upGrad's latest ad depicts the pressures of getting into MBA colleges to focus on its management offerings

• UpGrad's latest ad takes a dig at Indian education and its admission process.
• Conceptualized by The Womb, this commercial follows the clutter-breaking spot on IPL featuring the donkey, promoting the MBA offerings of the edtech major.

The pandemic has resulted in a flourishing demand for online upskilling With the last campaign ensuing a massive upsurge within the MBA vertical, upGrad an online higher education company is leveraging on the momentum by releasing a new ad film that focuses on its Management vertical. The campaign has been conceptualized by The Womb.

The ad is a cinematic wonder that reflects on the nostalgia of the quintessential childhood game of musical chairs. It throws a spotlight on the dearth of seats for MBA degrees from ‘good’ universities thereby reinforcing the brand positioning of Sirf Naam Ki Nahin, Kaam Ki Degree.


Talking about the new ad, 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,” added Mohan.

Talking about the campaign, 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.”

“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, Nirvana Films), 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” added Suyash Khabya, Creative Head, The Womb.

The ad highlights the MBA offerings of upGrad with renowned national & international universities like BIMTECH, O.P. Jindal Global University, NMIMS Global Access, Liverpool Business School, and Deakin University in the areas of Marketing, Finance & Banking, etc.