MAM
Practically brings learning alive in first brand campaign
NEW DELHI: E-learning app Practically has kickstarted its first-ever brand campaign around the theme – ‘Bring Learning Alive’. The USP of the product is an intelligent, interactive and immersive learning experience driven by 3D videos, simulations and Augmented Reality.
The rationale for the above proposition is guided by the main features of the app – life-like video content, hands-on learning, experiential learning, access to subject experts, live classes and meet Proton – the official brand mascot, all of which add to the enhanced and engaging experience for the user. Coding++, a new feature which promises to be the A-Z of coding, is due to be launched soon.
The brand campaign includes two weeks of associate sponsorship on Big Boss Telegu 2020, print, digital marketing and social media amplification. The TV association and print ads will run in the month of December while the digital and social leg of the campaign will extend well over the next month, giving the campaign scale.
While the main focus is on Andhra Pradesh and Telangana given that these are the current priority markets for the brand, the digital campaign will run in the top 15 cities in the country with a greater emphasis on Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. Through this initiative, the brand aims to strengthen its connect with audiences in the run-up to the pan-India launch of the brand in the coming months.
Practically VP – brand and marketing strategy Mahadev Srivatsa said, “The objective of the campaign was to create awareness about the brand and showcase exactly how Practically brings learning alive for students through its immersive features. The 30-second TVCs highlight all the main features of the brand, woven around the brand proposition of ‘Bring Learning Alive Practically’. The jingle format serves as a perfect clutter breaker to land this message in a fun and engaging manner.”
Both TVCs have been well received and are already close to crossing a million views combined on YouTube since the campaign’s launch on 5 December.
The ‘Bring Learning Alive’ campaign was conceptualised by the brand team in partnership with Something Completely Different, a video production house based out of Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
