Agency Feature: Blackmilk Media

Who are we?

We are Blackmilk Media: an advertising company based in London and Mumbai. We’re on a mission to subvert the advertising norm, as we’re tired of outdated analytics, creativity and the lack of transparency that exists in the industry.

What's in the name?

Blackmilk stems from the term ‘Blakmilk’, an elixir that has its roots in Eastern folklore. For us, ‘Blakmilk’ is that which provides the consumer with the power to unlock their potential. Essentially, we are that elixir for our clients.

What we do?

Media Buying: - We help brands engage with their audience through multiple channels and touchpoints - We offer a strictly audience-first approach to distribution strategy

Creative: - Offer a range of productions for our clients to choose from (animation, ad films, motion graphics and rich media, to name but a few!) - Our Creatives work with Media Buying department to ensure each Creative asset is tailored to the distribution strategy.

Consultancy: - We find gaps in our clients’ marketing efforts, and fine-tune their strategy with in-depth market research and expertise - From here, we implement bespoke strategies through expert-led workshops

Why we do it?

Both our CEO and COO, prior to Blackmilk Media, had experience in the digital advertising industry, where they noticed a lack of transparency and outdated technology. This, alongside the trend of companies moving their media buying in-house meant that they wanted to right the wrongs of advertising, as well as adding a consultative dimension, in order to make Blackmilk Media the most holistic option possible for clients.

Also Read: Agency Feature: Design Foundry

How we evolve?

We evolve through constantly educating ourselves on the latest goings-on in the advertising industry. We do this in order to stay relevant, as well as maintain a strong position within the sector. Additionally, our vast expansion plans means that we undertake further research on the countries we open offices in, making ourselves aware of the cultural nuances we’ll be exposed to as a company as we grow

Social responsibility in social media

Social responsibility is an imperative part of any company, and has been made all the more prominent through social media, as it has allowed for companies to be held accountable for their actions. Alongside posting content that is appropriate and inoffensive, we strive to upload images, texts and links that cater to as wide an audience as possible. We want everyone to engage with our company and our social media! Social responsibility, however, goes beyond posting on social media. With our distribution strategy, we make a concerted effort to blacklist websites deemed offensive. We take it as a social responsibility upon ourselves to not only provide the best possible service for our clients, but also to ensure that their campaigns do not come in contact with sites deemed inappropriate, immoral and potentially illegal.

Need of the hour

Advertising fraud in India is a concerning issue, with mobile advertising click fraud reportedly being 2.4 times higher than global averages. We tackle this through continuing to update our list of banned websites, as well as monitoring traffic with a trusted third-party tool and advertising during audience waking hours. We learned the hard way Years ago, we focused too much on creating new business, instead of developing and nurturing existing client relationships. This is something we learnt from, and so we now promote and execute a level of balance when reaching out to potential clients and maintaining existing ones.

Did we just share that?

Here’s a couple... - Going to London Men’s Fashion Week with a client and taking a secret selfie with David Gandy! - Being asked for last-minute costs on how to partner with David Beckham. Strangely enough, we didn’t have the price list for that!

They work with us

All will be revealed in due time...

Industry as we foresee

As digital ad spend is set to take over its traditional comrade this year, it will be interesting to see how this will spill over onto social media. Predicted trends for 2018 show a smoother, more refined way of advertising on the various social platforms, and we look forward to seeing that develop, as well as playing an important role in its progression.

Also read: Agency Feature – Tej SolPro

A day without Internet

Tom (Data Analyst): I’d look up more, and plan my day in advance. Being instantaneous would be a myth! Qudrat (Copywriter): I’d stay in my room and read - bliss. Monica (Account Manager): I know how I wouldn’t spend my day; keeping up with other people’s lives on social media!

Lastly, are you hiring?

Yes - we’re looking for Account Directors and Account Managers for our Mumbai office!