Ex-DDB Mudra leaders start new agency — Fundamental

exchange4media has learned that Pallavi Chakravarti, Nishant Saurabh, and Anand Murty, who quit DDB Mudra last year, have come together to launch their own creative agency, ‘Fundamental’. The three co-founders will lead the agency as CCO, CEO, and CSO, respectively.

‘Fundamental’ is three traditional, yet non-conformist minds, pooling in two decades of experience each to ‘make advertising great again’. ‘Basics’ are at the core.

Confirming the development, Pallavi Chakravarti, Co-founder and CCO, Fundamental says, “We’re looking to make advertising that serves the brand and not its makers alone. Unfashionable? Perhaps. But necessary? Absolutely! And we’re hoping that when people see the magic at work, they’ll rediscover that creativity in advertising is a basic necessity – right up there with roti, kapda, makaan and WiFi, and not an indulgence.”

Chakravarti brings to the table two decades of creative insights gathered while leading brands such as Marico's Set Wet, Unilever, J&J, P&G, Diageo, Star Sports, Cipla, Myntra, Meesho, Acko, Aquaguard, Uber, Instagram, Pepsi, McDonald's, The Times of India, and more. Most recently, she was Creative Head - West for DDB Mudra.

Nishant Saurabh has worked across networks and geographies to nurture and grow brands such as Asian Paints, Coca-Cola, Nescafe, Tata Docomo, Microsoft, Mastercard, Greenlam, Maaza, Minute Maid, Nissan, Airbnb, Gillette, Pantene, Raymond, Meta, Instagram, Meesho, Acko, Stayfree, and Oral-B among others. True to the idea behind ‘Fundamental’, Saurabh who was recently the Head of Business at DDB Mudra is a believer in the power of simplicity and creativity, and a nagging skeptic at the same time. Explaining the reason behind launching their own agency, he says, “We keep hearing about how good old advertising will die soon. Truth is, it is alive and kicking, because of some of the people in it. We’re looking to work with just those people. Ones who aren’t afraid to argue and question, to laugh at themselves and to roll up their sleeves in the quest for the answers that work the best. And while we’re at it, we’re hoping to bring some madness and love back to this business.”

Having switched from leading sales to strategy function, Murty is a blend of business logic and creativity. “Sometimes, you have to start right at the beginning. The big ideas and the devastatingly simple insights come from engaging with the complexity and nuance of businesses and the lived existence of people. It’s therefore important to spar, intensely engage with clients and partners and each other so we solve the right problems and not fall prey to easy pronouncements and generalisations,” he states.

Anand Murty was the National strategy head at DDB Mudra. His experience ranges across brands such as Reckitt, Voltas - where he reframed the category with ‘Murthy’, Sprite, Set Wet, Dulux, Honda, Airwick, Smartwater, Hayu, Meesho, Instagram, Veeba, Unilever, Amex
and Meta, to name a few.