MAM
Average ad duration on the rise again?
Whenever there is a slowdown and results in belt-tightening by companies, one of the direct casualties is the duration or length of the television commercial (TVC). During recessionary times, average ad duration on television plummets not only because advertisers take lesser time to convey their messages but also because of various consumer promotions that are run with even shorter duration.
AdEx India has observed that in the last few years, the average ad duration plummeted to just above the 20 seconds mark. This raised a fear among ad agencies and broadcasters that if this phenomenon continues, we will have increasing clutter and frequency of TVCs thereby reducing the effectiveness of television advertising.
However, years 2003 and 2004 ended with a surprise and posted an average ad size above 23 seconds mark. The average ad size during 2003-2004 has touched a level that we haven’t seen in the last five years! A record of sorts as shown in chart below!
Let’s look at the ad duration slots used in 2004. The pie shows that 30 seconds commercial is the most preferred one (with 27 per cent of the advertising share) followed by 20 second commercial contributing 19 per cent.
As a result, one is forced to ponder on the following:
a) Does this signify that the Indian advertisers’ fraternity showed sound judgment by not falling prey to frequency trap and therefore bettering their creative quality?
b) Also, what kinds of product categories have led this change?
To answer whether this is a freak phenomenon, let’s look at the Top 10 spending categories on Television in January-December 2004.
Here we see mixed results – We see that the Top 1 category – Shampoos uses large average ad sizes. However, the second Top category – Toilet soaps have the shortest ad sizes among the Top 10.
Let’s also have a look at the pattern of average ad sizes across the months during 2001-2004. Here we will see a very unusual behavior – average ad sizes observes dip during the festival season across 2001-2004 though 2002 was an exceptional case.
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.
