have got project-based accounts, the majority of the business still rests with the bigger agencies. Says JWT CEO Colvyn Harris, “Big agencies don‘t get affected if some project is handed over to any young agency. They are more credible and that‘s why clients stick with them for long. Also, there can be many reasons why the client gives a particular project to some other agency. They might not want to spend much on the campaign or they might like the idea presented by the other agency more. This is the way it works in the industry.”

True, the biggies have not been majorly impacted. But somewhere, the pride hurts when Taproot wins PepsiCo‘s World Cup campaign project while JWT continues to be the AoR and handles most of the brands from the food and beverages major.

Clearly, India is seeing a second wave of creative entrepreneurship. Taproot India, the most talked about young agency in 2011, was floated in 2009 and then followed others like Curry-nation and Scarecrow.

“The timing was brilliant for the Indies to emerge as the Indian brands like Tata, ITC and Bharti were looking for creative agencies that understood them and their sensibilities and there was a lot of professionals who wanted to breakaway from the processes of the bigger agencies and start an enterprise of their own,” says Law and Kenneth MP and CEO Anil Nair.

The first wave of creative independent Indian entrepreneurship started in the ‘80s but eventually fell prey to the global agencies. Chaitra became Leo Burnett, Sistas changed to Saatchi and Saatchi, and many other Indian agencies changed ownership.

Explains Leo Burnett NCD KV Sridhar, “The last renaissance of creative entrepreneurship was with Enterprise, Contract, Ambience which can be called the golden era for creative entrepreneurship. Ravi Gupta set up Trikaya around that time while Gopi Kukde and his Onida campaign also happened simultaneously.”

So how is the market environment different this time around? “The biggest difference is that media is now segregated from the creative agency function. This makes it even easier for the smaller agencies to flourish since the need for capital and financial discipline is lower,” says Contract Advertising EVP Kumar Subramaniam.

One of the main pulls of young and independent agencies is the accessibility of top management. Curry Nation director Priti Nair explains, “You don‘t really deal with organisations, you deal with people. If the same people that you dealt with before and were happy with what they delivered for you, then how does it matter if they are in a small or a large agency?”

Was pricing a major factor in helping the young guns win accounts? While the popular belief is that the Indies have managed to get accounts based on lower pricing, they insist that they do not come cheap in any case.

Says Scarecrow Communications founder and director Raghu Bhat, “Ad agency fees are a mere fraction of the marketing spend. Clients are not idiots. Neither are they penny wise, pound foolish. Clients want more creativity, more involvement, and more passion. If they get all this in a network agency, why would they move to a smaller agency? Barring a few exceptions, today the choice is between lousy creativity at a higher cost and good creativity at a lower or equal cost. That is a very easy decision. Once the recession ends, I don‘t think clients will suddenly develop a desire to pay more for lousy creativity.”

11 Brandworks founder director Prateek Bhardwaj says, “Clients working with young agencies aren‘t doing so because we are cheaper. We are not. They work because they get a more responsive team and better creative output. The economic slowdown hurt us as much as the larger agencies. Once the market is bullish, we expect business to grow even more as clients increase their budgets.”

What are the challenges the newer agencies face? Says O&M NCD Abhijit Avasthi, “While sometimes being small helps in being nimble, big network agencies do have the advantage of a larger pool of resources and experience. Some small agencies, no doubt, had a good run in 2011. The challenge for them is to continue with their success. Consistency is the name of the game. The marketing problems are a lot more complex and layered today. This calls for a wider skill set and a deeper knowledge base to tackle the problems on ground.”

Taproot India co-founder and CEO Agnello Dias believes the younger agencies will have to focus on consolidating their businesses in 2012. “The challenge is that there can only be so many clients/assignments/brands that can benefit from this. Beyond a certain number the waiting period may be too long or the talent/output may once again start spreading itself too thin. The year 2012 will see certain calls being taken. Enthusiasm and initial excitement having worn off, it will perhaps be consolidation-based calls,” he says.

Since the agencies are run by experienced creative people, the creative output is consistently, of a high calibre. Bhat says, “The challenges that agencies face are – financial planning, the reluctance of big brands to hire small agencies and, of course, talent retention. Having said that, small agencies are not all that small any more. Just like some big agencies aren‘t that big any more.”

Survival in the long run is a big challenge. Says Harris, “With time, more and more agencies will come up but surviving in the marketplace will be tough for them. Like in past, the smaller agencies will sell out to the bigger multinational agencies.”

Bhardwaj feels it is a cyclic process. “To achieve a truly large scale, a tie-up with an MNC does seem necessary. An international partner offers a larger playing field, greater access to MNC brands, more acceptability with brand managers, and, of course, funds for rapid expansion. And then, you are back where you started – working in a big MNC, with an itch to go Indie!”

Avasthi, however, has a slightly different view. “If the younger Indian agencies are keen to build a long-term brand, they will try to retain a unique flavour that will allow them to hold on. Of course, a lot depends on how good their financial health is,” he says.

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Awards

Hamdard honours changemakers at Abdul Hameed awards

Published

1 week ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.

The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.

Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.

The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.

Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.

Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.

Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.

Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.

The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.

Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.

MAM

Why the best campaigns today start with insights, not ideas

Published

1 week ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: For decades, creative storytelling has been the cornerstone of brand communication. The “big idea” amplified through catchy jingles, striking visuals, and memorable hooks was once the gold standard for relevance and recall. Creativity defined presence, and the loudest, boldest campaigns often won attention.

But the marketing landscape today looks very different.

Audiences are more exposed, more discerning, and far less patient. They are inundated with messages across platforms, formats, and creators, often encountering hundreds of brand touchpoints in a single day. In this environment, creativity alone especially when untethered from real consumer truths is no longer enough to move behaviour. Great ideas are abundant. Meaningful impact is not.

This is where insights matter.

The difference may seem subtle, but it is fundamental. An idea represents what a brand wants to say. An insight reflects what the audience is already thinking, feeling, or experiencing. The most effective campaigns emerge not from cleverness alone, but from the intersection of these two forces.

From creativity to relevance

As the marketing ecosystem becomes increasingly saturated, consumers are growing immune to inflated claims and surface-level storytelling. Even beautifully crafted campaigns can fail if they are disconnected from lived realities. The gap between a brand’s internal enthusiasm and the audience’s actual sentiment can be the difference between attention and indifference.

Insights help bridge this gap. They force brands to pause, listen, and observe to understand emotions, behaviours, cultural contexts, and contradictions. Instead of trying to be remembered through louder branding, insight-led campaigns allow audiences to see their own experiences reflected back at them. When a campaign articulates a problem that feels personal, relevance is created. Trust follows.

Insight is interpretation, not information

It’s important to distinguish between data and insight. Data tells us what is happening. Insight explains why it is happening. While data is measurable and structured, insights are interpretive and dynamic, shaped by real-time sentiment and human behaviour.

Modern consumers are full of contradictions. They demand authenticity while remaining deeply aspirational. They want brands to take a stand but expect nuance, not instruction. They seek transparency, yet are drawn to curated narratives. These tensions are not obstacles, they are opportunities. When understood correctly, they can shape communication that feels timely, credible, and human.

Some of the most effective campaigns today are born not in isolated brainstorm rooms, but through listening to audiences, creators, editors, online communities, and cultural signals. Insights often exist in blurred patterns, but once identified, they can redefine how a brand connects.

A recent campaign we executed for Domino’s illustrates this shift clearly. The brief wasn’t to make a pizza look bigger or louder. Instead, it was rooted in a simple behavioural truth: in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, sharing food is an emotional act tied to family, celebration, and value perception. The “Big Big 6-in-1 Pizza” became a canvas for this insight. The campaign leaned into regional voices and real sharing moments, allowing people to show how they experienced the product rather than being told why they should buy it. Influencers and celebrities amplified genuine usage, not scripted endorsements. The impact from engagement to footfall to sales came not from a clever idea, but from understanding how people relate to food in their everyday lives.

Shifting the starting point

Today’s consumer landscape demands a shift in perspective from “What should the brand say?” to “What does the audience need to hear right now?” This marks a move away from inward-led marketing toward communication shaped by behaviour, emotion, and cultural relevance.

Brands leading today are keen observers. They notice when perfection stops resonating. They sense when luxury shifts from aspiration to excess. They recognise when influencer content begins to feel repetitive and trust erodes.

Virality, too, is often misunderstood. It is not a strategy to chase, but an outcome. Campaigns rooted in insight do not aim to go viral; they aim to resonate. When content reflects something familiar, a shared truth, emotion, or tension, it travels organically because people see themselves in it.

Ideas attract attention. Insights build connection.

The evolving role of PR

For PR professionals, this shift has redefined success. Coverage volume alone no longer tells the full story. The more meaningful questions today are: Did the communication influence behaviour? Did it align with cultural conversations? Did it address a real consumer pain point?

Insight-first thinking allows these questions to be answered at the planning stage, rather than corrected midway through execution.

In a world where formats and platforms will continue to evolve, what remains constant is the power of authentic communication. The strongest campaigns today do not begin with a brainstorm, but with observation, interpretation, and empathy. That is not just better marketing, it is more responsible, resilient, and meaningful brand-building.

Brands

Ahmad Muneeb elevated to VP – HR centre of excellence at Zepto

Published

1 week ago

February 7, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Zepto has elevated Ahmad Muneeb to vice president – HR centre of excellence, placing him at the helm of the company’s total rewards, executive compensation and organisational effectiveness as the quick-commerce firm powers through a high-growth phase.

The move follows his stint as senior director of the HR COE, where he played a central role in preparing the company for IPO readiness while scaling its people analytics capabilities. During this period, Muneeb helped align complex performance management structures with more streamlined and scalable employee experience frameworks.

In his new role, he will steer the design of total rewards strategies, executive compensation planning and organisational design, while also overseeing performance management, employee experience initiatives and people analytics programmes.

Before joining Zepto, Muneeb spent nearly three years at Meesho, where he held multiple rewards and HR business partner roles. Earlier in his career, he worked as a senior rewards consultant at Mercer, advising high-tech clients on compensation benchmarking, pay structures and talent-focused reward frameworks.

He began his hr journey at Cognizant, where he supported compensation programmes for nearly two lakh employees across India and worked on m&a compensation alignment and skill-based pay initiatives. Prior to moving into HR, Muneeb started his career as a software engineer at Netcracker, bringing a technical grounding to his people strategy work.

With a mix of consulting rigour, start-up agility and enterprise-scale experience, Muneeb’s elevation signals Zepto’s continued focus on building robust people systems as it races towards its next phase of growth.