MAM
Goafest 2013: The Amir Kassaei manifesto on clients, digital and creativity
VARCA,GOA: Digital is not is not a media; it is not even a channel; it is the new infrastructure of the world, believes DDB Worldwide chief creative officer Amir Kassaei, a speaker at the Goafest 2013.
“Digital is the electricity of the 21st century. In the next 15-20 years everything that can be connected will be connected. This will completely change the way we work, communicate, get information or get entertainment. The way we innovate, or collaborate, the way we do business or define quality, usage, design.”
According to Kassaei digital can be used as a tool but a marketershould not confuse it with an idea. Technology cannot replace an
idea,a marketer will always need that “idea”. One should make technology a device to implement an idea. Use digital infrastructure to come up with an idea that produces a brand experience in a completely different way than the way it was. Also, one must remember to keep the idea simple.
“Creativity is “effectiveness.” It lies in producing results,” Kassaei highlighted. He went on to stress that if a creative person thinks that he is an artist, he is probably in the wrong business. A creative person is the one who proves to his client that his solution is the best and can provide the desired results.
Talking further on the aspect of problem solving, he mentioned that in order to solve a problem one needs to define it correctly – whether it is awareness, brand loyalty or something else. It helps one to be more effective and more creative.
In his opinion, one can never ever be in the advertising business alone.
Explaining his statement he says, “We are in the business of making the product, services of the brand of our clients relevant. That‘s the business we are in. The goal should be to use your creative talent to help your client and change the world for your client.”
Kassaei illustrated the importance of a brand‘s relationship with the consumer. He said that a marketer should start to see the people who are out there not as a grey mass or some defined target groups but as ‘friends.‘
“We should look at them and ask ourselves what can we do for them to make their life better, easier, more efficient and beautiful? What do they really need in their lives? What could help them to overcome a bad situation? How can we start to build for them something that they will recognise as something with a meaning?,” says he.” By thinking that way everything will change. Because your goals are suddenly not numbers, sales figures or market share but to produce value, to develop goodness.”
He accentuated on the fact that a brand is the sum of all the experiences that one has. A marketer as a brand has many responsibilities. “If you are promising happiness you should deliver happiness. If you are promising freedom, you should deliver freedom. I am not talking about disrupting your business but I am talking about how you can expand and also change the life of the people,” explains Kaasaei.” People will find out if you are not being truthful to them. They become very skeptical about wrong promises, about the false values and starting to rethink for themselves what is important and what not. They start to redefine value, wealth, meaning and happiness.”
He pointed that the best advertising does not look like advertising.
He gave an example of McDonald‘s train station campaign. On the right side of the train‘s schedule at the station, it mentioned the amount of time left for a train to arrive and what a consumer can order from McDonald‘s, and yet punctually get on the train.
People don‘t want to be involved in advertising. They are interested in what‘s interesting and that‘s what the marketers have to develop, he expressed.
“Also, the marketer needs to create relevance and not just awareness because if he is not relevant, awareness will mean nothing”, he concluded.
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.
