ON PURPOSE
ON PURPOSE is a privately held Indian communications consultancy that provides purpose-driven public relations, brand reputation, and social-change communications to multilateral agencies, NGOs, and purpose-led brands across India.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNew Delhi, India
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ON PURPOSE does
ON PURPOSE is a privately held, bootstrapped communications consultancy headquartered in New Delhi, India, with additional offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai. Founded in July 2017 by Girish Balachandran (formerly of Avian), the firm positions itself as India's only social-change-focused communications consultancy, serving multilateral organizations (UNICEF YuWaah, UNDP, ADB), bilateral and government entities (USAID, GIZ India, NACO), NGOs and social-impact organizations (Dasra, Breakthrough, Swasti, Sesame Workshop India Trust), and purpose-driven corporates (Hindustan Coca-Cola, Cisco, Ola, Max Group, Smart Power India, Beetel Teletech).
Its core offerings are threefold: strategic communications consulting that translates brand purpose into behavior-change campaigns; brand reputation management focused on authentic, values-aligned positioning; and social media communications designed to drive social change narratives. A signature pro-bono initiative, The Purpose Project, delivers messaging, storytelling, and integrated communications workshops to NGOs in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru and functions as both a brand asset and a soft pipeline. The firm has described proprietary behavior-change frameworks, research-based strategy grounded in state-level audience research across seven Indian states, and differentiated measurement and evaluation approaches as its core method, but no proprietary technology platform or productized AI system is disclosed.
Revenue is generated through professional-services fees paid against bespoke PR and communications mandates (retainers and project work) awarded through consultative selling, referrals, event sponsorship (notably PRAXIS), and competitive pitches. The firm has maintained independence without external funding, backed a 68% women workforce with 78% women in management, and is a signatory of UN Women/UN Global Compact's Women's Empowerment Principles and the Clean Creatives Pledge. Growth has been self-reported at 88% average annual over its first four years, and recognition includes Agency of the Year (Rising) Gold at ET Brand Equity in 2021 and multiple IPRCCA, Campaign India, and Provoke Media awards.
ON PURPOSE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ON PURPOSE
- Legal name
- ON PURPOSE
- Website
- https://onpurposeconsulting.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ON PURPOSE is a privately held Indian communications consultancy that provides purpose-driven public relations, brand reputation, and social-change communications to multilateral agencies, NGOs, and purpose-led brands across India.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ON PURPOSE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Relations and Communications Consulting
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cause, ESG & Sustainability Communications (MPAAADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainability & Purpose Brand Design (ESG Narrative, Impact Branding) (MPAAAEAL), ESG/Sustainability Reputation & Purpose Communications (MPAAAOAN)
Keywords
Where ON PURPOSE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Delhi
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
ON PURPOSE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Communications Consulting: ON PURPOSE generates revenue through consulting fees for strategic communications services, brand reputation management, and social change campaigns. They work with multilateral organisations, UN bodies, social impact organisations, brands/corporates, and NGOs.
- PR Mandate Contracts: The agency earns fees from PR mandates awarded by clients including Max Group, Beetel Teletech, Antara Senior Living, Breakthrough, and others. Mandates include integrated communications approaches, brand positioning, and consumer engagement.
- Research and Strategy Services: ON PURPOSE conducts research across Indian states for public and private sector organisations and consumers, charging for research services that solve business problems. This has become the foundation of strategy and campaign work for clients.
- The Purpose Project (Pro-bono): Pro-bono initiative supporting NGOs with messaging workshops, storytelling workshops, and integrated communications strategy. This is not a revenue stream but a brand-building and thought leadership initiative.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
ON PURPOSE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ON PURPOSE is a communications consultancy that provides strategic communications, brand reputation management, social media strategy, and integrated campaign design focused on driving social change. The agency serves multilateral organizations, UN bodies, NGOs, and purpose-driven brands in India across climate action, public health, education, youth skilling, and gender equality. They also operate The Purpose Project, a pro-bono initiative that provides communications capacity-building support to NGOs.
Product overview
ON PURPOSE is a creative communications consultancy offering integrated communications services focused on using communications to drive social change. The core offerings include strategic communications consulting, brand reputation management, and social media communications. The company operates The Purpose Project, a pro bono initiative supporting NGOs with communications capacity building, and Critical Matters, a social media discussion series on social change topics. As a bootstrapped agency founded in 2017, ON PURPOSE works with multilateral organizations, UN bodies, social impact organizations, brands/corporates, and NGOs across Climate Action, Public Health, Education, Youth Skilling, and Gender equality. The company is recognized for its progressive workplace policies including period leave and paternity leave.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Communications Consulting Core communications consultancy service helping brands and social impact organizations articulate purpose and drive social change through integrated communications strategies, media relations, and stakeholder engagement.
- Brand Reputation Management Brand positioning and reputation management services focused on building authentic brand identities that stand for social causes and drive meaningful audience connections for purpose-driven brands and corporates.
- Social Media Communications Social media strategy and content creation services focused on driving social change, breaking stereotypes, and creating movements around shared beliefs and human truths for NGOs, brands, and social impact organizations.
- Research and Strategy Services Research services conducted across Indian states for public and private sector organizations and consumers, which has become the foundation of strategy and campaign work for clients.
- The Purpose Project Pro bono communications support initiative for NGOs working on social change issues, offering messaging workshops, storytelling workshops, and integrated communications strategy support to organizations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average annual growth rate of 88% over first 4 years of operation
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ON PURPOSE
Customer profileNamed customers33 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ON PURPOSE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
ON PURPOSE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Central Square Foundation (CSF)coreON PURPOSE appointed as strategic communications agency for Central Square Foundation (CSF), a nonprofit working to improve education in India. ON PURPOSE will help amplify CSF's initiatives across foundational learning, edtech, early childhood education, and governance reforms, supporting systemic change efforts nationwide.
- Findability SciencesflagshipON PURPOSE and Findability Sciences, named one of America's most innovative companies in 2023 by Fortune Magazine, formed a ground-breaking alliance to harness the true potential of AI for social impact. The partnership aims at revolutionising social impact by combining ON PURPOSE's communications expertise with Findability Sciences' AI capabilities for transformative change.
- Weather Kids CampaignminorON PURPOSE played an integral role in the successful Weather Kids Campaign that went to Cannes. The global PR campaign was highlighted by Grzegorz Szczepański, President of ICCO & CEO of Burson Poland, at PRAXIS 2024 as an example of the global impact of PR campaigns.
- Beetel Teletech LimitedcoreON PURPOSE awarded the PR mandate for Beetel Teletech Ltd., one of India's leading technology brands. ON PURPOSE will be responsible for strengthening brand awareness and enhancing engagement among stakeholders, and telling a compelling story of the company's legacy and leadership as an integrated communications provider. Beetel was founded in 1987 and offers connectivity and IT solutions.
- David GallaghercoreON PURPOSE added David Gallagher as Strategic Advisor. Former Chairman of PRCA UK and former President of ICCO, and former President of Omnicom International. David Gallagher joins from his firm DG Advisory and will support ON PURPOSE's business growth and prepare it to scale into a mid-size agency. This is the first time a firm like ON PURPOSE in India will work with David Gallagher's advisory practice.
- Max GroupcoreON PURPOSE won the corporate communications mandate for Max Group. The agency expanded the remit to include corporate PR responsibilities for the conglomerate, working across divisions including Antara Senior Living and other Max Group entities. Multiple media outlets confirmed the mandate win in June 2021.
- NEXANTcoreON PURPOSE picked as communications partner to drive demand for solar rooftop solutions in eight states by NEXANT. The mandate involved implementing solar rooftop adoption campaigns across 7-8 states in India, working with state governments and consumers to drive behavior change toward renewable energy adoption.
- KPMG (led consortium for ADB)coreON PURPOSE was mandated by KPMG for an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project. The agency handled communications for a KPMG-led consortium working on ADB-funded development projects in India.
- BreakthroughcoreON PURPOSE won the media/PR mandate for Breakthrough, a gender rights organisation in India. The partnership involved integrated communications support for gender equality campaigns and awareness initiatives.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ON PURPOSE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Weber Shandwick India: IPG-owned global PR network with India operations. Competes for social-impact, public affairs, and enterprise reputation mandates; ON PURPOSE's ESG/sustainability positioning overlaps with Weber Shandwick's purpose practice.
- FleishmanHillard India: Global PR network's Indian operations offering integrated communications. Directly comparable for corporate, public affairs, and ESG communications mandates, though with broader service portfolio and international reach.
- Edelman India: India arm of the world's largest PR firm. Competes for purpose-driven and corporate reputation work, especially with multinational clients seeking cross-border capabilities; ON PURPOSE's purpose niche overlaps with Edelman's 'Trust' and brand-purpose practices.
- Genesis BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): WPP-owned integrated communications agency in India. Competes for corporate reputation, ESG, and public affairs mandates; broader scale but ON PURPOSE competes on purpose-driven specialization.
- Adfactors PR: India's largest independent PR firm, headquartered in Mumbai with 500+ employees. Competes with ON PURPOSE for Indian enterprise and listed-company mandates; broader portfolio and scale make it a broad incumbent.
Others
Direct peers
- Avian WE: Indian communications consultancy and the agency where ON PURPOSE's founder Girish Balachandran previously worked. Most directly comparable on geography, services (PR and communications), and Indian enterprise/social-impact client base.
- Pitchfork Partners Strategic Consulting: Mumbai-headquartered independent Indian PR consultancy focused on corporate, public affairs, and reputation work. Closely comparable in size and specialty focus, especially on strategic communications for purpose-driven and corporate clients.
Emerging players
- Kaizzen PR: Mid-sized Indian PR and communications agency with corporate, public affairs, and ESG-adjacent capabilities. Comparable on services mix and Indian geography but with less pronounced social-change niche positioning than ON PURPOSE.
Regional players
- The PRactice (now part of Adfactors): Boutique Indian PR consultancy with similar services mix (corporate, consumer, social PR). Competes on similar mandate types in India but with less explicit purpose/sustainability specialization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ON PURPOSE social profiles
Digital presenceON PURPOSE compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
ON PURPOSE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ON PURPOSE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ON PURPOSE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ON PURPOSE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ON PURPOSE
What does ON PURPOSE do?
ON PURPOSE is a communications consultancy that provides strategic communications, brand reputation management, social media strategy, and integrated campaign design focused on driving social change. The agency serves multilateral organizations, UN bodies, NGOs, and purpose-driven brands in India across climate action, public health, education, youth skilling, and gender equality. They also operate The Purpose Project, a pro-bono initiative that provides communications capacity-building support to NGOs.
Is ON PURPOSE a public or private company?
ON PURPOSE is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ON PURPOSE founded?
ON PURPOSE was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ON PURPOSE based?
ON PURPOSE is headquartered in New Delhi, India, in the Asia region.
How does ON PURPOSE make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Strategic Communications Consulting is the primary driver. The others are PR Mandate Contracts, research and Strategy Services and the Purpose Project (Pro-bono).
Who are ON PURPOSE's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Weber Shandwick India, FleishmanHillard India, Edelman India, Genesis BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) and Adfactors PR. MSL India (Publicis) is listed as an others. Direct peers are Avian WE and Pitchfork Partners Strategic Consulting. Kaizzen PR is listed as an emerging player. The PRactice (now part of Adfactors) is listed as a regional player.
Does ON PURPOSE have an API?
No public API is recorded for ON PURPOSE.
What industry is ON PURPOSE in?
ON PURPOSE's product category is Public Relations and Communications Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAADAL, Cause, ESG & Sustainability Communications, with a secondary code of MPAAAEAL, Sustainability & Purpose Brand Design (ESG Narrative, Impact Branding). Its NAICS code is 541820 and its SIC code is 7311.