M&C Saatchi expands India network with acquisition of Scarecrow Communications

M&C Saatchi has announced its acquisition and partnership with Scarecrow Communications in India. The agency will be known as Scarecrow M&C Saatchi.

Scarecrow Communications opened their doors 8 years ago, and in that time has remained fiercely independent and entrepreneurial which has allowed it to achieve profitability and scale in a relatively short period. Today, Scarecrow Communications have an extensive roster of brands on AOR, across categories including Viacom 18, Capital First, Emami, Future Generali, Zee Learn, Alcon Novartis, SebaMed (USV Pharma), Lactalis, Radio City, VTP, Mahindra, Business Standard, arthimpact, Anchor Panasonic, Reliance Capital and more.

Moray McLennan, Worldwide CEO, M&C Saatchi, said: “Our strategy is simple, find top talent in key markets and give it the freedom, responsibility and backing to flourish. Brutal Simplicity of Thought and an entrepreneurial spirit have been the key to M&C Saatchi outperforming the market. They are what clients both want and need. It was relatively easy to identify Mumbai as a key market, it was more challenging to find the right talent. In Scarecrow, we have found this and wish them all the best.”

The CEO of M&C Saatchi, Asia, Richard Morewood said: “We’re delighted to welcome Scarecrow as partners into the M&C Saatchi Asia group. Manish, Raghu, Arunava and the whole team will add fantastic strategic and creative strength in India and across the whole region.”

In a joint statement, the 3 founders of Scarecrow said: “We are very happy with this partnership. It’s no secret that in the past few years, we have had many suitors. But after meeting Moray MacLennan, David Kershaw and Jeremy Sinclair in London, we were clear that M&C Saatchi is the perfect partner for Scarecrow. Why? Because they have entrepreneurship in their blood. The culture of M&C Saatchi, that sprung from the personalities of the brothers themselves – irreverence, low tolerance for jargon, challenging the established order and the history of many larger-than-life campaigns – are qualities we identify with. Also, they have fantastic capabilities in sport, entertainment and mobile – which are personal interest areas. And yes, they are great people. We are confident that Scarecrow and its employees will gain from this move, in terms of training opportunities and exposure to new areas.”

The M&C Saatchi Network has a unique ownership model – partners, in each office, have a significant equity holding in their individual business. Scarecrow will retain its own identity and will operate with full creative freedom.