Social Samosa Agency Feature - A&B

Who are we?

We are the Arnold Schwarzenegger of internet marketing sent back in time to save brands from crappy advertising. Operating from our offices in Mumbai and London, we offer a full spectrum of digital services. We are hardcore data scientists and mad women/men of advertising.

Started in April 2016 as a performance marketing agency, A&B is now a modern day full-service digital marketing agency with a team of 21 and more than 20 clients.

What's in the name?

So, the funny story is that we weren’t A&B when we started off, we used to call ourselves “Integrated Digital.” But when we looked at our philosophy which says that we’re here to stay for another 100 years, we realized that a name like Integrated Digital doesn’t guarantee that and wouldn’t make a lot of sense if 20 years down the line, the internet shuts down which could happen, right? So we changed our name to A&B which stands for Advertising and Branding, something that would never die, something we do the best.

What we do?

We do both, mainstream and niche. Mainstream like SEO, SEM, Social and Web and niche like Chatbots, Gamification, Influencer Marketing and 360 videos and images. We also have an in house video production team…We’re all over the place, we know, but we’re good all over the place.

Why we do it?

We’ve seen brands create crappy digital content and advertising and just “adapting” their offline creatives to digital with no native strategy to internet. We wanted to change that, hence launched A&B.

How we evolve?

We keep one eye on current mainstream and the other on niche, the mainstream of tomorrow. While we focus on Facebook video to generate mass demand for brands we work with, at the same time we build chatbots which is a technology of the future. Our team is psyched with all new things and we try everything, from Mastodon to 360 Video, everything.

Social responsibility in social media

We think brands still don’t realize that everything is transparent and one tweet can hurt 20% of their sales, they still try to lie to consumers and play smart which backfires almost 100% of the time. As an agency, we urge and push brands to be honest and empathetic with consumers at all times, even in case of a negative sentiment or incident.

Need of the hour

All of us have to practice self restraint. Before hitting send or post, just re-read your tweet or post and think if that will hurt anyone’s sentiments; go ahead only if the answer is no. Most of us have a decent moral compass, so this would help in making internet a better place.

We learned the hard way

1. People are gold - agencies are run by people and not software, so if your people suck, so will you. Treat them well, EARN their loyalty and respect; and you will shine
2. Idea is 1%, execution is the other 99%. All of us have bright ideas for all client but the mastery is to first convince the client and then execute it.
3. Sincere not serious - By the end of every day, our jaws hurt because we would have laughed so much. Humor keeps the mood light and beat the stress of an agency work environment.

Did we just share that?

1. The client wanted to advertise on a Google Doodle, when we told him it is impossible, he said “Ask their CEO, how much they want?”
2. We closed a deal before getting incorporated and after we won the pitch, the client got to know and said “How the hell will you bill me?”
3. Another client wanted to trend “ sucks” on Twitter
4. Someone wanted to pay us a lot of cash as media spends during demonetization

They work with us

Evok, Oberoi Mall, Insider.in, India Intimate Fashion Week, Bollywood Music Project, The Backpacker Co, The Villa Escape, Group Integrated and others.

Industry as we foresee

1. Live will go big
2. VR will not become mainstream in Indian Social space for at least 5 years
3. Facebook will continue to be mainstream, Instagram will grow and Snapchat will remain in niche young audiences.

A day without Internet

Ever stepped on an oxygen pipe of a patient on ventilator? We feel like that patient.

Lastly, are you hiring?

Depends on how smart you are. The perks we offer are huge.