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FCB Ulka launches Bushfire for startups
MUMBAI: FCB Ulka, a leading, fully integrated marketing communications agency today announced the launch of their highly-hybridized service Bushfire, a one stop shop for start-ups.
With the emergence of start-ups, there cropped up the need of a specialized agency model to comply to their needs. Since these set- ups require select services, the need to break the conventional organization structures complimented with agility formed the premise of the prototype – Bushfire. epic shit. without bullshit.
Bushfire is new kind of marketing and communications agency that is equipped to provide start-ups with all the services they would require in a menu format. It’s as simple as ordering food, off the menu! The model of typical start-ups defies structure and to serve the start-ups best, so do we! The Bushfire team includes handpicked multi-talented professionals who approach the task with fluidity- serving the need of the hour; to flit in and out of multiple diverse tasks seamlessly, across departments ranging from art, crafting, planning, film making and execution without the conventional shackles of three vendor quotes or the likes akin the ‘Shapeshifters’.
Commenting on the launch, Rohit Ohri, Group Chairman and CEO of FCB India, said, “Startups are looking for ways to prove traction to investors and are generally operating on borrowed capital with a short runway – time is always of the essence and results are imperative for their survival. They are looking for an agency with a different mindset.”
“At Bushfire, we’re creating a ‘maker movement’. We’ve built a team with a ‘maker’ mindset – deeply hybridized and capable of partnering start-ups in the building of a product or service, a business and a brand. And when you add speed and great ROI to that, you have a truly unbeatable proposition” Rohit added.
Surjo Dutt, NCD, FCB Ulka, doubles up as the NCD for Bushfire and will be closely working with Romit Nair, Creative Head, Bushfire. In his role, Romit Nair will report to Surjo Dutt.
Bushfire’s CRM division which continue to be managed by Satish Ramachandran.
Commenting on the launch, Surjo Dutt, National Creative Director, FCB Ulka and Bushfire says, “While the re-energised and rebooted FCB ULKA charges forward with its agenda for clutter breaking, market moving work on its massive brands, the need for another offering with a different set of objectives and offerings has become more and more apparent. Which is why Bushfire. A small, agile, multi-skilled and deeply hybridized team of creative strategists, put together to partner startups primarily and clients looking for mould breaking solutions as projects, secondarily.”
He added, “A team of writers, art directors, audio visual content creators and creative strategists who think, create and produce EPIC brand solutions tailored specifically to startup and project needs. Bushfire is lean, mean, hungry and game ready. With fire in our bellies and passion in our pens we want to create epic shit, without bullshit.”
The operations for Bushfire are running full throttle with some recent business and project wins.
MAM
Happy Pawdcast launches merchandise with The Souled Store
Season 2 success leads to co-branded line celebrating pet-parent bond.
MUMBAI: The Happy Pawdcast just gave fans something to wag their tails about because when your favourite pet show gets merch, even the couch starts feeling like a runway. Building on the momentum of Season 2 which reached over 14 million pet lovers, clocked more than 20,000 hours of content consumption and engaged over 23,000 users, The Happy Pawdcast has teamed up with The Souled Store for an exclusive co-branded merchandise collection. The line translates the podcast’s emotional core into wearable designs that celebrate the everyday bond between pets and their parents.
Hosted by Sonali Bendre and Icy Behl, Season 2 featured candid conversations with celebrity pet parents including Remo D’Souza, Diana Penty, Kubbra Sait, Rohan Joshi, Karan Wahi, Tusshar Kapoor and Amala Akkineni. The episodes tackled responsible adoption, stray welfare, pet emotional well-being and debunked common care myths, earning strong resonance across digital platforms.
Sonali Bendre said, “Season 2 reaffirmed how deeply people connect with stories around pets, responsibility, and companionship. This collaboration with The Souled Store is a natural extension of that bond, taking the conversations beyond the screen and turning shared emotions into something tangible for pet parents.”
Rose Audio Visuals head of marketing & branded content Megha H Desai added, “With Season 2, The Happy Pawdcast evolved from a content property into a strong, community-led IP. The collaboration with The Souled Store reflects our approach to building meaningful extensions around our shows where audience insight, brand alignment, and scale come together.”
The Souled Store co-founder Vedang Patel noted, “Pet parenting today is as much about identity and expression as it is about care and responsibility. This collaboration allowed us to tap into a deeply engaged, emotionally invested community and co-create designs that feel authentic and accessible.”
Produced by Rosepod (the podcasting division of Rose Audio Visuals), the merchandise marks the podcast’s shift from audio-video content into a broader lifestyle IP, while aligning with The Souled Store’s focus on pop-culture-led, community-first products and its animal welfare initiatives through World For All.
In a pet-parent world where love often comes with a leash and a hoodie, The Happy Pawdcast isn’t just telling stories anymore, it’s letting fans wear them, proving the bond between humans and their fur-babies deserves more than likes, it deserves to be flaunted.
