First came the Air India account win. Then the mandate to handle BJP’s political campaign for the 2024 election. If the party does stay in power, McCann Worldgroup India, could in some way be the agency that could be shaping the future of the country.

While Prasoon Joshi, CEO and CCO, McCann Worldgroup India, and chairperson, McCann Asia Pacific, didn’t go on record to speak about the political campaign, he stated that these recent wins which include local Indian businesses are a result of the agency’s investment in understanding the country.

In a conversation with Manifest, Joshi said, “That’s the reason our clients reach out to us and we are the preferred choice. It’s not surface understanding or a shallow approach. We are a deeply local agency. We understand this whole difference between India and Bharat and how a small-town India thinks. The growth coming from the low-hanging fruit (urban India) is over. They were aspirational and worked towards a certain lifestyle. Now, the growth is coming from the rest of India.”

He added that India is now about ‘bechain sapne’ (restless dreams) which is helping the country grow.

McCann had previously worked with the Government of India for the G20 Summit in 2023. Joshi stated that Amitabh Kant, the ‘G20 sherpa’, recently congratulated McCann for its efforts following the success of the event.

“That was a proud moment for us. What we successfully did with G20 was that we got it to connect with people. It’s an official event but it communicated with the entire country,” said Joshi.

Read the full interview with Joshi in the next issue of Manifest.