Uk-based advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) is aiming at making digital creativity and engagement planning as their significant thrust areas in India. BBH recently announced the launch of its Indian operations.
The agency’s Managing Partner Partha Sinha said, “There is a huge opportunity in these segments and we will focus on them from day one. The objective is to have an integrated approach. As far as digital creativity goes, it will be our biggest differentiator.”
BBH has names like Audi, Vodafone and Levi’s for clients. BBH joins the league of BBDO and Wieden+Kennedy who have set up full-fledged operations in India from scratch. These agencies typically aspire to work with their large international clients in new markets like India.
BBH’s Managing Partner in India Subhash Kamath said, “We will look to have a business mix in India which will have a combination of local and global advertisers. There are a lot of Indian players who present attractive opportunities. Besides, Indian companies going global is something we could look at.” . Also Priti Nair is the third Managing Partner in India. BBH will hold majority stake in this venture
BBH Worldwide Creative Director and one of the founders Sir John Hegarty, said, “India has a tradition of advertising unlike China. Given its cultural background and the influence of Bollywood plus the talent pool, India is an extremely sophisticated market for advertising and marketing.” This was the first joint interaction involving BBH brass globally and India with the media.
“It has been a continuous process and we view our entry into India as the next stage in our global model,” said Mr Sherwood. BBH’s India foray is at a time when there has been talk of an economic slowdown. “In the time of a recession, we believe we will be able to give value to our advertisers,” he added.
BBH in India is looking at positioning itself uniquely. “We want to be known as an agency that employs creative thinking and can unlock the power of a brand,” said Mr Sinha.
He said it was critical to lay greater emphasis on the concept of ‘return on idea’ rather than ‘return on investment’. “It is important for us to work with the right kind of clients. We would want to make a difference to the kind of brands that we work on,” said Mr Kamath.