Why Branding Is a Business Investment (Not a Marketing Expense) in 2026
Akartha crafts adaptive, hyper-local branding for AgriCentral.
Shravya
19 Jul 2025
Marketing & Advertising
Aka: How We’ve Learned to Speak to 1.4 Billion People Without Losing the Plot.
India is not a monolith. And yet, most campaigns treat it like one.
At Akartha, we’ve learned this the hard way and the rewarding way. Over the years, through work with brands like AgriCentral, we’ve built and tested campaigns that had to cut through not just noise, but nuance: languages, belief systems, economic classes, attention spans, and data speeds.
So when we’re asked what makes a campaign work in India, we don’t point to formats or trends. We point to behavioural truths, cultural pulse, and tonal precision.
Here’s what we’ve learned on the ground and in the edit bay.
01. India Doesn’t Need Loud. It Needs Local.
Most brands assume scale requires shouting. But in India, scale happens when you whisper the right words in the right dialect at the right time.
When we built AgriCentral’s campaign ecosystem, we avoided one-size-fits-all storytelling. Instead, we built video IPs that could speak to farmers in Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, and speak with them, not at them. This meant not just translation, but transcreation: tweaking humour, visuals, idioms, even the pacing of edits to match the rhythm of each region.
What works: Hyper-local content made to feel native, not branded.
What doesn’t: Generic campaigns with a single “national” identity.
02. Emotion Isn’t Optional. It’s Engineered.
In India, emotion isn’t just a seasoning, it’s the entire dish. A campaign without soul is like a thali without spice.
We structure campaigns with emotional intent first. Whether it’s a call-to-action for a digital product or a festive video for a social campaign, the heart of the message must be felt, not just seen. This emotional core must be visible in the casting, colour palette, score, voice, edit rhythm, and narrative arc.
For AgriCentral, we anchored every explainer or awareness video in one question: Does this sound like something a farmer’s brother-in-law would say over chai?
What works: Emotional clarity without melodrama.
What doesn’t: Over-intellectualised “insight films” with no warmth.
03. Chaos Isn’t the Enemy. It’s the Canvas.
India is noisy. It’s layered. It’s unpredictable. But that’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity.
At Akartha, we embrace this chaos. Our campaign design process is built for improvisation: rapid iteration, real-time cultural feedback, and flexibility in asset creation. For AgriCentral, we designed modular templates that could scale across use cases: app tutorials, crop alerts, promo reels, and awareness drives. The ecosystem grew with the community.
What works: Systems that allow creative agility.
What doesn’t: Rigid media plans built for linear storytelling.
04. Visuals Speak Before Copy Does
In a country where literacy levels and screen sizes vary wildly, design does the heavy lifting. It’s not just “aesthetic,” it’s access.
Our visual language for AgriCentral was built to feel friendly, non-intimidating, and rooted. Big typography, familiar symbols (a grain sack, a tractor, a sun), warm tones, and face-first videos made the content inviting before it was instructive.
What works: Clear, warm, human-centric visuals.
What doesn’t: Overdesigned, overbranded creative meant for awards, not humans.
05. Campaigns Don’t Go Viral. Communities Do.
The ultimate test of a campaign in India? Whether someone forwards it on WhatsApp.
At Akartha, we build for shareability, not virality. Our AgriCentral content was crafted to thrive in rural digital ecosystems, featuring short video formats, meme-able dialogue, voiceovers with regional slang, and captions that convey a handwritten feel.
But more importantly, we treated the audience as participants, not consumers. And in return, they shared our work as if it were their own.
What works: Community-first design.
What doesn’t: Urban-studio content dumped onto rural audiences.
If Your Campaign Doesn’t Feel Lived-In, It Won’t Be Listened To.
The future of branding in India isn’t about domination. It’s about decentralisation. It’s about creating messages that adapt without losing integrity. And that’s what we do at Akartha Craft, not just campaigns, but cultural ecosystems.
Because what works in India isn’t just strategy.
It’s the strategy that knows when to listen and how to belong.
Akartha crafts adaptive, hyper-local branding for AgriCentral.
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Scaling brands through data-driven digital performance.
Worked with brands like: Pocket FM, Blackbuck and many more.
Growth-focused Product Marketing & Management Leader. Skilled in strategy, agile growth, automation, and customer engagement for business expansion. Specializes in lead generation and sales enablement
Young, driven, and highly dedicated, Nirmal is a passionate video editor with an infectious work ethic. His energy, consistency, and attention to detail help turn creative ideas into polished, high-quality visual narratives.
Young, driven, and highly dedicated, Nirmal is a passionate video editor with an infectious work ethic. His energy, consistency, and attention to detail help turn creative ideas into polished, high-quality visual narratives.
Ranga Shayi brings a unique blend of MBA strategy and creative intuition to the team. With a background in Marketing & Analytics and sharp insights from the high-speed quick commerce industry, he knows how to spot a trend before it peaks. But what truly sets Ranga apart is his mindset in the volatile world of social media: He doesn’t believe in losing. In his playbook, you either win, or you learn something valuable for the next campaign. He’s here to ensure the agency does a lot of both.
Aditi Kakaria is a Social Media Manager at Akartha, contributing to the brand’s digital storytelling through creative ideation for ad shoots and Instagram Reels. Aditi collaborates with the creative team to develop engaging, trend led content that strengthens Akartha’s social media presence and connects meaningfully with audiences.
Shreya is an Associate Manager at Akartha, contributing through research led thinking and content creation while supporting key initiatives across the agency.
Kishore is the Executive Manager at Akartha, overseeing the smooth operation of the agency and ensuring everything runs efficiently behind the scenes. With a keen eye for detail and excellent organizational skills, Kishore manages day-to-day operations, coordinating teams, and streamlining processes to keep projects on track. His ability to juggle multiple tasks while maintaining a high standard of work makes him an invaluable part of Akartha. Outside of his role, Kishore is always looking for ways to optimize workflows and improve operational efficiency, contributing to the agency’s growth and success.