Sign up for afaqs! Newsletters
Quasar launches its second digital agency, Blazar, in India
Blazar will be a full-fledged digital agency, offering both creative and media solutions to advertisers
Quasar, the interactive agency owned by WPP and Smile Interactive Technology Group (SITG), has set up its second digital agency for the Indian market. Named Blazar, it will be based in Gurgaon.
As in the case of Quasar, both WPP and Smile Interactive will own stakes in Blazar as well.
To begin with, Vij will lead Blazar; while Deven Dharamdasani, who is the business director and a founding member of Quasar, will head the media services part.
A business head will be appointed later, who will report to Vij and will be responsible for business acquisitions and managing operations for Blazar. Dharamdasani will report to this business head. Vij will remain co-founder for both the agencies.
Vij reveals that Blazar has already roped in two clients. Although he is not ready to divulge their names, he indicates that they are big internet companies.
This is not the first time that a digital agency has set up a second agency; however, floating a full-fledged, second digital agency is a rare phenomenon in India. In June 2008, Mumbai-based interactive agency, BC Web Wise, had launched a second agency called Big i Tuna, to handle conflicting accounts.
For the record, Quasar and SITG recently ventured into Africa and launched a digital agency named Squad Digital, in a joint venture with the Scangroup in Kenya. Scangroup, with a billing of about Rs 169 crore in the first half of 2009, is one of the largest advertising and communications services firms in Kenya.