Every agency talks about creativity. Few talk about what makes it work. At Saatchi Propagate, that answer has always been strategy. It’s what connects the art with the outcome, the idea with its impact. When Snehasis Bose and Prachi Bali speak about their work, you don’t hear corporate jargon, you hear curiosity, conviction, and the quiet confidence of people who know exactly why a campaign has worked.
“Strategy is not limited to a department here,” said Bose. “Everyone contributes to it. Prachi and our creative heads are as much a part of the strategic process as our planners. It’s something that sits across the agency, not in one room.”
Bali agreed, adding, “At Saatchi Propagate, strategy is not an afterthought,rather the foundation of how we approach every challenge. It helps us see what’s invisible in a brief and turn that into something that drives business.”
That mindset recently came alive in their campaign for AO Smith, a challenger brand in the water purifier category. The brief sounded simple, revamp the e-commerce communication, but the task was layered. “Consumers know purification is important,” Bose said, “but they don’t always know how to judge the difference, who to trust in terms of claims.”
The turning point came from a technical detail. “AO Smith already had something valuable, Silver Charged Membrane Technology,” he explained. “But it was just an acronym that people didn’t remember. We asked ourselves, can we use silver as more than a scientific term? Can it stand for something aspirational, something cultural?”
Bose smiled as he recalled how the idea evolved. “Silver means so much in India, it’s purity, status, celebration. Around Diwali, silver has emotional significance too. When we looked at it through that lens, we realised it could carry both science and sentiment.”
What emerged was the campaign Switch to Silver. “It was simple,” Bose said, “but it made science meaningful to consumers. It told them AO Smith wasn’t just another purifier, it was the smarter choice. And because it launched around the festive season, the timing gave it even more resonance.”
That same belief, that clear strategy can lift creativity, also guided their digital partnership with Škoda for the launch of the Kylaq, the brand’s compact SUV. “Škoda has always been a strong brand,” Bose said, “but this segment was new for them. The target was ambitious, three times their usual numbers. The task was not awareness; it was conversion.”
He described how the team approached it: “Digital plays a huge role in auto today. We realised people already knew about the car. The real question was, how do we stay with them throughout their decision journey? How do we make sure they don’t drift to another brand while comparing options?”
Bali added, “It was one of those projects where everyone, client, creative, strategy, media, worked as one team. We built a digital ecosystem that fuelled conversation and reinforced credibility. Whether you were seeing Škoda on social media, checking reviews, or opening emails, it all felt connected.”
And the numbers reflected it. “When you look at engagement rates, they’ve never been higher,” Bali said. “Email open rates have hit new benchmarks. Even the Kylaq Club we launched has become a community people genuinely love being part of. That’s what happens when creativity and KPIs are aligned, not at odds.”
Both leaders credit this synergy to the Publicis Groupe’s Power of One model, which gives the agency access to deep specialisations across commerce, influencer marketing, production and data. “The beauty is that it’s not theoretical,” Bali said. “These are fully functional centres of excellence that we collaborate with daily. Most of our clients use at least two or three of these capabilities with us.”
Bose added, “It gives us agility. When a client sees data, creativity, and technology sitting on the same table, the conversation changes. They see solutions, not silos.”
One area where the team has especially focused its energy is the middle of the funnel. “Most campaigns chase awareness or performance,” Bali said. “But the middle, where consideration builds, is where digital truly shines. That’s where we work to create conversion stories that feel personal and persuasive.”
Naturally, the discussion turned to AI, which both leaders view as a transformative force, one that’s helping them move faster, test smarter, and scale content without losing authenticity. “AI is much more than the trends you see online,” Bali said. “At Saatchi Propagate, we use it for storyboarding, early concept tests, and even predicting what kind of proposition might land better with audiences.”
She explained how the agency now leverages Publicis Production’s Intelligent Content Hub. “It allows us to produce thousands of assets from one shoot. Not resized versions, but custom content designed for specific audiences and platforms. That’s real personalisation at scale.”
Still, innovation has not replaced responsibility. “We’re careful,” Bali said. “Legal and copyright checks are non-negotiable. We always include disclaimers and client approvals before anything goes live. It’s about balance, pushing technology while protecting integrity.”
Bali added, “AI is not replacing creativity, it’s removing friction. It lets the same 100 people do far more, by eliminating wastage and latency. It allows us to focus on the ideas, not the mechanics.”
For both, strategy has always been about one thing, clarity. “When we map a consumer journey, we’re not just plotting steps,” Bose said. “We’re understanding why each piece of communication exists and what role it plays. That’s what makes work effective.”
Bali summed it up with quiet conviction. “When the brand, the brief, and the consumer all click together, that’s when you know the strategy has worked. That moment of connection is what we chase every single time.”
And perhaps that’s what makes Saatchi Propagate’s work stand apart. It is not just creative, it’s intentional. Every idea is built with a purpose, every story anchored in insight, and every success traced back to one shared belief: that when strategy leads, everything else follows.
