MAM
Monster India shakes up passive jobseekers with new campaign
MUMBAI: We wake up every morning; follow our usual routine, sleepwalk our way to work, complete our average jobs and then crib about not being happy. This is the situation with many people in the country and thus Monster India, one of the leading online career and recruitment solutions provider and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, has launched a new campaign “Wake Up” with an aim to jiggle the passive jobseekers to take an action.
Monster India has launched its new brand positioning of ‘Find Better’ with a tag line – ‘Get lucky. Get Active on Monster’. The campaign addresses a majority of jobseekers who become comfortable with their average jobs and are ignorant of the limitless opportunities that exist. The campaign urges them to rise above mediocrity, ‘Wake- up’ to their true potential and capitalise the opportunity.
The company has put in a lot of creativity to grab the attention of jobseekers. “We had to come up with a creative idea that would not just make people sit up and notice but actually wake them up. So we thought of several ideas and ways to wake people up. Need we say, we put those many waking hours! We had a ball too, going from fiction to mythology to the jungles and almost everywhere. So while a shrilly opera singer, a bleating sheep and a goofy Tarzan try to wake up our protagonist, we had to go underwater to find the ideal one to wake our guy up – someone more dead than him!” said Dentsu Marcom National Creative Director Titus Upputuru.
The new campaign has been launched after a recent global survey conducted by Monster and Gfk that revealed that “70 percent people have expressed that they are content with their current jobs but they are not”.
“Their feedback made it evident that they would like to explore more. Hence, ‘Wake Up’ call is targeted at this vast majority of people who need to make the most out of the opportunity that exists out there,” said Monster.com managing director Sanjay Modi.
‘Wake Up’ is a unique proposition that uses interesting relatable characters to convey the core message strongly. The serious message of ‘wake up to the new opportunity’ is communicated in a unique and creative fashion with the use of animation that e-recruitment category in India has never seen. The campaign conveys the message in a direct, clean and humorous manner.
Brands
PUMA Q1 profit jumps 19.6 per cent to €51.9m despite 6.3 per cent sales decline
Inventory clean-up and cost controls lift earnings as brand navigates transition year
HERZOGENAURACH: PUMA has kicked off 2026 on a steady note, reporting improved profitability in the first quarter even as sales slipped, signalling early progress in what it calls a transition year.
The German sportswear major posted sales of €1,863.8 million in Q1 2026, down 6.3 per cent on a reported basis. On a currency-adjusted basis, the decline was milder at 1.0 per cent, helped by ongoing inventory clearance efforts.
Profitability, however, told a more upbeat story. Gross profit margin rose 60 basis points to 47.7 per cent, driven by the reversal of inventory reserves, lower freight costs and a favourable channel mix. EBIT climbed 19.6 per cent to €51.9 million, despite €-12.6 million in one-time costs linked to a cost efficiency programme. Adjusted EBIT stood at €64.4 million, up from €61.3 million a year earlier.
Net profit from continuing operations surged to €26.5 million, a sharp jump from €1.1 million in Q1 2025, with earnings per share improving to €0.18. The financial result also improved significantly to €-15.6 million from €-38.5 million, aided by currency tailwinds.
Speaking on the performance, PUMA chief executive officer Arthur Hoeld said, “In the first quarter our athletes won 21 medals at the World Athletics Indoor Championships and set national records at the Berlin Half Marathon. Operationally, we were off to a solid start to our transition year in 2026. We have managed to reduce our inventory levels faster than planned, streamlined our product portfolio and addressed operational inefficiencies.”
Inventory reduction remained a central theme. Inventories fell 8.6 per cent to €1,898.0 million, while working capital dropped 9.7 per cent to €1,879.2 million. Trade receivables declined 20.3 per cent and trade payables were down 26.2 per cent, reflecting lower sales and purchasing volumes.
Regionally, performance was mixed. EMEA sales fell 10.4 per cent on a currency-adjusted basis to €774.5 million, impacted by weak demand and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The Americas grew 6.1 per cent (currency-adjusted) to €655.6 million, led by a strong 10.5 per cent rise in Latin America, though reported growth was hit by currency fluctuations. Asia Pacific emerged as a bright spot, growing 7.9 per cent to €433.8 million, supported by strong demand in Greater China and Southeast Asia.
By channel, wholesale revenue declined 2.8 per cent (currency-adjusted), while direct-to-consumer sales rose 3.8 per cent to €528.1 million. The DTC share increased to 28.3 per cent from 27.5 per cent last year, reflecting a sharper focus on owned retail and digital channels.
Product-wise, footwear sales dipped 2.3 per cent (currency-adjusted) to €1,089.6 million, though running and training categories showed strong growth. Apparel inched up 0.9 per cent to €546.3 million, aided by football and golf, while accessories remained broadly stable at €227.9 million.
Free cash flow, though still negative at €-201.4 million due to seasonality, improved significantly from €-737.6 million a year ago. Net debt rose to €1,357.6 million, but the company maintained financial flexibility with €1,104.7 million in cash and available credit lines.
Looking ahead, PUMA reaffirmed its full-year outlook. It expects currency-adjusted sales to decline in the low to mid single-digit range, with EBIT projected between €-50 million and €-150 million. Capital expenditure for 2026 is pegged at around €200 million, focused on digital infrastructure and DTC expansion.
PUMA chief executive officer Arthur Hoeld added, “For the remainder of the year, we will continue to focus on improving the quality of our distribution, cost base and cash management. In doing so, we are laying the foundations for future growth.”
With inventory clean-up ahead of schedule and operational efficiencies beginning to show, PUMA appears to be tightening its laces for a stronger run, even as macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties continue to test the track ahead.
