'Digital is not a choice anymore, it is a way of life for all creative agencies'

With an aim to provide a more collaborative and aligned offering to their clients, dentsu international in 2021 brought together Dentsu Webchutney (creative), Taproot Dentsu (creative), WATConsult (digital marketing agency), Perfect Relations (PR company), Isobar (Digital agency), and Dentsu Impact under one umbrella to form dentsu Creative India in June 2021.

Amit Wadhwa, as the Chief Executive Officer of dentsu Creative India, takes care of the integration, co-ordination, and implementation of the overall strategy for dentsu Creative in the market. e4m caught up with Wadhwa to understand how they are prepared to deal with fresh challenges, and what are their strategies and plans for 2022.

Excerpts of the telephonic interview:

Q: What is the biggest challenge before creative agencies in 2022?

The biggest challenge, which I believe is also our biggest opportunity, is to embrace and accept digital & technology and to evolve with it. Companies that adopt digital & technology will soar high; the rest, meanwhile, will die. This adoption is not a choice anymore. This needs to be a way of life for all creative agencies. And it’s for the same reason that we decided to bring our creative, digital, and PR agency brands under one umbrella.

Q: There are speculations that media agencies will take over creatives? Does it bother you?

Not at all. Creative agencies are part of a brand’s entire communication journey with its consumers. They take care of all end-to-end brand language up and into a hyper-local level. Media and creative, both have a definite role to play in any brand story. So, speculations that media agencies will take over the creative are a bit too far fetched.

Q: The third wave has already hit the country. How do you plan to cope with the fresh restrictions?

We have already closed all our offices to avoid the spread of the infection and have advised 100% of our staff members to work from home safely. We have developed a robust working model in the previous pandemic waves and lockdowns to deliver remotely. Our portfolio is a healthy mix of traditional and digital advertising, so we have no reasons to worry.

Q: Ad industry was expecting to reach pre-covid levels in 2022. With another pandemic wave, there is a possibility of lower ad spending. Is this a cause of concern?

It is too early to comment on this. There is no sight of a third wave impact on ad spending for now. We are just at the beginning of January. I am an optimistic person, and I am sure the industry revenue will surpass the pre-Covid levels this year.