Leo South Asia has won a stunning creative streak in recent years, winning the world’s best creative agency prestigious title in the 2025 Warc Creative 100 rankings. Part of this success is rooted in a deep understanding of the often misunderstood media situation in India. “It’s easy to assume that rural India is dependent on outdoors, television and radio, but that’s not true, but India has the deepest internet penetration in the world. Telephone.”
He said, “From a media and advertising perspective, YouTube, Instagram and Local platforms are consuming massive content consumption because data is cheaper than anywhere else in the world.”
Fragmentation of Indian media is a real challenge, but it is just as an opportunity. “Even before digital, there were 432 TV channels in different languages. Media planners have always dealt with this fragmentation, but now they are 10 times more fragmented for digital. The opportunity is to express powerful, transformative ideas in many ways, not 30-second ads.
Leo’s work with the hygiene pad brand whispers, for example, shows a diverse range of thinking, not just advertising. “India is a unique and diverse market, and when you travel across big cities, every state feels like a different country,” says Amitesh.
“When you go to India in a small town, it’s a totally different culture, different ways of thinking and different food. Virtually everything is different. But here you can see in every state. Lots of things.
“Of course we are a hygiene pad brand, but we’re trying to try this issue first. For many years, we’ve been running a program called “Keep Girls in School.” We have introduced the chapter on the National Education System regarding Period Education. One thing: I can create sufficient education, knowledge, and awareness of the fact that periods are a healthy and normal part of growing up, so that it doesn’t matter if a girl stays in school, you pray, or what your cultural system is?
Amitesh emphasizes that this is not just a communication solution, it is an integrated approach. “Yes, communication is an important part of it, but whispers create small size hygiene pads for young girls. It’s a product solution. It’s a distribution solution. It’s a school revitalization solution. This is a running school program. It’s not just advertising.”
Looking at the future, Amitesh sees emerging technologies that seem to play a major role in Leo’s approach. “I strongly believe that AI is a multiplier of power for creativity. It’s a partner and collaborator, not a threat. It’s already changing the way we do business, but it’s not an unhealthy or threatening method if you know how to adopt it.”
He divides the AI abilities into two buckets. “First, optimize efficiency to reduce speed and costs. This is a low fruit and table stake. In the end, everyone gets there. The real differentiator uses AI to promote creative thinking.”
Furthermore, Amitesh sees it as a force to uncover more accurate and granular insights. “We can see a 200-person audience base, not a 200-million viewer base, each with a unique mindset. We can identify and target those cohorts with personalized messaging. One idea can’t be done by the human workforce alone, but when we scale with AI.”
He also points out how AI accelerates market research. “10 or 15 years ago, we did quantum research with 2,000 people and market visits. It was limited in scale. AI provides a faster, deeper reading of what is in the minds of consumers, providing a richer stepping stone for strategic and creative thinking. Magic still has to come from the human imagination.
In advice to young people who want to enter the industry, Amitesh said, “Do what you like. It sounds cliché, but that’s true. Too many older generations have done things for money, growth and social boxes.
He laughs at what advertising is like as a profession. “I think I’m missing the blueprint, a collection of misfits that stumbled upon it. You may have an aerospace engineer, lawyer, dentist, you may have a creative mindset, but sometimes you love what they do.
