Social Panga is an independent integrated digital and creative-first marketing agency based out of Bangalore with offices in Mumbai, and Delhi. Co-Founded by Himanshu and Gaurav Arora, in 2014, the
agency has a team of 300+ individuals across various digital and social media services.
The agency creative and innovative solutions for brands looking to grow their businesses online. Social Panga is working with brands like Amazon, Nestle, P&G, 3M, Bosch, Myntra, Manipal Hospitals, Natgeo, Disney, Tally, Mamaearth, Zepto and Himalaya among others.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Himanshu Arora and Gaurav Arora, Co-Founders at Social Panga
Q. How is the merger with LS Digital helping Social Panga expand its scope and ambition?
Our aim with this partnership is to combine our strengths and work seamlessly to expand both our services and reach. Now, as part of LS Digital, we have an international footprint, with offices in Dubai, opening up exciting growth opportunities.
We are paving the way with a unique approach that’s bringing many ‘firsts’ to the advertising industry, and we’re genuinely excited about what lies ahead. Our focus remains on reinforcing our presence in India while keeping a strategic eye on global expansion.
Q. In a crowded digital marketing landscape what factors set Social Panga apart from competition?
Social Panga is guided by a solution-oriented approach, prioritising client growth over merely pushing services. At the heart of what we do is delivering solutions that span various areas, including production, influencers, media, and digital marketing.
This allows us to adopt a holistic perspective, ensuring we address the bigger picture rather than limiting our focus to a single offering or taking a narrow viewpoint.
We have seen numerous examples where brands come to us seeking a particular service, but after understanding their needs, we recommend and implement different solutions that are more beneficial for them. Thanks to our experience and insights, we are able to propose alternative approaches that drive better results, often going beyond what the client originally envisioned. This allows us to deliver greater value and achieve more impactful outcomes.
Q. Today to command better remuneration do agencies have to focus on how what they do can drive a positive business outcome for their clients? Is it unhealthy for creativity to exist in a vacuum?
Yes, with the increase in demand for social media services, there are a lot of times focus goes on deliverables vs creative work. But then, there are all types of clients. We work with a lot of clients where the core idea is to build creative and long-term properties.
If a client understands the work and is on the same page, the remuneration is not key in keeping the client back. If the right services are provided, clients are happy to pay accordingly.
Q. When you deal with traditional brands who need to reinvent themselves for the digital era how complex is the task? Do these brands often have to throw out some of the rules that worked earlier?
There are no traditional or non-traditional brands anymore – only relevant or non-relevant ones. To stay relevant, brands must address consumer needs, and as those needs evolve, so must the way brands communicate and market. Legacy brands often stick to familiar marketing strategies that have worked for them, and may have some inertia when trying new approaches. However, once they see the value in exploring new methods, there’s no turning back.
We have worked with many legacy brands like Kitkat, Maggi, Himalaya, 3M, and Bosch. For example, we recently executed an influencer campaign for Kitkat, which proved successful, leading to multiple follow-up campaigns.
Q. How is Social Panga cross leveraging the competencies of the other three agencies within LS Digital and vice versa?
Every agency brings its own area of expertise, whether it’s in AI, UI/UX, or other specialities. As a brand, you benefit from the strengths of each, combined with a strategic layer to deliver a fully integrated approach. This enables us to leverage each agency’s competencies while crafting a cohesive brand solution that maximises impact.
Q. What role is AI playing in propelling Social Panga forward?
We are using AI, ML and new technologies in our work for clients. There is a high demand for brands, especially in the segment of FMCG, Hospitality, etc where they want more AI-driven campaigns.
We, at Social Panga, are also leveraging upcoming trends and putting it to the best use for our clients.
Q. What are the key sectors that Social Panga works in like FMCG?
Our work is industry-agnostic, spanning across sectors like FMCG, BFSI, healthcare, D2C, and more. We have internal training modules in place to ensure that our team is well-versed in industry-specific knowledge, allowing us to concentrate on delivering tailored solutions rather than getting caught up in sectoral nuances. This flexibility enables us to bring fresh perspectives and drive impactful results across a wide range of industries.
Q. Could you talk about recent work done that stands out?
We did a recent festive campaign for Diwali for OLX, and then one we did was for Prolyte on World ORS Day.
OLX:
View this post on Instagram
Prolyte:
View this post on Instagram
Another campaign we did was with Palak Tiwari for Cakezone:
Q. How is the festive season looking like for Social Panga in terms of clients requirements and goals?
This year the festive season looks promising. Market sentiments are high and positive, and brands are investing in marketing, as compared to the last 3-4 years.
Clients are looking at new and innovative ways to retain customers, as well as target new customers. Influencer Marketing continues to remain the most sought-after route for brands, in creating the right buzz.
Q. For a client that is not a leader in its category will the marketing priorities during the festive season be very different compared to a client who is in the top three of their category?
Absolutely, when a brand isn’t the market leader, there’s often more room to experiment and innovate. Any strategy that works can have a direct impact on their business growth. We have noticed that these challenger brands are more willing to take risks and try new approaches.
For instance, when we started working with brands like Mamaearth, they weren’t market leaders. Using unconventional tactics like guerilla marketing or challenging industry norms helped them gain attention and stand out. In fact, when a challenger brand takes on the market leader, it often attracts more supporters, as people tend to root for the underdog.
Q. Today you have consumer to consumer social media. What strategies does Social Panga employ so that clients can be a part of that conversation without being intrusive? How does Social Panga balance short term activities like performance marketing with the long term goal of brand building? Are marketers often guilty of being shortsighted?
Building a brand is a long-term process, but brands often seek immediate results. Striking the right balance between the two is essential. A helpful tip is to track the increase in ‘brand searches’ over time—this metric clearly shows that brand-building efforts are taking hold and helping to reduce overall cost per acquisition.
These searches should be monitored across various platforms, like Google and e-commerce sites. When consumers actively seek out your brand, it brings countless benefits, including improved retention, loyalty, and reduced acquisition costs.
