How has Innocean India’s portfolio evolved beyond the Hyundai group?

The origin and genesis of Innocean was built around our affiliated clients, Hyundai and Kia. Over the last decade-plus, the focus was on streamlining operations and building the complete ecosystem for those clients. But a key agenda for me has been to put Innocean India on a growth pedestal — and that requires both vertical and horizontal expansion. Within Hyundai and Kia, we’ve gone deeper into services beyond just creative and media mandates. But the larger growth in the last three years has come primarily from non-affiliated clients — operating as an independent agency in the market. We work with more than 15 clients, and 30 per cent of our revenue comes from non-Hyundai/Kia work.

Are you allowed to work with other auto clients?

We cannot work with any brand in competition with Hyundai or Kia. What we’ve realised is that auto marketing is a wholesome, holistic discipline. It’s a high-involvement category with complex consumer journeys, and we cater to every stratum of consumers across India. That expertise is highly transferable. Also, Innocean has always been an integrated agency with creative, media, digital, OOH, and experiential... all in-house.

Who are among your non-affiliated clients?

We work across multiple verticals. In healthcare we have Narayana Healthcare. We handle Sony. In energy, we work with Valvoline and Suzlon. In real estate, DLF is a large client. In lifestyle and FMCG, we have Swiss Beauty and Kajaria Ceramics. None of our 15-plus non-affiliated clients are Korean — we’re deliberately targeting mid-sized Indian brands and regional players, where we can make a real difference.

Some agencies say customer relationship management (CRM) and data services account for 50 per cent of business. Is that so at Innocean too?

A significant portion of revenue is already coming from these streams, and we clearly see that in two to three years they will contribute substantially to our revenue ecosystem. Every agency has to move in this direction — it’s not a choice, it’s what clients need. We’re increasingly acting as consultants rather than just advertisers. We’ve built a centre of excellence around data, martech (marketing technology), and CRM, and those capabilities are generating stronger client attraction.

You opened an office in Bengaluru recently — is it your first expansion outside Delhi NCR?

Bangalore is our first domestic expansion. We already have a team in place, and one client — Narayana Healthcare. Two more clients are being acquired. The branch head will be finalised in about a month. Mumbai is next on the roadmap. We’re building Bangalore as a native AI-led setup. Startups there are early adopters of technology, have large ambitions, and need the agility and flexibility we offer. It creates a synergistic environment to trial new AI solutions, including multi-agent models.

The industry is going through turbulence and consolidation. Having Hyundai and Kia as anchor clients — does that protect you?

There has been high turbulence in the last year due to changing demands, technology emergence, and shifting consumer behaviour. But two things give Innocean an advantage. First, we’re not small enough to struggle with cash flows or working capital, but we’re also not a large bureaucratic network agency — so we bring genuine agility and flexibility to clients. Our Korean DNA, which is very process-oriented, actually helps us build lean, productive structures. Second, when most agencies struggled to grow even in single digits last year, we’ve grown in double digits every year for the last three — roughly twice the advertising industry’s growth rate.

Agentic AI is the big theme everywhere. How much has it actually seeped into advertising?

Honestly, no agency — including us — has made a complete, holistic shift to agentic AI yet. Advertising runs on creativity, which is fundamentally human. At Innocean, we champion human-centric AI: AI handles automation, speed, and scale, while creativity, strategic thinking, and emotional storytelling remain human-led. That said, in areas suited to full automation — data analytics, research, and trend-finding — we have fully deployed agentic AI. We use it to conduct consumer research, identify cultural trends, measure brand resonance, and generate insights; humans own the creative and emotional layer.

Unilever announced moving a large chunk of its advertising budget toward influencers and digital. Is that trend playing out with your clients — including Hyundai and Kia?

Digital advertising is clearly growing, and it’s already crossed 50 per cent of ad spend by most reports. Creator economy and influencer marketing are part of that. But the role varies significantly by category. In FMCG, lifestyle, and fashion, creator adoption is very high — it’s an aspirational, visually-driven decision.

In automotive, the creator economy is growing but still requires care: we need influencers who genuinely create brand impact, not just reach and engagement metrics. Quality of influence matters more than scale in our category.

What is Innocean’s presence at Cannes this year? Last year you won a Grand Prix for the film Night Fishing for Hyundai Motor.

This year, we have entries at the global level and India level. At India level, interestingly, our entry is for a non-affiliated client. Let’s see how it goes.

What are the big trends in advertising you’re seeing?

The industry is going through a transition it has never seen before. The key trends I see:

· AI will rewrite the industry playbook. Agencies that embrace it will augment productivity and competitiveness; those that remain in denial will fall behind.

· Livestreaming and sports marketing will continue to grow. India is expanding beyond cricket, and brands are following. Innocean has already partnered for ICC campaigns, and we’re investing more in sports marketing.

· Regional content is on the rise, driven by OTT. This also accelerates the CTV trend.

· Micro-dramas are an emerging and genuinely exciting content format.

· The measurement model is changing. It’s no longer just about reach, frequency, and share of voice — it’s about share of engagement, relevance, and brand resonance. Metrics are evolving to match.