Packaging stays with the consumer far longer than most advertising formats: Gautam Anand, AGENCY09

Founded in 2013 in Bandra, Mumbai, AGENCY09 is an independent advertising agency that uses content, technology, design, and data to drive meaningful brand growth. Backed by a collaborative team of 85+ specialists and over 450 projects delivered globally, AGENCY09 continues to build a culture of creativity that sparks positive, purposeful change.

They recently did work for Pret A Manger. It is an example of how brands can leverage packaging as a strategic storytelling medium to create emotional connections with consumers during high-clutter seasonal periods.

With Season of You, the team designed coffee cups, takeaway bags, sandwich packs, and in-store elements with soft pastels, playful ingredient-led typography, and subtle festive cues, creating warm, relatable moments that reinforced Pret as a comforting companion during New Year and Valentine’s.

For Pret’s partnership with Mumbai Indians, AGENCY09 created special edition cups, sleeves, and takeaway bags with playful doodle illustrations. The campaign integrated Pret into the IPL fan experience and helped increase brand visibility and engagement.

Medianews4u.com caught up with Gautam Anand, Co-Founder, Head of Content AGENCY09

Q. How can packaging act as a core storytelling medium, creating emotional engagement beyond traditional campaigns?

Packaging stays with the consumer far longer than most advertising formats. It is often the first physical touchpoint they have with a brand, the first moment where the brand becomes something they can hold, see, and experience. In that sense, packaging becomes a stage where the product performs.

The textures, colours, messaging, and structure all come together to tell a story about what the brand stands for. Unlike traditional campaigns that may appear briefly on screens, packaging sits in the consumer’s everyday environment, constantly reinforcing the brand narrative and building an emotional connection over time.

Q. Does packaging play a role in both brand building and performance marketing?

Packaging plays a strong role in brand building because it helps establish the visual identity, personality, and recall of a product in a crowded marketplace. Performance marketing, on the other hand, is usually driven by targeting, messaging, and media optimisation, so it is not directly dependent on packaging.

However, good packaging design can influence the final decision when a customer is browsing online or in-store. A well-designed pack naturally attracts attention and can often be the differentiator that nudges a consumer to choose one product over another.

Q. What role does the right packaging play in driving repeat orders in competitive categories like beauty?

The right packaging is not only about looking attractive on the shelf. It has to complement the functionality of the product while communicating key information clearly and efficiently to the consumer.

In categories like beauty, customers interact with the packaging repeatedly, so ease of use, clarity of information, and durability all become important factors. When packaging manages to combine good design with usability and transparency, it enhances the product experience. Over time, this contributes to trust and familiarity, which are key drivers of repeat purchase and brand loyalty.

Q. What role do subtle, culturally relevant cues (colors, typography, visuals) play in strengthening consumer connection during seasonal periods?

Before a consumer considers engaging with a brand, the communication needs to pass a basic visual test. Colours, typography, and visual elements act as cues that immediately convey emotion, context and intent.

During seasonal periods, especially, these cues become even more important because they help the brand align with the cultural mood of the moment. Marketers have always aimed to build reliability and familiarity with their audiences, and thoughtful design choices help achieve that. When a brand is able to visually participate in a celebration or a cultural moment in a way that feels natural and respectful, it becomes part of the consumer’s memory of that occasion.

Q. What learnings can be gained from work recently done to design campaigns that celebrate acceptance, familiarity, and everyday rituals rather than aspirational messaging?

One of the biggest learnings has been that people genuinely appreciate brands that acknowledge the small joys of everyday life. Not every campaign needs to be aspirational or transformational. Sometimes, the most meaningful communication is the one that simply reflects what people are already feeling or experiencing.

With campaigns like Season of You, we realised that consumers often just need a small nudge or a gentle reminder to celebrate themselves and their routines. When a brand provides that moment of recognition, it becomes relatable and emotionally resonant.

Q. In turning limited physical touchpoints into amplified consumer experiences across stores, social media, and live events, what are the key things to bear in mind?

The most important thing is ensuring that every interaction feels special and intentional for the consumer. Even when physical touchpoints are limited, the experience can be amplified by connecting them with digital platforms and live moments.

The messaging should feel personalised and relevant, and the experience should feel curated rather than generic. When consumers feel that a brand has thoughtfully designed an interaction around their preferences or behaviour, they are more likely to engage with it, share it, and remember it.

Q. Could you shed light on the lessons from Pret A Manger’s Season of You and Mumbai Indians IPL partnership on balancing creativity, relevance, and brand consistency?

Both projects had very different emotional contexts, which shaped how we approached them creatively. Season of You for Pret A Manger used softer tones and a calmer visual language to reflect a sense of self-reflection and comfort for the customer. It was deeply rooted in understanding the current mindset of the audience and creating something that felt personal and reassuring.

The Mumbai Indians partnership, on the other hand, was designed to be energetic and celebratory. The colours, messaging, and design were much bolder to reflect the excitement around the team and the IPL season. In both cases, the challenge was to stay consistent with the brand identity while adapting the creative expression to suit the context.

Q. What can we expect from work being done during this season of the Mumbai Indians? Is the agency looking at working with other IPL franchises and sports organisations?

From a personal standpoint, it would be a dream to work with a league, team, brand, or personality associated with football.

Sports bring together passion, community, and storytelling in a very powerful way. As for the current IPL season, all I can say right now is that something interesting is brewing.

Q. How can strategic packaging elevate brand recall, engagement, and organic conversation without large-scale media spend?

If packaging manages to make the consumer smile or create a moment worth sharing, it can generate something extremely valuable — earned media.

When people voluntarily photograph, post, or talk about a product because the packaging delighted them, the brand gains visibility that cannot easily be purchased through traditional media spends. Strategic packaging, therefore, becomes a powerful tool to spark organic conversation and build recall without relying solely on paid amplification.

Q. How is AGENCY09 leveraging AI in areas like automation to deliver quicker turnaround times?

Like many other industries, advertising is currently undergoing a significant process transformation. At AGENCY09, we are using AI across multiple areas to improve efficiency and output.

This includes building internal tools, supporting design adaptations, and assisting in production where the budget and timelines demand faster solutions. AI allows us to streamline repetitive tasks and accelerate certain parts of the workflow, which helps teams focus more on strategic thinking and creativity.

Q. How much effort does AGENCY09 put into upskilling employees in areas like AI and deep tech?

Our focus has always been on building a culture of curiosity and continuous learning. We want our teams to feel comfortable experimenting with new technologies and evolving alongside the industry. Advertising today sits at the intersection of creativity, technology, and data, so it is essential that professionals understand how these worlds interact.

At AGENCY09, teams are encouraged to test AI tools for ideation, production efficiency, analytics, and workflow optimisation. The goal is not to treat technology as a separate innovation lab but to integrate it into real client work so that learning becomes part of everyday practice.