Some say this agency model is set to fail: George Koshy

In advertising, innovation often gets caught in a tug-of-war between creativity and conformity. While clients often want ‘something new’, ‘something different’, little room for creativity is left at the end after multiple back and forths and tight deadlines. But every now and then, a quiet rebellion comes along that challenges the status quo. Enter The Huddle Agency, a venture that doesn’t just want to rethink the rules of advertising—it wants to break them altogether. Led by founder George Koshy and his partner-in-crime, Sudhir Makhija, The Huddle Agency is a fresh take on what it means to be an advertising agency in the modern world.

George Koshy is no stranger to setting up agencies. He’s done it before–albeit on someone else’s dime. His career has taken him across continents, from leading the Bangalore branch of Equus Red Cell to helping set up Ogilvy Zambia in Lusaka–but Huddle is different. This time, it’s personal. “Huddle is my firstborn. My first venture as a founder. So this one is unique and more importantly, personal,” George says. And with that personal stake comes a determination to do things differently.

The idea of Huddle was born over a conversation with Sudhir Makhija, or “Mak” as he's known, ex-Executive Creative Director of Dentsu and Lowe Bangalore. But before they ever discussed the idea of an agency, the two men bonded over food, fishing, golf, and life. “We sat down to discuss the project and spent the next three hours discussing everything but the project,” George recalls. “We walked away promising to do something together.” Years later, when George decided to build his own agency, Mak was his first call. 

“We spoke on the 5th of May, had three clients in the bag by the 1st of June, had a team put together by the 1st of July, moved into our office on Haudin Road in Bangalore on the 1st of August, and as of the 1st of September are rocking eight clients and a team of 12 people,” George shares. 

But Huddle is not just another agency—it's an anti-agency, in George’s words. “I’m not a rabid revolutionary, ranting about the faults of advertising and swearing to take down the establishment. Not all revolutions have to begin that way. Some revolutions start with a whisper or a quiet voice that says ‘No’ and that they will not conform,” he explains. Huddle is that quiet, thoughtful voice, seeking to redefine what an agency can be by shifting attitudes and expectations in the advertising world.

One of the most significant shifts they’re making is positioning themselves as partners to their clients, not just vendors. George notes, “In the 2000s, when the Agency walked into a boardroom, the air used to crackle with anticipation. Nowadays, clients seldom feel that way about us.” Huddle aims to restore that sense of anticipation by valuing their thinking and effort. 

Recalling an incident that draws attention to the industry's questionable way of functioning, Kohsy expounds, “We were invited for a pitch by a large e-mobility company. The brief told us we were one among a number of top-shelf agencies invited for a pitch. The pitch was to be a 360-degree pitch, to be done in 7 days with a 2-day weekend in the middle. The pay-off was supposed to be a marketing budget in tens of Crores. We sent them an email with an estimate for the pitch effort. It was a token amount, and if they had paid every agency in the pitch that amount, it wouldn’t have made a dent in their marketing budget. We never heard back from them.” 

“The point was not to antagonise them or make a statement or anything of the sort. We wanted them to know that we value the thinking, the expertise, and finally the effort we will put into our pitch. And if they wanted our best, we should be compensated for doing it,” he adds. 

Another hallmark of Huddle’s approach is its flexibility. While many agencies box themselves into narrow definitions of what they do, George and Mak are looking for ways to make things happen, rather than reasons to say no. “If that is your position, you can’t say ‘My job ends here!’ Everything becomes part of your responsibility,” George explains. This adaptability extends to their approach to staffing as well. At Huddle, they are hiring good people and then “get out of their way,” fostering a culture where ideas are encouraged to flourish. “Mak and I don’t gatekeep ideas and briefs. We only step in for quality control,” he adds.

This willingness to break the mould extends to work culture. In a world where late nights and weekend work are all too common, Huddle has established firm boundaries. “We remind our clients that we don’t work weekends and so schedule our work in such a way that we keep our weekends free.” The result? A well-rested, happier team that comes into work on Monday, ready to create impactful work. “Happy people do delightful work,” George believes. And it’s not just about productivity; it’s about creating a sustainable, enjoyable work environment, one where “every problem is just a huddle away from being solved.”

However, that doesn’t mean Huddle is without its critics. When George first wrote about his anti-agency model on LinkedIn, it attracted plenty of naysayers. “Some say this is just a bunch of idealists and dreamers, and that this agency model is set to fail,” he shares. But George isn’t deterred. He sees Huddle as being much like the bumblebee—defying the odds, flying despite the constraints of the industry. “We too will carry on, oblivious of the laws of advertising and the pitfalls of the road we have chosen, making up new processes, new guidelines, and new policies as we go on our way.”

For George and his team, this journey is not about following a well-trodden path. It’s about forging a new one. “We want to cut through the faff and cut to the chase. To find that perfect balance between the Juggernaut and the Jugaad way of life,” George says, encapsulating Huddle’s unique philosophy. They’re merging the hustle culture of a startup with the long-term view of an established agency, all while making sure they’re having fun along the way—with Friday night parties, Wordle, and Foosball matches being part of their office rhythm.

Huddle’s story is still being written, and much like the bumblebee, its success defies conventional wisdom. But that’s precisely what makes it interesting. For George, Mak, and the rest of their team, it’s not about fitting into the traditional advertising mould. It’s about changing it altogether, one huddle at a time.