MAM
Emami’s Q1 ad spend up 8.3% to Rs 634 mn
MUMBAI: Kolkata-based Emami has upped its advertising and promotion expenses for the quarter ended 30 June 2012 by 8.28 per cent to Rs 634.2 million.
While the advertising budgets have increased, the percentage to sales has decreased marginally by one per cent. For the first quarter of FY‘13, the company spent 19.7 per cent of its revenue on advertising.
Emami has recorded the smallest YoY spike in advertising expenses among its peers for the first quarter of the financial year. Marico leads the pack with an increase of 61 per cent, followed by Dabur’s 51 per cent. In third place is Colgate with an advertising spend hike of 32 per cent, just ahead of HUL at 30 per cent. Procter and Gamble’s quarterly results are yet to be announced.
Emami’s quarterly revenue for Q1 FY‘13 stood at Rs 3.39 billion; 14.14 per cent more than Q1 FY12’s Rs 2.97 billion. Profits also saw a spurt of 12.3 per cent from Rs 415 million in Q1 FY‘12 to Rs 466.1 million this year.
Recently, Emami roped in Scarecrow Communications to handle the creative duties for its edible oil brand Tasty and Healthy. The other agency on its roster is Curry Nation which handles brands like Hairlife and Vasocare.
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.
