Small agency, big virals: The story behind Bare Bones Collective

In the ever-evolving world of advertising, where global networks dominate and new players emerge daily, small independent agencies are rewriting the rules of creativity. Bare Bones Collective, a two-year-old agency co-founded by writer-director duo Anuya Jakatdar and Girish Narayandass, exemplifies this bold new wave. 

Born out of a "pilot project" between two former colleagues-turned-life partners, the agency has quickly made a name for itself by balancing virality with meaningful storytelling, challenging traditional norms in a fiercely competitive industry. 

Having met as writers at AIB, their initial journey to become the founders of an agency was a delightful experiment. “The idea was simple: test the waters before diving into business together. If the pilot is a hit and we haven’t killed each other, we’ll greenlight it,” they tell afaqs!.

The recipe for virality and the art of balance 

From YouTube's 'Ganji Chudail' to 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' for Urban Company, and Jackie Shroff for Amazon Prime Video, the agency is behind a fair number of viral campaigns seen this year.

YouTube India transforms Ganji Chudail to Gen-Z Chudail

Urban Company's new campaign brings back nostalgia with 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' cast

But is creating viral content their primary strategy?

“In today’s digital-first world, virality is often seen as the measure of success,” explains Narayandass. “But it’s never the main goal. The priority is to align content with the brand’s objectives—whether it’s raising awareness, driving sales, or boosting traffic. Virality is just a happy by-product.”

Jakatdar adds, “Take Ganji Chudail for example. The aim wasn’t just to be funny or viral. It was about positioning YouTube as a hub for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content. The virality was a bonus. The campaign made even more sense as YouTube is where Ganji Chudail initially exploded.”

In a time of reduced attention spans, agencies face challenges in balancing long-term brand-building with immediate engagement, competing with OTT shows, high-budget production movies, and overwhelming media content to maintain relevance in audiences' minds.

"Every other brand we engage with is actively asking us, 'We need a viral idea'," says Jakatdar.

As writers and creatives, the duo believes in building a brand and empathises with marketers' dilemmas. 

“We feel that brands cannot afford the luxury of losing out on engagement anymore. Having said that, balance can also be achieved. Many of yesteryear ads that we consider timeless and classic are something that would have gone viral even today had they been on digital,” Jakatdar adds. 

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                                                                          Anuya Jakatdar&Girish Narayanandas

Beyond Humour

The duo, from a humour-writing background, says that despite the success of humour-based campaigns, the agency is cautious of being compared to other newer agencies with unique execution styles.

“We don’t want to be boxed in as an agency that can only execute humour. Humour works because it’s shareable, and engaging but storytelling doesn’t always need to be funny,” says Jakatdar.

Citing Urban Company’s ‘Chota Kaam’ campaign from early this year, she adds, “It was an excellent insight and the perfect execution. When I saw the campaign, I said to myself that we should have done this.” 
 
She continues that even in the most witty commercials, “Humour can sometimes overshadow the brand. We’ve all seen ads where we remember the joke but not the product. The goal should be to integrate humour without letting the brand take a backseat.” 

Narayandass believes that viral films help communicate the brand's essence, making it a win-win situation. 

Agency Model 

Bare Bones Collective combines a core team with a network of freelancers, working with experienced talent on a project-by-project basis to address the "burnout" dilemma in advertising, ensuring the model benefits both the agency and its clients. 

“They are happy to work with us, and this helps us offload work for ourselves as well as them. They are wonderful people with whom we have long-standing relationships," says Narayandass. 

"We are a small agency of five employees and the core ideas and strategy come from our in-house team, but this model allows us to bring in fresh perspectives and manage workloads.” 

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Navigating the Boon and Bane of a ‘small agency’ tag 

“It is extremely hard and has been getting increasingly harder. Especially for smaller independent agencies swimming among the big networks and newer agencies popping up,” says Jakatdar. 

The duo acknowledges the recognition the agency has received this year, despite the challenges it has faced. “Every campaign is a battle against self-doubt, but seeing them resonate with audiences and industry folks keeps us going," she adds. 

The duo also thanks the freelance writers who have collaborated with them. "We're lucky to have them as our star collaborators. Kudos to all the small independent agencies that are thriving and working with all integrity,” says Jakatdar.