What began as a digital-first agency has evolved into a storytelling company that creates culturally resonant moments across platforms, formats, and geographies. Founded at the intersection of entertainment and advertising, TheSmallBigIdea believes the best marketing doesn’t simply capture attention; it becomes part of culture.

There’s a kind of content that makes one stop scrolling, and then there’s the kind that makes one stop and feel something. One lives for a second, the other lives within people long after they’ve seen it.

Agencies are usually good at one or the other. TheSmallBigIdea (TSBI) decided early on that it wanted to do both and then spent the better part of a decade figuring out how. Founded by entertainment marketer Harikrishnan Pillai, co-founder and CEO, and seasoned advertising professional Manish Solanki, co-founder and COO, the agency was built on a shared belief: that the best marketing is the kind that becomes culture.

That conviction has shaped the agency’s journey from the beginning. It was the first agency to get Ajay Devgn to rap. It pioneered shoulder content for cinema at a time when much of the industry was still understanding digital-first storytelling. And when OTT platforms began changing how India consumed entertainment, TSBI was already behind some of the country’s earliest direct-to-streaming releases, including Sufiyum Sujatayum and Gulabo Sitabo.

Harikrishnan Pillai, co-founder and CEO, TheSmallBigIdea, shared, “The core idea has always been to keep looking for what’s next. The moment something becomes the norm, we’re already thinking about what comes after it.”

Understanding audiences, not platforms

Something that surprises people when they learn about TSBI is the sheer breadth of the work it creates.

From social-first storytelling and ad films to influencer-led narratives, in-house productions, regional content, and international campaigns, the agency’s work spans audiences, languages, and cultures. It has created content across Indian languages, built campaigns for African markets adapted into local languages, and crafted communication for Arab communities in Dubai.

It’s a wide spectrum of work, but internally it doesn’t feel fragmented because everything connects back to a single idea: understanding audiences well enough to tell them stories they actually want to hear.

Whether that audience is watching a film, scrolling Instagram, reading in Malayalam, or engaging with content in Arabic, the objective remains the same.

Manish Solanki, co-founder and COO, TheSmallBigIdea, shared, “With most of our clients, the agency-client line blurred a long time ago. We’re in their strategy meetings, we understand their business pressures, and we care about their outcomes. That’s why many of those relationships have lasted close to a decade.”

That audience-first approach has informed campaigns such as Zydus Lifesciences’ Do Hath, Teen Minute Aur Ek Aasan Sa Exam and Ashok Leyland’s Whistle Podu Anthem, helping create work designed not only to communicate but also to leave a lasting impact.

The story behind everything

Strip away the case studies, credentials, and list of industry firsts, and what remains is an agency that genuinely loves telling stories.

Stories on social media. Stories in advertising. Stories that influencers share with their communities. Stories experienced through entertainment, culture, and live moments. Stories built for a Malayali viewer and stories crafted for an Arab audience. The format shifts. The platform changes. The language evolves. The instinct stays the same.

Great storytelling earns attention. It meets people where they are and then takes them somewhere they didn’t expect to go. That has been TSBI’s through-line from day one. From the first post to the latest campaign, from Bollywood to Dubai, from a rap that nobody saw coming to films that stayed with audiences long after the credits rolled.

As media continues to evolve, the agency remains focused on the same principle that shaped its beginnings: creating stories that resonate regardless of platform, geography, or language.

At the heart of it, TSBI tells great stories for a Malayali for an Arab, on a reel, or on a big screen. The format changes. The craft doesn’t.

This article was part of a special focus on Indian independent creative companies circulated alongside Manifest's June issue, which can be bought here.

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