VGC has begun 2009 on a positive note. Following two new business wins, the agency has launched a specialised Design and Communications Cell in collaboration with six international design agencies.
Setting up this specialist platform took VGC nearly two years.
The six agencies that VGC has partnered with are specialised units in design in their domains. Lava specialises in editorial design and dynamic brand identity. Flex/the Innovation LAB specialises in structural packaging design, durable consumer products and professional systems. Saffron, which already has a presence in India, is a branding consultancy that identifies industry gaps and formulates strategies based on it. InDeed connects with the consumers, drawing them through brand strategy and marketing. Dixonbaxi is a London-based creative and strategy company. Ryan+Deslauriers is an acknowledged real estate strategy, branding and creative firm.
Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman and Chief Creative Officer, VGC, spearheaded this cell and is taking it forward. She sees this move as a step towards the reinvention of the agency.
Vyas explained the reasoning behind the move, “Design is a very important aspect today. Things are beginning to change. Just about everyone wants to be holistic, but we all know that there is a lot changing in media, and we cannot be generalists anymore. The need of the hour is to be a specialist, and we feel that clients are asking for that. We have to wake up to this new era, and if we didn’t have this specialisation, we needed to acquire it.”
To gain this specialization, VGC chose six verticals that it wanted expertise in, and then set about finding the right partners. Vyas explained the nature of the deal, “In spirit, these companies are working with us exclusively in India, but we have not put anything down in paper on that, since that creates certain expectations. The endeavour right now is to work together, and we aspire to grow these relations further as we progress ahead.”
For Vyas, good design is essential, “Advertisers want attention to design, but unfortunately, agencies today are not delivering on that for various reasons. Working on design is to partner with the CEO’s vision; marketing comes later,” she explained.
She added, “It is actually in VGC’s heritage of being in communication arena that we had embraced to delivering cutting edge creative solutions. Combined with international agency’s global experience, we now seek to deliver local-global expertise for the design needs.”
Vyas also believes that the current economic slowdown is the right time to announce the launch, as it will allow the agency to bring in innovation at various levels of communication. She also mentioned that many agencies have recognised the need for good design expertise and are taking steps towards acquiring this expertise.