Jovinson Duarte and Anup Volvoikar put a creative spin on marketing and branding with their company, Future Mercury
Future Mercury is a Digital-First Full Stack Integrated Creative Agency that comes with expertise in Creative, Data and Technology; an offering that very few agencies in Goa can talk about. They currently cater to clients nationally and in Goa in the sectors of gaming, lifestyle, FMCG and hospitality amongst other sectors. The agency operates as a business partner rather than a typical agency and this is their strongest USP. Their ability to bring life to a brand via offline and online channels is remarkable; many new brands they have taken on have seen success within a span of 6 months. The directors, Jovinson Duarte and Anup Volvoikar deeply and truly understand businesses to foster growth and provide clients with insights that reap benefits.
Future Mercury was the brainchild of Jovi and Anup back in March 2020 when covid-19 was at its peak. By August 2020, a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) was formed and they acquired eight client social media accounts along with three clients who had come to them for integrated marketing and communication. Since then, they have not turned back and are continuously striving to bring quality and success to their clients.
Jovi hails from St. Jose De Areal, South Goa and started his career in the then advertising capital of India, Mumbai after completing his post graduate degree in Advertising and Marketing at Xavier’s Institute of Communication. He worked his way up from being a Client Services Account Executive to an Account Director. He has worked at agencies like Marching Ants, Law and Kenneth, Saatchi and Saatchi, Hansa Cequity and with brands such as ITC Fiama Di Wills, Godrej Interio, MTV, bookmyshow.com, Mahindra Automobile, Pantaloons, Exide Life Insurance and many more.
An interesting fact about Jovi is that during his education, he failed his HSSC Board exams and decided to foray into the creative industry by starting a graphic design setup at the early age of 17 where he also explored screen printing. However, he realised that he had to complete his formal education and came out glorious by getting a distinction in English and Psychology from Rosary College, Navelim. From there, there was no turning back for this boy. What Jovi brings to the table at Future Mercury is his years of experience when it comes to creative content and technology, which he puts forth in a very interesting manner and the ability to have a foresight into clients’ business; apart from the ability to convince clients to spread their wings and explore new media and channels.
On the other hand, Anup Volvoikar, a talented individual, honed his skills at the prestigious Goa College of Art, Altinho in Applied Art, and further enriched his artistic journey by completing a Diploma in Advanced Computing Art at MET, Mumbai. Despite having opportunities elsewhere, Anup’s deep-rooted love for his homeland, Goa, drew him back. He embarked on his professional career at Cybertech Holdings Pvt. Ltd., where he delved into the world of Game UI/UX Development. His thirst for knowledge led him to a challenging role at RZ2 Games Pvt. Ltd., where he worked with esteemed national and international clients.
Seeking to broaden his horizons, Anup then joined an event company in Panjim, where he showcased his creative prowess by conceptualizing and designing identities for various Goa government festivals and ceremonies. Apart from his artistic endeavours, Anup’s passions extend to photography, fitness, and embarking on exhilarating bike rides whenever restlessness strikes.
Anup’s diverse experiences and multifaceted talents contribute to the dynamic team at Future Mercury, where he continues to bring his unique perspective and creativity to drive success for their clients.
When asked what is the significance of the name Future Mercury, Jovi goes on to explain with great passion that Mercury was a Roman God of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication and luck. Gods used to send messages through Mercury to other Gods and he would deliver them quickly with it because of his winged feet, hence the logo features a red wing.
Anup elaborates on what makes Future Mercury unique in a market where everyone is a Social Media Agency. “To begin with we employ the three pillars of creatives, data, and technology. Today, just creating and posting a social media post, story, or reel doesn’t cut it. You need to understand what content works and what doesn’t and most importantly it has to be informative, engaging, and entertaining. Just posting badly shot pictures or shabbily created social media content is a thing of the past. Today we have technologies such as AI tools and other content forms that can be employed to generate interesting content.”
“When we work with clients they don’t see us as an agency but rather as a business partner who advises them on new initiatives and ideas that build their success,” says Jovi. “This instils a sense of confidence in the clients we work with as they understand that we are there to bring success to their brands. Sometimes clients need a third-party view of their business to understand why the business is stagnant and what new communication initiatives need to be undertaken and at what cost.” Future Mercury is a Digital First, Full Stack Integrated Creative, and Digital Agency. Traditional Agencies focus on old media such as print or radio; however, a full-stack agency such as theirs means that they have expertise in all forms of media new and old. Apart from that, they have 90% of the resources in-house to provide swift execution and go-to-market plan.
“Some of the services that our Full-Stack Agency offers are web development both e-Commerce and non-e-Commerce, WhatsApp marketing, brand identity creation, package design, social media campaigns, social media marketing, product photography, TVC and radio campaigns, press and outdoor campaigns and the list is endless,” says Jovi. “Our latest foray is into public relations and event production and we are super excited about it,” adds Anup.
The Team at Future Mercury has worked with gaming clients both on-shore and off-shore, hospitality brands big and small, lifestyle brands operating in the Ayurveda space, e-Bike brands, ready to eat category and many more. With such a diverse roster of clients, the young team at Future Mercury has a lot of fun developing content around these brands and always brings a fresh approach to content, marketing and effective communication. Jovi speaks on challenges faced and their future plans. “Anup and I come with a lot of hands-on experience in what we do. Initially, we didn’t face any issues operationally. However, when we started to grow acquiring talent that understands new and old media was getting difficult. We had to multi-task being in the office, handling pitches and having meetings with prospective clients.
While having said that we also realised that majority of the good talent after completing education and specialisation, moves to bigger cities such as Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru for exposure and good remuneration, however, most of the remuneration is spent on accommodation; but we are seeing a shift in this trend. Now with traditional Goan brands willing to foray into new media, there is a need for new-age careers such as content developers, copywriters, graphic artists, web developers etc. to be home-grown in Goa. Colleges and educational Institutions must include a module of these new careers in their courses so that agencies such as ours can provide a platform for this young talent to perform and excel,” concludes Jovi.
