MAM
Dentsu and Microsoft come together to build a path to the metaverse for brands and business
Mumbai: dentsu International has announced its collaboration with Microsoft to build a unique collaboration space in the metaverse, designed to excite and inspire brands to innovate and experiment with web3 technologies. Using their combined expertise, the firms have partnered to showcase a range of real-world use-cases that have been reimagined in a virtual setting to drive greater engagement, productivity, and accessibility for business.
With many brands and businesses still assessing how to take advantage of the huge opportunities presented by web3, dentsu and Microsoft have come together to showcase what can be achieved in critical business areas such as customer service, retail, and learning and development.
The initiative is underpinned by dentsu’s recently announced Web3 Center of Excellence, which falls within the Creative pillar. This is where clients and dentsu teams have the chance to innovate, test ideas, experiment with hypotheses, and learn how evolving technologies and platforms could be used within integrated campaigns or future business models.
The new dimension, created by a move into the virtual world, brings a wealth of exciting and engaging opportunities to transform important touch points with customers and employees. The newly built dentsu and Microsoft spaces are located on the dentsu campus, in “Moon Valley,” a digital twin of the moon created by HeadOffice.Space, the metaverse for productivity. The space was designed specifically to be more accessible by more people and through any web-enabled device, as well as VR and mobile.
Developing a space in the metaverse required the application of some unique technologies, brought together for the very first time by the teams at dentsu and Microsoft:
Dentsu Metaversity for Microsoft Power Skills: Powerup Power Skills with new starter inductions and employee training, enabling teams anywhere to upskill and gain new competencies through the full suite of Microsoft 365 products, text-to-speech capabilities, and forthcoming Microsoft Designer capabilities.
Microsoft Retail Education: a space for retailers and brands to learn more about Microsoft Dynamics 365 and dentsu’s ShopNXT retail innovations.
Lounge: A virtual “room” where brands can connect through their professional LinkedIn identities to recruit, network, and engage with prospective buyers and customers.
Ecosia Forest: Provides overall education on Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees where they are needed most, with over 160 million trees planted to date, powered by Microsoft.
AI-Powered Virtual Human: Our full experience will be guided by ‘Neva,’ an AI-powered virtual human created in collaboration with HeadOffice.space. Neva combines the power of Unreal Engine’s MetaHumancreator framework and Microsoft AI-powered text-to-speech, a capability within Azure Cognitive Services, part of the Azure AI platform, that converts text to lifelike speech across 400 neural voices across 140 languages and variants.
Additional spaces on the dentsu campus include the ShopNXT Showroom, Merkle Virtual Retail Lab, and Intelligence Center.
The co-space is built on Unreal Engine 5, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool, and features full-body 3D avatars with Ready Player Me Integration.
dentsu vice president of solutions and innovation Val Vacante said, “We’ve seen a lot of activity around the Metaverse, with some businesses jumping in simply to grab headlines rather than figure out how Web3 can really change perspective on existing business challenges. At dentsu we’d say it’s ‘near but not here’ and that is exactly why we wanted to work with Microsoft to show the world how today’s business problems can be solved in the Metaverse tomorrow. Whether it is overcoming the skills-gap by making accessible and engaging training programs, or building multi-channel customer loyalty solutions using NFTs, or mapping innovation explorations through our NXT Intelligence platform, the opportunities are truly endless!”
dentsu group vice president of growth & enablement Paul Veltman said, “Microsoft and dentsu have been partners for many years, working hard to push the boundaries of where technology, creativity, and productivity meet brands and the customers we serve. When we come together, though, we always want to do so with a clear focus – whatever we create must help our clients solve problems and stand out, but it also has to drive tangible and sustainable growth. By developing this incredible new virtual space, we’re inviting clients, their people, and partners to discover, experiment, and co-create. From connected e-commerce opportunities to engaging talent solutions and integrated CRM capabilities, we have an exciting new space to partner with you on your journey in the metaverse.”
Microsoft managing director media & entertainment Simon Crownshaw said, “The media and advertising industries continue to be transformed by digital technology, which now includes the Metaverse. These transformations will continue to require that brands adapt their business models and strategies in real time to take advantage of new creative opportunities. As our collaboration with dentsu evolves, we’re continuing to elevate creativity with the power of the Microsoft Cloud, enabling the future of content creation and collaboration from anywhere in the world.”
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.
