DO: Where karma meets creativity and technology

Co-founded by Shreyansh Baid, Founder and CEO of Shreyansh Innovations, Fanindra Jain, Creative Lead of Shreyansh Innovations Digital, and Rishi Sen, previously SVP & Business Head, Digitas & Managing Partner, Jack in the Box Worldwide, DO isn't your typical agency. 

Their secret sauce? A belief in the power of karma (as the agency name DO suggests) and a seamless marriage of storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

Baid described DO's origin story as a serendipitous meeting of minds. Each founder embarked on a similar journey, wanting to bridge the gap between traditional brand storytelling and the dynamic world of digital experiences.

Baid himself said, "The name ‘DO’ is quite close. It aligns with the philosophy of karma—you need to continuously keep doing and trying new things. Only by doing so persistently can you achieve something." This philosophy permeated their approach, emphasising continuous improvement and a long-term vision over a short-term chase for every client pound.

The inspiration for DO stemmed from a shared frustration with the limitations of the existing agency model. "There isn’t a single agency that bridges the gap between a mainline agency and the same communication, or an extension forward to a digital agency," Baid explained. "Most of the new digital agencies that have been started are from non-advertising or non-brand backgrounds. So, they take the brand narrative, but it's very difficult for them to truly extend the brand narrative into the digital space." This gap in the market became the impetus for DO's unique approach. 

Embracing the rise of ‘creative technologists’

DO doesn’t believe in offering generic services like website creation or social media management. Sen explained, "We operated on a problem-solution model." Their core offerings are packaged solutions that combine digital experiences, connected marketing solutions, creator commerce, and new media experiences. To deliver these solutions, they relied on a special breed of professional: the creative technologist.”

He went on to share, “These are individuals who understand the power of storytelling but also possess a strong technical background. DO fosters this unique talent by recruiting individuals with strong foundational skills and then moulding them into well-rounded creative technologists. This allowed them to stay ahead of the curve and deliver highly customised solutions for their clients.” 

According to Sen, "Because they are new and don’t have a network behind them with a bunch of processes and guidelines, they are able to bring in fresh talent, train them, mould them into this role, and then deliver on the work that they receive from clients."

But how did they ensure clients were comfortable venturing into this space of ‘creative technology’?

Throwing light on clients’ confidence in DO, Jain emphasised the importance of building trust from the very beginning. An in-depth exploration of the client's challenges ensures everyone is on the same page before the creative process even begins.

"By the time everything is discussed thoroughly, then creativity isn’t really a challenge," Jain explained. "It is about aligning the client that way thoroughly from the start. That's what we really focused on.”

A focus on experience

The team at DO believed the future of marketing lay in creating seamless, engaging experiences.  

With clients bombarded by content, attention spans were shrinking. This is where creative branded content came in. By combining immersive storytelling with data-driven insights, DO helps brands connect with their audiences on a deeper level. 

"We are seeing that attention spans are constantly declining, aren't we? Therefore, more creative branded content is always going to win," Jain said. 

However, the trio cautioned against getting lost in the ever-changing landscape of marketing fads. As Jain said, "Different kinds of content trends will come and go, but the importance of an idea to that is going to remain constant." Jain added, "At the heart of every successful campaign is a powerful idea," and DO's team focused on developing those ideas that would resonate with audiences for years to come. 

Building a sustainable future

DO also recognised the importance of building a sustainable work environment. They reject the pressure-cooker atmosphere that plagues many digital agencies. Instead, they strive for a culture of equality and long-term partnerships. Their goal? To become the best creative tech company in terms of company culture, not necessarily the biggest.

"Everyone is in a rush and in a race,” Baid said. "We hope and wish not to be a part of that race and that rush, which means succumbing to anything and doing everything the client asks, ignoring our people’s physical and mental health. There is so much pressure and stress, especially in digital agencies, because the demands have increased so much with AI coming in. The client expects the turnaround time to be like yesterday for everything. So we don't wish to be a part of that space. We should be a part of space where there is an equal partnership and the emphasis is more on a long-term relationship than being transient.”

This focus on company culture isn't just about creating a pleasant work environment. It's also about attracting and retaining top talent. In a competitive industry, DO believes that a team that feels valued and respected will produce the best work. "We have a team of 10 right now," said Rishi Sen. "These are not standard people. These are not everyday people that you would otherwise meet at different agencies. The whole concept of creative technologists and how they come together to form various hyper-focused solutions is something that we are kind of incubating in-house."

This focus on building a team from the ground up allows DO to cultivate a shared understanding of their unique approach. New hires are mentored and trained to become well-rounded creative technologists, ensuring that everyone on the team is singing from the same hymn book.

Why DO does not fit the label of a typical creative ‘agency’ but a creative-tech company in 

Baid’s words: “We hope if we are able to create a culture and a space like that, we will be very happy. So we might not go to the biggest agency, but for sure, we want to have the best culture in terms of people offering hyper-personalised solutions and not templated services. As a collective of young creative technologists, DO stands at the forefront of digital innovation, turning the ordinary into extraordinary and crafting experiences that resonate long after the first click. So for all of those reasons, please don't call us an agency. But a creative tech company."