iWorld
Glow and Lovely sparks a PIN-code power surge with The Glow Up Academy
MUMBAI: Who says you need a ring light to shine? Glow & Lovely is flipping the spotlight with a movement that’s as local as your PIN code and as bold as your voice. Glow & Lovely, one of India’s most iconic skincare brands, has dropped a bold new campaign titled ‘Apni Roshni Baahar La’ (Bring Out Your Inner Light) and it’s more than just a slogan. It’s a full-blown movement to nurture 19,101 women creators, one from every PIN code in India.
At the heart of this ambitious rollout is The Glow Up Academy, a creator-skilling initiative that aims to turn scroll-happy Gen Zs and millennials into full-fledged digital influencers. The programme combines structured learning modules, mentorship, and real-world content strategy to help women own their narratives, one reel at a time.
Forget influencers peddling #ads for likes. This campaign is built on a deeper truth: authenticity is the new algorithm. Whether it’s Shehnaaz Gill, Jannat Zubair, or Chum Darang, the campaign film stars a powerhouse of self-made women rewriting the rules of influence from the streets of Shillong to the stories of Surat.
“This isn’t just a rebrand, it’s a cultural shift,” said Hindustan Unilever executive director for beauty & wellbeing Harman Dhillon. “We’re not asking women to conform; we’re inviting them to stand out, to lead with light rooted in courage and individuality.”
The campaign, conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai, leans heavily into a social-first strategy. Expect to see it on Instagram, Youtube, and just about every platform where real influence bubbles up. It will also hit the ground through regional content rollouts and local Glow Up Academy activations, making sure even the smallest towns aren’t left in the digital dark.
Ogilvy India (West) chief creative officer Anurag Agnihotri puts it simply: “Every woman carries a light the world needs to see. It’s time she leads with it.”
In a digital universe crowded with filters and follow-bait, ‘Apni Roshni Baahar La’ offers something radical: realness. And with 19,101 creators-in-the-making, this might just be the biggest glow-up India’s creator economy has ever seen.
iWorld
Snapchat parent Snap cuts 16 per cent of workforce in AI-driven restructuring
The Snapchat parent is axing around 1,000 jobs and closing 300 open roles to save $500m, as artificial intelligence makes smaller teams the new normal
CALIFORNIA: Snap is snapping. The Snapchat parent has confirmed plans to cut around 1,000 employees, roughly 16 per cent of its full-time workforce, as it bets that artificial intelligence can do what headcount once required. Shares jumped more than 10 per cent in premarket trading on the news, a brisk vote of confidence from a market that has watched the stock shed about 31 per cent this year.
The restructuring, which also closes more than 300 open roles, follows pressure from activist investor Irenic Capital Management, which holds an economic interest of about 2.5 per cent in the company and has been loudly pushing Snap to tighten its portfolio and lift performance. The firm got what it asked for, and then some.
Chief executive Evan Spiegel told employees the cuts would reduce annualised expenses by more than $500m by the second half of the year. The company expects to incur charges of between $95m and $130m related to the layoffs, mostly severance, with the bulk landing in the second quarter. Staff in Snap’s North America team were asked to work from home on the day of the announcement.
The financial backdrop is not without bright spots. Snap expects first-quarter revenue to rise around 12 per cent to approximately $1.53 billion, broadly in line with analyst estimates. Adjusted core profit for the January to March quarter is forecast at about $233m, comfortably ahead of Wall Street’s expectation of $186.8m.
The harder question surrounds Specs, Snap’s augmented reality smart glasses subsidiary, which Irenic has urged the company to spin off or shut down entirely. The unit has absorbed more than $3.5 billion in investment and burns through approximately $500m in cash annually. Snap is pressing ahead regardless, with a consumer product expected later this year, even as Meta leads the market in the segment.
Spiegel is betting that leaner teams, smarter machines and a consumer AR play can restore Snap’s credibility with investors who have run out of patience. The redundancy notices have gone out. The harder restructuring, the one that requires a hit product rather than a headcount reduction, is still very much pending.
