PR firms, ‘The Mavericks’ and 80 dB Communications enter into strategic tie-up, will rebrand for NCR market

 18th May 2018    PR News 
 Paarul Chand

Recently launched reputation management advisory - 'The Mavericks' backed by former H +K Strategies, president and CEO, Chetan Mahajan and former VP at 20:20 MSL,  Peter Abreo, has entered into a strategic partnership with Gurgaon-based 80 dB Communications. Set up in April 2015, 80 dB is founded and led by Kiran Ray Chaudhury and Abhilasha Padhy, with clients in diverse segments including technology, fintech, lifestyle & e-commerce.

Speaking to PRmoment India, while announcing the new partnership, Chetan Mahajan, founder and CEO of 'The Mavericks' said that, " The combined office of 80 dB & Mavericks in NCR will be rebranded as “80 dB – Mavericks”. 80 dB – Mavericks will drive the collaborative strategy, growth, service delivery and talent acquisition for the north market, while 'The Mavericks will focus on markets in Bangalore, Mumbai and other metros."

Mahajan added that, " Eventually, there will an equity swap between the two firms."

Explaining why the two firms are a good fit, Mahajan said that both firms are alligned in purpose for the client.

“As previous colleagues who have spent years working together, our joining forces is an expression of the mutual respect and trust we share. Our philosophy of business is aligned, deeper relationships that create unparalleled value, fuelled by knowledge, creativity, and commitment. This partnership will help us expand our offering to our clients and create bigger opportunities for our people.”, added Kiran Ray Chaudhury, co-founder and joint managing director at 80dB.

Ray Chaudhury also commented that the partnership brings in a set of senior professionals for client counsel for the long haul. 80dB handles clients such as OLX and online insurance firm, Cover Fox.

Growth Sectors: Tech, Fintech, Food Tech, AI, IoT, Start-ups

Given the background of the founders of 'The Mavericks' and '80dB' in tech, Mahajan said working with tech clients is a sweet spot for them.

 But Mahajan also clarified that they will be fairly sector agnostic given the team members diverse experience across industries. Mahajan flagged off tech, fintech, consumer tech, infratsructure as potential areas of focus. 

Abhilasha Padhy, co-founder, 80dB, who has also worked with Google, Philips and Mercer, said that " Startups is another space that is very exciting. Areas such as  the Internet of Things, AI, machine learning tech and quick service restaurants are all fresh areas to look at within start-ups."

Padhy added that there is also fresh interest in food tech, after the downslide in the sector two years ago. Padhy flagged off Charcoal Eats which has just raised Rs. 5 crores in a pre-series A round of funding as an example of fresh interest in the sector.

Aware of the PR rush for start-up clients, Mahajan added that they are not going to go after 90 perccent of the start-up sector, but look at those who are market leaders or have the potential to be market leaders.