When Dentsu Webchutney roped in Dentsu Webchutney as its creative agency

• Dentsu Webchutney has onboarded a new client and it is, wait for it, Dentsu Webchutney!
• The agency will launch a series of brand films for its client, Dentsu Webchutney.

Dentsu Webchutney has onboarded itself as its agency on record and we are wondering what did the pitching process look like? Did Dentsu Webchutney reject its own ideas at first because "Wo feel nahi aa raha," did they roll their eyes at themselves after seeing their budget for their 'big idea' or did they request themselves to blow up the logo after an umpteenth amount of changes in their copies because ‘the logo is too small’ or did they simply go easy on themselves?

From Dentsu Webchutney's blog, all we know is that "the pitch process took years and now they are set to launch a series of brand films for the agency brand after a multi-team pitch." They have clearly taken the phrase 'be your own boss' too literally.

Here's how we think the pitching process would have looked like:


What would they call their weekly Zoom Calls with the client?

It’s debated how much agencies should brand themselves outside of their work or their clients but Dentsu Webchutney is there to challenge this problem. Afterall, who can be your biggest brand ambassador if not yourself? It's like Dentsu Webchutney is the only agency in India that is doing ‘adulting’ right because it has learnt how to take care of its own problems. Aatmanirbhar much?

The agency launched a Request For Proposal (RFP) in early 2019, with a clear brief to tell its story - and not unlike most pitches, close to two years later, the results are finally out.

Surprise, surprise on who won it! Dentsu Webchutney has enlisted Dentsu Webchutney as its creative agency, with an all-star team leading the charter. To begin with, the agency will launch a series of brand films, focusing on what happens behind the scenes of its path-breaking work.

With this win, Dentsu Webchutney (the client) joins Dentsu Webchutney’s (the agency) roster of consequential clients such as Flipkart, Uber, Swiggy, Tinder, IKEA, ITC, The Hershey Company.

In their new role as the client, Gautam Reghunath, CEO, Dentsu Webchutney and P.G. Aditiya, NCD, Dentsu Webchutney, released the following statement…

“Agility, synergy, innovation and all the buzzwords in ad-land have been achieved at our agency over 2020. We’re now hungry for more (buzzwords). Truth be told, the pitch process took years and was long and winding. Plus, we already kind of knew which agency we were going to go with at the get-go but that’s beside the point. Getting India’s favourite creative agency on board to launch a campaign for us is a massive privilege.

It was evident that they GET us like we GET us. Almost like we’re the same people. It was a no-brainer to launch with their pitch creative itself, which began with Bengaluru and will eventually expand to include Mumbai and Gurgaon as well. This partnership feels like decades in the making (22 to be exact) — we couldn’t think of a better agency partner.”

Dentsu Webchutney will also be Dentsu Webchutney’s first client in the creative agency category. Will their lack of experience be a negative?

A senior at a top mainline agency said it did feel like a risk for Dentsu Webchutney to onboard a “digital-first” agency to build the brand, considering how little digital agencies understood brands & brand building. And that strategic thinking like this needed some gray hair.

Once again, not unlike most pitches it took almost two years post the footage was originally shot to see the first real piece of work from the agency. Nevertheless, thrilled about their success, Reghunath and Aditiya once again released the following statement, this time on behalf of the winning agency & apparently, while dyeing their hair gray:

“Here’s the thing about Dentsu Webchutney: there’s a brand side to the agency with so much untapped potential it would have been silly of us to ignore. Making the brand synonymous with its people is our agenda. There was no better time after their recent win at Spikes Asia as Indian Agency of the Year. They also seemed like clients who take their work very seriously but not take themselves too seriously — which always helps create great work. Personally, we cannot wait to claim all the credit for this upcoming brand campaign that we had just about a 1% role to play in.”

Everyone else at the agency & the brand’s side released the following statement:

“While our CEO and NCD have a bit of fun, in all seriousness the films are unscripted footage from the agency’s office floor, where you’ll encounter raw scenes from Dentsu Webchutney’s people. Shot over early 2019 and interspersed with other employee-shot footage, it covers the highs, the lows, and the joys of working in advertising. It also features Webchutney alumni we love and is directed by one too. It’s a call to the next generation of creative talent to express their most vulnerable selves in the process of creating. The campaign will roll out on the agency’s Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook first. Watch. Enjoy."

Now we are waiting for the client (Dentsu Webchutney) to award Dentsu Webchutney as the best agency.