A Report on India's Ten
Leading Ad Firms

chillibreeze writer — Sneha Bhat

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With globalization penetrating every realm of our lives today, it is not surprising that advertising in India too undergone tremendous growth over the past decade. The 30-second slot between TV shows is a largely coveted space for most advertising companies today. Indian television viewers are very much influenced by visual ads and print ads, thus expanding the product consumer base. Mumbai continues to be the major advertising hub of this country.

Here is a quick sneak peek at the top ten advertising firms of India as of today.

1. Ogilvy & Mather is an international advertising, public relations and marketing agency established in 1948. This New-York based firm operates in 125 countries across the world, with its Indian operation centre—Ogilvy Advertising—in Mumbai. Ogilvy & Mather is the creative team behind India’s most successful and renowned brands such as Hutch (Vodafone), Cadbury, Asian Paints and Fevicol. The O&M network offers services to countless Fortune Global 500 companies across the world. Ogilvy Advertising continues to remain India’s number one advertising agency.
   
   
2. Popularly known as JWT, J Walter Thompson is headquartered in New York having offices in over 90 countries. It was set up in 1864 and even today, continues to create, innovate and define the world of communication in India. JWT has many feathers in its cap including Nestle, Cadbury, Bayer, Ford, Nokia and Unilever. Among its several accolades, JWT was recently proffered with the “Grand Prix” award at the 2008 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for the “Lead India” campaign.
   
   
3. Mumbai-based Mudra Communication was set up in 1980 with the aim of using the art of communication to express ideas that shape its brands. The Mudra team focuses on its consumers and their needs and experiences. Its four agency networks ensure a customized and collaborative approach to create a brand experience for its clients. Mudra Communication has promoted famous brands like Neutrogena, HBO, Philips, Reliance NetConnect, Big Bazaar and Mary Kay in such a way that it creates a lasting impression in the hearts of the its consumers.
   
   
4. FCB Ulka Advertising Ltd., since its inception in 1961, has continued to be among the top 5 advertising agencies in India. This company’s aim has always been to create advertising that is noticeable and that is most relevant to the buyer, not the seller. Some of FCB Ulka’s successful ads include Tata Indicom, Whirlpool, Zee Cinema, Santoor, Sunfeast and Amul, among others. FCB Ulka is considered as a turnaround specialist that indulges in more than just brand building.
   
   
5. Rediffusion DY & R is a Mumbai-based advertising agency that was set up in 1973. It focuses primarily on integrated PR services and media relations. This firm stands proud at number 5.
   
   
6. The tagline “Thanda Matlab Coca Cola” is the brainchild of one of India’s leading advertising agencies—McCann Erickson India Ltd. McCann Erickson was born out of a successful and profitable merger in 1930, and its offices in Australia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe and India speak volumes about its advertising success till date. One of the many feathers in its cap is the famous brand line “For everything else, there’s MasterCard.”
   
   
7. RK Swamy BBDO Advertising Ltd. is one of India’s leading integrated communication services providers, which is committed to developing marketing solutions for its clients. Its focus—to offer intelligent, cost -effective and creative solutions—has led it to achieve a remarkable double-digit growth in the past recession-hit period. R K Swamy BBDO is a subsidiary of the R K Swamy Hansa Group, which boasts of over 1000 employees and operations across India and the USA.
   
   
8. Grey Worldwide (I) Pvt. Ltd. is a Mumbai-based advertising agency specializing is providing effective advertising and marketing solutions. With offices in Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, Grey Worldwide India Pvt. Ltd. is part of the larger family called the Grey Global Group. Following are some of the brands that feature on Grey India’s noteworthy list of clients: Hero Honda, Maruti Suzuki, Nestle, Indian Oil, Ambuja Cement, UTV, P&G and Godrej.
   
   
9. The creative team of Leo Burnett India Pvt. Ltd. has, over the years, successfully offered consumers with powerful brand experiences using ads like McDonald’s, Heinz, Complan, Bajaj and HDFC, to name a few. A regular award winner at the Cannes festival, India’s Leo Burnett has been proclaimed as one of the most creative agencies of the country.
   
   
10. Since its inception in 1986, Contract Advertising India Ltd. has skillfully delivered successful results to its high-profile clientele including Tata Indicom, Religare, Asian Paints, Domino’s Pizza, SpiceJet, Samonsite and American Tourister. Contract Advertising India Ltd. is known for its one-of-a-kind specialty divisions that provide complete advertising solutions. These divisions include DesignSutra, iContract and Core Consulting.

 

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in January, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer: Sneha says, "A Mumbai-based freelance writer and editor, I have completed my post graduation in Sociology from Mumbai University. Owing to my passion and enthusiasm for languages, I found myself in language editing and content writing in the past two years. My professional experience has been mainly in creative content writing. Currently, I am a Research Intern with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. My other areas of interest include art, music, French, yoga, cooking, film, travel and photography. My dream job is to work with Discovery Travel & Living!"

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