Building an independent specialised agency ft. SW Network founders

As legacy advertising networks continue to consolidate services, a crop of independent, specialised agencies is finding space to grow. Among them is SW Network, an agency that began in 2015 as a bootstrapped startup and is now marking its tenth year in the industry. 

Founded in 2015 by Pranav Agarwal and Raghav Bagai, SW Network, previously known as Sociowash, began with two leaders who lacked traditional advertising backgrounds yet possessed genuine passion for the craft. Their outsider status, which might have been a liability, ended up becoming their strength.

"When we started SW Network in 2015, neither of us came from an agency background. But we loved advertising. We didn't look at our lack of experience as a problem. It actually helped. We weren't tied to how things were traditionally done," says Pranav Agarwal, Co-founder of SW Network, reflecting on their early days. 

This freedom from the industry’s traditional rules allowed them to build an agency focused on execution and outcomes rather than adhering to established practices. Agarwal emphasises their belief in the “Do more. Talk less.” philosophy. 

Over the years, the agency has built a client portfolio that includes Panasonic, Flipkart, BMW, P&G, Century Ply, and AB InBev. 

A specialised ecosystem under one roof

According to the founders, the structure allows each unit to function with specific expertise while maintaining alignment with broader business goals. This integrated approach, they suggest, reduces friction in campaign execution and allows for quicker turnarounds.

"Each vertical at SW Network is built to solve a specific need, but works closely in sync with the others. That's what allows us to move fast and stay sharp."

The agency operates through four key divisions, including SW Creative, a digital-first creative agency that develops insight-driven ideas for contemporary platforms; SW Studios, a production division ensuring creative concepts translate into high-quality finished work; Youthbeat, a creator and ambassador network connecting brands with campus communities and youth audiences; and Growth Labs, a performance marketing team that tracks and scales campaign impact.

This approach enables the agency to deliver solutions across sectors, from fashion and technology to consumer goods and automotive. 

The starting point is listening as the team spends time understanding what the audience cares about, how they are speaking, what’s trending in their world, not just on the internet, but on the ground too.

Moreover, Agarwal comments, “We also make sure the team working on a campaign genuinely relates to the audience we’re targeting. If we’re building something for young Gen Z consumers, it has to be led by people who live in that space.” The philosophy that "every campaign should start a conversation" has guided its creative approach across various client engagements.

For example, one of the recent campaigns that really captured this idea was its work with Cleartrip. The travel category’s communication has been stuck in a loop of offers, discounts, and last-minute hacks. 

To break through the clutter, the agency collaborated with author Chetan Bhagat to create a satirical book exploring common travel booking myths. "Instead of another sale campaign, we created and actually wrote a book with Chetan Bhagat. A funny, satirical take on all the bizarre travel hacks people believe in," Raghav Bagai, Co-founder of SW Network, explains. "It wasn't just a prop. It was a real, published book that became the centrepiece of the campaign."

It expanded into video content featuring Bhagat as a quirky travel expert dispensing absurd advice before revealing that using SuperCoins on Cleartrip offers savings. The campaign debunked travel myths while positioning the brand as the solution for value-conscious travellers.

When crafting campaigns like this, Bagai and the team learnt a lesson. “When you avoid what the industry is chasing and do something genuinely different, the results follow. Every campaign teaches us something new. Whether it’s about improving execution, sharpening craft, or scaling the idea bigger next time. That’s what keeps the work fresh and the conversations alive.”

Recently, the agency has also worked on creative and outdoor campaigns for brands like Flipkart to launch smartphone brands like Infinix, Samsung's F06 5G; Myntra's Gen Z-focused clothing brand ‘FWD’, through its Youthbeat vertical, and more.

Road to IPO and culture as the foundation for growth

In its next phase, the agency is eyeing to add D2C brands, lifestyle, BFSI, pharma, automobile, and FMCG to its roster and eventually go for an IPO, based on a previous interview with us. 

The agency's ambition toward an eventual IPO will depend on whether its verticals are scaling profitably and if its leadership pipeline is strong enough to run as an institution, and on the timing. 

Raghav Bagai outlines, "A few things need to be firmly in place before we even consider that next chapter. First is financial maturity, not just profitability, but sharper governance, strong reserves, and the ability to consistently fund growth on our own terms."

Bagai emphasises, "The culture we've built has to hold even when we scale 10x in size, and our systems should support that without diluting what makes us, us."

However, the advertising industry struggles notoriously with talent retention. In this scenario, SW Network aims to retain talent beyond surface-level benefits.

"For us, culture has always been P0 (Priority 0)," Bagai states and shares, "It's not about fancy perks, it's about how people feel when they come to work. From the start, we've had a simple, non-negotiable rule: zero office politics. It kills teams faster than anything else."

This focus on creating a healthy work environment extends to its leadership development. Most current team leaders began their careers at the agency years ago, and Bagai shares that they have prioritised growing from within, giving people bigger responsibilities early, and letting them learn by doing.

This talent strategy has evolved alongside the agency's growth. The initial years required generalists who could adapt to various challenges, while currently it involves specialists with deep expertise alongside leaders capable of building effective teams.

"What's stayed constant is our belief in hiring people for their attitude first," Bagai explains. "Skills can be taught, but curiosity, ownership, and integrity are non-negotiable for us."

The agency has also implemented ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans), giving core team members ownership stakes, which is a relatively uncommon practice in the Indian agency landscape, where equity participation typically remains limited to senior management.

Global ambitions

SW Network currently operates from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, with strategic plans for international expansion targeting the UAE, Europe, and APAC regions. Each new market represents an opportunity to apply their integrated model to diverse cultural contexts.

"The next 90% is about building a truly global, independent agency network from India. Not just exporting work, but exporting thinking," Agarwal explains. Its focus remains on adding value across key sectors, including D2C, lifestyle, financial services, automotive, and consumer goods.

For Agarwal and Bagai, this journey is about building something that lasts, be it campaigns, relationships, or most importantly, a legacy. Bagai describes their future direction as "scale with integrity", expanding while maintaining work quality. 

"We'll invest more in tech and AI, talent, and business-focused creative," he notes. "The north star will be simple: are we making work that's remembered and making a dent in the industry and/or on the client's bottom line?"

In a market where consolidated networks dominate headlines, SW Network aims to demonstrate that independent, specialised agencies can survive in today's fragmented media environment.

For SW Network, relevance is the ultimate metric. Agarwal concludes, "If our work stays relevant to culture, platforms, and business problems, we will stay in the game."

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