Punt Partners, a marketing technology services company co-founded by (late) Sidharth Rao and Madhu Sudhan, has onboarded Abhinav Sinha and Rohan Naterwalla as founding members to head its creative offering.
Sinha brings with him tech experience having worked with companies like Star Wars, Lego and Amazon Game Studios. He also co-founded Newlit Technologies and Immersion Technologies, launching what is billed as India’s first VR cognitive assessment platform.
Naterwalla is a homegrown creative talent from Dentsu Webchutney, who has worked on clients like Hershey’s, Tinder, MakeMyTrip, Platinum Guild, Facebook, Aditya Birla Capital and Bajaj Allianz.
In a statement, Naterwalla said, “You might be an intern with two months worth of experience, or you might be a big cat with 20; chances are that if you’ve ever worked in advertising, at some point you’ve dreamed of starting your own agency. We all share this common dream in our industry because, despite all the pitfalls it tends to have, it’s almost obvious to us all that if done right, we could definitely have the most fun jobs in the world – bar none. No debate. End of discussion.”
He added, “Sid & Madhu might have started Punt, but they deputised us all to co-imagine what this ideal agency setup could look like. For us, that meant surgically redefining the very concept of a ‘creative team’. At Punt Creative, therefore, our creative team comprises more than just writers and designers; we also sport a very diverse pool of strategists, community managers, technologists, and developers, all working together to help our clients interact with their audiences like never before. After all, it’s 2023; ideas that don’t own the metrics for clients are ideas for agencies and not clients. The rest? It’s all a punt.”
Sinha said, “Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked with companies and colleagues who have been at the forefront of telling some of the most beloved stories in the world. But when it comes to advertising, there is a wild west-type approach to technology and storytelling. This has led to a huge opportunity cost. And now, with an increased buy-in from clients for immersive experiences – from virtual, augmented, extended reality – to a greater demand for metaverses, to the rise of generative AI applications, a transformative shift has been happening over the past 18 to 20 months.”
“That’s what excites me about what we’re building here at Punt Creative. By introducing and integrating best practices from around the world – like playtesting, brown boxing, vertical slicing, realm upskilling, and retrospectives, for example – and merging them with existing processes for creativity, we have built new standards and an approach that is unheard of in the industry. We have tried to ensure that – for once – the conversation around narrative, design, and technology is not skin-deep when it comes to connecting brands with audiences,” he added.
Sumera Dewan, President, Punt Creative, said, “I am excited to announce the addition of Rohan and Abhinav to our team. Their distinctive blend of technological expertise and advertising knowledge marks a significant milestone for our agency as we venture into the future of advertising. Through the synergy of imaginative thinking and leveraging cutting-edge technology, we are committed to consistently delivering outstanding results that surpass our clients’ expectations.”
