Only Much Louder (OML) recently announced the launch of its advertising agency, MO. Launched with the idea of ‘brands don’t need to be boring to be effective’, the ad agency originated with a bold and creative identity that mirrors the agency’s vision and character.

Devarshi Shah, chief growth officer, OML, and Manav Parekh, executive vice president - creative, OML, chatted with us to explain the vision behind MO, its creative philosophy, and how it aims to reshape the advertising landscape.

“More than it being 'we should start an agency', it was a very intrinsic and intuitive evolution of everything that OML has been up to,” said Parekh. “OML has been quite a shapeshifting company in that sense. When it started, it was all about music, then comedy. Now, in today’s day and age, where brands, creators, and entertainment are meshing in, this is what we had to do.”

For the team, the question wasn’t why start an agency? But why haven’t we done this already?

Parekh added, “Today, brands need to think like creators. They have to put themselves out there and be vulnerable and entertaining. At the core of it, we just don’t want to do boring work. Boring creators don’t go anywhere, and the same goes for brands. That’s where our motto ‘bury the boring’ comes from. We’re here to help brands think like creators and be creative partners in that journey.”

Carrying forward OML’s legacy of backing creators, taking creative risks, MO is focused on building fandoms, not just audiences, for both individuals and brands.

“OML has been one organisation that has been at the helm of giving creators a platform. We’ve always understood what audiences enjoy and spend their hard-earned money on. We’re bringing that same philosophy into MO for brands. Creating fandoms and not just followers is critical for brands today,” Shah voiced.

He added, “There is enough evidence in the market that audiences expect more of a brand. Given how split their time is, it's imperative that a brand shows up in a way that entertains and speaks to them in their language.”

MO has launched the first of 36 films for Canva’s new campaign titled ‘Dil Se, Design Tak’.

“The intention is to be able to help brands establish the language and tone and create an impact by making the content and the education around their products and services entertaining,” noted Shah.

What sets MO apart is not just its creator-friendly DNA, but its focus on making work that’s anything but boring.

Focused on not doing ‘boring work’, Parekh explained, “Advertising is a massive industry with room for many voices, as long as one believes in what is being done. We live in a time where agencies take themselves too seriously. For us, it’s simple: we just don’t want to bore the audience. We know advertising can be a friction point, so the least we can do is be mindful, be honest, and maybe even entertain them a little. Everything beyond that is a bonus.”

“We are consulting with brands to be creators themselves, and we want to be creative partners in that journey. The audience today is consuming advertising as part of their everyday content diet. Being entertained and mindful are few things that matter a lot to us as creatives, as well as very creatively to brands also because these real emotions stick. They make something memorable and that’s all what we want to be true and honest about,” he added.

Benefitting from OML’s deep network of writers, directors, comedians, musicians, and strategists, MO embraces collaboration as a core part of its creative process, ensuring every project is fresh and impactful.

“OML became a culture-shifting organisation because it was always up for collaborations. That collaboration is one of the most integral parts of MO, too,” shared Shah.

Parekh added, “Internally, we want to change mindsets that performance marketing or short-form storytelling has to be formulaic or boring. Our approach is to treat everything as an opportunity to tell a story and make an impact.”

Building on OML’s celebrated legacy of doing things differently, Parekh emphasised that MO will draw from that heritage while pushing brands to think like creators. “The philosophy of making more brands be creator brands is what we are looking to take forward,” he said. However, pushing creative boundaries doesn’t mean losing a brand’s unique voice. “It’s about finding the right balance; how much we can push while respecting the brand’s existing point of view,” he explained.

Shah added that MO aims to build something meaningful that shifts culture and industry norms, acknowledging the risks involved.

“We are here to build an interesting take on advertising. Brands are slowly evolving and playing catch-up. We are here to help them out. They need to find us. We’re here to have fun, create great content, build strong IPs, and craft impactful ads that consumers actively engage with,” he concluded.