AD Agencies
Adsgrove Digital appoints Aanchal Kapoor as chief executive
GURGAON: Aanchal Kapoor, who spent over a decade at media houses including GroupM, Madison and OMD, has been named chief executive of Adsgrove Digital, a Gurgaon marketing agency betting that brands can no longer afford to separate storytelling from sales.
Kapoor joins founder Rajkumar Singh, formerly vice president at ANS Commerce, to lead the agency’s branding and performance operations. Her appointment signals Adsgrove’s push into what it calls “brandformance”, a clunky portmanteau meant to capture the fusion of long-term brand building with short-term performance metrics.
“Creativity gives brands their soul; data gives them direction,” said Kapoor, who has worked with LG, Shell, Bose, Honda and Duracell. “Our mission at Adsgrove is to blend both seamlessly to deliver meaningful, measurable impact.”
The agency’s pitch is straightforward: every rupee spent on advertising should be tracked, optimised and justified. Kapoor’s mantra, “Each penny needs to be counted, and we’re making it count,” reflects the pressure marketers face to prove return on investment in real time.
Adsgrove offers the usual menu of services (branding, performance marketing, social media, search optimisation) but claims to stand apart by refusing to treat brand building and direct response as separate disciplines. The agency uses automation and analytics dashboards to tweak campaigns on the fly, and has adopted what it calls “search everywhere optimisation”, adding answer engines, generative search and voice to traditional search engine work.
Whether “brandformance” catches on as more than jargon remains to be seen. But Kapoor’s appointment suggests that agencies, like their clients, are done treating brand awareness and sales conversions as if they live on different planets.
AD Agencies
Collective Creative Labs wins two Silver Effies, ranks top 15
Independent agency shines with strategy-led campaigns that move brands and culture
MUMBAI: Collective Creative Labs (CCL) has bagged two Silver Effies at the 25th Effie India Awards and claimed the 15th spot in the Agency of the Year rankings, marking a standout moment for the independent agency.
For a young agency built without legacy backing, these accolades go beyond trophies. They celebrate a fresh approach: starting with brand truth, sticking to strategy, and creating work that drives business, not just chatter.
Three years ago, Collective Artists Network spotted a gap in the market. Brands had access to creators and cultural moments but lacked cohesive strategy. CCL was born to fill that gap, blending cultural insight with disciplined brand planning to deliver campaigns that truly perform.
Collective Artists Network founder and group CEO Vijay Subramaniam said, “We were already sitting at a rare intersection of culture, creators, entertainment and influence. But brands don’t need access alone; they need alignment. CCL brings strategy to the heart of culture so that it drives real brand growth.”
CCL’s campaigns, including work for Zebronics, Rakesh Masala and Liberty, have travelled far beyond paid media, not chasing virality, but earning it through clarity of insight and purpose. Big names are used to amplify thinking, not replace it.
Collective Creative Labs CEO and partner at Collective Artists Network Sanjana Jain added, “Great work starts with clarity, what the brand stands for, the consumer’s reality, and the business goal. In a world that loves spectacle, we focus on outcomes. These awards validate that approach.”
Both Silver-winning campaigns were built on immersive consumer understanding and sharp strategic thinking, reinforcing CCL as a performance-driven creative partner. Operating where brands, culture, entertainment and emerging media intersect, CCL represents a new kind of agency model, uniting talent, content, influence and strategy under one roof.
For CCL, these wins and the Agency of the Year ranking are just markers of momentum, not the finish line.
