The Indian AdGeek

Vishal Mehra

The Indian AdGeek Podcast is your backstage pass to the frontlines of modern marketing in India and the region. Every fortnight, industry leaders, agency heads, and creative innovators will share their perspectives on how brands are built and grown in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. The show will celebrate the art and business of advertising - showcasing how storytelling and agency P&L are equally important to resonate with audiences and with clients alike.

  1. Kulfi-dential: Building the Collective feat. Advait Gupt (Co-Founder & CEO, Kulfi Collective)

    MAY 10

    Kulfi-dential: Building the Collective feat. Advait Gupt (Co-Founder & CEO, Kulfi Collective)

    Episode 25 What happens when an agency refuses to call itself an agency? In our silver jubilee episode, Vishal sits down with Advait Gupt, Co-Founder & CEO of Kulfi Collective, the Mumbai-based creative powerhouse behind Supari Studios and brand work for Spotify, Netflix, Crocs, Nothing, LEGO, Red Bull, and CRED. Advait unpacks how Kulfi stayed bootstrapped while peers chased eye-watering valuations, what changes now that Divya Karani has joined as chairperson, and why the company sits in the awkward, beautiful space between branded content, original IP, and immersive experiences. The conversation goes deep on the commercial model behind a collective, the procurement problem that's quietly reshaping Indian advertising, the rise of dark social and creator-led communities, the q-commerce squeeze on creative canvases, owned-IP economics, the so-called “independence tax" of the AI era, and what brand building looks like in 2027 when consumers never see an ad. Plus: how a frozen dessert became the name of one of India's most exciting creative companies. The Indian AdGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X

    55 min
  2. Outdoor vs. The Algorithm feat. Ranga Somanathan (Global Chief Strategy Officer, billups)

    APR 26

    Outdoor vs. The Algorithm feat. Ranga Somanathan (Global Chief Strategy Officer, billups)

    Episode 24 What does a Global Chief Strategy Officer at one of the world's most sophisticated out-of-home companies actually think about the state of media? Quite a lot, and almost none of it is comfortable. In this episode of The Indian AdGeek, Vishal Mehra sits down with Ranganathan Somanathan, Global CSO at billups and former CEO of both Publicis Media and Omnicom Media Group across Southeast Asia. Ranga has spent over two decades running some of the most complex media operations in the APAC region, and he's arrived at some sharp conclusions. They cover the holding company model's quiet unravelling, why outcome-based pricing remains a zombie idea despite years of industry consensus, whether programmatic DOOH is solving the right problem or destroying what made OOH powerful in the first place, and what Zepto and Blinkit's rise actually means for outdoor media's next brief. They also go deep on India's pitch culture dysfunction, the real margin story inside media agencies, and why the seniority trap in advertising is more structural than anyone admits. Plus: the role of AI in media planning, what a young media professional should genuinely bet on, and what being named in Campaign's 50-over-50 really felt like for someone who's wrestled with self-doubt. The Indian AdGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X What Next? by Rishad Tobaccowala

    56 min
  3. Is Every Agency a Social Agency? feat. Toby Southgate (Global CEO, We Are Social)

    APR 12

    Is Every Agency a Social Agency? feat. Toby Southgate (Global CEO, We Are Social)

    In Episode 23 of The Indian AdGeek, we sit down with Toby Southgate, Global CEO of We Are Social, to dissect the fundamental evolution of the agency model. Toby has navigated every corner of the advertising world, from the upstream consulting of Brand Union and the global scale of McCann Worldgroup to the creative independence of Forsman & Bodenfors. We dive into: 📺 How to build a timeless brand identity in a world of 24 hour trend cycles and algorithmic fragmentation 📺 The shift from influencers to makers and what it means for agency P&Ls 📺 How to justify strategic investment in unmeasurable communities like Reddit, WhatsApp & Discord 📺 Identifying the un-houseable value proposition that prevents clients from doing it all themselves 📺 Why the “Plus Company” partnership model is leaving traditional holding company baggage behind This is a wide-ranging, no-filler conversation that covers the structural future of social agencies. The Indian AdGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    1h 10m
  4. The Uncommon Manifesto: Building Brands People Actually Wish Existed feat. Lucy Jameson (Founder, Uncommon Creative Studio)

    MAR 29

    The Uncommon Manifesto: Building Brands People Actually Wish Existed feat. Lucy Jameson (Founder, Uncommon Creative Studio)

    Episode 22 What happens when you stop trying to fix a broken agency model and just build a new one from scratch? This week on The Indian AdGeek, we are joined by Lucy Jameson, the strategist and founder behind the globally celebrated Uncommon Creative Studio. Lucy pulls back the curtain on how Uncommon became the most awarded creative shop in the UK by leaning into "noisy thinking" and "disproportionate fame." We dive deep into: 📺 The Hard No: The clients Uncommon turned down to protect their creative DNA. 📺 The Purpose Trap: Why every brand needs a business objective, but not necessarily a higher social purpose. 📺 The AI Slop Era: How physical experiences, high-end design, and PR will save us from a sea of algorithmic sameness. 📺 The Hollywood Model: Why bespoke, fluid strategy teams beat the rigid structures of legacy networks. 📺 Equity over Fees: How Uncommon’s "Unrest" accelerator is changing the agency-client dynamic from service provider to co-owner. The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X

    1h 4m
  5. System 3 & The Art of Strategic Friction for Brands feat. Adam Ferrier (Founder, Thinkerbell)

    MAR 15

    System 3 & The Art of Strategic Friction for Brands feat. Adam Ferrier (Founder, Thinkerbell)

    Episode 21 | Adam Ferrier (Founder, Thinkerbell) “If you want to change behaviour, stop asking people what they want.” In this episode of The Indian AdGeek, we dive deep into the mind of Adam Ferrier, the founder of Thinkerbell (Campaign’s Global Agency of the Year), author of Stop Listening to the Customer and perhaps the only ad man who started his career as a forensic psychologist in a maximum-security prison. Adam joins us to dismantle some of advertising's most prevalent myths. We discuss why hyper-personalisation might be a trap and why "frictionless" isn't always the goal. We also covered: 📺 Thinkerbell model: Why they fired account managers and replaced them with Thinkers and Tinkers. 📺 The Vegemite pitch: How they won a brand that hadn't changed agencies in 70 years. 📺 System 3 thinking: Moving beyond rational vs. emotional to understand how we actually make choices. 📺 Procurement battles: How to sell magic to a line-item world. 📺 Pratfall effect: Can brands get more lovable by owning their flaws — there's even a parallel in Indian romantic poetry. Whether you're a CMO with a dwindling budget or a creative trying to protect the magic, this conversation is a masterclass in psychological leverage. The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X Black T-shirts Podcast on The Great Unlearning

    1h 6m
  6. Platforms Over Campaigns feat. Rakesh Hinduja (Co-founder, Wondrlab)

    MAR 1

    Platforms Over Campaigns feat. Rakesh Hinduja (Co-founder, Wondrlab)

    Episode 20 What if the future of advertising isn't a great campaign — but a great system? Rakesh Hinduja left one of the world's most storied agency networks to build something India had never seen: a platform-first martech network that owns its own IP, runs its own tech, and doesn't just rent reach on Meta or Google — it helps brands own their audience relationships. In this episode of The Indian AdGeek, Rakesh breaks down: 📺 Why "platform-first" is more than a buzzword — and what it looks like on day one of a client brief 📺 The logic behind 7+ acquisitions and global expansion via Poland, and the impending IPO. 📺 How Wondrlab’s Hector is powering Rs 3,500 crore in ad investments and why CMOs are now paying attention to an Indian-built SaaS platform 📺 The real reason brands like Dove don't need Facebook — and what most Indian marketers haven't figured out yet 📺 Why he took his HR colleague to a marketing pitch (yes, really) 📺 What the agency of 2027 actually looks like — and why Rakesh is more bullish on advertising's future than almost anyone in the room Whether you're a CMO, a founder, or someone who still thinks the 30-second TVC is king — this one will rewire how you think about brand-building. The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X

    57 min
  7. Showmanship vs Salesmanship feat. Orlando Wood (Chief Innovation Officer, System1 Group)

    FEB 15

    Showmanship vs Salesmanship feat. Orlando Wood (Chief Innovation Officer, System1 Group)

    In Episode 19 of The Indian AdGeek, we are joined by the man who is literally rewriting the repair manual for the advertising brain: Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer at ⁠System1⁠ and author of the seminal works ⁠Lemon⁠ and ⁠Look Out.⁠ Western advertising is in a "crisis of effectiveness"—becoming flat, literal, and devitalised. But is India, with its love for music, dance, and high-context storytelling, the last standing fortress of "showmanship"? We discussed: * The Roman Empire to Reels: Why 15th-century art is the secret key to understanding why your IG Reels aren't working. * The WWE Analogy: Why great advertising needs a "slow-burn" storyline. * The India Advantage: Why the Indian film industry and cultural "masala" might be saving us from the creative "flatness" of the West. * Boardroom Battles: How to convince a sceptical CFO that "emotion" isn't a soft metric—it’s the engine of market share gain. * The AI Frontier: Why AI might struggle with "betweenness" and the implicit human communication that makes an ad a masterpiece. * The Perfect Ad: Orlando reveals the one ad that perfectly balances the left brain’s need for logic and the right brain’s need for soul. Orlando explains how testing can become a creative catalyst, why Indian advertising still has cultural advantages, how CMOs & CFOs must learn to translate emotion into measurable outcomes and the three hires to make if you were building a showmanship agency today.  The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. More info on a.p.e. course here Vishal on X

    1h 15m
  8. The Juice is Worth the Squeeze feat. Shradha Agarwal (Global CEO, GRAPES)

    FEB 2

    The Juice is Worth the Squeeze feat. Shradha Agarwal (Global CEO, GRAPES)

    Episode 18:  How does a digital-first agency transform into a global integrated brand partner with footprints in London and Dubai? In this episode, Vishal Mehra sits down with Shradha Agarwal, co-founder and Global CEO of Grapes, to deconstruct the blueprint of a modern independent agency. Shradha pulls back the curtain on why she’s betting on a "modular" agency structure—launching specialised units like IMAGINE (AI Studio) and the Vernac Room rather than folding them into the core. We dive deep into the math of profitability, where Shradha reveals her "salaries + seat cost" rule for retainers and the proprietary SPIC framework (Suspect, Prospect, Intent, Content) that drives their strategy. Key highlights in this episode: The Power of No: Why Grapes teaches its BD teams to walk away from the wrong pitches. The GTM Mandate: Why you should never enter a pitch room without a go-to-market strategy, even if the client didn’t ask for it. 2026 Outlook: The rise of retail media networks and whether the agency's future lies in media buying or data resolution. Independence in a Merger Era: Shradha’s take on the Omnicom-IPG merger and the pressure on independent shops. The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal on X

    1h 10m
See All (25)

About

The Indian AdGeek Podcast is your backstage pass to the frontlines of modern marketing in India and the region. Every fortnight, industry leaders, agency heads, and creative innovators will share their perspectives on how brands are built and grown in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. The show will celebrate the art and business of advertising - showcasing how storytelling and agency P&L are equally important to resonate with audiences and with clients alike.

Information

  • Creator
    Vishal Mehra
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Indian AdGeek