The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has launched the INDIE Council for Independent Advertising Agencies, with Tanya Goyal of Everest Advertising appointed to lead the initiative.
The council aims to address the business, creative and talent-related challenges faced by independent advertising agencies, particularly smaller firms competing with large global agency networks. Its focus areas include strengthening regional representation, encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration, expanding access to emerging technologies and building structured mentorship programmes.
The council will work to provide platforms for talent beyond major metropolitan centres, ensuring regional perspectives contribute to wider industry practices. It also plans to facilitate knowledge exchange between independent agency professionals and experts from fields such as filmmaking, technology, design and social sciences.
Another priority is intergenerational mentorship, with structured programmes intended to connect emerging independent creators with established industry professionals.
Focus on AI adoption and talent development
Access to emerging technology will form a key part of the council's agenda. The initiative aims to facilitate subsidised training and access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, marketing technology (MarTech) and advanced data analytics platforms, which can be expensive for smaller agencies.
The council will also address talent retention and recruitment in the independent agency ecosystem by working towards competitive compensation benchmarks, mental health standards and greater professional recognition.
“The INDIE Council is designed to give small and medium agencies a voice and a platform to grow,” said Goyal.
The council will begin its activities with an AI Boot Camp scheduled for after Diwali. The programme will cover the fundamentals of prompt engineering and help participants build proficiency in emerging technologies.
Jaydeep Gandhi, vice-president of AAAI, will head the AAAI Academy, which will plan and coordinate the association's learning and skilling initiatives in collaboration with the INDIE Council.
“We will start with basics in prompt engineering, and help build more fluent usage of emerging technologies,” Gandhi said.
AAAI aims to strengthen independent agencies
Dr. Sandeep Goyal, president of AAAI, said the council would provide independent agencies with greater support and opportunities to develop their capabilities.
“Independents are the backbone of our industry, and the INDIE Council is a vital step to ensure they have the support they need,” he said. “With Tanya leading this effort and with Jaydeep Gandhi’s guidance, we are committed to building capability and creating opportunities for this critical segment.”
Through the INDIE Council and AAAI Academy, the association aims to strengthen the capabilities of independent agencies and create a more supportive ecosystem for smaller players across India's advertising industry.
