Scarecrow makes it to world's top independent agency list

Compiled by thenetworkone, a global body of independent agencies, and Campaign UK, a noted ad magazine, the list lends bragging rights; also, an Indian agency is featured on it after a three-year gap

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Manish Bhatt, founder-director of Mumbai-based ad agency, Scarecrow Communications, is beaming with pride. After all, the agency that he founded along with partners Raghu Bhat and Arunava Sengupta five years ago, has figured in the latest edition of the World's Leading Independent Agencies (WLIA), an annual listing of some of the best ad independents across the globe.

Selected by thenetworkone, a global body of independent ad agencies, and Campaign UK, a noted advertising magazine, a presence in the list is considered to be a matter of prestige.

Most ad independents clamour to be on it as it ensures worldwide recognition (and bragging rights), much like a Gunn Report's boost to the administrative and creative teams at ad agencies.

The Gunn Report is a ranking of ad agencies based on various parameters such as financial and creative.

The WLIA, on the other hand, is a listing based on the assessment of thenetworkone and Campaign UK.

"The selection is based on the quality of the agency's creativity: Both in terms of advertising creativity, and also, their creative thinking and entrepreneurial approach to the communication challenges of today," says Julian Boulding, president, thenetworkone.

An Indian agency figures on the list after a gap of three years. "Creativeland Asia was on it in 2010 and 2012, while Law & Kenneth was on it in 2011," Boulding says, indicating just how tough it is to get in.

"We were impressed by Scarecrow's go-get attitude, grasp of the new creative and media landscape and overall quality of work," Paul Squirrell, director, thenetworkone says.

For Bhat, the presence of his agency comes a week after its wins at Goafest, considered India's answer to the Cannes Festival of Creativity. Scarecrow was tied at fourth place with Publicis and ideas@work at the Creative Abbies, with 13 metals, two less than the third-ranked Taproot, which took home 15 metals. JWT and Contract were ranked one and two, with 35 and 22 metals, respectively.

Bhatt says his agency has been consistent with its work, which has paid off with wins at award fests, resulting in bodies such as thenetworkone taking note of it.

"The selection process is very stringent with a joint committee of thenetworkone and Campaign UK poring over work of different agencies. We had work to back us across brands and corporates such as ITC, Reliance ADAG, Reliance Industries, Emami, ZEE, Danone, Waghbakri, Nestle and Henkel," Bhatt says.

The agency is also known in industry circles for coming up with some out-of-box solutions like when it convinced a regional advertiser like Waghbakri to consider an ad roadblock during the US President Barack Obama's visit on Republic Day.

Bhatt says of that time, "You either tell the channel or channels outright not to carry ads of other companies or you book advertising time in such a way that others are effectively kept out. We opted for the latter," explaining the kind of roadblock that the advertiser opted for after consulting its ad and media agencies.

Bhatt's owns personal love for radio has, at times, meant that the agency has been dominant in the awards circuit in that category (it was visible during the just-concluded Creative Abbies, as well).

But the creative honcho, who along with Bhat, made up the art-copy pair that worked with agencies across the board, from O&M to Ambience Publicis and Contract, says that they have work to show across categories such as film, print and digital.

"Yes, radio is something I am passionate about. But I have never allowed my passion to colour my work. We did a long-format film for Waghbakri which was much appreciated."

The WLIA listing is expected to put more pressure on Scarecrow, but Bhatt insists that he and his partners are game for it. "I don't think there will be any kind of pressure. We will continue to work the we were all this while," he says.