An ideas company for the digital world

But hey, while this belief system has stemmed from work recognised by the industry. There’s also a method to this madness. And that’s the Human Desire Framework.

A robust framework we derived from one of the simplest insight – that all brands in existence are inherently a reflection of a human desire – to belong, to be taken seriously, for love et al. The best way to fulfil these desires is to build an experience around it. And that’s where Liqvd Asia helps brands, by building modern experiences with a purpose that springs from a strong desire.

For such a framework to succeedyou need an environment that’s conducive to great ideas. Hence, our offices are designed keeping in mind that space – here you can ride a cycle, play cricket, or pick up a table tennis racquet to let off some steam. Yes, the senior management has cabins which are usually empty, for they’re either at meetings or with teams, cracking ideas around honeycomb-inspired desks.

Arnab Mitra, first employee and MD says, “People often associate the word ‘work’ with something that’s boring, or a necessary evil. Ideas can’t flourish in an environment like that. At Liqvd Asia, we encourage a culture of openness and freedom. When the mind is free… that’s when you help the brand capture the right desire, and that’s when the best ideas come forth.”

It’s not just idle chatter. Arnab is probably one of the most approachable MDs in the business. The fire to think of great ideas and to deliver great work is always burning, passionately.

Another man who walks the talk is Sunil Gangras, joint NCD. Always smiling, always the go-to man for a problem (advertising or otherwise), Sunil is thinking ideas 24x7. He says, “Ideas can come from anywhere, only if you make ‘anywhere’ conducive to ideas. I usually do my best writing outside my cabin – in the corridor, on the way home, or even when I’m asleep. The best way to get a good idea is to get a LOT of ideas.” His brainstorming sessions aren’t with the creative team alone – you can often find him with the brand strategy team, the tech team or even the SEO team, thinking of new ways to help businesses flourish.

Isaac Newton once said, if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. Easier said than done, unless, of course, you are a part of Team Liqvd Asia. From strategy to design, from technology to marketing, every team is a team of giants and you’ll see them all sitting together – as one. No segregation. Ideas fly across the floor – sometimes verbally, mostly on mail or a chat window (we are digital first, after all). Our world famous conference room,reflecting seven colours of a rainbow, is known to have people huddled in there for days– strictly during big pitches and awards season. Otherwise there’s no exception to the 8 PM rule – for there’s life beyond social media calendars, innovations and client meetings (unless you are meeting them outside office).

We have help from one of our tools, DigiBoxx™, which prunes data and helps us to creatively employ it effectively. So that none of our ideas seem as if they were conjured out of thin air. What we’ve realised from years of brainstorming experience, is that most of the ideas are in the unconscious. But the only way to get ideas from your unconscious is by feeding your conscious mind with relevant information. At Liqvd Asia, we probably do a lot more reading up than ideating. And it shows – the magic just unfolds afterwards.

Our chief operating officer, Tanushree Radhakrishnan, concurs. “Thinking laterally is the only way to succeed in the industry today. Because creative and data don't work in silos anymore. It takes a dynamic partnership between Mad Men and Math Mento arrive at a proposition that is made of a brilliant idea backed by data. But all that comes through years of reading and analysing.”

And when it comes to reading and analysing and crafting, no one does it better than our national strategy director – business transformation, Rajeev Sharma. “Ideation is not a one-time activity. It’s a lifelong process. It begins with reading – not just a book, you can read situations, read people, read even trends – for a lot is hidden between the lines. When you dig up data, numbers and insights, you hit the sweet spot and find a gem of an idea. That’s what matters. Sometimes, it’s hard work, but so be it.” 

At Liqvd Asia, we are a team of giants divided by specialisation but united by ideas. Here’s a showcase of our work from 2019.

Zee Hindustan – We launched an anchorless channel using the competition anchors as the face of the campaign.

In the cluttered media landscape, where every prominent news channel had a face – Arnab, Ravish and Rajat, to name a few – Zee Hindustan launched India’s first anchorless channel with a daring idea. We used the competition anchors as the face of our campaign. None more so than Ravish, who gave us a shout-out on national television – without us having to tag him – thanks to a strategically placed hoarding just outside his office. The hoarding was fire. Then we had posters, social media, videos, etc. that served as the gasoline.

Shazé –We crafted India’s most expensive luxury e-com website driven by a simple idea of self-expression.

Premium gifting brand Shazé wanted an e-commerce website that matched their progressive expressive luxury DNA. And at the same time, led them to the most desired part of luxury – possession.So, we decided to hand-craft their website, quite literally. 1,000 unique pages were created. Each photograph was bespoke. Each line written with utmost care. It took 5-6 months of relentless desire and hard work. Lo and behold, the premium e-commerce website soon turned into a lifestyle statement for Shazé.

Bharti AXA – We conducted a social experiment on Children’s Day to create affinity among parents.

Children’s Day. A cluttered space where brands celebrate children a lot more than their parents do. Enter Bharti AXA – faced with a lack of affinity, they wanted to launch a (me too) children’s plan on Children’s Day. The challenge was twofold – we needed to create a strong differentiator for the product AND strengthen the brand equity at the same time. The answer– a social experiment, involving children and their parents.We asked the parents a very simple question, “Are you really listening to your children’s aspirations?” While most parents did believe that they knew what their children aspired to become, we uncovered a harsh actuality. The experiment was a roaring success. So much so, that INOX Cinemas decided to play it on their screens. Check out the experiment on Bharti AXA’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Optimum Nutrition – We took zimmedari of the Indian breakfast routine by launching ON Protein Shake.

Glanbia, a global performance nutrition brand, was gearing up for their first product launch in India – a product 93% Indians who were unaware of their daily protein requirement needed to own the day. So we took up the zimmedari to launch Optimum Nutrition Protein Shake with the campaign #ProteinKiZimmedari. Not only did we do a TVC, we also amplified the product’s presence across social media. We educated the Indian public on the need for a protein-rich diet and brought about a paradigm shift in the way Indians thought about their breakfast routine.

Legrand – We spun some good vibes to transition a 2-decade-old brand into a B2C brand with the millennial web series, The Good Vibes. 

Research states that video content is the most consumed type of content across all digital media – especially in India, and especially through web shows. So we put our finger into the web show pie too. Legrand, a leading electrical and digital building infrastructure company, wanted to connect with their B2C consumers by being more relatable and relevant to them. We conceptualised and created The Good Vibes, a 6-episode web series centred around a young, relatable couple going through life with relationship issues, societal pressures and problems with their home – more specifically, their electrical infrastructure. That way, Legrand’s appliances seamlessly became a part of the story that was being told.

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If you’ve noticed, we are a digital-first all-service agency. And the genesis of all this work is an idea. It’s just the execution and the medium that differs from case to case. This is what our lives are all about. It is a business of passion. It’s about creating great work that above all, YOU are proud of. Long may it stay that way. We are glad to fight the rot. For it’s in our own interest to see that great ideas don’t ever go down the tube!

Drop by to any of our studios in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bengaluru or Singapore if you want to work with us, or for us. We have a lot of exciting ideas lined up for 2020.