MAM
DDW to handle Rock.in’s creative duties
MUMBAI: Online fashion portal Rock.in has awarded its creative duties to integrated agency Digital Driftwood (DDW).
DDW account manager on the Rock.in business Firoz Merchant said, “We won the account after a multiagency pitch initiated in February and look forward to working on it in the online as well as offline space.”
The agency will be in charge of the brand‘s online advertising, offline BTL activities and advertising through mainstream mediums like print and television.
DDW director Vikram Varma said “We are excited at being selected. We think that, with the emphasis on premium international brands and high quality products instead of the usual discounts and offers, Rock.in has an edge in the crowded e-commerce space. We are really looking forward to be working alongside them in achieving their marketing goals.”
The media planning and buying for the brand is handled by an in-house team. The digital duties of Rock.in will be looked into by a UK based agency High Performance (HP) that has worked on brands like Sony, LLoyds TSB and House.
Rock.in marketing head Pradeep Mohindroo said, “We wanted to hire the best people in the world for the job, we met quite a few agencies in India, and a lot of proposals came from abroad as well. At the end of it, with HP we found partners who could simplify the complicated and had the confidence of making an entirely new model of remuneration, based out of performance.”
Talking about the brand and where it is coming from Rock.in CEO Surah Sharma added, “We have a very clear idea of our target group; he or she has a discerning taste, is well travelled and aspires to be more of a world citizen. Fashion is such an important part of life, and by bringing some of the top fashion labels we aim at meeting the needs of this ever growing target group. Our work doesn‘t stop at just selling the products; it is our aim to WOW our customers at every touch point. Thus, we‘ve focused a lot into touch and feel aspects of the company. In the long run, it will not just be our products that will differentiate us from the competition; it will also be these softer aspects that will make us stand apart.”
DDW, a nine year old company, has offices in Mumbai and Delhi and has worked on brands like Yahoo!, Hindustan Unilever, Filmfare, Marico, LinkedIn and MTV.
Rock.in, which was launched in May 2012, has licenses and distribution rights for some of the global labels across London, Paris and Milan. Some of these brands include La Redoute, Paris Hilton, Lipsy London, Calvin Klein Men, DKNY and House of Dereon.
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.
