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M&C Saatchi acquires Indian creative agency Scarecrow

M&C Saatchi Worldwide has made another leap into the Indian market with the acquisition of Mumbai-based agency Scarecrow.

The agency will be rebranded as M&C Scarecrow with its trio of founders, Manish Bhatt, Raghu Bhatt and Arunava Sengupta, continuing to lead the new entity.

The Mumbai addition will be M&C Saatchi’s second office in India, having acquired the Delhi-based February in 2014.

M&C Saatchi founder, Lord Maurice Saatchi, took to YouTube to announce the acquisition, saying Scarecrow’s story reminded him of his own agency’s journey.

He said: “It’s a story of hard work, determination and dedication. What they have achieved is truly remarkable. They are the embodiment of the founding Saatchi philosophy that nothing is impossible.

“And an individual acting alone or almost single-handed can make, what seems highly improbable, in fact happen. This is why, to welcome Scarecrow to the federation of like-minded, like-thinking entrepreneurs, that is the M&C Saatchi network, is a most important occasion for the company and for me. I’m sure Scarecrow M&C Saatchi will develop into the jewel in our crown and this is a historic start for a great new partnership.”

Founded in 2010, Scarecrow currently counts brands such as Viacom 18, Capital First, Emami, Future Generali, Zee Learn, Alcon Novartis and Panasonic on its client roster.

The two founding Bhatts are renowned as one of India’s longest duo partners of copy and art, having worked together for more than 20 years.

They met Sengupta while working at agency Contract Advertising, and began working together out of coffee shops during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008.

The company become officially known as Scarecrow in 2010 and now employs more than 100 people.

On the agency, M&C global CEO Moray MacLennan added: “It was relatively easy to identify India as a key market, it was more challenging to find the right talent. In Scarecrow, we have found this and wish them all the best.”

The agency’s investment in India follows the recent office opening in Indonesia, with former Phibious boss Anish Daryani taking leadership. 

M&C Saatchi’s Asian footprint now covers Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, as well as Indonesia and India.

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