THE PEOPLE
JOSY PAUL, CHAIRMAN & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
AJAI JHALA, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
RAJESH SIKRORIA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
AGAM GULATI, FINANCE DIRECTOR
SANDIPAN BHATTACHARYYA, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
RAJDEEPAK DAS, EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
THE STORY
BBDO India is the youngest full service agency in the BBDO Worldwide Network. It was established in 2008 to deliver on the global BBDO promise of The Work the Work the Work – in the absence of which nothing else matters.
BBDO’s philosophy of ‘Create Acts, Not Ads’ has been brought to life through long-term engaging programmes for various brands like illette, 7 Up, GE, Johnson’s Baby, Aviva Life Insurance, Blackberry, P & G, Nicorette, and Quaker Oats.
BBDO India’s story is also a case study at Omnicom University, a collaboration between Omnicom and Harvard Business School to provide management programmes to senior management of all Omnicom companies. The parent company, BBDO Worldwide, headquartered in New York City, has 289 offices in 80 countries where people work job by job and client by client, to create and deliver compelling commercial content. BBDO is part of Omnicom Group Inc., a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.
THE NAME
BBDO originated in 1891 when George Batten founded the Batten Company. The Barton & Durstine agency (founded by Bruce Fairchild Barton and William H. Johns) opened in January 1919, and when Alex Osborn joined the company, the company was named Barton, Durstine, and Osborn. In 1928, the Batten Company (then managed by William H. Johns) merged with Barton, Durstine, and Osborn to form BBDO.
THE REACH
BBDO has two offices in Mumbai and Delhi. More than 100 employees work across the two offices.
RECENT BIG CAMPAIGNS
Visa – Dream to advance (Kashmir), Racold – Reborn every morning, GE – ‘GE Works’, Blackberry – Action starts Here.
THE BUZZ
In just under 24 months, the agency has won seven Cannes Lions, 18 Spikes, 11 Effies, seven AMEs, and prestigious Golds at the worldwide marketing awards of P&G and PepsiCo Worldwide, besides a host of awards at Goafest, the Appies, Pitch Youth Marketing Awards 2012, DMAi 2012 and other industry platforms. It also won the Cinemascapes Award 2012 for Best TVC shot in an Indian destination for VISA Cycle Generator. BBDO India was ranked No. 1, at Spikes Asia 2012, in terms of award points. Most of its campaigns have won awards and recognition, the most notable one being the world’s first Black Lion at Cannes for creative effectiveness.
THE PRACTICES
Creative Account Management Planning Digital
THE CLIENTS
Johnson &Johnson (Nicorette); Johnson &Johnson (Baby); Procter &Gamble (Gillette); Bayer; BlackBerry Local; VISA; Nissan; Aviva Life Insurance; PepsiCo (7Up); PepsiCo (Quaker); Nimbooz; Wrigley; BlackBerry(Regional); SC Johnson; Racold; Visa (ATL project); Pepsi 7Up (Digital); Airtel (Project); Exxon Mobil; Procter &Gamble – Corporate; Dukes; GE; Godrej; HP
RECENT WINS
BlackBerry(Regional), SC Johnson, Racold, Visa (ATL + Digital), Pepsi 7Up, Airtel (Project), Exxon Mobil, P&G – Corporate, Duke
THE ESSENCE, ACCORDING TO BBDO INDIA
Q] What is the USP of Team BBDO?
The USP of team BBDO is ‘Create Acts, Not Ads’.
Q] How does the road ahead look like? What are the new frontiers the agency is looking at?
Four years ago, we started out from the backseat of a car. Today, BBDO India has grown in size and reputation and is ranked No 1 in India at Spikes Asia based on awards, metals and points. Our agency’s philosophy ‘Create Acts, Not Ads’ is influencing and shaping the language of advertising and engagement in India’s complex and diverse market. Creating scale is our biggest act. For this, we aim to lead the thinking at the global level, lead awards/recognition at a regional/global level, contribute to the
global industry leadership and enter a few big categories.
Q] What is the one phrase that sums up the essence of BBDO India?
Collaboration with purpose.