Calcutta, Dec. 7: If start-ups are jostling to grab eyeballs, can ad agencies be far behind? Not if the agency can offer products that fit the lean budget of a start-up. Sniffing a prospect in the growing number of enterprises looking to create a buzz on a small budget, veteran ad man Ram Ray with daughter Rashi has launched Zero Budget Agency. “Our philosophy is to create for the clients strong ideas that does not cost much,” co-founder Rashi Ray said. The city-based venture operates on a very low overhead cost but have at least two clients from Bangalore. Ray said some of the clients were not even in a position to make full payment but the agency still took up the job because it had a great idea. “We have taken sweat equity as part of our fee in a venture developing an app that agglomerates trends of any kind from the globe,” Ram Ray, who also runs full-service ad agency Response, said. The agency uses the digital space not only to create communication strategy but also to hook clients. Ray said it was getting enquiries from several small towns such as Bidisha in Madhya Pradesh and Sambalpur in Odisha. Sidharth Pansari, owner of book store “Story” on Elgin Road, said the association with Rashi worked for him when his tie-up with national book chain Crosswords was to end sometime back. “The brand, logo, communication and design came from them. The transition was smooth.” An industry veteran said the agency could fill up a vacuum that existed in Calcutta in new-age branding and advertising through social media and digital platform. “However, it is still early days and there will be competition. The jury is still out on whether an entrepreneurial agency like this can survive the future.” he added.

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