2023: When many adland stalwarts went independent

The advertising industry is an extremely competitive place, with agencies battling it out every day to win and keep clients. It's also no secret that large networks with vast skill and technological resources dominate the market and frequently become the first choice of brands. 

However, in this world of big agency networks, some autonomous agencies stand out, operating and growing with their own working style. These organizations are led by courageous individuals who took the risk to leave behind the comfort of being a part of an established network and instead took a leap of faith to make a mark of their own with their own ventures.

The year 2023 saw many industry stalwarts going independent to start their ventures offering specialized-personalized services. Here is a list of independent agencies that were incepted this year:

Tgthr-

Aalap Desai, former Chief Creative Officer of Dentsu Creative West and Dentsu Creative Experience India, announced the launch of Tgthr (Together) – a full-funnel ad agency, earlier this month.

This move comes after Aalap's departure from Dentsu Creative. According to him, the creation of Tgthr was the result of a big question: "If you were to leave today, which agency would you like to join?" Fuelled by a vision to combine exceptional work with an unparalleled culture, Aalap Desai introduced Tgthr, which he says, is a place where happiness meets creativity to produce extraordinary results.

Talking about how the business works when one goes independent, Desai shared, “I feel there is no better time than the present to go independent. The challenge to survive or thrive in a big system is real. The pandemic has, unfortunately, caused a humongous load on agency networks in the case of numbers. To sustain big systems, the pressure is also big. To meet the numbers, there are a lot of compromises made. That has led to affecting the work and the relationships with clients. On the other end, clients who are still looking for good work have become more open to flirting with independent shops for it. That's an openness that has increased after the pandemic. Openness to explore and a smaller system to sustain are all factors that make going independent both enjoyable and profitable today.”

Desai also spoke about challenges of going independent, “One of the biggest struggles is the running cost and collections for the system. Salaries and fixed costs go monthly, but payment cycles are sometimes more than 30 days. Both are committed. The payments will come, and that's not the challenge. The money going out before it does actually is. Yes, it is a temporary problem but that becomes a big challenge for independent agencies. If you don't have funding and are bootstrapped, this eats away savings. Even though it'll get replaced later, it becomes a concern. Big networks have more running capital so it is easier there.”

Fundamental 

Pallavi Chakravarti, Nishant Saurabh, and Anand Murty, who quit DDB Mudra last year, came together and launched their own creative agency, Fundamental. The three co-founders will lead the agency as CCO, CEO and CSO, respectively.

Talking about her journey, Chakravarti told e4m, “We’re nine months old and so far the journey has been heady - a mix of rewarding, anxiety-inducing, joyous – all at once. So, the answer to ‘how’s business’ is a resounding ‘can’t complain.’ Doesn’t mean there are no struggles - this isn’t la la land - but I think indies can definitely be profitable, if not as soon as one sets out, in the short to mid-term for sure. To make this happen, it's important to think through the outgoings one wants to incur at the outset. For instance, at Fundamental, we've invested in people and not in a brick-and-mortar office, opting for meeting at a co-working space a couple of days weekly. Choose how you want to scale, and at what pace. Choose what sort of services you want to focus on - in our case, high-impact strategic and creative thinking that is germane to growing or shaping a brand - and consequently, the premium you seek for it.”

“In a world where everything we offer has become highly commoditised, the client needs to find value in what we’re bringing to the table. If this happens, we won't need volume - which ensures we won't be chasing our tails. That’s the balance we’re seeking and that’s how we’ve conducted ourselves in year one of operations, to some degree of success, I daresay. Sure, it's a tightrope. Perhaps I'm making it sound overly simple. But it's doable. And the fact that it's challenging makes the journey exciting”, she added.

Curativity  

Amer Jaleel, former Group CCO and Chairman of MullenLowe Lintas Group, and Virat Tandon, former Group CEO, of MullenLowe Lintas, have come together to launch a creative-marketing agency 'Curativity' on Independence Day week. The duo announced the same with their LinkedIn post, ' Happy Independent Day'.

Speaking about the trend of independence, Tandon, "Independent talent and agencies is a big trend. Earlier people used to do freelance on the side while still holding a full-time job but in the last few years, clients have been looking for a fresh approach with independent talents. There is enough work in the market to do and they have a choice with the kind of work they want to do."

We asked Tandon about Curativity, and without spilling much, he said, "We will talk more about it when our platform is ready, what I can tell you now is we are using technology to bring the onboard independent-curated talent. We are the marketplace for clients to discover these talents and work on their requirements. January is when we are planning to launch the same. It is something which has not been explored before and an exciting place. It is our baby If I may say." 

Human

Creative directors Imran Khan and Chirag Raheja have announced the launch of the integrated agency Human, which, according to the founders, was established to conceived to create work that’s good for the people, and the planet at large.

Speaking about going Independent and running an ad business in this fast-paced world, Raheja told e4m that the business is good (knock wood, please). “I think our clients have trusted us immensely, and we’re looking to repay them with some kickass work. Our approach has been to ensure that Human is bigger than its founders - so we’re doing what it takes to help the company grow. So far, we’ve managed to keep our expenses under control (to the extent of not drawing a salary myself), so yes, the business is profitable.”

Speaking on the challenges they have faced, Raheja said, “I think the struggles vary, depending on the scale of your operation. Since Human isn’t a funded agency, our biggest struggle so far has been convincing big brands that we can deliver on their needs. But I think as they see our work release, they’ll find the confidence to shake our hand.”