Aegis Media inks equity partnership to set up Doosra Brand Communications

The agency will be a unique combination of creative and media, particularly focussing on non-traditional advertising.

Aegis Media has entered into a majority equity partnership with the creative agency Doosra to establish Doosra Brand Communications.

Doosra Brand Communications will be a unique combination of creative and media, particularly focussing on non-traditional advertising. With the new development, Aegis Media India can offer clients all benefits of specialisation, without the disadvantage of silos.

The entity will be headed by Zahir Mirza, head of Doosra. Mirza has earlier worked with agencies such as Mudra, JWT, and Lowe Lintas.

Talking to afaqs! about the new agency, Ashish Bhasin, chairperson, India, and chief executive officer, Southeast Asia, Aegis Media, says, "We have different Aegis Media companies such as Carat Fresh Integrated, Hyperspace and Isobar, which deal in events, digital and retail, but we missed having a creative agency. We realised that creatives are needed even for promotions and activations. Now, with the inclusion of Doosra Brand Communications, we have entered a new paradigm in integrated marketing in India."

The whole Doosra team, consisting of 12-14 people, has shifted to the Aegis Media office located on the top floor of Poonam Chambers 'B' in Worli, Mumbai. Right now, the company has started its operations in Mumbai, but intends to open two new offices in Delhi and Bengaluru by the middle of 2012.

For the record, the companies under the Aegis Media India umbrella are Carat (media communications specialist), Vizeum and Posterscope (out of home agencies), Brandscope and Hyperspace (retail), Carat Fresh Integrated (activation), PSI (airports), Isobar (global communications agency with digital thoughts), and iProspect (search and performance marketing).