MAM
Best creative ideas in digital are simple, straightforward
MUMBAI: The best ideas in the digital arena are simple and straightforward. Simplicity can be a very big idea. It is not necessary to have a fancy site and spend millions to get a big marketing campaign done in the digital arena. At the same time it is important to use technology while conceiving a digital campaign. Also there are no best practices. What has worked for one company may not work for another.
These points were made by Star TV VP, head – digital (Internet and Mobile) Lalit Bhagia during a session at the Mobile Digital Marketing Summit held during World Brand Congress 2011. He called them the habits of success for digital. He spoke about ‘Creativity in Digital‘. Another habit that will work is grooming young people as the best digital ideas come from youngsters. That is because they spend a lot of time on new media. This has been learning for him.
Another important thing to remember is that an idea should not be limited to one medium. It should be able to travel across digital, television, print etc. He said that now messaging is for the consumer and not at the consumer. “You need to get consumers to participate. The good news is that the definition of creativity has not changed. You still need insight and a big idea.”
He gave two examples. One was a campaign done to promote the ‘Forever Bond Festival on Star Movies. The idea for the campaign was that people want to be like Bond. The campaign allowed them to do that. Users could drive Bonds car on a web page. The aim was to allow fans of Bond to feel like him. People could use their mobile. Another example was the Fox Crime campaign. The idea for the campaign was that there is a detective in each of us. It was a 360 degree campaign and people had to catch a killer. It wasn‘t easy for users. Among other things they had to go through footage from a transit camera. It gave users the experience of being a detective. It is important in the digital world to do marketing that earns attention. It is doing a campaign on Twitter for Love2hateU a new local show on Star World.
He noted earlier it was just about trying to get a share of the consumers‘ wallet. The difference in digital though is that the consumer is in control. The experience has to be meaningful. Otherwise if he finds an ad annoying he will simply close the web page. One can no longer just throw message at consumers.
Meanwhile Philips Electronics India GM, country head media Amit Tiwari spoke about ‘Role of Creativity and Innovation in Digital and Social Media Marketing‘ at the same session. He noted that while creativity is always part of a campaign brief it is not enough. Innovation is also important. “Innovative creativity is the most powerful creativity that exists. Creativity is important but being different always wins.”
He notes that there is a lot of copying of creative templates when companies should be trying to create their own templates. A Facebook presence cannot be the beginning and end of a brands involvement in digital. Companies need to look at whether campaigns are being done for consumers. There must be a correlation what the consumer wants and what a brand is offering. Campaigns in the digital world have to entertaining and response based. This way one can learn what a consumer wants. Campaigns have to memorable and active. Creativity and innovation leads to sales and brand building. He gave the example of the Philips Valentine‘s Day campaign. Intel‘s Museum of Me initiative also worked well.
The last speaker at the session was MobME Wireless Solutions CEO Sanjay Vijayakumar. He dwelt on ‘The Evolution of Kerala Tourism Brand Mobile Strategy – From WAP site to the worlds largest Iphone/Ipad campaign for Tourism‘. The company has worked with the board for three and a half years. There were mistakes made at first. In 2007 a SMS based initiative was done called dream Season campaign which failed. They then decide to use GPRS. A cross branded campaign with Vodafone was done. The phone becomes an audio guide for people wanting to know about Kerala. In 2010 a welcome R9oamer campaign was done with Idea. It has also done a cross branding experiment with the railways. This year ‘Your Moment is waiting‘ campaign is being done with Google for the US and European markets.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
