Brands
upGrad launches campaign for Digital Marketing Job-Linked Bootcamp
Mumbai: Asia’s largest higher edtech company upGrad is back with yet another clutter-breaking digital campaign featuring a seemingly ironic interviewer-interviewee banter. The campaign film, through interesting on-screen chemistry, brings out the efficacy of upGrad’s best-in-class faculty, and the placement strategy it offers under its Digital Marketing Job-Linked Bootcamp, delivering a promising career outcome.
Conceptualised by upGrad’s in-house creative team, the film is produced by Valeum Films and is directed by Manoj Tapadia, who has made ad films for an endless list of brands, notably Dove, Maggi, Dettol, Tata Tea, Havells, Symphony, and HDFC. The film, shot in an office setup, shows a job interview underway that isn’t going the applicant’s way, until he answers a key question that turns the interview – and the hiring manager’s perspective – around.
The six month bootcamp has been developed using upGrad’s extensive industry experience and offers a hands-on curriculum, including 200+ hours of live lectures, introduction to niche digital marketing tools, and 65+ hours of interview preparation and dedicated soft skill development sessions each. Prepared by industry experts for industry roles, the 100 per cent live bootcamp is carefully designed for freshers to assist them land a job with a minimum of Rs 4 lakhs per annum within 150 days of performance-based program completion or an entire fee refund. The move is also set to accelerate India’s growth momentum significantly through an added employment doorway.
Commenting on the campaign, upGrad CEO – India Arjun Mohan said, “Job-Linked Digital Marketing Bootcamp is one of the biggest milestones, we, as a higher edtech leader, have introduced and therefore, it was critical for us to create maximum awareness touchpoints to let our target group and aspiring marketers take an informed career choice. The campaign draws insights from an internal study which highlighted the existing market gap in terms of available jobs. As a result, we realised that freshers and working professionals who aspire to build a career as digital marketers do not have a direct entry point. They have to pursue multiple different job profiles before they actually land the desired job.”
“Young people change the face of any industry. Digital marketing is no different – in fact, it is one of the industries, most prone to be changed by new blood coming in. While earlier, young people usually stumbled into digital marketing, a structured and industry-relevant course like this upGrad Bootcamp, will give prospective marketers a great start to their career, thanks to the veteran faculty teaching it. This was the insight that led to the ad film,” added upGrad head of creative and content marketing – India Shreyas Shevade.
In line with upGrad’s commitment to LifeLongLearning, the program structure also includes 1:1 mentorship opportunity with industry experts, end-to-end support in resume building, interview etiquette, and mock interview sessions, enabling its learners with enhanced career development opportunities.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
