The D'Hamidi Partnership part of world's largest network of independent agencies

Pakistani advertisement agency, The D’Hamidi Partnership, is part of the Worldwide Partners Inc. — world’s largest network of independent agencies — on the basis of creativity, depth of specialisation and breadth of portfolio.

There are only 90 such agencies in the world, across 45 countries, with $5 billion in combined billings that are challenging the holding company agency model through collaboration, co-creation, category specialisation, and speed to market.

“These agencies undergo a rigorous selection process, and we have been extremely honored to be selected among them. It’s a feather in the cap for Pakistani creativity,” D'Hamidi's co-founder and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Faraz Maqsood Hamidi told Geo.tv.

Shedding light on its partnership, Faraz said WPI is the only network comprised of the world’s top independent agencies who are collectively powered by partnership and designed for growth.

"With over 90 agencies in more than 45 countries, and experience in over 90 industry verticals, it serves as a hub to harness the diversity of talent, expertise and capabilities that reimagine growth for today’s progressive marketers.

"We believe in collaboration and co-creation to give marketers a 'fit-for-purpose agency model where local knowledge fits with global scale to create unparalleled brand value," he added.

The advertisement agency reached its 30 year milestone this year, marking three decades of groundbreaking work in brand and identity consultancy. 

Born as a radically provocative creative hotshop at a time when global networks and large holding companies had their affiliates ruling the roost, D'Hamidi has since worked with over 400 brand and identity projects.

Highlighting the achievements of the company, CCO Faraz said the most important achievement is the firm’s ability to stay true to its course, to never veer too far from its calling and provenance, and to consistently deliver on its DNA. 

"From the day we started, D’Hamidi’s mission was to ensure that our local brands look as good as, or better than, their international counterparts," said Faraz, adding that the company's contribution to Pakistan’s brand and visual culture has created a following of diehards, and a long list of local and international clients.

Faraz said D'Hamidi's design-led thought leadership changed the way clients approached agencies, creating a much-needed distinction between service and servility.

Better to build brand around available talent

The company, which has offices in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore, also expanded its services in Dubai to offer a roster of international clients. 

Faraz, when asked if the company will see any expansion in the future, said populating a network for the sake of profitability will undermine this discipline.

"It’s better to build your network around the talent that is available rather than the other way around. Moreover, the world is hyper-connected now. So getting work done remotely without the necessity of multiple studios is a huge opportunity," he explained. 

Use of tech in brand industry

Speaking about the use of technology and artificial intelligence in the brand and identity consultancy industry, Faraz said all developments to tech should be incorporated into the life of the brand. 

"A brand is a mirror that reflects the best of you right back at you. The trick, of course, is to ensure that developments in technology are under your control and in the service of your brand strategy. When that doesn’t happen, you can become slave to an algorithm and become blindly reactive, instead of thoughtfully responsive," Faraz told Geo.tv. 

However, he cautioned the professionals about the technology, saying the "only software worth using is the one between your ears". 

He added: "Branding should simplify and clarify your positioning. And it fundamentally depends on the rare alchemy of the unusual combination of words and pictures. So a facility in either disciplines is the best 'technology' to work with."

'An independent firm'

The CCO also spoke about how The D'Hamidi differs from other players in the brand consultancy industry, saying that his company is an independent firm. 

"We can show multiple degrees of speed, precision, insight and resilience that are not hammered under bureaucratic showmanship or delayed by hierarchies. D’Hamidi is a team of uniquely talented professionals who have been working together with telepathic fluency for an average of 20 years (or thereabouts). 

"This level of skill and chemistry is unprecedented and sets us leagues apart from career hunters or design upstarts whose methodology can be self-serving," he highlighted.