We decided not to get out of our comfort zone and built our agency from our hometown. Thanks to ET BrandEquity for featuring this story in their recent article!
In 2012, Suneil & I set up Social Beat in Chennai. At the time, most digital agencies were starting in Mumbai or Delhi.
Our approach was simple: start where you understand the ecosystem best, then expand strategically.
Early on, we learned that brands wanted partners who could execute effectively and drive measurable results.
That’s why:
📍We invested in senior talent.
We have 15 senior leaders for a 300-member team, which sounds crazy expensive. But our client retention rates are higher than most agencies of our size.
📍We embraced technology and AI early.
Our internal AI tool, called Creative Catalyst, increased productivity by 15%, helping us deliver campaigns faster and reduce costs for clients.
Now we’re working on:
→ Evolving our influencer vertical – a platform for brands to discover creators and track analytics. We are already up to 500k curated creators on the platform
→ Building Prism – our programmatic platform that helps businesses bring in media efficiency, measurement, tracking business outcomes & creative analysis all in one place
What I appreciate most is how ET understood our philosophy. We don’t just want to be a tactical execution partner. We want bottom-line impact for our clients.
Eleven years of proving that location doesn’t define capability.
That senior talent investment pays off.
That technology should reduce costs, not increase them.
Thanks to our team, clients & partners who made this happen. Thanks to Priyanka Nair and the ET BrandEquity team for taking the time to write about our story.
P.S. Which business philosophy have you stuck with despite people saying it’s wrong?
You can read the full feature here: https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/marketing/the-chawla-brothers-who-understand-the-social-beat/124069321
