L&K Saatchi & Saatchi absorbs independent digital specialist Propaganda India
Indian digital independent agency, the Bangalore-based Propaganda is now part of the Publicis Groupe. It has been absorbed into L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and will now be called Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate.
The agency will be led by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and managing partner Anil Nair and Propaganda co-founder and CEO Priya Jayaraman.
Sources at Publicis Groupe were unwilling to comment on the exact nature of the deal, beyond clarifying that it was not an acquisition. It will however result in all staff and clients of Propaganda moving to Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate.
Speaking about the association, Nair said: “We are super pleased to have Priya, Venky and the fantastic team join us. Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate will play a pivotal role in our future facing marketing solutions.”
Speaking about the reasons for the tie-up to Mumbrella, Jayaraman said: “What the Publicis network is doing now, is a big reason why I believe this will work. The way they operate by putting together all parties for a collective force, really matters to us.
“We have so far been working within a siloed digital ecosystem. But we see this as an exciting opportunity to take that same thinking across the whole business and to multiply its power.”
Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate’s Priya Jayaraman
The agency has been through a fair share of highs and lows so far according to Jayaraman. Speaking about these, she said: “One of the highs was definitely being on-boarded by some of our earliest clients in 2010 when digital was at a nascent stage.”
“Among the lows was always wondering how we were going to be able to do this at scale. But after the association with Publicis, our value proposition has multiplied since we can bring the strength of the network in addition to the momentum we have picked up over the years.”
Propaganda had signed up with Worldwide Partners, a collection of independent agencies last December. Speaking about what the agency had learnt from that association, Jayaraman said: “When that happened, there was no discussion with Publicis on the horizon.
“It was exciting to know that there is a big independent agency network. I will give them a lot of credit for demonstrating to us the power of collaboration and how local powerhouses – however small – can unite to further brand thinking.
“I believe Indian independents need to move in this direction and would urge local agencies to consider such associations. But for various reasons, we were seeking scale, and so, when Publicis came along, we decided to join hands.”
Propaganda has worked on brands like Amazon India, Max Group, Simplilearn, Intuit Quickbooks, Tata Hitachi and ESPN Cricinfo. Last year, it won the Grand Prix at Spikes for its work on Max Healthcare.
L&K Saatchi & Saatchi’s digital head and managing partner Anil K Nair left the agency earlier this year to join VMLY&R India as CEO.
Ravi is the editor at Mumbrella Asia. He has covered the marketing, advertising and media business for over two decades.
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