MAM
8 years on, Eggfirst hatches expansion plan
MUMBAI: For Ravinder Banka, it has been a momentous eight-year journey since he started Eggfirst from a garage in Kalina, a western suburb in Mumbai, in October 2004.
The creative, media planning and design agency has created campaigns for clients such as Tata Tea, Oberoi Mall, Blaupunkt and Vim in these eight years. And it has two offices in Mumbai from where it churns out its creative work to service an expanding list of clients.
Armed with an engineering degree from VJTI and an MBA degree from Bajaj Institute, Banka started his professional career as a marketing analyst at Fergusson before it was taken over by Deloitte. This is where he was exposed to marketing insights in the Indian business space.
During his stint at Fergusson, Banka nurtured skills that gave him the confidence to hatch Eggfirst. He worked on three concepts – strategy, creative independence and commitment.
“As a marketing consultant, I knew the importance of research and insight. For me, advertising was the next thing I could offer the clients. You see, providing insights is just the beginning. To break it down and then act on those insights is what the client needs and that is advertising to me,” says Banka.
Eggfirst firmly believes that the starting point of anything is strategy or a message that needs to be told through communication campaigns. “In today‘s environment, the ‘what‘ of the message is as important, if not more, as the ‘how‘ of the message and that is the reason why we at Eggfirst give strategy great importance,” reveals Banka.
Creative independence is another driving force behind Eggfirst. The agency believes in leaving free the creative department and prefers not to interfere in its working most of the time.
Banka is of the belief that creative competency is the core strength of his agency – and that is one trait he would never want to compromise on! The team, head by Maanish Choudhari has a pretty free hand and creative independence has been woven into the fabric of the agency since inception.
The third part of Eggfirst‘s ideology is commitment. The agency believes in sticking to its promise at whatever cost. “At the end of the day, what matters is that the client should be satisfied. Our commitment is to our client‘s satisfaction. Even if things do go wrong, which they will from time to time, we make sure that in the end our clients get the value they came to us for,” explains Banka.
Eggfirst has handled varied assignments relating to the industry from packaging for HUL to creating television commercials for Hari Darshan incense sticks and rebranding drive for Oberoi Malls.
For Eggfirst, the main revenue come from retainer accounts. “Currently 60 per cent of our clients are on retainer basis. The balance 40 per cent are on project basis. We have done a lot of project-based work for Hindustan Unilever and feel happy about it,” says Banka.
Banka is planning for Eggfirst‘s growth. “We are looking at expanding to regional and national clients.” But Banka is quick to explain that he is in no hurry to expand beyond Mumbai or offload stage to an investor. “I feel that we need to keep building on our premium. We still need to explore many aspects of the work and build on our creativity. As of now, we are happy doing more and better work in this space and let our work speak for us,” he avers.
So what does Banka believe in? “Cut out the cliche,” he says. “If you can do that, you will grow.”
MAM
GUEST COLUMN: How strategy and creativity drives ROI in digital campaigns
Why engagement, AI, and integrated strategy are redefining ROI in digital campaigns
MUMBAI: As digital marketing matures, the benchmarks of success are undergoing a fundamental shift. Reach and visibility, once the primary indicators of campaign performance, are no longer sufficient in a landscape defined by fleeting attention spans and evolving consumer behaviour. Today, brands are being challenged to move beyond surface-level metrics and focus on meaningful engagement, relevance, and long-term impact. ForAkhil Nair, founder and CEO at BigTrunk Communications, this transition from visibility to value reflects a deeper change in how campaigns are conceived, executed, and measured. In this piece, Nair explores why traditional metrics fall short, how AI and integrated thinking are reshaping campaign effectiveness, and why creativity, context, and agility are essential to driving real return on investment in modern digital campaigns.
The shift from visibility to value
For a long time, digital campaigns were judged by how many people saw them. If lots of people looked at it and the numbers were good, it meant things were going well. Impressions and clicks were what mattered. Over time, that didn’t feel like enough. Just because someone sees something doesn’t mean it makes an impact. People scroll through content quickly and often do not really notice what they have just seen. This has changed how we think about campaigns today.
There has been a shift in how brands look at this. It is not just about reaching people, but also about what happens after that, whether someone stops, engages, or remembers the brand later. That is what matters more. This moves the focus from visibility to value.
Some metrics we have relied on for years do not tell the full story. A campaign can reach a large audience and still fail to create a real connection. On paper, it may look strong, but in reality, it does not do much. That is why engagement and intent have become more important, especially whether people are interacting with the content or simply scrolling past it. Even small actions, like spending a few extra seconds or clicking through, matter more.
AI is helping brands understand how people behave and interact with them. It helps brands make better decisions so they can create campaigns that truly connect with people, not just reach a large audience. AI can also predict what will be popular and help refine campaigns, which makes marketing more effective. This allows marketing teams to focus more on generating ideas. In this way, AI supports both creativity and strategy.
Why integration and context matter
Another important factor is how well everything comes together. Campaigns often fall short when strategy, media, and creative are developed separately, because that lack of alignment is noticeable. When everything is aligned from the start, the campaign feels more natural and the message comes through clearly. It also fits better within the platform where it appears.
This matters because people behave differently across platforms. The way someone watches a video is not the same as how they search or read longer content. These differences may seem minor, but they can significantly impact performance. Paying attention to context helps campaigns feel more relevant and effective.
Creativity, agility and long-term impact
There is a common assumption that performance-driven campaigns leave little room for creativity, but that is not the case. The most effective campaigns often feel simple and real. People tend to ignore anything that feels overly polished or forced. Instead, they connect with content that feels familiar and relatable, something that reflects how they think or speak.
At the same time, campaigns do not always go as planned. Audience behavior, trends, and platform dynamics can shift quickly. What works initially may stop working later. That is why it is important to continuously track performance and make adjustments. Small changes over time can improve outcomes, and campaigns that stay flexible tend to perform better.
While short-term results matter, consistency over time plays a bigger role. When a brand shows up in a relevant and consistent way, it builds familiarity. Over time, that familiarity turns into trust.
Digital marketing has evolved, and expectations have evolved with it. Visibility still matters, but it is no longer enough on its own. What truly drives impact is whether a campaign connects, leaves a lasting impression, and leads to action. Being seen is easy, but being remembered is what really counts.
