Agency Feature: All you need to know about Youngun

Who are we?

Youngun is a creative agency that specializes in tailoring campaigns that become a cultural moment/conversation point for the internet. 

By ‘Cultural moment’ we mean any event that becomes a talking point for the whole internet ranging from organic Memes to News channel mentions.   

Youngun’s work lives at the intersection of branding, content, PR, memes, moment marketing, pop-culture creation, and brand relevance.

Remember the recent ‘social media influencer looking for a groom’ matrimonial ad or MakeMyTrip’s recent ‘Bigg Boss chahte hai’ campaign? These are some of the campaigns executed by Youngun. 

Founded nearly four years ago, Youngun is a dynamic team of reshaping the advertising landscape with their innovative approach—'make memes, not ads.' Spearheading this movement is Saksham Jadon, the founder and CEO.

What's in the name?

The name comes from the agency’s core vision of staying ahead of everything that social media has to bring.  

Since young people are the ones that shape new social media patterns, their team has to be young (at heart & mind as well) to observe all of it and hence they have the word ‘young’ in their name and the ‘gun’ part depicts their speed to ideate-action things and the fact that their work goes viral like a bullet. 

The agency is a team of close to 40 people and the company’s average age is just 24 years. clearly YOUNGUN! 

Our decision to align with the youth demographic reflects our commitment to brewing fresh, contemporary perspectives into the advertising landscape. "Youngun" not only captures our dynamic energy but also serves as a statement of departure from traditional advertising norms. Our name, therefore, serves as a testament to our mission – to bring brands closer to Internet culture with ideas that soar. 

What we do?

Moment Marketing Campaigns: in 2024, topicality is the biggest jackpot on social media for brands and we help them leverage this to its full potential. The work could range from making Pepsi send a sad RCB fan to watch Virat play to a 360-degree campaign like the recent one for MakeMyTrip.

Brand Campaigns: We approach our ideas for brand campaigns with a simple question that goes like ‘Why would a user care/consume/relate/engage with this idea’. From bringing a new influencer face in the market exclusively for Zepto's ‘Nahi Milega’ campaign to making billboards that talk like a ‘Delhite’ for Swiggy Instamart, we have done it all with the same basics.

Virality-Led Campaigns: We also solve the brand’s objective-driven campaigns throughout the year in our own style 

OTT Marketing: We are the title marketing partner of Netflix for the last 4 years and solve for how their new titles could become the talk of the internet town. 

Influencer-led Virality: We hate how 90% of the Influencer marketing that happens in India. Whenever we take up any Influencer-led work we focus on how their content becomes relevant beyond their follower base and move towards potential virality. One of the examples for this work is AJIO’s all-star sale campaign with The Great Khali. 

Social Media Retainers: We are the agency behind Tinder, Spotify, AJIO, Subway, and Swiggy Instamart’s social presence and our core service is to help our brands stay on top with respect to topicals and construct their social media relevance on a day to day basis.  

Our process kicks off with a comprehensive scan of a brand's Social Media handles, laying the foundation for a deeper study of what we term as "Cultural Intelligence" within the relevant industry. This intricate understanding empowers us to establish a genuine connection with a brand's target audience, leveraging the power of our philosophy to make advertising more than a mere promotion – a shared experience that resonates with the audience.

Why we do it?

We strongly feel there is a major gap in what brands want to say and what social media users want to consume and we are here to bridge that gap.

With time this gap is becoming bigger as social media consumption patterns are changing at a much faster rate than the evolution rate of brands. 

We entered the advertising industry with a vision to redefine its narrative. Our driving force lies in the belief that advertising should be more than a promotional tool—it should be an engaging, culturally relevant experience. Our mission is to make advertising inherently user-first, forging genuine connections with audiences.

In 2024, we recognize that topicality is the heartbeat of social media, and we empower brands to seize this pulse for maximum impact. Our diverse portfolio, spanning moment marketing, brand campaigns, and virality-led strategies, is anchored in a fundamental question: "Why would a user care, consume, relate, or engage with this idea?" 

How we evolve?

We at Youngun observe every trend/viral internet event happening on social media from an analytical point of view. We question ourselves ‘Why did it go viral?’ Once we crack the ‘why’ we have a new strategy to deploy whenever the right time comes. 

This has been our basic everyday practice and is helping us stay on top of the social media curve.

At Youngun, our evolution is fueled by several key strategies:

Market Research: Our commitment to 'Cultural Intelligence' involves constant market research. We delve deep into industry trends, consumer behaviours, and competitors to stay ahead of the curve and tailor our strategies accordingly.

Adaptability: The ability to adapt quickly is crucial. We cultivate a culture that encourages flexibility, openness to change, and a willingness to embrace new ideas, ensuring we can swiftly adjust to evolving industry dynamics.

Cultural Awareness: Staying culturally aware is integral to our philosophy. We continuously engage with and understand the ever-changing dynamics of internet culture, ensuring our campaigns remain relevant and resonate with the target audience.

Social responsibility in social media

The term Social responsibility has evolved in itself in the last few years. From how you source and use data to creating unbiased and fact-based narratives - the responsibility on marketing & advertising agencies is now greater than ever. 

Not to forget the responsibility towards various cohorts of society - the narratives need to be inclusive and go beyond mere representation. Tokenization of marketing & advertising only regresses the cause & we at Younguns are dedicated to making a real difference. 

For the unacquainted, Younguns is focused towards owning and executing the narrative of brands paying it forward in society. Be it our campaign of Swiggy providing a heater or AJIO offering World Cup final tickets - the idea is to create experiences that truly make the end consumer and society at large happy. 

Need of the hour

Social networking laws are still ambiguous in this market which sometimes lead to some serious repercussions. 

The pressing need for well-drafted social networking laws is evident as current regulations struggle to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Essential considerations include robust data privacy legislation to safeguard user information, laws addressing cyberbullying and harassment, and clear guidelines for content moderation. 

Age verification measures and child protection regulations are imperative, as is accountability for social media platforms in managing content. Laws addressing digital disinformation, cross-border jurisdiction challenges, and the ethical use of AI and algorithms are essential. Moreover, consumer protection, accessibility, and inclusivity must be prioritized.

We learned the hard way

From our four years of experience doing the kind of work we are known for, we learnt this simple thing from our past mistakes: 

‘Users don't really care about what the brand is saying unless it is packaged leveraging factors that are consumption worthy for them’ and the fun part is those factors are ever-changing.  

They work with us

• Netflix
• MakeMyTrip
• AJIO
• Subway
• Swiggy 
• Spotify 
• Tinder

Industry as we foresee

Personal branding of CEOs/ founders essentially all leadership roles of big companies will become a crucial branding tool going forward. In fact, thanks to Shark Tank it's already happening. 

Brands have to sound more authentic, one of the examples could be a dating app arranging a date for two people who met accidentally under their comment section. We feel that ‘brand doing things for real people’ will become a core strategy soon. 

Eventually, brands will realize there is not much ‘influence’ in the way they approach influencer marketing and shift towards onboarding selective influencers that appeal to their brand from a long-term perspective. The way PRIME onboarded Logan Paul and PUMA shared ownership with Virat.

Gender ratio and policies

We are a fundamentally merit-based organization and believe in working with genuine talent irrespective of gender and orientation. Having said that, certain genders, orientations, and communities have suffered with less representation within the industry in the past and to rectify the situation, we need active policies that provide them an equal platform. In light of this need, we’re always on the lookout for members of these communities who would like to work with us. 

Youngun is a growing agency and we’re hoping to grow WITH the members of the industry. 

Maternity and paternity leave

At Youngun, we recognize the importance of work-life balance. Currently, we offer a 6-month maternity leave and a 6-week paternity leave policy. As a dynamic and evolving agency with a youthful workforce, we have ongoing initiatives to enhance our policies further including a 6-day menstruation leave. 

We are committed to creating a supportive environment, and additional benefits, including extended leave options, are in the pipeline to ensure the well-being of our team members during significant life events. Our dedication to continuous improvement reflects our commitment to fostering a positive and progressive workplace culture.

Work culture and values that we believe in 

• We believe in 5 simple rules at the workplace that define our work culture :
• Don’t get attached to your idea, it’s not your situationship.  
• Rant about work on your social media, but also consider sharing those problems with your manager 
• Don’t get offended by feedback whenever it is backed by logic.
• Always mute the mic while ranting about your boss/client.  
• Keep making FRESH mistakes and enjoy the learning process.  

Our work

Reflecting on the past year, we've embarked on a thrilling creative journey that truly captures the essence of who we are. In the heart of Delhi, our outdoor Swiggy campaign became a conversation starter as we infused an old cartoon style into the city's vibrant streets. The inanimate objects around us suddenly spoke in the familiar Delhi slang, cheekily inviting everyone to join in with a playful "Bande bula le."

Our Ajio campaign was a linguistic delight, where we, as a team, played with words, giving life to the catchy phrase "Oops, firse gir gaye." It was our way of winking at the audience, inviting them to tumble into the irresistible deals we had to offer during the sale. Moving to the rhythm of trending reel audios, our Swiggy campaign resonated with the masses, making phrases like "Sher aaj Swiggy se khana mangaye ga" a household chant. And when Karan Johar, one of our own, rephrased his iconic dialogues to promote blueberry cheesecake, it added a touch of Bollywood glamour to our collective effort.

Our Swiggy PR event was a harmonious celebration, with each order being delivered accompanied by a joyous "band baja," leaving customers not just satisfied but genuinely delighted. Collaborating with MakeMyTrip was a testament to our commitment to our audience; turning a fan's plea into reality, we allowed 15 lucky winners to step into the Big Boss house, embodying the power of collective listening and response. The latest Ajio campaign was a personal touch, suggesting a "drip treatment" and fit checks instead of the usual DM checks, symbolizing our deeper connection with the audience.

These campaigns were more than just marketing strategies; they were expressions of our collective creativity, growth, and connection with our audience. As a team, we've embraced emerging trends, transforming not just the companies we work for but also the way we engage with the world around us.