'The Mavericks was born from a desire of what modern communications firm could look like'

Every agency has a pitch but few have a purpose of taking India’s roots forward. This is the story of a modern-day Indigenous PR agency that's rewriting the rules of PR and comms world and representing the power of Indian agencies across various industries.

The Mavericks is a modern home grown, audience‑first reputation management and integrated marketing agency rooted in indigenous values of relationship, equity, and purpose. Since 2018, this boutique consultancy has leveraged deep research into every campaign, be it public relations, digital strategy, crisis management, or start-up advisory, ensuring brands connect meaningfully and sustainably. With a “one‑country, one‑team” ethos, it is dismantling regional silos to offer unified service across India. It collaborates with brands and organizations ready to make meaningful impact by weaving Indigenous knowledge with modern insights. Today, the agency stands out for its fearless ideas, driving change, amplifying underrepresented voices, celebrating identity, and commitment to real impact.

In today’s ‘IndiGenius PR Agencies’ series, we go behind the scenes and explore The Mavericks journey in the modern communications era, including its challenges, how it stays connected to roots of Bharat, how it distinguishes itself from established industry players, its contributions to transforming India’s communication landscape, and so much more.

Excerpts

Share the story of how you started your agency and how has the role and perception of indigenous PR agencies changed since you first entered the industry from today?

The Mavericks was born in 2018 from a deep desire to reimagine what a modern communications firm could look like. After nearly two decades in the industry, working across finance, operations, and ultimately communications leadership, I saw a growing disconnect between what clients truly needed and what legacy agency models were built to deliver. There was too much hierarchy, too little agility, and far too much focus on process over impact.

So, we set out to build something fundamentally different—a place where both people and clients love to belong. We are a reputation-first, audience-centric consultancy with a one-country-one-team structure that breaks silos and delivers business impact through storytelling.

Since then, the perception of indigenous PR firms has undergone a seismic shift. From once being considered “alternative” options to now being viewed as agile, insightful, and often more invested partners, independent agencies have carved a powerful niche. Clients are increasingly drawn to our speed, contextual understanding, and ability to drive outcomes, not just outputs. We’re no longer in the shadows of global networks—we’re shaping the future of the industry.

How do global PR firms view India as a market? What sets your firm apart in terms of market insight, execution, and results?

India is not just a large market—it is the fastest-growing economy in the world, poised to become the fourth largest within the next two years. Naturally, global PR firms see India as a critical region for future growth. Many already have a strong presence here and are focused on consolidation to ride the wave of expansion ahead.

At Mavericks, we’ve built our edge by going deep rather than wide. Our strength lies in integrated communications anchored in public relations and reputation strategy. We are not structured by regions but function as one agile, national team, allowing us to deploy our best people where impact is needed, irrespective of geography.

Our work is built around delivering measurable business impact, not just visibility. We’ve invested heavily in research, audience intelligence, and data science over the past seven years, enabling our teams to blend gut with insight, crafting stories that land with precision and resonate deeply. In a market where ROI is no longer optional, our relevance only grows stronger.

What are some of the key challenges indigenous firms face when competing with globally recognized PR firms?

The most significant edge global firms have is access to multinational clients through strong headquarters-level relationships and the ability to offer multi-country solutions through a single network. Their collective institutional knowledge from diverse markets can also serve as a competitive advantage when shared internally.

However, where independent firms like ours shine is in our speed, flexibility, and contextual insight. Decision-making at global firms can be layered and slow, which is often a mismatch for today’s fast-evolving business landscape. Mavericks, like many high-performing independents, can pivot quickly, offer senior-level counsel without red tape, and deeply embed ourselves as extended partners rather than external vendors.

We may not always win on legacy, but we consistently win on relevance, response, and results.

What is the scope of the PR market in the SME and MSME sector?

The medium scale businesses represent a massive untapped opportunity for communications firms in India. While early-stage entrepreneurs often prioritise immediate business outcomes over long-term reputation building, the shift happens once they cross a certain growth threshold. That’s when the need for structured brand positioning and reputation strategy begins to take precedence.

However, PR on its own doesn’t make the cut with this segment. What’s needed is integrated communications, where storytelling, digital marketing, influencer engagement, and performance content converge to drive visible business impact. Given the sheer scale of mid-market businesses in India, this is a highly lucrative and scalable opportunity, especially for firms like ours that blend strategy, agility, and execution under one roof.

How is your agency training the next generation of communicators to support India’s future?

At The Mavericks, we believe the future of communications lies in building talent that is not just skilled in execution but also in integrative thinking. While much of our learning happens on live projects, we deliberately structure assignments to challenge our teams across verticals, including PR, content, digital, strategy, and analytics, ensuring a 360-degree exposure.

Our one-country-one-team structure allows people to work with leaders across geographies and disciplines, which is a powerful learning accelerator. We’ve institutionalised this through our proprietary in-house programme Masters in Integrated Marketing, a hybrid learning model that brings together senior industry mentors, curated online courses, and structured reading tracks. This is complemented by hands-on AI training to unlock speed and scale.

We also maintain strong partnerships with India’s leading communications institutes, not only as recruiters but as mindset shapers. Initiatives like our Maverick of the Year award with the Delhi School of Communications reflect our commitment to building an integrated-first mindset from day one.

How do client expectations differ between Indian and international markets? Do they still rely on traditional methodologies or are they adapting to new technologies?

India’s diversity is its defining complexity. From hyperlocal markets to globally ambitious unicorns, the communication needs here are layered and multifaceted. We’re talking about a blend of languages, cultures, business models, and audience behaviors—all within a single country.

As a result, Indian clients tend to demand solutions that are hyper-contextual, execution-led, and ROI-driven. While traditional methodologies like earned media continue to hold value for building trust, the real impact lies in combining them with digital, data-driven, and influencer-led strategies. That’s where integrated thinking becomes critical.

In comparison, international markets may lean more toward structured, long-term brand building. India demands speed, adaptability, and a sharper focus on measurable impact. Our role is to strike the right balance between old-school credibility and new-age agility, and do it at scale.

What does the future of PR look like to you, and how is your firm preparing for the digital shift?

We believe PR is not dying, it’s transforming. Traditional PR, in its media-first avatar, may be fading, but the core of public relations, earning influence to build, protect, and sustain reputation, is more relevant than ever.

The future of PR lies in integrated communications. This includes social, influencer, data, crisis, digital platforms, and AI, all working in concert to tell stories that resonate and scale. What’s changing are the channels and tools; what’s not changing is the purpose.

At The Mavericks, we’ve been preparing for this shift since day one. Our integrated structure, research-first approach, and AI-infused workflows are designed to deliver speed, relevance, and business impact. We’re not just adapting to the digital future, we’re shaping it.