Clients prefer agencies that are accountable for business growth, says Raj Kamble of Famous Innovations

Advertising agencies can no longer hide behind flowery language and unsubstantiated claims as clients want partners that are fundamentally accountable for business growth, according to Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO of Famous Innovations.

In an interview with bestmediainfo.com, Kamble said, “The pandemic has returned advertising to what it was always meant to be: accountability.”

Kamble said independent agencies can be more accountable to clients’ investments as everyone, from the entrepreneur to the intern, takes things personally and works harder because they don't have some large faceless network to hide behind, and finally, their success depends on their clients.

“The other aspect has been delivering a truly integrated solution. Clients don't want to run after 10 different agencies anymore. They want someone who can deliver on the whole gamut from brand strategy, creative to social media, performance, AR, eCommerce, PR and everything else,” said Kamble.

According to Kamble, his agency's biggest gain in 2020 is that it became a truly integrated hybrid communication company.

“Social commerce has been the 'new normal' for several of our clients since a while and we have ensured we have delivered on that front. Today that may not mean one big Rs 1-crore brand campaign; it means dozens of small tactical social campaigns to make sure the client can get rid of their pent-up inventory. We're the agency that gets that.”

Kamble said that lately, a chasm is forming in the A&M industry where on the one side, there are the large traditional agencies that can only play the large campaign and long-term game but don't understand new media and the new consumer as well. While on the other side, there is a sprouting of digital agencies that play the medium well but doesn't have strong strategic and creative pillars in place. “We're a hybrid agency with a global mindset, and we combine both. That’s the reason we have 10 global brands that have broken their global alignments to work with us.”

According to Kamble, media-buying agencies that undersell creatives because they are only interested in media commission are a threat to the whole industry. As digital takes more of the pie, there is a need to realise that the market still needs agencies that keep the value of the brand, the business, strategy and creativity higher than the 6%.

He said that the industry is making a grave error of undermining the value of good talent – which he blames largely on digital agencies and media agencies that treat creativity as the icing and not the cake. This has only gotten worse in the pandemic with the layoffs in networks. But the tide is going to turn, and clients are going to look for those geniuses that revolutionise their business once again. “So to any agency that has the freedom and the resources I say, double down on talent and store up all the geniuses that you can,” he said. 

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