Paddy’s new bet: Another indie shop in a crowded market

Advertising professional Santosh Padhi—better known as Paddy in the industry—is back with an independent venture. After co-founding Taproot with Agnello Dias in 2009 and leading Wieden+Kennedy (W+K) India as chief creative officer (CCO) in 2022, he has now launched ‘Into Creative’, an independent advertising agency.

As founder, Paddy takes on the role of CCO and chairman of the newly-minted agency, with Ayesha Ghosh as CEO and co-founder. The entity’s founding team includes Yogesh Rijhwani (creative lead), Tania Dey (strategy and digital lead), Namrata Gosavi (design and digital lead), and Gargi Vegiraju (business lead).

This launch comes at a time when the industry is seeing a consolidation amongst holding network companies and an increasing number of independent agencies making their presence felt. Into Creative will have to carve out its own space, and Padhi plans to leverage his, and his other co-founders’ extensive experience and network.

Paddy’s return to independence is not without precedent. Taproot, which he co-founded, was sold to the Dentsu group in 2012 and became Taproot Dentsu. His tenure at W+K India saw the expansion of the agency’s footprint with a Mumbai office.

However, when Paddy and Ghosh left W+K India in October 2024. The independent creative agency swiftly announced the winding down of its Mumbai operations and a significant reduction of its Delhi workforce.

The closure of W+K’s India operations has left a vacuum, one that Into Creative aims to fill. But today’s adland is markedly different from when Paddy co-founded Taproot. The rise of digital platforms, short-form content, and AI-driven marketing has changed the game.

Well aware about these shifting dynamics, Paddy told Campaign, “The demand during Taproot was very different and we had team to do justice to the creative needs, which was very much traditional in nature—be it Times of India, Airtel, Pepsi, etc. Today, the market demands are very different, hence a versatile co-founding team in the first place, with a versatile understanding of mediums and experiences. Even our hiring will be on the basis of brands coming on board.”

The six founding members of Into Creative share a history of working together, but they deliberately bring differing perspectives to the table. While this diversity is expected to fuel rich creative debates, there is also the risk of falling into familiar patterns. To counter this, Padhi emphasises the importance of staying open to new ideas and “keep our egos aside and learn.”

Blending modern creative techniques with the enduring craft of brand storytelling requires a deep understanding of emerging technologies and platforms. Staying ahead in an evolving industry means mastering these tools, as true creative impact comes from knowing how to leverage a medium to its fullest potential.

“Be it any platform or medium, after diving deep into client's problem and understanding of platforms we will ensure the end product is creatively rich and impactful, because everything else is internal or process, what consumers will see is the end product which certainly cannot be just another piece of communication,” Padhi added. This will also guarantee that the team remains open to fresh approaches rather than falling back on past ways of working.

One of Into Creative’s key differentiators is what it calls the Big Directional Idea (BDI). Unlike traditional taglines or brand positioning strategies, the BDI is designed to be deeply integrated into a brand’s ecosystem. And the reason is that we are currently living in a massive tech, digital, collaborative world.

Paddy explained, “Somehow, the platforms available today are not being leveraged the way they should be. Some lack the right blend of creativity, sometimes the consistency of the idea isn’t there across mediums and platforms. Into Creative will work on that gap. With our big-directional-creative-idea approach, we will make sure every single time, the brand idea does not get diluted when taken across mediums and platforms.”

The key to ensuring this, he noted, is collaboration at the right stage of idea development. The BDI isn’t just a conceptual framework but a foundation for brand storytelling across advertising, media properties, social content, tech-led innovations, and even in-game content.

Into Creative officially launches in Mumbai on 30th March 2025—Gudi Padwa or Ugadi—the festival marking a new beginning in many parts of India. The agency is already in discussions with potential clients, with formal announcements expected in April. When asked why brands would place their trust in a new independent agency over established networks, Paddy pointed to past relationships.

“Some of them have worked with me or us in the past at Taproot or W+K, hence they know what difference we will make to them/their brands. Some are coming on board as we couldn't work with them due to W+K’s global client conflict. And some are coming as they are ready now.”

The independent agency space is crowded, but Paddy sees its growth as a reflection of market demand. “Some indie agencies have found their space and the kind of clients they wish to work with, and they are happy. It’s extremely important to have clarity in advance—where do you stand, what are you good at, and how can you fill that X vacuum in the industry? But if you’re just setting up because your peers have launched or because you couldn’t find a big-title role in a network agency, then it’s a struggle.”

Into Creative aims to bridge a crucial gap in adland: the need for brand custodians who take ownership of creativity. Paddy stressed that advertising has always been about people. “Regardless of whether it’s a big network or an independent agency, it is people who build relationships with people on the other side. That’s how brands have been built over the years.”

The business vision for Into Creative extends beyond just creative ambition. Will it remain independent, or is there potential for partnerships or acquisitions? Paddy is non-committal but bullish about the industry’s growth.

“The industry has been growing year on year in double digits. More young brands are being founded by unicorn entrepreneurs under 30 who come to us to make their brands famous. They borrow money from VCs or the market to tell their brand stories via us. This has never happened in India before. So this is the best time ever for brands, and hence for the industry and creativity.”

Paddy and Ghosh will be actively involved in all aspects of the agency. Into Creative is also open to adding new heads to champion specialist verticals, with stakes assigned accordingly.

“We will make sure the BDI is the foundation of our brand approach, ensuring it is seamlessly implemented across platforms and sustained long-term,” said Paddy.

Ghosh echoed this sentiment, stating, “More experiments happen when independent. And experiments often fail but every now and then give birth to a gloriously unexpected, triumphant discovery. We’re here for that.”

With a founding team that brings a mix of creative, business, strategy, digital, and design expertise, Into Creative is setting out to challenge the status quo in Indian advertising. The coming months will reveal whether its Big Directional Idea will carve a distinct space in India’s crowded advertising industry remains to be seen, but one thing is clear—Padhi and his team are not here to play it safe.