The Glitch, one of India’s leading independent creative agencies, is integrating with global experience agency VMLY&R to tap into the strengths of both WPP agencies while creating a bouquet of stronger and broader offerings through the best of technology and creative expertise. The Glitch and VMLY&R India will, however, continue to run distinct brands and organisational structures even as they join forces. This will give clients the “combined proposition of marketing talent, capabilities, and experience”.
With the integration, The Glitch becomes part of the nearly $1-billion global VMLY&R network that employs over 7,000 people across 75+ offices globally. These include three offices in India — Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai.
The Glitch’s senior leadership team, including CEO Pooja Jauhari, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Rohit Raj, and Co-Founder & Content Chief, Varun Duggirala, will report to Tripti Lochan, Co-CEO of VMLY&R Asia.
Furthermore, The Glitch leadership team, along with VMLY&R India CEO Anil Nair, will form an ‘India leadership council’ to take and implement strategic decisions for both companies. Anil Nair will head the joint council.
Founded in Mumbai in 2010, The Glitch is one of India’s leading, digitally-led creative agencies in India. Employing over 300 digital strategists, technologists, content creators and planners, The Glitch has delivered award-winning campaigns for a variety of clients, including Netflix, Hindustan Unilever, LinkedIn, Lenovo, Diageo, and most recently Microsoft and Triller among a host of other global brands. With its India offices in Mumbai and Delhi, The Glitch services clients in the country and other regions of Asia.
VMLY&R represents a “hybrid blend of brand creativity with a deep digital heritage” and has won many honours for creative excellence and digital expertise.
VMLY&R India’s “business-first team” has conceptualised and driven digital campaigns for blue chip brands, such as ICICI Bank, IDFC, IDBI Federal, Ford, Swaraj Tractors, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, and Marico, delivering solutions encompassing brand and customer experience, data, platforms, and commerce.
“WPP’s aim is to provide clients with a simplified and integrated offer to help them grow their businesses holistically. The Glitch over the past ten years has grown to become a digital and content powerhouse, and when combined with VMLY&R’s capabilities in digital transformation and customer experience, can help clients make an impact in their transformation journeys,” said CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, India, WPP.
Referring to joining the VMLY&R Network, Pooja Jauhari, CEO, The Glitch, said: “We have flourished alongside WPP in the past 3 years. The founders and I are delighted that we’ve now found a great permanent home for our brand, our company and most importantly, our people. The Glitch is a gender blind, inclusive and progressive high-performance workspace and with this marriage, we’ve found kindred spirits in VMLY&R when it comes to driving the same vision. We’re eager to explore our complementary capability sets for the benefit of our clients’ businesses. With this union, we believe we are in the best position to help our clients be more agile, sharper and ready for whatever the future may bring.”
Anil Nair, CEO, VMLY&R India, said: “This union spells great news for clients looking at building digital-first brands. In addition to cutting-edge solutions such as customer experience (CX), commerce , technology, innovation, AI/ML, data, media innovations and good old culture impacting creativity, we will now be able to add new weaponry to our arsenal, including powerful capabilities in brand experience, new-age content, youth marketing, connections thinking, brand publishing, and live creativity amongst others. This makes us the most relevant agency group in the market with best possible capabilities to help our clients future-proof their businesses and succeed in the new paradigm.”
