What the end of DDB means for the legacy it built with Mudra

The strategic retirement of Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), one of the influential creative agencies in commercial history, was the ultimate result of the efficiencies of a streamlined corporate architecture. Following the Omnicom–IPG acquisition, DDB has now been folded into TBWA, joining FCB and MullenLowe among the legacy agencies being phased out.

To understand DDB’s impact, one must trace the arc from its global creative legacy to its entry into India with the acquisition of Mudra Communications.

The birth of Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB)

Doyle Dane Bernbach was founded in Manhattan on June 1, 1949, by a triumvirate with complementary skills of its founders: Ned Doyle, Maxwell Dane, and Bill Bernbach.

DDB’s most profound organisational contribution was creating the modern creative department model by pairing an Art Director directly with a Copywriter. This institutionalised the integration of visual art and compelling narrative, making the ads that created desire for the product and did not just describe the product in an ad.

Bill Bernbach is universally credited with igniting the creative revolution of the 1950s and 1960s. He challenged the era's reliance on hard-sell techniques and exaggerated product claims, instead promoting authenticity, simplicity, and human truth.

One of DDB's first iconic campaigns in 1949 for Henry S. Levy & Son bakery featured the slogan: ‘You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's’. This work highlighted the power of giving a commodity a human personality and focusing on shared cultural humour.

The agency’s approach led to global recognition through campaigns that embraced vulnerability and difference.

Volkswagen ‘Think Small’

This campaign popularised the Volkswagen Beetle by contrasting it with the era's large American cars. By embracing the Beetle's size and unconventional form with sophisticated humour, DDB validated its unique selling proposition.

Avis ‘We Try Harder’

This campaign set the tone for comparative advertising by acknowledging Avis's position as the number two car rental firm. It turned a positional weakness into an advantage, arguing that because they were the underdog, they had to work harder.

First consolidation

DDB’s trajectory changed permanently in 1986 when it became a core component of the newly formed Omnicom Group, established through the merger of DDB, BBDO Worldwide, and Needham Harper Worldwide.

Crucially, the 1986 strategy combined financial muscle while preserving the distinct creative brand identities of DDB, BBDO, and Needham Harper. The contrast with the 2025 retirement is stark. The first consolidation protected DDB’s identity; the second mandated its absorption. There's a shift in priorities as holding companies now invest in integrated capability and operational scale over creative diversity.

The rise of Mudra Communications

The Indian story began with the establishment of Mudra Communications in 1980 by A.G. Krishnamurthy (AGK). Mudra was unconventional, starting in Ahmedabad, away from the established hub of Bombay. This strategic decentralisation allowed Mudra to cultivate a genuinely ‘Made in India’ ethos.

AGK’s influence extended to institutional development, leading to the introduction of the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) in 1991. MICA became India's premier institution for strategic marketing and communication.

Mudra-era campaigns

By the early 2000s, Mudra had established itself as one of India's leading agencies, with capitalised billings reaching Rs 850 crore by 2004 and revenue streams diversifying across sectors like automotive (e.g., Volkswagen), consumer goods (e.g., Philips), and telecommunications. This growth was fueled by alliances, including the 2004 launch of Rapp Collins India for direct marketing and the 2005 formation of Tribal DDB India, a digital joint venture with DDB's interactive arm.

The hallmark of the agency's historical strengths was in crafting memorable jingles and taglines that capture emotional connections. It had developed some of the most iconic and successful advertising campaigns in Indian history, defining mass-market consumerism. 

Vimal Fabrics 'Only Vimal'

Even though it was the ad legend, Frank Simoes, who had coined the tagline 'Only Vimal' in the late seventies, it was Mudra that took the brand to the next level as an upmarket clothing brand for Indians. Mudra used models from Kabir Bedi to Blitz editor R K Karanjia for the Vimal brand and by 1989 was the third-largest ad agency in India.

Rasna 'I Love You Rasna'

The agency’s 1983 ‘I love you Rasna’ campaign quickly turned a regional soft-drink concentrate into a national brand, with a child actor’s lisped delivery becoming widely recognised. By 1986, the brand had become India’s largest-selling soft-drink concentrate.

Dhara Cooking Oil 'Dhara Dhara Shudh Dhara'

The Doordarshan era TVC for the brand, with the tagline Dhara Dhara Shudh Dhara, aimed to associate the edible oil brand with purity and emotional comfort in Indian households, which was strategically achieved by featuring a child actor.

Polo 'Mint with a Hole'

Representatives like the Nestlé Polo 'Mint with a Hole' campaign won Agency of the Year honours, further strengthening the agency's growing prowess in innovative brand launches.

LIC 'Zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi'

For the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), DDB Mudra coined the tagline 'Zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi' in 1999, emphasising the insurer's role in providing security both during policyholders' lives and for their families afterwards.

Kerala Tourism 'God's Own Country'

The agency coined the term for the campaign ‘God’s Own Country’, and the phrase quickly became the most recognisable nickname for Kerala, both domestically and internationally. It is now widely used to represent the state's identity and appeal to tourists.

Entering the DDB Mudra Group era 

The independent era of Mudra concluded in 2011 when Omnicom Group acquired a majority stake, leading to the rebranding as the DDB Mudra Group and its full integration with DDB Worldwide. 

Omnicom restructured its Indian operations by forming Omnicom Advertising Services, a unified group encompassing DDB Mudra, BBDO India, and TBWA India, with Aditya Kanthy appointed as CEO to oversee strategy, talent development, and cross-agency collaboration. 

During this period, the agency delivered globally acclaimed and culturally profound work. The agency's work continued to target sectors like FMCG, automotive, and finance, with a focus on incorporating Indian cultural nuances such as regional languages and social values to ensure relevance and authenticity in messaging.

For example, the consolidated agency launched multiple campaigns with Stayfree, a sanitary napkin brand, to normalise conversations around menstruation, which is still treated as a taboo subject, particularly for men.

The chapter of acquisitions doesn't end here for the agency. In 2013, DDB Mudra Group purchased 22Feet, a Bengaluru-based digital agency, which was subsequently merged with Tribal Worldwide India to form 22feet Tribal Worldwide, enhancing the group's digital and social media expertise.

Other subsidiaries include Mudramax, focused on media and activation services, and integrations with DDB Tribal for specialised digital offerings, forming a comprehensive network under the Omnicom umbrella.

The ultimate fate of the DDB brand was sealed by Omnicom’s colossal acquisition of IPG. The core motivation was to generate vast cost savings, projected to surpass $750 million annually, and create the world’s largest holding company by revenue.

As the holding-company era becomes defined by scale over signature, DDB’s retirement now poses an implicit question to the industry: in the pursuit of operational power, who will create the next idea that shifts culture?