upGrad brings an end to musical chairs in the pursuit of a MBA degree

Watch the film conceptualised by The Womb here

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Edtech company upGrad has rolled out a film that focuses on its management offering.

The film has been conceptualised by The Womb. It shows a group of children playing a game of musical chairs. The film's narrator states that the game is probably inspired by MBA colleges which offer few seats for many candidates. It adds that upGrad is now changing that with its associations with MBA specialised courses with academic partners and signs off with the 'sirf naam ki nahi, kaam ki degree' (a degree not just with a name, but one with a use).

Arjun Mohan, CEO – India, upGrad, said, “Our donkey ad, owing to its bold messaging was received well by our target audience and saw tremendous traction amongst users. We have also been able to translate the traffic into revenue, especially our management vertical which has seen an uptake for MBA programs. Therefore, with an overall intent to reach out to a wider set of audience, who look at pursuing an MBA as a viable career proposition, we have come up with a brand-new narrative that is designed to strike a chord with our consumers. We’ve been constantly working on evolving the brand to reflect the changing expectations and needs of our consumers, and therefore, the new ad film will help us strengthen our foothold and brand imagery across the higher edtech sector.”

Navin Talreja, co-founder, The Womb, said, “It is a poignant take on the education system and admissions infrastructure in the country which is enabling the growth of the edtech industry. The ad through its nostalgic appeal, we believe will connect with students who despite being good do not get opportunities to pursue their dream education. We were over the moon when we heard the idea and are confident it will work from the perspective of business growth for upGrad as well.”

Suyash Khabya, creative head, The Womb, added, “I am confident, this is one of the deepest insights we will see in Indian advertising for a while. It’s rooted in culture and reality. In the deft hands of Prakash Varma (director), we were sure the execution would push it further. So when he suggested sticking to the core and keeping the purity of thought intact, we were more than happy to go with it. The music, the voice, the stark set-up, the costumes, the slow-motion…it's drama yet undramatic.”

CREDITS:

Agency: The Womb Communications

Founding partners: Kawal Shoor and Navin Talreja

Creative team: Suyash Khabya, Arnab Manna and Shreyas Manjrekar

Planning and research team: Mittu Torka, Kunal Jha and Ishita Agarwal

Account management: Heval Patel and Richa Shah

Production house: Nirvana Films

Director: Prakash Varma

Executive producer: Sneha Iype

Producer: Nandini Gowda

Director of photography: Mohammad Rubais

Production designer: Ajay and Vipin, Patanga Arts