Kraftshala School of Business (KSB), India’s leading marketing and sales skilling institution, today announced the placement outcomes for the last 14 months of its digital marketing course, Marketing Launchpad, reporting 1,037 marketing placements and a 94% placement rate across batches. The programme reported the highest CTC of INR 10.4 lakh per annum for freshers and INR 16 lakh per annum for candidates with relevant work experience, alongside an average CTC of INR 5.3 lakh per annum. The 1,037-placement milestone is significant in the specialized marketing talent market, where employers hire for demonstrated skills and the ability to deliver on the job.
The Marketing Launchpad Placement Report 2026 shows that the programme’s new AI-led curriculum has contributed to accelerated hiring momentum. Placements rose 74% year-on-year during the January–August 2026 period, compared with January–August 2025. The latest quarter saw a sharper acceleration, with placements increasing 147% year-on-year in July–August 2026.
Kraftshala has published placement reports for Marketing Launchpad cohorts since the programme’s inception, offering consistent visibility into its placement outcomes. The latest report includes results for Marketing Launchpad Batch 39, which recorded a 97% placement rate, with the highest CTC reaching INR 9.2 lakh per annum and the average CTC standing at INR 5.2 lakh per annum.
The outcomes highlight Marketing Launchpad’s ability to create career pathways across the marketing ecosystem. Nearly one in three graduates joined a Big Five global marketing and advertising company, including Publicis Groupe, Dentsu, Omnicom, WPP Media and Havas Media Network, while the others were placed with other global and independent agencies and brands such as M&C Saatchi, Madison World, LS Digital, Mensa Brands, Mamaearth, Comet, Sleepy Owl and other such leading companies.
The programme’s recruiter base continues to deepen, with nearly two in three graduates joining companies that have hired from Marketing Launchpad more than once – reflecting sustained employer confidence in the job-readiness and on-the-job performance of its learners.
The programme’s new recruiter pool includes recognisable brands and companies such as Lenskart, OYO, Meatigo and Beardo, alongside a wider network of agencies and high-growth businesses.
Commenting on the placement outcomes, Varun Satia, Founder and CEO, Kraftshala School of Business, said, “At Kraftshala, we believe the value of education lies in whether it prepares people to add value in their workplaces from day one. That is why Marketing Launchpad is designed around real business problems, practical execution and the skills that employers look for when hiring early-career marketing talent.
More than 3,000 students have now been placed through Marketing Launchpad, our digital marketing programme, including over 1,000 in the last 14 months. This growth shows that the market is responding to the combination of practical execution, AI-led learning and strong talent. Recruiters continue to return because our students arrive with problem-solving ability, learning agility and the behavioural skills required to perform on the job.
Our long-term goal is to place 20,000 students every year by 2047. This report is another indication that we are moving in the right direction—not by chasing optics, but by building outcomes that students, families and recruiters can trust.”
Students from Marketing Launchpad have been hired across a broad range of marketing roles, led by performance marketing, which accounted for 31% of placements, followed by digital marketing at 28% and ecommerce roles at 12%. The remaining 29% of placements were distributed across SEO, management trainee, growth marketing, brand marketing, programmatic, social media and content, and other specialised marketing roles.
The programme’s placement outcomes are driven by three factors: selecting candidates with high intent and learning agility, developing strong problem-solving ability through current business challenges, and ensuring that learners build a track record of execution before they graduate. This combination helps students become productive faster and encourages recruiters to return for subsequent hiring needs.
The outcomes also reflect the reach of Kraftshala’s online learning model. Two in three learners placed through Marketing Launchpad come from outside India’s top six metros, demonstrating how an online, practitioner-led programme can expand access to high-quality marketing training and career opportunities beyond traditional talent hubs. Students learn through live business problems, hands-on projects and industry-led instruction, irrespective of where they are located.
One of the alumni of Marketing Launchpad, Yuvraj Singh Deora, Growth Ads Manager at Lenskart, said, “What makes Kraftshala different is how closely it connects learning with the real world. The experience is not just about understanding marketing concepts, it teaches you how to think, analyse problems, and make decisions in a business environment. The exposure to real projects, industry professionals, and constant feedback helped me become much more confident and job-ready. Looking back, Kraftshala gave me a strong foundation that I continue to apply in my career today.”
Marketing Launchpad is Kraftshala’s six-month, AI-integrated digital marketing programme, designed to prepare learners for careers through live business problems, hands-on projects, industry-led learning and placement accountability. The programme enables students to build demonstrable skills and a real-world portfolio before they enter the workforce.
