MAM
Mirinda says release the pressure
MUMBAI: In 2017, Mirinda, the orange flavoured sparkling drink from PepsiCo gave the country’s youth a voice and told the story of exam pressure they go through because of parents. This year, with the second edition of its ‘Release The Pressure’ campaign, the brand is making this voice louder and bringing to the forefront the issue of constant comparison by parents.
Mirinda ignites conversations around the issue through a moving short film, created by award-winning director Shoojit Sircar. Inspired by focused group discussions conducted across the country with students, the film hopes to be a mirror for society and aims to bring attention to students’ distress. It features real teenagers and focuses on the issues of parental pressure, and what happens when parents constantly compare their kids to peers, neighbours and siblings. Shoojit Sircar also directed the digital film for the first edition of the brand’s international award-winning campaign.
PepsiCo India senior vice president, beverage category Vipul Prakash believes that the latest campaign stems from an insight that homes turn into pressure zones as exam season approaches. Parents have good intentions at heart but sometimes their motivation methods end up being stressful for their kids. “Continuing the momentum of the first edition of the campaign, our goal this year is to help people understand and acknowledge that constant comparison is detrimental to a student’s performance,” he says.
The powerful film, conceptualised by creative agency BBDO, aims to make parents realise how situations of constant comparison can lead to lower self-esteem amongst teenagers.
As a popular national brand, Mirinda stands committed to its teenage audience and their interests. In the latest campaign, the agency has built on last year’s brand idea ‘Release The Pressure’ by decoding the actions that add pressure in the teenager’s life. BBDO India chairman and chief creative officer Josy Paul mentions that one big action or pressure point is the constant comparison that parents use to push their children. The campaign focuses on this unhealthy behaviour of constant comparison — that is known to lead to depression in children. The campaign encourages parents to discuss constructive ways to support their children, especially during exam time.
Director of the film, Shoojit Sircar says, “Stress, pressure, tension are unfortunately words which have become a part of the daily vocabulary of teenagers across India. There is undue pressure on students and as a society, we need to wake up and take responsibility. The next generation of world leaders will emerge only when we are able to give them space to grow, learn well and flourish without putting any undue pressure on them.”
Mirinda will also roll out a 360-degree plan starting with the ‘Release the Pressure’ digital film, followed by on-ground activations and a robust radio and print campaign. Over the next few months, the brand will invite people to pledge to ‘Release the Pressure’ through a series of online and offline partnerships.
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.
