Agency Feature: All you need to know about Umanshi Marketing

Who are we?

The agency is its’ clients’ outsourced/ extended marketing team – minus the bank-breaking price tag. Hence it deliver full-stack marketing primarily across 3 areas -

1. Branding 

2. Digital Marketing 

3. PR 

In 5 years, it  has  worked with more than 50 industries and 140 brands.

What differentiates us from others?

Whether it’s full-stack marketing, branding, or PR, the agency’s approach is always solving real business problems. For the agency, it’s not about winning awards (though it has  got those too), it’s about seeing the clients succeed and grow. Some of the business quests that we help solve:

1. New market entry – designed brand strategy & identity design for a school in public leadership 

2. Category creation – made mainstream an HR tech startup of bringing back missing women in workforce

3. Revenue growth – empowered a D2C brand grow by 20X in an year

4. Customer acquisition – enabled a food-tech brand scale that it got featured and funded on Shark Tank

5. Employer branding – created employer branding for an IT firm wherein the job applications went up by 500% and offer acceptance by 280%

6. Investor advocacy - enabled a cold chain logistics player raise Rs 100 cr

 We are the clients' outsourced/ extended marketing team at the cost of an agency!

What is unique about the name?

Like many other Indian companies, the agency could have given it a colonially-inspired name but we wanted to sound as authentic as its  home-grown clients are! Umanshi means the clarity of dawn and that is the clarity that it brings to the table when it has today served a myriad of clients from across 50+ industries. While it is also an auspicious name considering it is the name of the Goddess of creation, the agency is happy to sound as ‘desi’ as it can get as it promises to serve those who are helping the nation build.

What does the leadership team of Umanshi look like?

They are seasoned (this means you learn from the best) but aren’t old school. Some are from accomplished schools such as IIM Bangalore while others have worked with entities such as Bridgestone to Bahrain Govt. Some worked in over 7 countries while some launched global brands in India. Some worked with agencies such as Percept Group, AdFactors, Times Of India, J Walter Thompson, Omnicom Group, etc at senior levels

 What inspired Umanshi?

After 20+ years of marketing for global giants like HSBC, VW, Barclays etc, its  founders saw a glaring gap: big brands got top-tier marketing, but SMEs and social ventures were left behind. 

This realisation struck a chord. Umanshi was conceived to democratise marketing, making it accessible to those who needed it most, the underdogs. The goal was simple: to bring the same calibre of strategic thinking and creativity that big brands enjoy to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and social ventures. 

Challenger startups of Umanshi – innovators and category creators | Some of its clients

1. The disruptive logistics, Celcius Supply Chain

2. Bringing back missing women in workforce, Flexibees

3. Democratising lending to small businesses, SMECorner

4. Introducing tech (blockchain) to CSR, EAGL Foundation

5. Saving 1000s from limb amputations, FootSecure 

And many such innovators and curious professionals who want to challenge the norms

Agency growth YOY

In just under 5 years, Umanshi has established itself as a partner for ambitious businesses. The collective efforts of the agency’s PR arm, complemented by its digital and branding divisions, have played a role in not only co-achieving client growth ambitions but also in broadening the agency’s customer base, particularly within the startup and SME landscape. In the first quarter of FY 2024-25, it secured over ₹1.5 crore in new contracts! This growth underscores the agency’s commitment to deliver marketing solutions that align with the client’s business goals and drive results. YOY it has  grown over 100% in revenues and by the end of FY 2024-25, with a fast growing client base, it aims to achieve a 300% revenue growth target

Our work

It is not a surprise that the agency is using the ‘agency as an in-house CMO’ concept by serving as an extended marketing arm for brands in the startup and MSME sectors. This approach has not only helped the agency to disrupt the market but also reinforces Umanshi’s commitment to delivering support to businesses navigating these competitive landscapes. 

Imagine a 500% jump in job applications, a 280% increase in offer acceptance rates, and a 45% surge in traffic to your careers page, all without spending a single rupee on advertising. That’s exactly what we achieved for Lingaro, a Polish IT giant looking to establish its brand in India’s crowded tech market.

Despite its global presence, Lingaro was virtually unknown in India. To change that, the agency developed an ‘Employee Experience Journey Mapping’ strategy. It identified what different groups, freshers, mid-career professionals, and senior talent, were looking for and crafted narratives that resonated with each.

Through targeted media coverage, thought leadership articles and exclusive CEO interviews, it worked on Lingaro’s employer branding. The results were game-changing, proving that with the right approach, even a virtually unknown brand can attract top talent in one of the world’s most competitive markets. This is what the agency does, solve business challenges!

Awards bagged 

1. IBE in association with MSME Promotion Council (Govt of India), Karnataka & Zee Business 2022

1. Startup Marketing Agency of the Year 2022, 

2. Innovators of the Year (South & West India) for Fractional CMO Service  2022

3. Startup Mentor of the Year  2022

2. Economic Times Kaleido Awards 2024: Gold for Logistics, Supply Chain and Service Delivery Apps Category

These have given the agency impetus both in terms of team confidence and brand visibility. On a few platforms, it was  competing against global brands with all the might and yet its  work managed to shine or shall we say outshine them! These aren’t just any awards, they’re a validation from the industry which means a lot! They inspire us to keep challenging the status quo and most importantly, keep delivering results that matter to the  clients.

Our Inclusive policies

At the agency, inclusion and diversity aren't just buzzwords, they’re part of how the agency operates. One example of this is a talented designer on our team who has speaking and hearing disabilities. Despite traditional communication barriers, the agency collaborates seamlessly with him, proving that inclusion is about giving an equal opportunity. 

Work culture and policies

At the agency, collaboration and creativity are at its core. Every voice matters, and it loves a challenge. Whether working on an international brand launch or cracking a startup’s growth plan, its work culture ensures everyone’s skills contribute to the clients’ success.

Simply put, it makes big things happen for underdogs.