From Talented to Moonshot: The new-age agencies redefining advertising in India

India’s advertising history has been shaped by agencies such as MullenLowe Lintas Group (formerly Lintas; now TBWA\Lintas), Mudra Communications (formerly DDB Mudra Group, now retired), Ulka Advertising (formerly FCB Ulka, now retired), Ogilvy India, JWT (now VML), and Contract Advertising, among others.

Their work produced some of the country’s most enduring campaigns: Liril girl, Cadbury dancing girl, Dhara Jalebi, I Love You Rasna, Only Vimal, Yeh Dil Maange More, Maggi 2-minute noodles, Hamara Bajaj, Hutch ‘You & I’, Vodafone ZooZoos, and Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re’.

In recent years, however, a new crop of agencies—including Gozoop Group, Moonshot, tgthr, MANJA, Atom Network, Schbang, White Rivers Media, Talented, Bang In The Middle, SoCheers, Tilt Brand Solutions, and Thought Blurb Communications—has emerged, creating work designed for digital-first virality.

Talented

Founded: 2022

Founders: PG Aditiya and Gautam Reghunath

In a short span, Talented has delivered campaigns that quickly gained cultural traction.

Britannia – ‘Nature Shapes Britannia’ (2025)

An OOH campaign adapting billboard designs to the organic contours of nearby trees, printed on 100% cotton biodegradable material. The campaign won a Silver Lion at Cannes Lions 2025 but also sparked debate after an independent critique questioned its sustainability claims.

Britannia and Talented clarified to Storyboard18 that the campaign reflected early, transparent steps in a longer sustainability journey, citing expansion of reporting scope and consistent resource intensity when compared with prior operations.

Swiggy – ‘Why Is This A Swiggy Ad?’ (2022)

A cryptic, clue-filled creative dropped across OOH, print and social media ahead of Diwali. The campaign triggered massive public participation, with 700,000+ people discussing it on a livestream, becoming India’s most searched Google question for three days.

The work won one Silver Lion (Media) and two Bronze Lions (PR and Social & Influencer) at Cannes Lions 2023.

Cleartrip – ‘Or Travel On Cleartrip’ (2023)

A series of ads highlighting Cleartrip’s ‘Or’ travel booking feature, which won a Silver Lion under Media Lions at Cannes.

Moonshot

Founded: 2023

Founded by: Tanmay Bhat and Devaiah Bopanna

Moonshot gained popularity for storytelling-led campaigns featuring unexpected casting.

CRED x Rahul Dravid

Released during the IPL, the ad was co-written by creators associated with the former comedy collective AIB—Tanmay Bhat, Devaiah Bopanna, Puneet Chadha, Nupur Pai and Vishal Dayama.

The film, conceived before the founding of Moonshot, crossed one million views within an hour, featuring Rahul Dravid in a rare, uncharacteristically angry avatar. The line “Indiranagar ka gunda hoon main!” went on to spark memes, parodies and widespread social media buzz.

The ad was directed by Ayappa KM, founder of Early Man Films.

Subway x Viswanathan Anand (2023)

A humorous take on the complexity of ordering a customised sandwich, contrasting Anand’s calm chess persona with decision fatigue, anchored by the line: “Even a genius can find it hard to order a sub.”

Schbang

Founded: 2015

Founders: Harshil Karia, Sohil Karia, Akshay Gurnani

Schbang has consistently tapped into pop culture and platform-native storytelling.

Britannia – ‘Croissant or Prashant?’

Built around an influencer’s viral mispronunciation of “croissant,” the campaign extended to brand handles and packaging, achieving 645.5 million reach and 2.7 million engagements.

Mentos – ‘Mast Zindagi’ Comeback

After eight years, Mentos returned with a Gen Z–first strategy, flipping everyday “Aam Zindagi” moments into short-form Reels.

The campaign reached 36 million+ users, delivered 13% higher engagement than category benchmarks, and revived the cultural line: “Mentos Zindagi, Mast Zindagi.”

Tilt Brand Solutions

Founded: 2018

Founder: Joseph George

In 2025, Tilt Brand Solutions delivered one of the year’s most talked-about fantasy sports campaigns for Dream11 with “Aapki Team Mein Kaun?” (Who’s in Your Team?). The campaign invited fans to pick players for their fantasy teams while cleverly blurring the worlds of Bollywood and cricket.

The films featured an ensemble cast including Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and top Indian cricketers such as Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, with special appearances by Arbaaz Khan and Jackie Shroff.

Conceptualised by Tilt Brand Solutions in collaboration with ZeroFifty and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the eight-film series aimed to deepen fan engagement by tapping into India’s twin passions—cinema and cricket—making fantasy sports feel more participatory and entertaining.

Enormous

Founded: 2013

Founders: Ashish Khazanchi, Ajay Verma, Vivek Suchanti

Asahi India Glass – Soundproof Windows (2023)

A series of quirky films highlighting noise-cancellation features, recognised at ABBY Awards, Goafest 2023.

Hathway Broadband – ‘Speed So High Everything Will Fly’ (2017)

A multimedia campaign featuring R Madhavan, focusing on high-speed internet benefits for streaming and gaming, positioning Hathway as a reliable broadband provider.