For us, strategy isn’t a department. It’s in the DNA of every creative solution we deliver.
Mumbai: In a world where most commodity brands are content with being functional, Curry Nation dares to do different. Founded in 2011 by industry veterans Priti Nair and Nagessh Pannaswami, the independent integrated agency has built a reputation for giving steel, cement, plywood, and lubricants the kind of narrative treatment usually reserved for lifestyle brands. With a sharp mix of logic and imagination, Curry Nation has helped redefine how traditionally “unsexy” categories can emotionally connect with audiences.
At a time when clutter is the norm, Curry Nation’s work stands out—not because it shouts, but because it speaks clearly, cleverly, and compellingly.
In this MadeInMedia.in exclusive, we sit down with Priti Nair, Founder, Curry Nation & Nagessh Pannaswami, Founder, Curry Nation the duo behind the agency known as the “Commodity to Brand Transformation Experts” to talk about creativity, independence, and how even cement can make you feel something.
You have both worked at large network agencies. What gap did you see in the industry that led to the birth of Curry Nation, and how has independence allowed you to bring your philosophy of ‘logic with imagination’ to life creatively and professionally?
Large network agencies are built for volume – they chase fat retainers, global alignment, and marquee clients. Which means they often have neither the time nor the temperament for owner-managed businesses. These businesses need attention, not just process. Time, not just timelines. Patience, not just PowerPoint.
We saw an entire segment of Indian enterprise – ₹100 Cr to ₹500 Cr+ being ignored or underserved. These were real businesses, built with grit and ambition, but stuck in a commodity cycle because nobody had taken the time to truly listen to them, understand their category, or help them articulate a brand.
That’s why we started Curry Nation. Independence gave us the freedom to work differently with empathy, with speed, and with deep involvement. We don’t send juniors with templates. We show up ourselves. We co-build, co-think, and co-own the business challenge.
And that’s where our philosophy of ‘logic with imagination’ thrives. We go deep into business problems and marry them with storytelling that resonates from retail counters to consumer minds. For us, strategy isn’t a department. It’s in the DNA of every creative solution we deliver.
Why the name Curry Nation?
Because it’s unmistakably Indian. And so are we.
Both of us Priti and I are unapologetic foodies. We believe food isn’t just nourishment in India; it’s emotion, identity, and expression. Curry, in particular, is a word the world instantly associates with India. But to us, it represents something deeper – diversity, depth, and flavour. No two curries are the same. Every region, every home, every hand has its own version. And that’s exactly how Indian brands should be built – rooted in culture, full of character, never cookie-cutter.
Curry also symbolises how India thinks and functions – layered, complex, and always driven by taste. Just like food dictates Indian rituals, relationships, and routines, we believe great branding must tap into the cultural palate of India.
So when we say Curry Nation, we’re not just talking about a name. We’re owning a belief – that strategy must have spice, storytelling must have soul, and brands must taste like where they come from.
You’ve been called “Commodity to Brand Transformation Experts.” How did that happen?
It wasn’t a title we gave ourselves – it came from the market. Over the years, we kept getting called by businesses that had great turnover, distribution, even dealer love but zero brand love. We built a proprietary framework called the C2B Model™ (Commodity to Brand) and used it to transform these ‘invisible’ businesses into brands customers ask for by name.
We’ve branded cement, lubricants, steel, milk, plywood, tires and even masalas and proved that no category is too boring when the storytelling is brave enough.
Can you share a campaign that embodies your philosophy of ‘logic with imagination’?
Two examples truly bring our philosophy to life where deep human insight meets bold brand imagination.
Take Eva Deodorants, a legacy brand trying to speak to Gen Z girls – arguably the most advertising-resistant audience today. Most brands sell confidence but we noticed something more nuanced – teen girls aren’t always confident. They’re tentative, figuring themselves out, testing boundaries, and growing into who they are. We didn’t want to lecture them with yet another “be bold” message.
Instead, we created “Special Happens” – a campaign rooted in the idea that everyday moments can become special when you feel good in your skin. The logic: deodorant isn’t just about sweat or smell, it’s about self-assurance in uncertain moments. The imagination: bringing that to life with a tone that was gentle, uplifting, and celebratory – not preachy. It allowed Eva to speak with teens, not at them.
Then there’s BKT Tires, entering India with global clout but low local recognition. The market saw them as just another OTR tire brand. We saw them as enablers of India’s infrastructure
dreams. That led to the line: “Bharat Ka Tire”. The logic: BKT powers farms, highways, mines – the unglamorous but vital engines of the nation. The imagination: making a tire brand feel like a patriotic force. It turned a commodity into a cultural contributor.
Both campaigns moved beyond category codes. They sparked emotional connection while staying rooted in business objectives. That’s what logic with imagination looks like at Curry Nation.
What challenges do you face in these categories? How do you build a culture that supports creativity in such tough categories?
The biggest challenge isn’t the category – it’s the mindset. Most owner-managed businesses in commodity spaces operate with a ‘sales-first, brand-later’ approach. Branding is seen as optional, not foundational. So before we even talk creativity, we have to first challenge deeply entrenched beliefs about pricing, visibility, and what customers truly value.
This is where our UNLIMIT Framework comes in. It’s a proprietary approach we’ve built over the years to unlock brand potential in so-called “uncreative” categories.
UNLIMIT stands for:
Uncover deeply human truths
Narrow down to one powerful narrative
Leverage cultural codes
Identify white spaces in the category
Make creativity business-relevant
Ignore fear, embrace boldness
Test for longevity, not just virality
This framework helps us push past product features and surface-level storytelling. It allows us to convert plywood into pride, masala into meaning, and salt into national emotion. It’s not about advertising; it’s about narrative architecture.
Internally, we build a culture of interdisciplinary brandstorming – planners, designers, strategists, and even sales minds come together to crack one business challenge per brand. Every idea must pass the 18-month test: Can this idea stay relevant and create demand for at least 18 months? If not, it doesn’t fly.
In categories ruled by trade margins and dealer influence, our creativity isn’t decorative – it’s decisive. It must move product, perception, and preference. That’s the pressure, and that’s the thrill.
Being an independent agency in today’s climate—what’s the trade-off?
The biggest trade-off? You lose the comfort of global processes, but you gain the power to choose purpose over protocol.
As an independent agency, we’ve had the rare privilege of working directly with owner-managed businesses – the real builders of Bharat. These are not marketing managers following a playbook. These are first-generation entrepreneurs and legacy business owners making decisions from the heart and the balance sheet.
That proximity gives us speed, honesty, and impact. We’re not buried under layers of approvals. We sit across the table from the person who built the business—and we solve real problems, not hypothetical ones.
Yes, there’s no deep-pocketed network behind us. But that also means we’re not bound by fixed margins, forced pitches, or award quotas. We’re free to go deeper, stay longer, and build brands that actually move the needle.
At Curry Nation, we don’t chase every client. We partner with those who want to transition from commodity to brand and have the courage to challenge their own thinking. That’s a trade-off we’ll take any day.
What kind of culture have you built at Curry Nation that enables fearless creativity?
We’ve built a culture that’s not just creative – its committed. Especially when you’re working with owner-managed businesses, creativity without clarity means nothing.
That’s why we handhold our clients through the entire journey – not just drop off decks or ad units. We align with their business outcomes, not just campaign deliverables. For us, success isn’t posting an ad – it’s helping a business owner see their product become a brand that commands respect, margin, and recall.
We’ve replaced vanity metrics with value metrics. Our team doesn’t celebrate reach, we celebrate when dealers start asking for your product by name. We don’t just chase virality – we build visibility that lasts.
And most importantly, our culture empowers teams to ask: “How will this grow the business?” That’s our creative benchmark. Not just clever. Not just beautiful. But brave, business-first ideas that work in the mandi and the boardroom.
How do you hire and retain talent that’s excited by plywood and not just perfume? If a young creative walked into your agency today, what would surprise them the most?
The first surprise? There are no silos. At Curry Nation, a young trainee can sit in the same room as a senior planner, a creative director, and even the founder – on Day One. Everyone gets a seat at the table, because good ideas don’t come with a hierarchy.
Second – the speed. We work fast, because our clients move fast. Owner-managed businesses can’t wait months for a pitch-perfect brand book. We’ve built our process to go deep and deliver fast without compromising on strategic integrity.
And third – the exposure. Our creatives don’t just work on one campaign in isolation. They see the full arc – from positioning and packaging to dealer activations and digital storytelling. It’s not cosmetic creativity. It’s commercial impact.
We don’t look for people who want to just “do ads.” We look for those who want to build legacies, brand by brand, business by business – even if it’s for plywood, salt, or tires. Because if you can make that exciting – you can make anything exciting.
What’s next for Curry Nation?
The next chapter for us is clear: scale impact, not just operations.
We want to work with at least 500 owner-managed commodity businesses in the next 3 years. Businesses that have the grit, scale, and ambition – but need strategic clarity, brand voice, and creative courage to break out of the commodity trap.
To do this, we’re scaling our UNLIMIT Workshop – a deep-dive transformation sprint designed specifically for owner-managed businesses. It’s where we challenge mindsets, uncover brand potential, and craft a roadmap from invisible to invincible.
We will be soon launching a freeAI powered brand audit app for these businesses.
But we don’t want to stop at service. We want to create a movement.We’re also intending to launch the Commodity to Branding™️ Awards – India’s first platform to celebrate and honour owner-managed brands that have defied the odds, redefined their categories, and shown the world that creativity is not the privilege of funded startups or glamorous sectors. These are real businesses, building real impact – and their stories deserve the spotlight.
What’s next for Curry Nation? More transformation. More belief-building. More legacies created. We’re not here to just run campaigns. We’re here to rewrite how India sees branding in its most underestimated sectors.
Curry Nation: Turning Commodities into Conversations.
