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Three years after ending its 37-year partnership with BBDO, and a year after its stock market debut, R K SWAMY Ltd, one of India’s more venerable integrated marketing firms, has set its sights on a new frontier: consulting.
Its latest venture, the Brand & Marketing Consulting Group, signals a deliberate pivot towards advisory services. The new unit aims to help clients navigate the business of brand marketing.
The move, according to Srinivasan K. Swamy, executive group chairman of R K SWAMY, was informed by insights gained during the company’s IPO preparations. We observed a growing demand for strategic brand thinking particularly in the use of positioning as a tool for differentiation, he noted at a press conference announcing the initiative.
Founded in April 1973 as R K SWAMY Advertising Associates, the firm has evolved into a full-service integrated marketing services provider, spanning creative, media, data analytics, and market research. It posted a consolidated total income of Rs 79.4 crore in Q3FY25, up 8% compared to Rs 73.5 crore during the same period a year ago.
The new consulting division will draw upon this range of capabilities, offering services that include brand strategy, digital and social communications, data-driven insight, and both qualitative and quantitative research. It will operate as a separate entity within the group.
Vijay Gopal
The timing, however, raises eyebrows. Pure-play advertising and marketing agencies have been relatively quiet about consulting in recent years. “We are more read today,” says Vijay Gopal, CEO of the new consulting arm, suggesting the shift is not about competition but comprehension.
Between 2016 and 2019, the advertising industry fretted over whether global consultancies such as McKinsey, BCG and Accenture would begin eating into agency revenues. In response, many diversified their offerings, blurring the lines between agency and consultancy.
“The market is growing,” insists Gopal. “What matters is whether you’ve been through the curve, understood how things work, and can synthesise that experience to help your clients.”
Given R K SWAMY’s longstanding relationships with both multinational brands and government bodies, one might wonder whether the consulting group will target the same profile of clients. Gopal’s answer is unequivocal: “We are essentially looking at organisations, brands, more specifically, who we think would benefit from strategic support,” irrespective of size.
The economic climate offers both headwinds and opportunities. Marketing budgets are often the first to be trimmed amid fears of weakening consumer demand, geopolitical tensions, or economic slowdown. Yet Gopal is unfazed.
“It’s a glass-half-full or half-empty view,” he says. “Strong brands find ways to endure.”
Is this consulting venture a path to a higher seat at the corporate table, perhaps a direct line to the CEO or MD, rather than just the CMO? Gopal demurs. “Any large agency already talks to the CEO,” he says. That may be true but with its latest move, RK SWAMY Brand & Marketing Consulting Group is clearly hoping to do more of the talking.
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