Digital Agencies
Razorfish bags five awards at Global Youth Marketing Forum
MUMBAI: Razorfish India bagged five awards at the ‘Social Media Summit & Awards.’ The agency won the ‘Social Media Campaign of the Year’ award for Van Heusen, ‘Best Use of Twitter’ award for Allen Solly, Van Heusen and Alto #25LakhAltos and ‘Online Game of the Year’ for Alto – K10 Get-Set-Chase.
“We feel immensely proud and delighted to partner our clients in this journey of success!” said Razorfish India COO Gaurav Pathak.
“We are delighted that the recognition comes in, in just less than two years of our operations in India,” he added.
Razorfish is the digital AOR for Maruti and has also set up and drives “The Epic Center” housed within Madura Fashion and Lifestyle for responsive social listening and interventions.
Razorfish India CEO Charulata Ravi Kumar said, “Clearly, when the client encourages the agency to drive innovative business solutions and the agency delivers it through an integrated approach of strategy, technology and creativity, it’s already a winning team. And these awards corroborate just that.”
Maruti Suzuki India VP (marketing) Manohar Bhat added, “Maruti has already been ranked the topmost Indian brand and has the highest SOV in the social media space. But we like to constantly challenge ourselves to keep doing something innovative and engaging with our consumers and Razorfish aligns itself very well to this ambition. This award is a reflection of this partnership.”
Allen Solly COO Sooraj Bhat informed, “With the all-pervasive presence of the digital medium, brands will need to continuously look at how they engage with consumers. From an era of manufacturer speak, brands have had to move to a more human level, especially when the consumer is in charge of conversations. Allen Solly has been working closely with Madura Fashion and Lifestyle’s Listening Center – The Epic Center, to look out for opportunities where the brand can find a role. ‘How Allen Solly said Sorry’ was one among many such campaigns we have run in a little under a year. In this, I am proud that the team at Epic Center showed the presence of mind to come up with a response, completely in the brand’s tone of voice.”
Van Heusen COO Vinay Bhopatkar said, “This is a huge moment of pride for us. Van Heusen looks at the digital medium very seriously with the objective to engage and build associations with its consumers. The brand is constantly striving towards innovation and exciting ways to connect with its consumers on this platform. This recognition reaffirms the work we are doing.”
BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
