Ex-Zed Digital hand launches Eccentric Engine in Mumbai

Varun Shah, partnering with young entrepreneurs Nitant Soni and Gaurav Rane, has launched the new digital agency that will focus on every digital content need of a brand.

To the number of new creative shops in the country, add another digital agency with the launch of Eccentric Engine. A venture of ex-Zed Digital hand, Varun Shah with partners, Nitant Soni and Gaurav Rane, Eccentric Engine, currently launched in Mumbai, will open its doors in New Delhi in a month.

The agency looks to be the one-stop solution for all brands' digital content needs, offering animation, applications, graphics and videos, among others.

"While brands focus extensively on marketing and media strategy, content in digital has the same significance as a creative agency. There is no one-stop shop that provides all these services. That is where we step in," Shah says.

He remarks that what will set Eccentric Engine apart is its strong technical base, complete with brand understanding.

"We are strong on brand consultancy as well as on the technical aspects. Furthermore, we have 'labs' within the company. We encourage our team to work on non-brand promoted products and applications to nurture ideas," he says.

To launch the website, the founders of the agency have come up with the unique idea of a virtual launch party. Shah tells afaqs! that instead of choosing a high profile launch party, a virtual experience has been opted to announce the launch in a fun, cost effective yet efficient way involving the digital community.

Any user coming to the 'party' (logging on to the website www.eccentricengine.com) is welcomed with a short stand-up comedy gig (a video by stand-up comedians Tanmay Bhat and Gursimran Khamba done exclusively for Eccentric Engine). Thereafter, through a Facebook app, a personalised greeting is generated for the user thanking him/her for being a part of the experience.

The team at Eccentric Engine is currently 14 people strong, including business development and creative personnel. The team at the soon-to-be-launched Delhi branch will focus on new businesses, while technology and development will be based in Mumbai.

Shah, who will head the business and branding team at the new agency, has earlier worked with VivaKi and ZenithOptimedia's interactive agency, Zed Digital. Rane and Soni, who earlier were running their own digital outfits, will head the Flash and research and development teams, and the web and mobile team at Eccentric Engine, respectively.

Eccentric Engine has partnered with ZenithOptimedia and Performics to create content for brands such as eBay and Mahindra. Shah adds that the agency is in the process of independently pitching for new business.