The Glitch co-founders on GroupM acquisition and being on the global playground
WPP’s GroupM recently agreed to acquire creative agency The Glitch in India, part of the holding group's growth plans in a technology-driven communication market.
The Glitch co-founders on GroupM acquisition and handling global brands like Netflix and Unilever / The Glitch
Since the agency launched in 2009, Glitch has delivered campaigns for brands like Unilever, Netflix, OYO Rooms, Shutterstock, and Tinder.
The Drum spoke with The Glitch co-founders Varun Duggirala and Rohit Raj,Pooja Jauhari, chief executive officer (CEO) and Kabir Kochhar, managing partner and business head Delhi to find out more about the acquisition.
What was the strategy behind launching The Glitch?
Rohit Raj - In 2009 the concept of a creative shop that had a focus on video for the web didn’t exist and we set out to fill that gap. And as we’ve grown, our core focus has always been to stay ahead of and be able to predict the curve. That’s how we’ve been able to show consistent value for our clients and that’s translated into consistent growth for us.
Do you think Indian creative agencies are now at par with global agencies?
Varun Duggirala - Indian agencies have always been at the top of charts when it comes to brand storytelling and understating of the core consumers EQ (emotional quotient) . The change now is that with a predominantly digital world it’s a level playing field for agencies across the globe and it’s actual value generation that is taking precedence over geographical factors. So yeah, we’ve always been at par. We’re all playing on the same playground now.
Why the decision to come under GroupM?
Kabir Kochhar - As entities Group M and Glitch are complementary. We have great synergies in terms of our focus on creative strategy and content production and and what GroupM brings to the table with their deep understanding of media planning, data & analytics as well as increasing focus in content. So when combined, we deliver a service offering that completes the marketing communications curve for our clients.
What are Indian creative agencies doing right?
Pooja Jauhari - I think the conversation is about Indian agencies and not necessarily just creative agencies, because in today’s time every agency needs to be creative and needs to balance that with strategic insights to build business results. The pace with which we’ve seen the emergence of the new age marketing communications agency in India, which builds services and offerings basis client needs rather than standard offerings, is what is truly setting Indian agencies apart.
How are you catering to big brands like Unilever and Netflix?
Rohit Raj - We work with a lot of large global clients and our focus has always been centered around a mixture of optimal localisation based on key consumer insight as well as a sharp focus on building the right set of services to cater to every business need. Whether it’s our deep rooted expertise in digital content production or our growing business consulting practice along with a host of other new age services we’ve been able to show true value and business results for our clients.