An Unique Interview with Priti Nair & Nagessh Pannaswami, Founders of Curry Nation
Priti Nair and Nagessh Pannaswami, the artistic duo behind Curry Nation, have carved a definite area of interest in Indian promoting by mixing cultural perception with genuine storytelling.
Their daring, emotionally resonant campaigns rejoice India’s range whereas redefining how manufacturers join with audiences.
What impressed you to start out Curry Nation, and the way did the thought of constructing an unbiased built-in company take form?
Priti Nair: After we began Curry Nation, most businesses had been chasing multinational FMCG giants or new-age startups. However there was a blind spot – owner-managed, commodity-driven companies within the ₹100–300 Cr vary.
These companies had been handled as “too small” or “too boring” for severe model work. We noticed the other: an enormous alternative to remodel missed gamers into family names.
So we constructed Curry Nation as an unbiased company with one mission – To assist commodity companies break freed from the worth entice and construct manufacturers that command desire, not reductions.
“We don’t do promoting. We do outcome-building.”
The promoting panorama in India has modified dramatically over the previous decade. How is Curry Nation navigating this modification?
Nagessh Pannaswami: The outdated guidelines of promoting don’t apply anymore. Digital has democratized storytelling and each model has the identical stage – Whether or not you’re a ₹100 Cr firm or a ₹10,000 Cr firm, the distinction lies in readability of positioning and braveness of voice.
At Curry Nation, we’ve embraced a Challenger Mindset:
- We transfer quicker than networks can approve.
- We deal with insights, not budgets, as the actual differentiator.
- And we design manufacturers to thrive throughout LinkedIn, YouTube, WhatsApp, and retail cabinets with the identical consistency.
“Independence lets us break guidelines quicker than networks could make them.”
What position does cultural understanding and “Indian-ness” play in your campaigns?
Priti Nair: For us, tradition will not be nostalgia; it’s a aggressive edge. After we labored on Krishna Thulasi (ayurvedic private care), 18 Once more (ladies’s well being), Eva (teen fragrances), Good House (homecare), Pitaara (savoury snacks) and Rasna (drinks) – The breakthroughs got here from decoding on a regular basis Indian realities.
How ladies negotiate private selections, how teenagers specific confidence by perfume, how households bond round meals – That’s the place the magic lies.
What differentiates Curry Nation from bigger, world community businesses?
Priti Nair: World networks promote processes. We promote perspective. A multinational company might provide a world template, however for an owner-managed commodity enterprise, that’s like shopping for an costly swimsuit off the rack – It gained’t match.
At Curry Nation, we sit with the founders, reframe their enterprise by model pondering, and make creativity the final mile that drives gross sales.
“We’re not an company you outsource to; we’re a development companion you co-create with.”
What do right this moment’s manufacturers anticipate from businesses, and the way are these expectations totally different from a decade in the past?
Nagessh Pannaswami: A decade in the past, shoppers wished TV spots and visibility. In the present day, they need traction, development, and differentiation.
- They anticipate model structure as a lot as they anticipate promoting.
- They need multi-channel fluency – From retail to reels.
- And above all, they need companions who take accountability for outcomes, not simply deliverables.
“In the present day’s shopper doesn’t desire a vendor of advertisements. They need a companion of outcomes.”
What challenges do unbiased businesses like Curry Nation face in comparison with giant multinational corporations?
Priti Nair: The problem is apparent – Scale, sources, world case libraries. However the benefit is sharper – Focus, pace and starvation.
We’re nearer to the founder, sharper in our positioning, and quicker in execution. We don’t drown in layers of approvals. For a ₹100 Cr enterprise that wishes to develop 3x, that’s the distinction between surviving the following decade or main it.
“Our smallness is our sharpness.”
What are your future development plans for Curry Nation in India and globally?
Nagessh Pannaswami: Our aim is to not be the most important company, however the most impactful one for commodity companies.
By 2028, we need to be generally known as the company that:
- Helped rework 100+ commodity companies into manufacturers.
- Constructed a world playbook for Commodity-to-Model (C2B) transformation.
- And created IPs – From workshops to awards – That modified how entrepreneurs take into consideration branding.
“The following world case research gained’t come from New York or London. They’ll come from Indian commodity entrepreneurs who dared to be totally different.”
Their journey displays ardour, objective, and an unwavering perception in creativity rooted in cultural reality.
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