ABCD of Emmanuel Upputuru's EFGH

Emmanuel Upputuru, Founder of EFGH, with over 25 years of experience in the advertising industry, believes it's his turn to give back to the field that has bestowed upon him both recognition and success.

His mission is to reignite the advertising sector with top-notch talent, providing them with creative autonomy outside the confines of traditional agency structures.

Upputuru expanded passionately, “For many years one of the go-to-questions to CEOs was, “What keeps you awake at night?”And the go-to-answer was "Talent ". The headlines were about ‘The Great Talent War’.”

Having said that, he feels the talent war has been won by talent itself.

Upputur continued, “During Covid-19 period, the talent has tasted freedom, and seen that it is possible to work from anywhere. But on one hand, the biggest companies are requesting talent to come to office after Covid-19 is all gone. On the other hand, agencies are trying to trap resources with 3-month notice periods.”

Like they say in cricket when there is a tight bowling spell, something must give in. “The result is the outpouring on Linkedin – No one seems to be happy that they have a job! EFGH comes in here,” added Upputuru.

Upputuru wants creative talent in Gurugram to get its due respect

Upputuru is now advocating for Gurugram to receive the recognition it deserves in the advertising and marketing spheres.

“I’m one of the few who have not run away to Mumbai. I am very glad I made it big from here in Delhi and Gurgaon and I want to give back to the city. Why can’t this city provide the solutions clients need? I am very competitive, so let’s see. I want to make sure the creative folks in Gurugram are respected,” he said.

EFGH operates on an output-oriented model not a biometric one

At EFGH, Upputuru has established a model in which his agency collaborates with independent creative professionals.

Explaining the model, he said, “Where agencies use captive talent to service all accounts. We use talent with interest and capabilities that match the client and their needs. Agencies typically share talent across several clients. I create teams that are dedicated to the scope outlined. Traditionally, agencies have a workflow where different people interact and execute. I create a structure where those executing directly interact with the clients. While agencies cost for people across the duration of engagement, we optimise costs by bringing in people when required. Why can’t someone who works hard earn more?”

In an agency system, there's little room for choice for both clients and talent. According to Upputuru, brands and agency personnel are compelled to collaborate, regardless of whether their ideologies align. “It's essentially a trap,” he emphasised.

He told BestMediaInfo.com that EFGH operates on an output-oriented model not a biometric one.

Upputuru commented, “Traditional agency setups pay employees for daily appearances, where they are often spread thin across multiple brands, pitching almost every weekend. And yet at the end of the year, they are told, you did great but the company didn’t, so here is your 5%.”

EFGH works on ideas in all form

Upputuru is not fixated on working on big films and likes ideas in all forms. “That’s the way I navigated my career. That’s one reason I feel I don’t have to be in Mumbai. I have worked on films with a Rs 20 crore budget, worked on no-shoot videos, and I also like to write my own post copy,” he said.

EFGH is equipped to deliver everything that’s required from a creative agency, ranging from large-scale campaigns, AI-led work, to coffee table books, creative strategy, and social media posts, activation ideas and product innovations.

Based on this ideology of working across the spectrum of creativity, Upputuru said he named the agency EFGH, which could mean anything and hence do anything.

He said, “I hate being slotted. It not only leaves it open to interpretation, but also open to possibilities. EFGH could be Elephant, Flower, Greek, House, It could also mean Emmanuel, French, Graham and Helmut. Or Empathetic Frog Goaded Horse – you get the drift. When we have a little time we will do some work around the brand. But the idea is to have fun doing whatever it takes to tell the brand story.”   

“One of the biggest pieces we pulled off was this campaign, ‘100 Years of Driving Smiles' for MG Motor’s 100th anniversary using AI, where we virtually brought its founder, Cecil Kimber to life,” he shared.

The MG Motor campaign was released full page across newspapers in the country. A QR led to the late founder’s speech.

Upputuru added, “Later we personalised this message to over 500 dealers. You won’t believe it but one of the joys of this campaign was making art works for newspapers!”

The full page ad created by EFGH for MG Motor. A QR led to the brand’s late founder’s speech

Further elaborating on the kind of work EFGH does, he commented, “A typical creative agency delivers almost every output in two formats: JPEG and MPEG. At EFGH we don’t limit ourselves. For our client DCM Shriram Sugar, we took bagasse, a sugar cane waste product, and created the perfect (physical) mementos in collaboration with Dr. Binesh Desai - for their 25th anniversary.”

Memento created from sugarcane waste product for DCM Shriram Sugar

The size of the agency hasn’t stopped Upputuru from working with big clients like MG Motor, HCLTech, McCain and creating work at scale under extremely tight deadlines.

He said, “Clients who want to like the process of co-creation and are looking for partners who have empathy for their challenges enjoy the most.”

When asked about terms of compensation. Upputuru said, "We have various models, from retainers to short-duration projects, a one-off and also stake or royalty of sales.”

The EFGH core team

EFGH’s core team consists of 5 people at the moment: Co-founder, Joyce Shepherd, Rashmi Ambastha, ECD; an Executive Producer Samuel Choppara, and an Art Director, Ayaan Madaar; managed by B Chandrashekhar, who refers to himself as Chief of all Disciplines.

Upputuru said, “For my co-founders I had to just look beside me. Shepherd is not just a brilliant writer, but an artist at heart. She left her job to, as she puts it, join The Offspring. All these years she has been my silent partner in almost every piece of work I did. Now it is time she steps out of the dressing room and walks with me onto the pitch to play alongside me.”

He further said that Ambastha joined EFGH over two cups of coffee because she resonated with his vision. Despite her bonus being due, she chose to resign from her position at Cheil, he emphasised.

“Many senior creative leaders from Mumbai who are my friends call me quite frequently to ask about talent they want to hire for their Gurgaon offices.

From the time I decided to start EFGH

I mentioned many names but one, Ambastha- as I always intended to bring her on board. With her mature head on her shoulders, understanding of technology, and ability to connect with consumers, we believe Ambastha is a great asset to our company.”

She is like a test batsman who can play T-20 innings when needed or vice versa, as per Upputuru.

Further throwing light on the core team that forms EFGH, he said, “Choppara is a champion producer who can arrange a shoot anywhere in the country at the drop of a hat. Shekhar manages all things behind the scenes from NDAs to finance and everything else. Ayaan is a young talent who is a video first art director.”

But that’s just the core team. EFGH has already collaborated with 30 resources across various projects and prefers not to label them as “Freelancers”.

Explaining the aversion towards the term “'Freelancer”, he stated, “A freelancer typically works in a company and wants to make an extra buck. Most of the talent I put together for a project are not part of any system. I work with senior resources, therefore clients get maturity, commitment and great solutions within the deadline. I create a bespoke team ideal for each project.”

Once an entrepreneur is always an entrepreneur

EFGH marks Upputuru’s second venture as an entrepreneur. In 2012, he co-founded ITSA with Anirban Mozumdar and Daniel Upputuru after departing from Publicis, where he served as NCD. However, due to complications with the investor, ITSA ceased operations in 2017 (although it remains registered). Subsequently, Upputuru assumed the role of Chief Creative Officer at Cheil India in 2018 before departing in 2022 to establish EFGH.

Revealing the reason for the first time to media as to why he started ITSA, then joined a global ad agency, and again returning to being independent, Upputuru told BestMediaInfo.com that after moving out of Publicis, he always wanted to be an entrepreneur and hence launched ITSA, which became one of the hottest agencies in its time.

“Unfortunately, disagreements with the investor forced us to close shop. When I left as per the agreement, I was not allowed to start another venture for three years. God opened the Cheil door at the right time and at the end of those three years I quit to start again,” revealed Upputuru.

When asked, “Are you fearless?,” Upputuru said, “Of course it wasn’t easy to leave a high-profile, high-paying job at a big agency. But I have to be true to myself as a creative person. I feel like I am in the best form of my life and I didn’t want to waste it in meetings. I told myself to make EFGH so successful that I am not tempted by an offer.”

Expansion plans

Having successfully established a successful business model for his agency, Upputuru now aims to scale the business. Scaling a business often necessitates investment, yet he adamantly refuses to seek funding from investors, citing past negative experiences with ITSA.

Upputuru believes, “Scale doesn't come from actual money, but through smart collaborations.”

Not limiting the agency to only creative work, EFGH will soon announce its partnership with a global AI-led media company that will build the agency’s strength in offering media buying services. “We are working out the nitty-gritty at the moment.”

Upputuru also shared with BestMediaInfo.com that EFGH aims to bring to life a few intellectual properties (IPs) and product innovations.

When asked about the possibility of selling EFGH in the future. He explained, “I want to create EFGH as a sellable entity. Whether I sell or don’t it’s a win-win situation. Initially, I considered naming the agency after myself, but then I reconsidered. I realised that if I ever decided to sell it, I wouldn't want to part with my own name.”

It’s case studies that win at Awards and not great work

With a wealth of personal awards and experience serving on prestigious global awards juries, Upputuru has come to the realisation that participating in global awards can be a costly endeavour especially for smaller independent agencies, with little tangible return in terms of talent acquisition or client engagement. “But I will always support Goafest in India,” he said.

He elaborated, “Much of the work that ends up picking up metals these days is cause-driven and often lacks sincerity. In the good old days of print, there was an ad which said, ‘Here’s a dead dog, where my D&AD.’ Winning awards doesn't necessarily attract talent or clients anymore. In practice, even agencies crowned 'Agency of the Year' may struggle to secure major creative pitch projects.”

He further commented, “The most disturbing thing is what Droga started probably with the Tap Project. Almost every entry is a case study. Jury is judging the study rather than the case if you know what I mean. I am a big fan of Droga by the way. I played that game and won a lot. I feel case studies take the soul of ideas. I feel there will be a pivot eventually in the future.” 

“I am not against awards, I built my career on them. But there are more ways to gain a reputation and grab headlines,” he added.

In totality, Upputuru sounds positive, “The ambition is to make EFGH the most talked-about creative outfit in the Delhi-NCR region, providing an alternative to both talent and client.”

When asked about retirement plans in the future, Upputuru said his inspiration was Martin Sorrell.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com