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Advertising and marketing network Dentsu has launched its newest Dentsu Lab in Mumbai, expanding its global network of research and innovation hubs into one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies. The lab, which blends creative experimentation with rapid prototyping and applied technology, is aimed at helping Indian and global brands tackle business and social challenges with long-term, scalable solutions.
The lab is part of Dentsu’s broader ambition to integrate creativity, culture, and advanced technologies across markets. With existing labs in Tokyo, London and other global cities, each Dentsu Lab is designed to reflect the cultural and business context of its location.
In conversation with exchange4media, Dentsu’s Global Chief Creative Officer Yasuharu Sasaki, along with Narayan Devanathan, President & Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu South Asia and Amit Wadhwa, CEO of Dentsu Creative India, shared their vision on how Dentsu Lab India will harness the country’s unique cultural and technological landscape to drive purposeful innovation, and where India sits in the global map for Dentsu.
“Each lab shares a common methodology, which includes rapid prototyping, R&D, and human-centered design to impact business and society. However, they are also each grounded in its local culture,” said Sasaki. “India is unique because of its tech-savvy population, strong engineering talent, and deep storytelling heritage. The Mumbai lab will reflect those strengths.”
Though officially launched on July 15, the Mumbai lab had already begun collaborating with clients, with prototypes and demos ready for preview. These solutions are designed to offer Indian brands a low-risk entry point into innovation, addressing the cautious mindset often seen in a performance-focused market. Projects like DSP Mutual Fund’s Garuda Rakshak, SBI Life’s Hug of Life, Vedantu’s The Everything Book, and Vice World News’ The Unfiltered History Tour exemplify the kind of creative, insight-driven work that Dentsu Lab India aims to champion.
Charter clients already onboard with Dentsu Lab India include SBI Life, DSP Mutual Fund, and Panasonic, signaling early trust in the lab’s innovation-first, low-risk prototyping approach.
India’s growing digital infrastructure and openness to technology make it a strategic choice for Dentsu’s next innovation lab. According to Sasaki, the country offers both creative and logistical advantages, serving as a bridge between Asia and Europe in terms of culture and geography.
“To create innovation for Indian people, the solution must be rooted here. India is a technology-enabled country. People are constantly using mobile, digital platforms, and social tools,” Sasaki said. “At the same time, there is rich cultural insight that can inform how we apply these tools. We believe the work developed here can also inspire labs elsewhere.”
He added that India’s unique positioning also opens doors for global collaborations. “I’m very excited to see what kinds of cross-cultural innovations can emerge, between India and Japan, or India and Europe. Innovation thrives in those intersections.”
While Dentsu Labs across the globe share a unified foundation in terms of core technologies, such as AI, digital platforms, and rapid prototyping, their impact is shaped by local context. Sasaki explained that while the underlying methodology remains consistent, each lab draws from the cultural fabric of its region to create something distinct.
One of the core challenges Indian brands face, according to Devanathan, is striking the right balance between creativity and return on investment. While there's an appetite for innovation, it is often approached through a lens of business pragmatism.
“I think it’s less about a lack of desire and more about practicality,” he said. “India is a value-conscious market, so brands want maximum ROI on every investment. Innovation, therefore, needs to be fast, low-risk, and results-driven.”
That’s where Dentsu Lab steps in, he explained. “With rapid prototyping, we can quickly test what works and what doesn’t. It lowers the barrier to experimentation. We don’t want experiments to be the exception, they should become the norm, and ideally, a core part of brand strategy.”
This philosophy also addresses concerns around performance marketing dominating advertising spends. Sasaki pointed out that while AI and data tools are essential for short-term gains, they often overlook long-term brand building.
“Efficiency alone cannot build emotional connections,” he said. “We need to think about long-term engagement and what makes people remember and trust a brand. It’s not just about making a nice TVC, it’s about building lasting impact.”
Dentsu Lab’s approach to technology is rooted in human insight rather than novelty. Instead of deploying tech for its own sake, the lab focuses on how it can influence real human behavior and emotion. Prototypes are built not just for functionality, but to test emotional resonance and cultural relevance, as explained by Sasaki. This ensures the outputs are not gimmicky, but meaningful solutions that are both sustainable and effective, serving business objectives while also making a social impact.
Creative Integrity
As Dentsu Lab India gears up to collaborate with local and global brands, questions around authenticity and sustainability have also emerged, particularly in light of recent global industry debates.
The lab’s leadership addressed the growing scrutiny around purpose-driven advertising, especially following the backlash against certain Cannes Lions campaigns, which raised questions about whether award-winning narratives genuinely reflect brand practices.
“We should not tell stories that aren’t backed by real actions,” Devanathan said. “Technology can be gimmicky if it’s not grounded in human insight. The same is true for storytelling.”
Wadhwa echoed this sentiment, noting that a brand, like a person, has multiple facets. “One side may focus on selling products, another on driving social purpose, but that purpose must be real. Many brands are walking the talk and to be fair are taking baby steps. The story is still evolving, and it deserves to be told more fully.”
Talent beyond advertising
Dentsu Lab India will also be staffed by an interdisciplinary team, not just advertisers and marketers, but engineers, scientists, artists, and product designers. The lab intends to function more like a creative R&D center than a traditional agency.
The lab’s earlier counterparts have already demonstrated this approach. Sasaki cited a project from Dentsu Lab Tokyo developed in 2015 for an educational tool tied to a snack brand. A decade later, the tool remains active, used by students and teachers, a rare example of long-term impact in brand-led innovation.
“This is not about campaigns alone,” Sasaki said. “This is about building tools, services, and experiences that last. We believe in long-term impact through R&D-driven creativity.”
Looking ahead
With prototypes already in development and early brand conversations underway, Dentsu Lab India signals a shift in how advertising groups can position themselves, not just as storytellers or campaign creators, but as innovation partners working on business and societal challenges alike.
“We’re very bullish on performance,” said Wadhwa. “But you can’t survive on just one part of the diet. The lab adds depth, solutions that balance performance with innovation. That’s what makes a brand ecosystem complete.”
As the lab begins its journey, Mumbai joins a growing list of cities using Dentsu’s hybrid model, merging creativity, culture, and computation to produce brand innovation that aims to be both relevant and responsible.
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