When you walk in the Mumbai office of Social Panga, you expect the founders to be very brawny and rowdy young guns, perhaps fans of metal music. You are welcomed with a graffiti on their reception desk that reads ‘karm karya’, translating to act & work – very similar meanings in English but very distinct connotations in Hindi. On the wall across is an old bicycle, hanging under another graffiti reading ‘marketing mafias’. The rest of the office reflects a similar vibe – hard core marketing experts working in a war zone, ready to take on the digital world. The only thing breaking the effect were colourful balloons pasted over a glass door – 10 years of Social Panga. Behind this foyer, you meet the two founders – Himanshu Arora and Gaurav Arora – and you cannot help but wonder how these two very calm & composed men are taking ‘panga’ with the world. Their answer – there is no ‘panga’ with competitors as they are not here to mess around; in fact, their tussle is with their own idea of digital media marketing. And how do they do that? Edited excerpts from an interview with IMPACT, that has joined in the decadal celebrations of one of the most promising agencies of today’s time.
A Computer & Two Engineers
Himanshu and Gaurav grew up in a very simple family in Delhi – their father a bank employee. For the spirited siblings the life part was charted like most young boys of the generation – Engineering, MBA, and then do whatever you want to do”, Gaurav shares with a chuckle. However, one small event changed the course of their lives. Their father gave out the first loan to the founders of Educomp and was gifted a computer by the happy client. The computer became a shared experience for the brothers as they looked beyond the usual use of the machine. It was in 2003-04 that they got their first paycheck from Google for what they were doing on the web.
Himanshu recalls, “It was when I was in engineering college and Gaurav, still in school, that we got our first paycheck from Google that we realised digital has a lot of potential. It was 2003-04, and digital marketing was in very nascent stages. We were also doing some movie & game reviews etc. on the web and one day we had these $102 check from Google Ad Words. Our dad, had no idea how we earned it and thought it was a scam! It was the moment that we knew that the web is a very powerful tool.”
However, the beginning of Social Panga took some time. Both Himanshu and Gaurav completed their education, took their MBA degrees, and gained some experience before laying the foundation of one of the most successful digital marketing agencies in the country.
Finding Brand Solutions
Social Panga started humbly, at a time when social media was still a novel concept for brands. The duo saw an opportunity, realising that brands would eventually need guidance navigating the digital world. In its early days, Social Panga was a catch-all digital services provider. “We did everything under the sun—SEO, website development, social media. If a client asked for it, we would deliver it, even if we hadn’t done it before,” recalls Gaurav with a laugh.
But it wasn’t just about delivering services; it was about educating brands on the power of digital. The brothers found themselves conducting training sessions for clients, explaining concepts like Facebook marketing and paid media. “Back then, clients didn’t understand how social media could drive actual business goals,” Himanshu explains. “We made it our mission to not only provide services but also to show them the real business impact of digital marketing,” he adds.
Partnership that Made it Work
When you think of siblings, you might picture two hyper-competitive individuals who love pulling each other’s legs and engaging in playful banter. The bond is undeniable, but deciding who gets the last slice of pizza can often lead to a full-blown tussle. So, how does this dynamic change when siblings become business partners? For the Arora brothers, it seems like they’ve struck the perfect balance. “Growing up together, we’ve had our share of fights,” Gaurav chuckles. “But we’ve learned to harness that tension in a productive way. Our differences create discomfort, but that discomfort pushes us to find better solutions,” he points out.
Himanshu agrees, emphasising how their different skill sets complement each other. “I handle the business and strategy side of things; while Gaurav takes care of client servicing, creative, and operations. We bring different perspectives to the table, and that’s been a key to our success.”
But it’s not just the business dynamic that needs careful handling. “When you’re brothers, the personal and professional lines can blur,” Himanshu says. “But over the years, we’ve learnt to respect each other’s domains and trust each other’s judgment.”
Solution First DNA
If there’s one thing that defines Social Panga, it’s their solutions-first approach. “We don’t see ourselves as a ‘social media agency’ or a ‘digital agency.’ We solve problems for brands,” Gaurav explains. This philosophy allowed them to expand beyond typical digital marketing services. They built their core pillars—Social Panga (digital and social media), The Yellow Shutter (production), The Viral Union (influencer marketing), brand communications, and media. Each of these pillars caters to different aspects of brand-building, enabling the company to offer holistic solutions, over the last ten years.
“Our secret to longevity is understanding the client’s problem first,” adds Himanshu. “Clients don’t care if it’s social media, paid ads, or influencer marketing. What they want is to achieve specific goals, and our job is to figure out the best way to make that happen.” This approach has helped them retain clients for years, with brands like Myntra, Mamaearth, and Manipal Hospitals, among others, some of which have stayed loyal to Social Panga for over half a decade.
The brothers recall that most of their work initially was an industry-first initiative that required a lot of trust from their brand partners and also the teams. “We did the first Facebook Live for our client SightCare, featuring doctors. It was the first time that a healthcare brand was doing something like that. And that eventually became a standard that multiple brands followed. Even when TikTok got banned in India, we were very quick in getting on calls with Instagram teams to understand Reels and invest our skills and energies there.” Himanshu notes.
No Messing Around
Digital is a highly competitive and crowded space. Over the last few years, there has been an exponential rise of independent digital marketing companies who are giving a tough competition to Social Panga. But the brothers are not worried about them, “I believe collaboration is far better than competition. If I had to collaborate with a competitor today, I’d be more than happy to do it because, ultimately, the priority should be the client’s solution, period. That’s the core thought process. While agencies are busy fighting for business, the client often ends up losing time, money, or both. It shouldn’t be that way. Wherever the best solution for the client comes from, that’s where we should focus.”
So what’s the fuss about being ‘Mafias’ and indulging in ‘Panga’? As Himanshu puts it, the Panga is more internal than external, “Growing up in Delhi, Panga is natural to us. It means taking a challenge, and that’s what we do every day—challenge the norm, break the rules, and redefine the game.”
“We don’t just want to work with the biggest brands; we want to create work that challenges us and makes an impact,” adds Gaurav.
Amping the Success Meter
As Social Panga celebrates its tenth anniversary, the brothers are more optimistic than ever about the future. “We’re still the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave,” Gaurav says. “That’s how we stay connected with what’s happening on the ground. We never want to lose touch with the pulse of the business.”
Their recent acquisition by LS Digital marks the next phase of their journey. Expanding globally, they aim to build a legacy, not just for Social Panga but for the entire Indian digital marketing industry. “It’s not just about growing our business anymore. It’s about building something that can put India on the global map for digital solutions,” says Himanshu.
As they look ahead, the brothers are focused on growth but not at the cost of their core values. “We don’t want to be the biggest agency in the world, but we want to be the best at what we do,” Himanshu states.
Gauruv has a simple vision, he wants the brands to say, “We can’t work with anyone else because we have Social Panga.”
With their sights set on global expansion, a solutions-first approach, and an unshakable bond as brothers and business partners, the Arora brothers are ready to take on whatever the next decade throws their way. And, true to their name, they’ll do it with a little Panga.
