Promodome Group is a 360-degree communication organisation that has been shaping India’s advertising and marketing landscape for over two decades.
Sandiip Kapur has been serving as Founder and President at Promodome Group. Under Kapur’s leadership, Promodome Communications has grown into a full-service integrated marketing and advertising agency with a strong presence across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Jaipur. The company has worked with leading public sector organizations, government ministries, and top private sector brands, delivering innovative campaigns across advertising, digital marketing, media buying, events, and film production.
Over the years, Promodome has produced 150+ ad films and corporate films, along with feature films such as Jugaad, Anaarkali of Aarah, and Bhonsle. The organization has also executed 100+ large-scale events and campaigns for prestigious clients including Indian Oil, ONGC, NHPC, Maruti Suzuki, Panasonic, Microsoft, and Delhi Tourism, among others.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Sandiip Kapur, Founder, President Promodome Group
Q In building a 360-degree communication organisation that has focussed on shaping India’s advertising and marketing landscape for over two decades what have been the key learnings?
The summary of work shows that we have achieved the following results.
1. Most people consider advertising to be consumer-focused, yet this principle proves difficult to implement because personal interests emerge during actual work execution. Thus, one needs to continually keep separating wheat from the chaff and stay focused.
2. Embrace Change: Keep your eyes and ears open all the time for new developments; unless and until you are willing to embrace the changes that technology brings and the way consumer behavior changes, you shall be extinct sooner than you think.
3. Building relationships is the key. Clients will continue to support you when you show them respect through your relationship with them. Clients will understand that you cannot always succeed at building relationships with them, but when you show dedication to solving their problems, you will keep their business for an extended period.
Q. Has under promising and overdelivering been an effective strategy over the years?
This is a strategy that works everywhere, and advertising is no exception. It is often seen as more relevant to our business as we provide a service that is rather dynamic and has many factors and forces influencing our work.
Q. What goals have been set for 2026 in strengthening its presence across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Jaipur and what is the gameplan to get there? Are there plans to expand to more markets?
The advertising business is in a state of flux and is changing faster than ever and is one of the businesses that are influenced heavily by advancing technology. The other factors are services becoming more specialized, and these specializations naturally give way to specialized companies. Moreover, the traditional advertising agency model is changing, and the agencies of the next decade will be very different from the ones of today.
We are therefore exploring various models, and some of these are already in place. One of these is creating partnerships with companies specialized in each area and having a wide sphere of influence. For example, a company located in Mumbai with strong influence across Maharashtra and nearby states is one that could be a strong contender. One with national influence is a sure-shot leader in the race. We intend to grow through a mix of our own offices and partnerships.
Q. Is Promodome’s remuneration increasingly being tied to driving business outcomes for clients?
It has always been so; we have always been focussed on driving business outcomes for the clients. It’s just that many agencies across the world have woken up to it recently and are coming up with new models every other day.
There are several instances in the last quarter of the century that we have been around where every campaign is evaluated as per objectives that we mutually decide with our clients. We have handled MNC clients like Intel, Microsoft, Prysm, Fuji Films, etc. and delivered for them; the same has been the case with Indian clients like Hindware, Bata, Livpure, Campus Shoes, etc.
Q. How is AI reshaping the media, advertising and communications industries and how is Promodome leveraging AI?
We are in the era of Marketing 6.0, where the integration of technology in communication is a given. Plus, we know that AI is not something that will happen sometime in the future; it is already here in every aspect, be it analyzing consumer preferences, planning media, preparing creative content, etc.
Our approach is not about adding AI to our existing setup. We realize that AI is the guiding force, and our agency’s structure is undergoing a change so that we stay ahead of the times.
Q. The agency reinvented itself by focussing on digital during COVID. Is digital still the cornerstone of the strategy even after normalcy resumed in 2023?
Digital isn’t something that came with Covid and has gone with it. Today, digital is an integral part of our strategy, and we believe that today we are in an era where all media, starting from outdoor to digital, including print, radio, and TV, have to work in a manner that delivers on clients’ marketing and advertising objectives.
Q. Could you talk about recent work done with public sector organisations, government ministries and private sector brands that standout?
Among private sector brands, our work on Livpure stands out. As well as a Pan-India outdoor campaign delivered for McDonald’s India for the launch of its new meals and burgers. Our work for DDA about naming Delhi’s parks after freedom fighters as well as Guru Charan Yatra for MoPNG and promotion of the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup stand out.
One of the campaigns you shall soon see is for the census, which has been delayed due to Covid and other reasons. A multi-media campaign that will reach out to each and every citizen of India shall be coming out soon, and we are delighted that we have been entrusted with this extremely important task.
Q. Right now when it comes to the marketing and advertising sector is there a mood of caution in the industry due to geo political tensions in categories like food and beverage, oil, gas?
There sure is a wait-and-watch kind of a scenario regarding this; it’s just that our government has managed the situation such that prices haven’t gone up and panic hasn’t spread. People have tried to create panic and spread chaos, but they are getting checked and countered regularly.
Q. Does the communication approach with public sector organisations involve a lot of coordination with Government departments?
People must understand that creating communication for govt. organizations & PSUs is a matter of great responsibility, as it directly concerns people and their welfare. Close coordination is a given in this case.
Q. In ensuring the desired reach, engagement and impact for clients is declining attention spans a challenge? Over does the challenge lie in resonating in a sea of sameness due to an overuse of AI by some clients, agencies?
Declining attention spans is certainly a challenge; but then, a four-hour film like Dhurandhar has become one of the biggest hits ever. It proves that authenticity will always win and attract attention. It will break barriers like sameness etc.
Q. TV ad revenue is struggling badly. Is work that you get for the medium going down as a result? Will TV continue to find the going difficult?
When TV came, they said print would be extinct. When digital came, they said TV would die. Has that happened? If you check data, TV advertising spend has gone up, and if you look at the successful campaigns of late, they have been about integrating various media rather than choosing one over the other.
Q. Gen Z prioritises authenticity. Gen Alpha has no patience for mediocrity. Are these TGs as a result forcing communication and advertising experts to rethink tactics?
I will repeat the example of Dhurandhar here. The film is inspired by true events, and the story has been told in a very authentic manner. We don’t need to rethink tactics if our products and services are authentic and are communicated in an authentic manner.
Q. The agency a couple of years back did work for the Kho Kho World Cup. When you work with any non-cricket sport does the communication strategy start by educating the audience on what makes the sport unique?
The Indian sporting scenario is very different from what it was about thirty years ago. People have become very enthusiastic about sports, as is evidenced by successful leagues for soccer, kabaddi, badminton, and more. In fact, I see India becoming a global sporting power in the coming decade, and cricket will continue to hold sway, as it is miles ahead of other sports.
Our growing economic might will result in sporting might, and people’s awareness of sports will continue to grow. Kho Kho is a sport that is played in various parts of India, and all it needs is open space and no fancy equipment, and it will grow in the future.
Q. Four years ago the agency did some work on the Metaverse. Was the Metaverse a fad like NFTs? What do you happening in these spaces in the coming five years?
One of the areas we are focused on is immersive storytelling, and that has become an integral part of communication nowadays.
The metaverse is about such storytelling, and we will surely be doing more work in this area in the future.
Q. How will the blockchain impact the sectors that Promodome works in in the next five years?
The way we see it, blockchain delivers increasing transparency, fraud reduction, and enhanced consumer privacy. All of these aspects are critical considerations for today’s consumers, and these shall help to foster trust between advertisers and publishers.
We believe that anything that delivers these is good for both advertisers and consumers, and we shall use it wherever it is relevant.
Q. Microdramas are competing with short form videos for consumption. Will Promodome look at doing work in this space for clients and is a lot of learning needed in is this format to succeed?
We are already into microdramas and short-form videos. But let us keep our focus on the fact that communication will work as long as it is authentic.
