Abhishek Shah, founder and MD, Be Positive 24 Innovation Design's love for advertising kicked off in the ninth grade with an email ID 'iloveadvertising@yahoo.com'.

That love was the reason he launched the agency as a 'pure-play creative boutique' at a time when he questioned 'why the agency business was no longer securing the revenues, pride or trust it once commanded', while working with a network agency.

"When we started our careers in the late ‘90s, agencies were treated like advertising gods. Clients looked up to us; we were seen as ‘one step above’. Somewhere by the mid-2000s, I was shocked to see how far we had fallen from grace. Agencies had moved from being partner-advisors to mere vendors. The change in perception hurt, and I questioned why the agency business was no longer securing the revenues, pride or trust it once commanded," he said.

One of the biggest issues he spotted then (and it remains one) was undercutting. 

And he looked to solve that by clearly stating that the agency is not a not-for-profit.

"We intend to make money from clients, but also make more money for them. There is no undercutting and behind-the-scenes dealing. We also don't provide options. The day one asks a doctor for options in a prescription, we will give clients options. Until then, share the problem, let us understand it, and let us solve it, like a doctor does. One does not haggle with doctors, and that’s what we expect clients to do with us. We based our business model on doctors who are respected professionals who earn on their terms, when patients meet them. We are not linking it to hospitals because they could be money-making schemes," he revealed.

Upskilling via Cannes

Shah stated how one investment he has made which has helped him upskill is attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity every year since 2019.

"Five visits gave me the confidence that our work can win a Lion. I consistently shared our showreel and portfolio with jury chairs and members whenever possible. The feedback was encouraging and they said that the work could win, but wouldn’t, because it came from an ‘obscure part of the world’ with limited global relevance. Our campaigns were regional or city-specific, while Lions favoured scale. It was a bittersweet pill: validation of quality, but rejection due to scale," he shared.

On the festival, he added, "I was once part of a roundtable with the Ascential team.  We were one of six shortlisted agencies. We were the smallest by far. The campaign budgets others discussed were our annual topline. I argued that if Cannes Lions wanted to be inclusive, it had to accommodate smaller agencies. Otherwise, it risked becoming a festival of high-budget creativity alone. Months later, I received an email saying they were creating an indie stage based on that feedback and wanted us as the first showcase partner. I was thrilled—until I saw the cost: Euros 40,000. It circled back to the same challenge for smaller agencies. There are millions of micro-agencies creating exceptional work with deep local influence. Cannes needs to nurture these micro-organisms."

Read our full chat with Shah in the January issue of Manifest. Get your copy here.