Wit & Chai’s Transformative Year of Growth, Innovation, and Impact

As we conclude another year, it is essential to reflect on the key developments, challenges, and achievements that have shaped different sectors throughout the past 12 months. The year 2024 has been marked by dynamic shifts, rapid innovation, and the continued adaptation to both external factors and emerging trends.

Adgully’s annual feature – REWIND – revisits different sectors and identifies the key developments as well gauges the long-term impacts of those developments. We speak to a cross-section of industry leaders to bring a 360-degree view of the industry landscape, the growth trends, financial performance, disruptions, innovations, challenges and more.

Mohit Ghate, Co-founder at Wit & Chai, shed light on the agency's transformative journey in 2024, emphasizing its remarkable growth and expansion. Ghate highlighted the launch of their offices in London and Mumbai, alongside the growth of their Pune team to over 100 talented individuals. He also spoke about the acquisition of Pratisaad Communications, which has enabled the agency to offer comprehensive BTL services, meeting client demands more effectively. Reflecting on standout campaigns like the “Gyaan ke Ganesha initiative,” Ghate underscored the agency’s commitment to crafting advertising that entertains, educates, and engages. He also stressed the importance of fostering a healthy work culture, staying true to their philosophy that life outside advertising enriches creativity within it, setting the stage for an even more dynamic 2025.

The Advertising industry and Indian economy as a whole?

The advertising industry in 2024 mirrored the broader shifts in the Indian economy: resilient, adaptive, and full of opportunities. However, one of the more fascinating undercurrents is how mergers and acquisitions have consolidated several agencies into sprawling legacy houses. While these may look impressive on paper, they seem destined to crumble under their own weight as the industry shifts towards more nimble, independent outfits. Advertising today rewards speed, creativity, and adaptability, not bureaucracy. The future belongs to agencies that can think fast and act faster.

The trends and developments that dominated this Advertising industry during the year?

This year was also marked by three dominant trends. First, AI. It’s no longer just the buzzword of the year; it’s becoming the lifeblood of modern advertising. From predictive targeting to generative content, AI has unlocked a level of precision that simply wasn’t possible before.

Second, the rise of what I call “deep fried content.” In the race to be relevant, we’ve seen a surge of dopamine-chasing formats like “Ganji Chudail” collabs, brainrot videos, you name it, that grab eyeballs but often leave the audience with nothing meaningful to hold onto.

And third, a quiet yet powerful return to advertising that makes you feel something. In a world dominated by Zomato’s puns, Duolingo’s threats, and Ryanair’s roasting, Nike’s recent campaign reminded us of the lasting power of honest, emotionally charged storytelling. Forward-thinking brands are starting to embrace this again, and it’s a trend I hope will continue.

How did Wit & chai perform during 2024? What were the key developments/ achievements of Wit & chai during the year? 

For Wit & Chai, 2024 was a year of growth and transformation. We expanded our footprint to London and Mumbai while growing our Pune office to over 100 brilliant minds.

We also welcomed Pratisaad Communications into the Wit & Chai Group, allowing us to offer events, exhibitions, and other BTL services, a natural extension of what many of our clients were asking for.

We launched some of our most exciting campaigns to date, with one of the highlights being the “Gyaan ke Ganesha initiative”, which became a symbol of how advertising can entertain, educate, and engage all at once.

Internally, we focused on building a workplace that lives by our belief: “If you have a life outside advertising, your advertising will have a life.” This philosophy has shaped everything we do, from flexible work policies to investing in our team’s personal and professional growth.

Looking back, I’m incredibly proud of the year Wit & Chai has had. The challenges we faced only made us stronger, and I’m excited to see how we can build on this momentum in 2025.