Dentsu International merged its creative firms under Dentsu Creative, a worldwide creative network, on Monday, Day 1 of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Now operating under this umbrella in India are Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, DentsuMB, WATConsult, Isobar, Dentsu Impact, and Perfect Relations (Dentsu Creative).
Over 40 new customers, including Dalmia Group, Licious, Adidas India, Cricbuzz Plus, BIBA, TVS Scooters, and CarDekho, have been signed by Dentsu Creative throughout the past six months of its integrated work.
afaqs! interviewed Amit Wadhwa, CEO India, and Ajay Gahlaut, group chief creative officer, of Dentsu Creative on the company’s mission, guiding principles, and better agency brand integration.
What business principles underpin the consolidation of all creative brands under Dentsu Creative?
Wadhwa: Integration is the overarching idea and goal. The terrain has entirely transformed, which is another issue. Creativity in silos is no longer relevant. With Dentsu Creative, we hope to accomplish the demand for bringing creativity from different fields together. Normally, there is a lot of talk about integration, but with this move, the integration will be practised.
In terms of integration, what do you mean by “living the talk”?
Wadhwa: Typically, agencies have a tech department, a mainline agency, a digital agency, a PR agency, etc. To provide clients with a single solution, all of these must work together effortlessly. The goal is to combine all of these solutions under one roof so that we can offer a comprehensive solution as opposed to only what we already have.
Why didn’t this happen sooner? Integration under one PnL has always been a priority for Dentsu India. What has changed since then?
Wadhwa: Integration was taking place because several organisations were cooperating. Compared to other companies, Dentsu has been doing it for longer. But was it the ideal working relationship? This structural transformation precisely indicates that we are now entering that state of total partnership.
In the past, Dentsu has bought several businesses. Do you intend to add any agencies to the Dentsu Creative sector through acquisitions?
Wadhwa: Right now, acquisitions are not on our minds. But I’m sure we’ll consider it whenever the right partner comes along. Currently, when it comes to innovation and delivering creativity, we are pretty well balanced across all disciplines. We currently have numerous powerful agencies that have contributed significantly as a result of some outstanding judgments. Because clients are requesting it, now is the time to bring all of these together.
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