DAN Consult launches in India, to be led by Lalit Bhagia
Global media and digital marketing conglomerate Dentsu Aegis Network has launched its consulting practice – DAN Consult – in the Indian market. The new division will offer services in digital transformation, and will be led by Lalit Bhagia, who has nearly two decades of experience in the digital marketing domain.
Founded in 2013, the Dentsu Aegis Network is a Japanese owned media and advertising network based in London, which operates through a large array of subsidiary media agencies across 145 countries. The network employs 40,000 people across the world, and currently consists of approximately 70 entities, including global network brands, specialist brands, and a number of local brands.
As the digital advertising market in India is set to shoot through the roof over the next half a decade, the network has become increasingly active in the digitalised Indian market. Earlier this year, the firm launched one of its specialised digital marketing agencies – Isobar – in India, in collaboration with design agency Fractal Ink.
Now, the firm will leverage this presence to offer consulting services in the same segment, through the launch of DAN Consult in India. As part of the extensive global network, DAN Consult employs a multifaceted approach to providing digital solutions, derived from expertise across its various specialised entities.
The firm differentiates itself through its focus on building tangible solutions such as new products, campaigns or infrastructural supplements rather than the traditional practice of offering strategic advice. In keeping with the unique approach, the firm also diverges from tradition by charging a percentage of eventual revenues rather than charging by the hour, thereby ensuring a performance-based compensation system.
To lead the firm’s operations in India, the firm has appointed Lalit Bhagia as CEO. Bhagia is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, following which he has had an illustrious career in the marketing sphere, including spells as Vice President at Digitas and the Star TV Network. Bhagia has also worked as a Digital Transformation Consultant for the Aditya Birla Group, which will help him with his new role at the digital marketing agency.
Commenting on this new chapter, Bhagia said, “With DAN Consult, we aim to deliver on business objectives and not the marketing objectives. Our business model rests on this very premise and thus we work with companies based on revenue growth using digital. In the long run, we will take a cut from the results, instead of charging fixed fees for time. This is a shift from what traditional consultants currently do and with this, we hope to redefine the space. I am glad to have been chosen to create and build this business for DAN. This indeed is the next level of how agencies would evolve in the future."
Dentsu Aegis Network Chairman Ashish Bhasin added, “The launch of DAN Consult enables our business to achieve the completion of the triumvirate of branding, media and consulting. We believe the market currently leaves scope for an offering of this nature and we are glad to introduce the consulting business under the DAN Performance Group, providing further value to our clients and working with CEOs and promoters to push the envelope through digital. Moreover, this is aligned with our One-DAN vision.”