ITV

Category: Brands

  • Dunzo’s brand head Sai Ganesh quits

    Dunzo’s brand head Sai Ganesh quits

    MUMBAI: Logistics and grocery delivery app Dunzo’s head of brand Sai Ganesh has resigned. His next move is not known as of now.

    Ganesh joined the delivery startup three years back and worked on building brand Dunzo. His mandate included marketing and brand building of Dunzo and its recently launched quick commerce service Dunzo Daily.

    Under his leadership, Dunzo created several viral advertising campaigns such as “Sri Fridgesh Coolkarni”, #GroceryKaDramaChodo campaign and “Learn Kannada Starter Pack”. The latest Dunzo QR code commercial that played out on viewers’ screens during the IPL Finale, has also gone viral and has been quite successful for the brand, according to the company. Dunzo CEO Kabeer Biswas in a LinkedIn post said their traffic spiked 10 times in the hours the campaign was run.

    On Ganesh’s departure, Dunzo CEO and co-founder Kabeer Biswas said, “We love Sai. We at Dunzo are so proud of everything that he and the Brand team have built over the last 4 years. He leaves behind an incredible legacy in pushing the boundaries on mediums & changing how brands can & should tell a story in today’s age. I told Sai on his last day that Dunzo will always be a company that he built.”

    “We are very excited about what he does next. So Long, Partner. At Dunzo, we will keep building and challenging the norms from here on. We are in it to build one of the most endearing brands to come from India, and will always keep pushing the boundaries of story-telling,” he added.
    Before joining Dunzo, Ganesh worked as AVP – marketing at Zomato where he was responsible for the growth and marketing of the company’s membership service Zomato Gold (later renamed to Zomato Pro). He was in charge of the India, Portugal and UAE markets. In his more than decade-long career, he also worked at AB InBev India & South East Asia as a senior brand manager, Hanes and TVS Motor

  • D2C performance wear brand ENGN appoints Esha Deol as brand ambassador

    D2C performance wear brand ENGN appoints Esha Deol as brand ambassador

    Mumbai: Varanium Lifestyle’s D2C performance wear brand ENGN on Tuesday signed Esha Deol as brand ambassador. The brand has rolled out a year-long campaign #OwnYourGame featuring the actress.  

    The campaign is live on Instagram and Facebook. Esha, who is known for narrating a variety of characters through her filmography, will be seen in an athletic avatar donning ENGN apparel.

    Esha, who is a qualified classical dancer, a leading actor, is also an avid sportsperson. In her growing up years, she played as a centre-forward and was the captain of her school football team. She then qualified for the Indian national women’s football team as well. Not only that, but Esha was also a state-level handball player and thus, sports & athletics are second nature to her.

    Speaking about her association with ENGN, Esha Deol said, “For as long as I remember, sports have been an integral part of my life. My wardrobe is dominated by activewear. It was, therefore, serendipitous that ENGN and I came together. It’s a young, energetic Indian brand and I love its collections. I have been living in them whether it’s kickboxing, gym, or martial arts. Also, they are backing some amazing Indian female athletes which I am so proud about. As an artist and a former athlete, I immediately connected with #OwnYourGame. For me, it implies owning your turf – whether it’s the sport overall, the game on the field, your health or your life, at a larger level. The synergy between ENGN and me was instantaneous.”

    ENGN currently represents female athletes including Indian cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy, Olympian swimmer Maana Patel, International track athlete Nithyashree Ananda, National level long jumper Shivani Soam, AIR 1, world rank 65, International Taekwondo athlete Anisha Aswal and International speedskater Anoli Shah.

    ENGN CMO and COO Megha Desai said, “Performance and Purpose are the two pillars on which we built ENGN. Indian sportswomen even today, are heavily under-represented and we knew we wanted to support and back them a hundred per cent. Along with this, we also saw a huge gap in high-quality performance wear that’s also affordable. Thus, our product range is engineered by our athletes to ensure top-notch quality and made accessible for women across markets. Esha, for us, is the perfect combination of someone who comes from a sporting background herself and is a household name. She has aced every role in reel and real life. Her commitment to our collaboration is inspiring not just for our team but our athletes too.”

  • Believe India ropes in Pitchfork Partners as strategic communication counsel

    Believe India ropes in Pitchfork Partners as strategic communication counsel

    Mumbai: World’s leading digital music company Believe India on Tuesday appointed Pitchfork Partners Strategic Consultancy LLP as its communication counsel. The agency will manage its brand strategies in India.

    Pitchfork will work closely with Believe India to strengthen its brand awareness and engagement for its services across – artist services, label and artist solutions, TuneCore, and Ishtar with relevant stakeholders across the country. It will also drive and support Believe’s mission to develop independent artists and labels with their unique offerings and solutions, at each stage of their career and development, with respect, fairness, and transparency.

    Since entering the market in 2013, Believe India has become one of the leading players in the Indian music market through organic growth and acquisitions. Believe acquired Venus in 2019 (renamed Ishtar in 2021) and recently acquired a majority stake in Think Music, a leading south Indian-based music label to strengthen its position in the region. The group now operates the full range of solutions from TuneCore to artist services to develop local independent artists in one of the world’s fastest-growing recorded music markets.

    Pitchfork Partners is a consulting organisation working to strengthen the reputation of its clients. They consider themselves a reputation warrior, helping scale leading music companies by providing tailored solutions for the artists, and labels, with the help of marketing and communication veterans. This collaboration will be beneficial since Pitchfork Partners are experts in the entertainment and music space and will only help Believe reach out to the targeted audience.

    Speaking of this association, Believe India director Vivek Raina said, “We are excited with our association with Pitchfork Partners. Their experience and understanding of the industry align with Believe’s objectives and will help us reach emerging independent artists and labels in the digital world. We are focused on building a community in which independent artists and labels will get a platform and partnership to build their fanbase and enhance their revenues in the digital world.”

    Pitchfork Partners co-founder Jaideep Shergill said, “We are delighted to work with Believe India, given its leadership position in this competitive industry. It’s a great opportunity for us to drive their messaging across audiences in the country. We look forward to reaching new heights with Believe.”

  • SUGAR Cosmetics raises $50 mn funding led by L Catterton

    SUGAR Cosmetics raises $50 mn funding led by L Catterton

    Mumbai: Omnichannel beauty company, SUGAR Cosmetics, announced on Tuesday the close of its $50 million Series D fundraise led by the Asia fund of L Catterton, global consumer-focused private equity firm. The upsized round saw strong interest from multiple private equity funds with continued participation from existing investors – A91 Partners, Elevation Capital and India Quotient, the company said in a statement.

    Sharing the news on LinkedIn, SUGAR Cosmetics CEO Vineeta Singh wrote: Funding isn’t a milestone, but when it also coincides with the biggest month in sales for SUGAR Cosmetics, it’s time to express a ton of gratitude – for our crazy team, our passionate customers and of course the best set of investors ever!

    “Welcoming L Catterton the world’s largest consumer focused PE fund to our cap table along with A91 Partners, IndiaQuotient and Elevation Capital. Excited about having another feisty woman on the board, Anjana Sasidharan and can’t wait to build together the most loved beauty brand for young India,” she further added.

    The country’s beauty and personal care market has expanded considerably over the past five years, and is expected to reach approximately $21 billion in 2025. SUGAR stated that it has quadrupled its sales over the past five years, adding that it deploys new-age, impact-focused content marketing to develop lasting emotional connections.

    The cosmetics company said in a statement that its proliferation of online shopping and the creation of a robust local ecosystem of offline distribution partners has enabled it to attract customers from metros to Tier I and II cities. It added that the rising adoption of online shopping and greater product penetration in secondary cities are also driving the market’s enlargement.

    CEO Vineeta Singh said, “At SUGAR, we are devoted to creating innovative products that meticulously cater to the preferences of women with diverse skin tones and types who believe in expressing themselves with high-quality cosmetics and skincare products that complement their inner beauty. L Catterton shares our ethos of truly understanding what matters most to consumers, and my co-founder Kaushik and I are thrilled to welcome the firm as our partner,” further adding that the investor’s brand-building and value creation capabilities will fortify its growth.

    L Catterton Asia managing director Anjana Sasidharan said, “We have been impressed with how SUGAR has sustained its momentum of rapid growth across online and offline channels while maintaining healthy operating metrics… With a product-first mindset and deep understanding of their target consumers, SUGAR’s leadership team has established a strong position in India’s cosmetics market, which is at an exciting inflection point of expansion.”

    Known for being popular among Gen Z and millennials, the brand aims to further capitalise on its growth momentum in the rapidly growing beauty and personal care market. SUGAR Cosmetics has been scaling its physical presence with over 40,000 retail outlets across over 550 cities.

  • Q4 results: Nykaa profit falls 49% YoY to Rs 8.56 crore

    Q4 results: Nykaa profit falls 49% YoY to Rs 8.56 crore

    Mumbai: Nykaa recently announced its financial results for the quarter and financial year ended 31 March 2022. The financial report highlights that FSN E-commerce Ventures, Nykaa’s parent company, has experienced overall strong performance in FY2022 amidst various macro-economic challenges such as rising inflation, reduction in discretionary spends by consumers, and uncertainty around Covid-19.

    Nykaa reported a 49 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 8.56 crore in the fourth quarter from Rs 16.88 crore a year earlier. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 16.8 crore in the year-ago period. Its revenues from operations, however, rose 31 per cent to Rs 973.32 crore in the quarter as against Rs 740.52 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.

    Its Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) grew 45 per cent year on year to Rs 179.79 crore in March quarter, while it increased 71 per cent to Rs 693.32 crore in FY22. Revenue from operations grew 55 per cent year on year to Rs 377.39 crore and grew 31 per cent to Rs 973.3 crore in the quarter ended 31 March 2022.

    Profit after tax stood at Rs 41.3 crore in FY2022, a decline of 33 per cent from a year-ago period.

    Nykaa chairperson MD and CEO Falguni Nayar said. “The year has witnessed a challenging macroeconomic environment, pronounced for discretionary categories like beauty, personal care and fashion. Despite market slowdown, our unique growth story continues, showing the resilience of our business model and long term sustainability by balancing strong revenue growth, responsible unit economics and profitability.”

    “We acquired over six million new customers across beauty and fashion, and witnessed superior customer retention, with improved metrics across the funnel – from visits to conversions. We have expanded our addressable market through new growth engines – speciality retail stores, Nykaa Man, and SuperStore. These businesses, along with our consumer brands portfolio have witnessed increasing momentum through the year,” she added.

    “Our consumer brands have recently seen expansion into wellness, activewear and personal care through purpose-driven brand acquisitions. We deeply value our shareholders’ faith in us and hold their capital in highest regard. Our investments are always made in getting the building blocks right – such as tech platform, customer experience, assortment – and growing our new and early-stage businesses in a sustainable manner with a long term focus,” concluded Falguni.

     

  • Haldiram Snacks appoints Divya Batra as head of marketing

    Haldiram Snacks appoints Divya Batra as head of marketing

    Mumbai: Divya Batra has joined Haldiram Snacks as head of marketing. She took LinkedIn to share this news. Before joining Haldiram, Batra was associated with McCormick which she joined back in 2012.

    “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Head Of Marketing at Haldiram Snacks Pvt.Ltd.! Excited for this new journey in my career,” reads her LinkedIn post.  

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/divya-batra-77462414_im-happy-to-share-that-im-starting-a-new-activity-6935431667071213568-bvu3?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

    Batra started her professional journey as the events and marketing manager with Narang Group where she launched F&B brands in India.

  • My11Circle partners with Women T20 Challenge 2022 as official title sponsor

    My11Circle partners with Women T20 Challenge 2022 as official title sponsor

    Mumbai: Games24x7’s fantasy platform, My11Circle, has partnered with Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 as the official title sponsor. The four-day tournament is currently underway at MCA Stadium in Pune. The company has surfaced snippets featuring candid moments with the three-team captains – Harmanpeet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, and Smriti Mandhana.

    For 2022, the Women’s T20 Challenge will include four games from 23 May to 28 May. The video bites capture the enthusiasm and excitement of the team captains of Trailblazers, Velocity, and Supernovas for the T20 League.

    Games24x7 co-founder and co-CEO Bhavin Pandya said, “We are very excited to be title sponsors of the upcoming Women’s T20 Challenge 2022. One of the most endearing developments in the cricket world in the last few years is the growing popularity of women’s cricket. This contest, which will feature some of the finest cricketers in world cricket, will give a further fillip to the rising popularity of women’s cricket, and will offer immense excitement to fans and supporters of the game of cricket worldwide.”

  • Guest Column: Hospitality brands repositioning themselves in the market post-pandemic

    Guest Column: Hospitality brands repositioning themselves in the market post-pandemic

    Mumbai: The pandemic has affected a substantial amount of businesses globally and has severely impacted the travel and the hospitality sector. The Indian hotel industry has suffered losses of Rs 620 crore. The hotel chain and standalone hotel segments are expected to lose more than Rs 130-155 crore, while the alternate accommodation category is expected to lose more than Rs 420-470 crore. This has changed the way hospitality brands used to engage and position themselves in the market.

    During the pandemic as the restrictions were imposed, the restaurants and F&B services of the hospitality brands managed to survive through home delivery of food, which was possible through service partners like Zomato, Swiggy, Uber eats, etc. The experience of fine dining, the ambience, ordering through a menu card, and the special hospitality services that customers used to gain were completely lost. Now that the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, they will expect more from these hospitality brands, as people no longer circumspect about the food they eat but it is about the services that they experience. This emerges the need for brands to invest in strong marketing and consumer engagement plans which will help them to stand out from their competitors.

    With the help of an effective PR strategy, these hospitality brands can once again gain visibility among their stakeholders and consumers, using announcement campaigns or a simple consumer engagement campaign. This can help in announcing their return to business with newer offerings and covid appropriate services, etc. thereby engaging with and reassuring their customers.

    Here are some of the benefits that the hospitality brands can obtain with a strong PR campaign to win back visibility and business opportunities:

    Brand positioning

    With a strong marketing and consumer engagement plan, the hospitality brand will be able to create a top of mind recall among the customers. With the change in the market scenario, most businesses have to innovate and create covid appropriate solutions and services, while also focusing on their existing products. A well-planned PR campaign can help hospitality brands to be relevant and effective in the new market.

    Long term customer loyalty

    An effective PR campaign can help in building the lost touch and renew customer relationships that were present before the pandemic. Through effective media engagement, brands can build transparency, trust, and credibility for the brand and in turn create visibility and rebuild a set of loyal customers.

    Helps build a narrative for the business

    A PR specialist can help in forming a strong narrative for the company, be it talking about the sanitized and safe environment, special menus, newer innovations in services and focused customer service. This helps in building an appropriate solution based on the scenario. With a better understanding of the problem, a PR specialist can accurately offer solutions by using the right phrases to help build the image of the brand.

    Ease of doing business

    PR campaigns that are developed around spokesperson profiling through interviews, industry story participation, opinion pieces and authored content, etc. can help in the building thought leadership and help in targeting the relevant customers. This in return gives the brand better support in the market among the stakeholders, resulting in ease of doing business.

    More engaging campaigns

    With the help of a PR specialist, hospitality brands can connect with their target customers with more engaging programs, which in return will increase brand engagement. These programs can be centered through experiences, which is possible by optimizing the product offering, complementary events, gigs/ live music, special celebrity appearances, etc. which is a great way to promote the brand, engage with the target audience and ultimately boost sales.

    With the help of an effective PR campaign, hospitality brands can reposition themselves with a strong PR narrative which can help them garner visibility and build the right image of themselves post-pandemic. Partnering with a good PR agency will help you combat these difficulties and provide solutions that will give you a strong head start to successful growth in the hospitality sector.

    The author is Anindita Gupta, Co-Founder, Scenic Communication

  • TATA Studi renews digital marketing mandate for Gozoop

    TATA Studi renews digital marketing mandate for Gozoop

    The e-learning application Tata Studi has retained Gozoop Group as its digital agency. The independent marketing group has been working with the brand since 2020. Gozoop Group will continue to be responsible for the brand’s digital presence as part of the mandate.

    Leveraging its expertise in creative campaigns and storytelling, the agency will be actively managing social media engagement for Tata Studi, Tata StudiLive and Tata StudiLeap.

    Gozoop Group has conceptualized and executed the branding campaign ‘Padhne Ka Sahi Tareeka’ for the brand foregrounding Tata Studi as an ideal after-school coach, last year. The campaign was released on both electronic and online platforms.

    Studi was founded on the science of learning – a highly effective learning method recommended by learning scientists. Tata Studi’s mission is to inculcate effective study habits in every child and inspire them to be independent learners.  

    Speaking of this association, Tata ClassEdge chief executive officer Milind M Shahane said, “The EdTech industry is growing rapidly. Tata Studi app and Tata StudiLive online classes offer the latest technology facilitating learning and live tuition for students to improve learning outcomes and performance. We have been working with Gozoop Group for the past year and given their understanding of market & customer dynamics and our expectations, we are glad to continue our association with them for the digital marketing mandate. They helped us launch the #PadhneKaSahiTareeka campaign at the start of our consumer journey, and we believe they are the right partners for enabling our next phase of growth.”

    Talking about their partnership with Tata Studi, Gozoop India CEO Samrat Bedi said, “Tata Group is one of the most prestigious names in our country and GOZOOP Group is proud to be associated with Tata Studi, a brand we share similar principles and ideals with. In the last two years we have worked towards a common goal – meeting new heights for the brand in the digital space and look forward to continuing to provide result-driven solutions and communications for Tata Studi as their trusted advisors.”

  • MADAME ropes in Tara Sutaria to promote brand’s summer collection

    MADAME ropes in Tara Sutaria to promote brand’s summer collection

    Mumbai: The fashion clothing brand MADAME has launched a video campaign featuring actress Tara Sutaria to promote the brand’s summer collection. The campaign is based on its new tagline ‘Make Now Yours’.

    The video campaign is crafted on a theme to live every moment to the fullest and enjoy every bit of it.

    Commenting on the new campaign, MADAME head of marketing and communications Sumedha Jain said, “With the Spring Summer’22 collection by MADAME, you can claim every moment as your own. We believe that there’s no better moment than now and there’s no better person than you to grab every fleeting opportunity to celebrate. Let the sun be your spotlight as you #MakeNowYours with MADAME.”

    Speaking of her collaboration with MADAME, the actress said, “I adore the collection by MADAME, a brand that has also been a favourite of mine for a very long time. I believe it reflects everything that an Indian woman stands for, courage, determination, freedom, and grace. I’m positive everybody will love this fabulous summer collection.”