Advertising is Dead: It's all Business with Varun Duggirala

Arjun Kolady on Brands, Audio & Modern Platform Ecosystems

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The ecosystem of modern platforms has been grown by professionals who've helped them scale in the market, by building awareness and capitalising on op...

Dhruv Sehgal on Evolving As A Creator

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The most engaging modern day content has been defined by storytellers showcasing stories that reflect the authentic workings of the world around us an...

Pankaj Zatakia Redefining Reading & Information Sharing

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our definition of the word 'content' becomes myopic many times in between all the visual and audio chatter, and we forget that content in its origins ...

Dhimant Parekh on Sustainability, Community Building & Commerce

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sustainability has grown as a focus area for many of us - not just as a thing we do from time to time, but as a definitive way of living our lives mov...

Suveer Bajaj & Pratik Gupta on Evolving as an Independent Agency Network

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The journey of new age agencies which are driven by 'a focus on digital', sees many points of evolution, led both by the way the market moves, but als...

Varun Thakur on Building a Career With Comedy as a Foundation

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The journeys of artists - be it comedians, creators, actors, or anyone who falls in the subset - are not linear journeys. There are various things tha...

Jon Cook on Building a Global Marketing Force Through Creativity & Culture

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The journeys of global agencies are filled with an immense number of learnings that we all can dig into - both from the choices they've made as an org...

Divya Aggarwal on Using Consumer Insights to Digitise Physical Experiences

04 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There has never been a more important time to truly understand consumers and the insights we get from them. As sector after sector sees widespread dis...

Mantra Mugdh Telling Stories Through Audio

28 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There's a uniqueness in telling a story, especially in audio form, as the person listening isn't just listening to the voice, but is also imagining th...

Varun Satia on Upskilling & Retooling Marketers

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The marketing space is one of the most every-evolving practises in our world today. It's a space where the need to constantly learn, upgrade and get h...

Tanmay Bhat on Staying Ahead of the Content Curve

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are some creators who have a genuine knack for seeing what is going to work. Not just what works now, but what is scalable going ahead.On this e...

Rafiul Alom Rahman & Nikhil Taneja's POV: Beyond Pride Month: Queer Culture & The Youth

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes, to understand culture and change it, we just need to have deeper conversations and listen to multiple POVs. - Varun Duggirala.Every year, a...

Masaba Gupta on Building Brands Around a Unifying Aesthetic

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many modern brands have been built by creators not just by keeping a keen eye on the consumer, but also from having the ability to take the essence of...

Vijay Parasuraman on Evolving the Role of the Marketer

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The fields we work in go through cycles. These cycles don't just evolve the places but also us as professionals. One of the spaces that has seen treme...

Rushindra Sinha & Satyen Poojary on Scaling the E-Sports Ecosystem

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sports. There's something about them that brings us together and makes us feel the entire spectrum of emotions. It brings us together as a community. ...

Deepali Nair on Growth, Leadership & Evolving Businesses

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The new economy of the world today has been driven ahead by leaders who don't just focus on a few singular aspects of the companies they lead, but als...

Rajeev Chatterjee & Shriram Iyer on Balancing Traditional Experience With New Age Thinking

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The evolution of what brands look for in their partners has resulted in many stages of agencies reinventing themselves. This has also led to many indu...

Anand Chakravarthy on Media & the Future of Marketing

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The growth of digital put the entire advertising and marketing industrial complex on a path of accelerated transformation. The aspect that saw the fas...

Bharat Sethi on Direct to Consumer in a Pandemic & Beyond

19 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest market disruptors in recent times have been direct-to-cosumer brands. These brands have grown by making products around specific co...

Be You Nick Creating Relatable Content

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many creators are changing their content to adapt to the times as they're confined to their homes. However, there are some whose content has seamlessl...

Ankita Tandon Democratising Education

05 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many sectors into hyperdrive. Not just by spawning growth in usage, but also by bringing about an enhanced focus on t...

Jacob Pace on Building The Next Stage of Content on TikTok

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When one says 'TikTok', what comes to mind is all the fun, dance, comedy, and other user generated content that we're all so addicted to consuming. Bu...

Karthik Srinivasan on Communicating & Adapting During Lockdown & Beyond

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The last month or so, has been one of the most disruptive times for the way we work, communicate and live. And not just as individuals or people, but ...

Ankur Warikoo on Failure Resume, Work-Life & Beyond

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We are living in a time of tremendous disruption. Yet, it's also an interesting time because it is making us sit back and reassess how we function, bo...

Tara Bedi & Niharika Pande on Enabling Safe Self-Expression on Instagram

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We live our lives on social media. That's been true for a while now.However, over the last couple of weeks (or even over the last couple of months for...

Jay Mandel on Content in The Time of Corona

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Think about this new normal we're in, and then think about the boundaries that we've had for years that have been shattered as we're stuck within the ...

Varun Duggirala's AMA - Adapting to the New Normal & What’s Next?

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Self-quarantine time does not mean that it's an off time for questions about advertising. Those never cease, and so, nor do we!On this episode, while ...

Sarvesh Shashi on The Business of Wellness

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most brands today talk about 'purpose' as being central to what they need their brand to be. This is driven primarily by the fact that consumers today...

Tarika Soni on Power of The Camera

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As an advertiser, Varun ends up meeting people who have interesting stories, job roles and journeys. One such person, with a very interesting perspect...

Varun Duggirala's AMA FEB 2020 - agency FAQ, content next, talent+culture & lots more

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of us are interested in advertising as a career and business. It's an exciting industry with endless possibilities. But we all have tons of ques...

Kunal Rao on The Introverted Creator

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Varun is joined by comedian Kunal Rao, who talks about being an introvert and how finding that out changed a lot of things in his life for ...

Harshil Karia on Evolving The Creative Agency Business

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Managing young workforces, building businesses around them, and constantly keeping those businesses evolving for what the industry requires is no easy...

Tejas Menon is The Professional Fan

11 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The term 'pursuing your passion' is used very often and is very loosely bandied about. We should realise, that for most creative folks, the term shoul...

Viraj Ghelani & Pulkit Kochar on Meme Sabha

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are trends in marketing that we don't think of as trends in marketing, because of how entertaining or engaging they are. Memes and meme content ...

Sucharita Tyagi is Not 'Just' A Film Critic

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A great thing about this age of the internet is that we get to voice a point-of-view, as well as create content around it. But, can the point-of-view ...

Pooja Jauhari: AMA Episode

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why is there a need to do this long overdue AMA episode, you ask? It's because you all asked some interesting questions that Varun felt needed to be a...

Avinash Jai SIngh on Creating Through Different Lenses

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Developing the design, determining the visuals, figuring out how the content fits as a part of the project, etc., are all innate parts of being a crea...

Anto Philip & Shreyans Jain on Building Youth Experiences

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year folks! :) How can one build experiences that the young feel they can relate to, while not being pandered to? To understand that, why no...

Lloyd Mathias: From Marketer to Angel Investor

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There are periods that are called the golden years of a brands marketing and these ebb and flow. There are also those who facilitate these waves, not ...

Chaitanya Kataria on Building a Business around an Artist

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artists have a central ethos within which they build their art form. This has also led many artists to build entire businesses, that are centred aroun...

Nishad Ramachandran : From Creative Director to Consumer Experience

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of the common misconceptions about the disruption in the advertising and marketing space is the fact that this is all about social platforms and c...

Efe Çakarel on Hand-Curating Cinema

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We live in a time where there are so many platforms to consume content, but so many times we end up scrolling through and taking more time to decide w...

Ranveer Allahbadia: From Creator to Entrepreneur and Beyond

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When you talk about the creator economy, it started with a bunch of people creating content and sharing it with the world. All the barriers that were ...

Tesa Joseph on Casting Stories

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Casting is so crucial for anything you want to create as everything else is what you're adding on to it. They speak about how despite the best locatio...

Sattvik Mishra on New Media & The Publisher Mindset

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With the emergence of new media and the digital age, at times its best that brands have a publishers mindset. With content taking various forms and sh...

Rohan Joshi & Rytasha Rathore on Stories, Authenticity & Randomness

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With the introduction of apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, the world of social media has morphed into a completely different one. On this episode o...

Aditya Swamy is The Evolving Marketer

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Advertising is Dead, host Varun Duggirala is joined by an old friend and Head of Agency Partnerships and Creative Services at Googl...

Akshat Harbola Doubling Down on Audio

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Audio is having its moment. There was a time when a marketer's plan would generally have a lot of video or print, with audio just a small supporting e...

Angshuman Ghosh: The Unsegmented Director

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of the pivotal pieces across the media, advertising, and entertainment landscape is the director. The director is at the center of everything to r...

Sonali Gupta on Mental Health and the Workplace

08 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mental Health has gained more importance through the years, and for a long time we have been looking at surface level solutions to tackle those proble...

Ankur Tewari on The Artists POV

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On Advertising is Dead host Varun Duggirala is joined by none other than storyteller Ankur Tewari as they talk about how artists find newer forms of e...

Himanshu Vaswani & Nikhil Udupa on Amplifying and Balancing Subcultures

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is a sub-culture? Why does everyone want to be a part of it? How does it work as an ecosystem? On this episode of Advertising is Dead, host Varun...

Shamsuddin Jasani on Evolving the Digital First Agency Model

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Advertising is Dead, host Varun Duggirala is in the studio with Shamsuddin Jasani, Group MD at Isobar South Asia. Together they dis...

Gaurav Wadhwa on Music Re-Labelled

10 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Content around music has evolved a lot. Aspects such as marketing have started to gain as much importance as the composition itself. On this episode o...

Khushboo Benani on Brand Hustlers

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Advertising is Dead host Varun Duggirala is joined by the Head of Content, Influencer Marketing, and Brand Advocacy at Diageo India...

Anuj Gosalia on Not-so-Micro Storytelling

27 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Advertising is Dead features CEO and Co-Founder of Terribly Tiny Tales, Anuj Gosalia. Host Varun Duggirala discusses how Terribly Tiny...

Saurabh Bhowal on Blending Left and Right Brains

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Advertising is Dead, host Varun Duggirala is joined by his long-time friend Saurabh Bhowal as they discuss their efforts to create ...

Indira Rangarajan on Radio in the Digital Age

13 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Advertising is Dead, our host Varun Duggirala speaks to the National Programming Head at Mirchi Love, Indira Rangarajan. They discu...

Anant Rangaswami on The Journey Of Ideas And Advertising

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Mr. Anant Rangaswamy, Editor of MELT on WION. They speak about how the space of advertisin...

Keya Madhvani on Purpose, Communication & Conversation

30 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Communication is a funny word, it is something we use very loosely and many a time we get so tight-fisted on how it needs to be used especially in med...

Ronnie Screwvala: Of Dream Merchants & Entrepreneurship

23 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's a fanboy moment for Varun Duggirala as he is joined by entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala on this episode. They talk about being an outsider in the me...

Gaurav Lull on Evolving The Branded Content Model

16 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Gaurav Lulla, Co-Founder of Loose Cannons Content Studio. They talk about the importance of ...

Pratish Mepani on Branding, Design & the Process

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Pratish Mepani, Founder & Creative Director at Starting Monday Design & Branding Co. Yes, he...

Ashwin Suresh &Anirudh Pandita on Attention Traders

02 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode of Advertising is Dead, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Ashwin Suresh and Anirudh Pandita, founders of Pocket Aces. Their con...

Ravina Rawal on Content Around Content

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode of Advertising is Dead, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Ravina Rawal, Founder, and Editor of Dead Ant. Ravina talks about the...

Sivaram Parameswaran on Marketers of Today

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Sivaram Parameswaran, Senior Marketing Manager, LinkedIn. In this conversation, they talk ab...

Roopak Saluja on Pivots, Flux and Production

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Varun Duggirala is joined by Roopak Saluja, Founder and CEO of The 120 Media Collective. They talk about the value system followed by...

Cyril D'Abreo on The Industry of Faff

04 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode, we have the man who has done it all - from being a DJ in Goa to a videogame tester, to a librarian at some point. He currently...

Sidharth Rao on Founder to Founder

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Sidharth Rao, CEO and Co-Founder of Dentsu Webchutney. Sidharth talks about the initial challenges he fac...

Harshad Chavan is Jack Master of all Trades

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode, Harshad Chavan, Managing Director at Toast Events joins host Varun Duggirala to talk about his professional journey. From spac...

Varun Duggirala's AMA: 25 Not Out*

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Since this is the 25th episode, we decided to change things up a little. We've put the host Varun Duggirala on the hot seat! That's right. He's the gu...

Nikhil Taneja on The Voice Of The Youth

07 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, host Varun Duggirala is joined by Nikhil Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO of Yuvaa. They talk about the good old days of working at MTV, th...

Advait Gupt on The New Age of Purpose-Driven Content

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Advait Gupt, Founder and CEO of Supari Studios joins host Varun Duggirala as he walks down the memory lane and shares the story of their first project...

Pranay Swarup on People-Powered Influence

23 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pranay Swarup, Co-Founder and CEO of Chtrbox, joins Varun Duggirala this week to dig deep into the space of influencer marketing. They talk about the ...

Saurabh Kanwar on Why Campus Is The Answer?

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Saurabh Kanwar, Co-Founder of ATKT and Varun's ex-boss at Channel V is on this week's episode discussing the importance of giving campus students a pl...

Vijay Subramaniam on Managing Talent & Human Emotions

09 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What constitutes the ecosystem around talent? What does it take to be a talent manager today? What does it take to be a creator? Vijay Subramaniam, Co...

Sunetro Lahiri &Prashant Kohli: The new age creative director

02 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sunetro Lahiri and Prashant Kohli, Senior Creative Directors at The Glitch join host Varun Duggirala, Co-Founder and Content Chief at The Glitch to di...

Prashanth Challapalli on Inside The Complexity Of Agency Life

26 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Prashanth Challapalli, Chief Operating Officer at Leo Burnett Orchard joins host Varun Duggirala to discuss what's the role of an agency in this compl...

Naveen Richard on Looking Through The Humorous Lens

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and comedian, Naveen Richard, joins host Varun Duggirala to discuss his writing process and finding his source material, being a writer for a w...

Nirmika Singh on Culture Curation, Music & What Lies Beyond

12 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nirmika Singh, Executive Editor of Rolling Stone India joins host Varun Duggirala for a riveting conversation. They talk about: - The importance of un...

Gaurav Kapur on The Untapped Potential Of Sports Media

05 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Gaurav Kapur, widely known as the TV presenter, and also the Founder of Oaktree Creative Solutions, joins host Varun Duggirala. The former Channel V a...

Viral Jani on The Bridge Between Platforms & Brands

26 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The evolution for media companies is far beyond their box. Their growth now lies outside it. There are not only platforms for content but also compani...

Amit Doshi and Kavita Rajwade: A Conversation About Conversations

19 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Amit Doshi and Kavita Rajwade, Founder and Co-Founder of IVM Podcasts joins host Varun Duggirala, Co-Founder and Content Chief at The Glitch, to discu...

Pooja Jauhari on Bringing Structure To Creativity

12 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On this Valentine's Day edition, Varun Duggirala is joined by Pooja Jauhari, his wife, who's also CEO of The Glitch. They talk about how they met, how...

Shreyas Srinivasan on Why Engineers Excel At Creativity

05 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Shreyas Srinivasan, Founder & CEO of Insider, joins host Varun Duggirala (who's also his batchmate from engineering college), on this week's episode. ...

Priyanka Khimani on Understanding IP & Creative Rights

29 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In today's era of creativity, having someone to advise you on the complexities and realities of your rights is a requisite. As a creator, you ought to...

Anshulika Dubey on Crowdfunding For Creators

22 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Traditionally, creators haven't faced as much of a creative block as they have a monetary block. With the advent of crowdfunding platforms, the consum...

Rituparna Som on The Editorial Landscape & The Cultural Filter

15 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today, content is all-encompassing and brands need to be part of relevant content that's both credible yet engaging. And that's why the word 'journali...

Roshan Abbas on Live Events 101

08 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Roshan Abbas has worn many hats over the years - whether it's radio, television, his company Geometry Encompass, Kommune or the SpokenFest. On this ep...

Karthik Nagarajan Wrapping Up 2018 in Advertising

01 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

2018 has been an interesting and transitional year - a year that has defined many aspects of the advertising and media space. To look back at the year...

Sagar Gokhale on Marrying Brands with Creators

25 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

While we are surrounded by creators, there are also those who have built the ecosystems around them, to help grow, encourage and amplify their message...

Vinodh Bhat: When Audio Is On The Rise, You Monetize

18 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When you look around, everyone has earphones plugged in. It makes you wonder, what are they listening to? Is it just music, or is there a whole other ...

Akshaara Lalwani on The blurred line between PR & Digital Marketing

11 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What's the deal with PR in the digital age? How have the lines blurred between what PR agencies have traditionally done and end up doing now? Varun Du...

Kunal Jeswani on Why Chaos is Good

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How is traditional advertising getting swept away in this new age of digital disruption? Varun Duggirala, Co-Founder and Content Chief at The Glitch i...

Rohit Raj: The Glitch in the System

27 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How does breaking the rules work in your favour? Find out from two men who had no background in advertising and are now Co-Founders of one of India's ...

Ep. 00: Introduction

01 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Advertising has a bad name, it's often perceived as that one thing which we can't wait to skip or block. But is that all its about? Because if you lis...