Category: Brands

Medusa Beverages appoints Bradford License India to enter into fashion & lifestyle segment

NEW DELHI: Medusa Beverages Pvt Ltd that owns the beer brand Medusa, joins hands with Bradford License to foray into the world of brand licensing in India. Medusa is now the only Indian alco-beverage brand who will license their brand for various ranges of product lines to be sold in retail. The collaboration is to create a global licensing program in a broad range of categories including fashion, men’s grooming & fragrances, FMCG, etc. Bradford will extend the brand into strategically-targeted products and alliances emphasising the brand’s DNA as an “unparalleled stripling experience that’s part fantasy, part aspirational and part attainable.”

Medusa was first launched in 2018 and within a span of two years, the brand has already witnessed exponential growth reaching a turnover of Rs 150 crore. Brewed in Punjab the brand is currently available in five states including Delhi, UP, Punjab, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, and growing multifold.

Medusa founder Avneet Singh said, “Post receiving an overwhelming response for our beer brand Medusa from its consumers, we now plan to enter into fashion and lifestyle segment. We could only think of the best when it came to developing the licensing program – Bradford. We are thrilled to utilize Bradford License India’s expertise in unique opportunity identification and marketing to further add value to the brand.”

Bradford License business head Vatsal Vijay, “Medusa has the right mix of elegance, accessibility, and aspiration which will translate well into categories like fashion, travel gear, health & personal care as well as FMCG. Medusa offers vibrant assets which make the brand stand out amongst the millennial audience and we will move strategically to secure licensee extensions in a variety of categories and territories with customized marketing approach for each.”

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July 16, 2020
OYO and Unilever partner to lead the way on hotel cleanliness

New Delhi: OYO Hotels & Homes, one of the world’s leading hotel chains has partnered with Unilever, the global consumer goods company, to enhance OYO’s ‘Sanitised Stays’ initiative with the help of Unilever’s leading home and personal hygiene brands which will be used in the cleaning and disinfecting of OYO properties.

With higher hygiene standards, minimal-touch services, and enhanced credibility topping the list of customer requirements, Unilever’s R&D team will work with OYO to co-create Standard Operating Procedures for cleaning to maximise the positive effects of Unilever products. OYO properties where these operating procedures are used will display a tag on booking pages to show Unilever products have been used in cleaning services. This global partnership will begin in India and then go live across Indonesia, Vietnam, the US, LATAM and Europe.

Through this partnership, select OYO properties will have Unilever hygiene kits for guests and cleaning supplies for staff, including products from brands such as Lifebuoy, Domex, Sunlight and Cif. To provide a cleaner and more hygienic experience to guests right from check-in to check-out, OYO has upgraded its cleanliness and hygiene protocols to suit the ‘new normal’ with ‘OYO Sanitised Stays’.

OYO founder & group CEO Ritesh Agarwal added, “As the world begins to travel again, we must all collectively ensure that health and safety remain the absolute priority. The scientific expertise of Unilever and assurance of their brands Lifebuoy, Domex, Sunlight and Cif are second to none and we are confident that our guests will have a quality and stress-free experience with ‘OYO Sanitised Stays’ with Unilever’s leading home and personal hygiene products. We’re pleased that by partnering with Unilever and providing their trusted products, we are able to help customers, as well as our staff, stay as safe as possible. With our committed asset owners, we are ready to host consumers across the world and we promise to give our customers the confidence to enjoy the OYO experience as we help drive higher standards in hygiene”

Hindustan Unilever chairman and MD Sanjiv Mehta said, “With Hindustan Unilever’s long history in India, we are determined to do our part to protect lives and livelihoods and are glad to have found a strong partner in OYO who shares this vision. Through this partnership, Unilever is pleased to be able to help, through our known and trusted home and personal hygiene brands and education on correct use. We remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of millions across the globe, and keeping our communities safe during these times.”

July 16, 2020
Wiggles launches India’s first 100% alcohol-free sanitizer for pets

Considering the growing hygiene and sanitation related concerns by pet owners and more so during the COVOD-19 pandemic, preventive pet care brand Wiggles launches India’s first 100% alcohol free and pet-safe instant sanitizer. Wiggles’ ‘Instant Pet Sanitizer’ is the first of its kind hassle-free solution for pets and pet parents after returning home from walks and outdoor activities. The Instant Pet Sanitizer contains essential oils and is based on a 100% alcohol free unique composition making it the perfect and safest alternative to the repeated need for rinsing and bathing known to cause drying and rashes. The sanitizer is affordable, easy to use, dries instantly and can be used on the pets’ paws and coat on a daily basis and whenever needed offering rinse-free protection on the go.

Recognized for introducing transparency in the pet care ecosystem in India, Wiggles, has launched distinct business verticals while keeping in mind the need of pets and pet parents within a short span of time. The Instant Pet Sanitizer by Wiggles.in is a category creator, and is developed by a team of experts keeping in mind the needs of pets and pet owners.

On launching yet another pioneering product for pets, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wiggles.in, Anushka Iyer, says, “With change being the only constant, innovation is the key, it has become imperative for us at Wiggles to prioritize the needs and demands of our pets and pet parents. Being a pet parent myself and an ardent animal lover, I have personally felt the need for a safe, and affordable product for instant cleansing without having to worry and bother too much. During the lockdown, we have been receiving several such requests as well as queries and concerns from pet owners about the use of alcohol based sanitizers and other regular hand sanitizers for their pets which are otherwise extremely dangerous and can even cause poisoning. Keeping this in mind, and the increasing need to maintain hygiene and sanitation of our pets, we have launched the Instant Pet Sanitizer, an extremely safe and easy to use product for dogs and cats. We have been working relentlessly to come up with a product that is gentle, and reliable and yet does the job. We are extremely happy on launching a milestone product that not only happens to be the first in India but also a first of its kind. We are hopeful that we will further develop on this category and introduce some more products that will ease duties for pet owners.”

The Instant Pet Sanitizer is a spray based sanitizer that is irritation free and has a soothing and calming effect on the pet. The Instant Pet Sanitizer is available across India at a nominal price of Rs. 330 for 100 ml. Pet owners can also purchase the product on the Wiggles.in website as well as through Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, ShopClues, Pawrulz, Vetco, and other leading e-commerce platforms.

July 14, 2020
Cornitos expands business ops with e-commerce website

NEW DELHI: Snack brand Cornitos has announced the launch of its e-commerce website, with an aim to offer easy and safe accessibility to its customers.

The decision has come at a point of time when business across verticals are witnessing a dip in the sales as manufacturing and distribution were halted due to ongoing Covid2019 crisis. The website is LIVE and the delivery orders will be shipped within Delhi-NCR. The brand aims to initiate pan-India delivery by the month of August.

According to the company’s spokesperson, all the products will be delivered with all safety precautions i.e., sanitation of packages, cashless payment and contactless delivery.

However, the brand’s products are also available in retail, e-retail and modern trade stores and on all e-grocery across platforms, but the disruption in the supply chain during lockdown severely affected the distribution channel. The brand has realised that this would be the new normal and pursuing an e-commerce strategy was not just an option, but absolutely crucial. Thus, the decision was made and the new strategy has been adopted to diversify the business channel.

GHFPL MD Vikram Agarwal said, “We are really excited to launch Cornitos website as it is the easiest and the safest platform for our customers to buy our products. Cornitos, as a brand has always worked for its customers and in this crucial time it was vital for us to think about their health and safety."

Agarwal also said, “During lockdown, the company was flooded with queries from consumers about the availability and delivery of their products. We have reformed our business model and website launch is a part of our post Covid2019 strategy. This one-stop shop approach makes it easier for us to delight our customers with the entire array of delicious flavors and products.”

July 14, 2020

Lux Toilet Soap is top brand in BARC week 26 ratings

NEW DELHI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India has released its data for top advertisers and brands for the period between 27 June to 3 July 2020, respectively.

The data reflects the top 10 advertisers and brands across genres on India television, 2+ Individuals, NCCS All demonstrating ads that were inserted the most in the 26h week of 2020.

Top advertisers:

Hindustan Unilever continued to be the biggest advertiser with 317861 insertions as compared to 292536 insertions in week 25, followed by Reckitt Benckiser which ranked second with 78007 insertions.

The following spot was acquired by Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd with 47425 insertions.

Godrej Consumer Products and ITC Limited recorded 45498 and 39209 ad insertions respectively.

Wipro Ltd acquired the sixth spot with 24700 ad insertions on TV.

Other top brands in the pecking order were as follows: Ponds India, Amazon Online, Lakme, and at the last Procter & Gamble.

Rank	Advertiser	Insertions
		Week 26
1	HINDUSTAN LEVER LTD	317861
2	RECKITT BENCKISER (INDIA) LTD	78007
3	BROOKE BOND LIPTON INDIA LTD	47425
4	GODREJ CONSUMER PRODUCTS LTD	45498
5	ITC LTD	39209
6	WIPRO LTD	24700
7	PONDS INDIA	23382
8	AMAZON ONLINE INDIA PVT LTD	22284
9	LAKME LEVER LTD	19452
10	PROCTER & GAMBLE HOME PRODUCTS	19182

Top Brands: –

Lux Toilet Soaps became the top brand in BARC week 25 rankings as it recorded 24498 insertions on TV. It was followed by Horlicks (16423) and Wheel Active 2 in 1 (13877)

The fourth and fifth sport was acquired by Amazon. In and Surf Excel Easy Wash with 13768 and 13173 views, respectively.

Other top brands in the pecking order are as follows: Lifebuoy, Close up, Policy Bazaar, Pears, and Sunsilk.

In week 26, there was a drop of 4.05 per cent in the total number of insertions for advertisers whereas for brands it was down 6.1 per cent.

Rank	Brands	Insertions
		Week 26
1	LUX TOILET SOAP	24498
2	HORLICKS	16423
3	WHEEL ACTIVE 2 IN 1	13877
4	AMAZON.IN	13768
5	SURF EXCEL EASY WASH	13173
6	LIFEBUOY TOILET SOAP	12814
7	CLOSE UP EVER FRESH	12574
8	POLICYBAZAAR.COM	12004
9	PEARS	10840
10	SUNSILK BLACK SHINE	10633

July 14, 2020

Mamaearth celebrates #GoodnessInside as brand purpose

NEW DELHI: Mamaearth, the toxin-free personal care startup, announces its brand purpose as “Goodness Inside”.

Mamaearth’s latest video brings forth this idea of ‘Goodness is a Choice’ to its consumers. It is a digital and social media led campaign with the key message that goodness isn’t a superpower or a special gift. It is simply a choice that you make every day, just like the choices Mamaearth has made. Mamaearth products are made from the best of nature, and have no toxins, no harmful chemicals, no animal testing, no plastic impact.

Since its inception in 2016, Mamaearth has stood by the promise of honesty and goodness in everything they do. Founded by husband and wife duo Varun Alagh and Ghazal Alagh, Mamaearth is Asia’s first brand with products of Madesafe certification. It offers 100% toxin-free and natural baby care, skincare, and hair care products. They recognise that millennial consumers have the same belief system, and make their choices with the philosophy of goodness as a choice too.

Fireside Ventures partner VS Kannan Sitaram said, “We at Fireside firmly believe that great brands serve a larger purpose beyond delivering product benefits. Mamaearth is an outstanding example of a brand that lives its purpose in an admirable manner. Its values resonate strongly with its consumers and create a loyal, growing community of consumers. With this firm anchoring, Mamaearth is set to grow multifold."

MamaEarth co-founder Ghazal Alag said, “Millennials want to do good and steer their families into a better tomorrow. That’s why we call this generation as ‘Generation Good’. At Mamaearth, we share the same values and moral compass as Gen Good. Our new tagline ‘Goodness Inside’ is a promise that we will do what is right for our consumers and for Mother Earth by staying loyal to our product roots of toxin free purity and natural goodness.”

The film is conceptualised by Korra Worldwide shows multiple situations where people can make good choices in their daily lives to make the world a little better. And with each little choice, we head towards a much better future. The main video of 1 minute will be followed up by multiple smaller edits focusing on one situation and one category of products from the brand.

Korra CEO Gaurav Nabh said, “Our work on Mamaearth is staying true to Korra’s mission of communicating to a digital first audience, helping challenger brands tell insightful stories and in turn creating disruption in the category. This campaign truly demonstrates Korra’s deep understanding of the digital native, showcases our capabilities and is the first among a series of future work furthering a strong partnership with Mamaearth.”

The brand’s belief in spreading ‘goodness’ is extended beyond product to other actions as well. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mamaearth decided not to profit from the situation by selling sanitizers. Instead, they distributed 50,000 sanitizers to people in need through 2500+ Goodness Ambassadors across the country. Recently, they’ve also distributed cotton reusable face masks with smiles printed on them, through these Goodness Ambassadors as well.

July 13, 2020
Covid2019 did not upset top brands’ growth: Kantar report

NEW DELHI: According to Kantar’s Brand Footprint 2020 report, brands including Parle, Amul, Clinic Plus, Britannia and Ghadi emerged as the topmost chosen brands in the country in 2019. The report is an annual ranking of FMCG brands based on the Consumer Reach Points the brands scored in a year. The report is in its eighth edition this year.

Brand Footprint 2020 follows CRP based ranking which considers the actual purchase made by the consumers and the frequency at which these purchases are made in a year.

According to the report, scoring the highest CRP (million) at 6029 with a 12 per cent increase, Parle ranked first, which was followed by Amul at 4,632 CRP (million) and 17 per cent increase, Clinic Plus at 4,514 CRP (million) with 32 per cent increase, Britannia at 4,215 CRP (million) with a 29 per cent increase and Ghadi at 2,438 CRP (million) with a 12 per cent increase.

The report further highlighted that this year five new brands made it to the Billion CRP Club including Dabur, Vim, Sunfeast, Brooke Bond and Patanjali and 21 brands joined this group in 2019 compared to 16 in both 2018 and 2017.

Consumers made significantly more choices this year leading to a significantly better CRP performance by brands – 57 per cent brands record growing CRPs and bigger brands find better growth and follow the golden rule, brands grow faster by growing penetration. Colgate stands at the highest penetrated brand at 88 per cent, as per the report.

In the foods category, Britannia is the second-most chosen brand, seventh-highest penetrated brand with a household penetration at 67.6 per cent. Aashirvaad saw a surge with 4 per cent penetration increase and +55 per cent CRP growth.

Dabur as a brand came out strong in personal care and foods category with 34 per cent increase in CRP growth, making it the fifth-most chosen beauty and health brand in India with a 70 per cent per cent household penetration.

“Consumer reach points are a great way to measure and rank brands as it is a measure of the number of opportunities a brand has, to interact with a consumer. It is great to see consistent validation for the fact that if you build penetration, frequency and growth follow. This has really been a year of global brands in terms of their higher growth than others. Like these, this year’s report has a lot of interesting nuggets to derive a lot of information and insights on top the behaviour of consumers towards brands in the last year,” Kantar MD- south Asia, worldpanel division K Ramakrishnan said.

The report concluded that 2020 is the year of global brands and for the brands that focused on reaching more targets were the clear winners. It also said that Covid2019 did not upset the top brands’ growth.

July 12, 2020
Chumbak launches new brand identity

NEW DELHI: Chumbak, the design-led lifestyle brand, unveiled its new logo today with a digital release. The logo change is part of the larger shift in the positioning of the brand.

Chumbak was founded in 2010 by Shubhra Chadha and Vivek Prabhakar with the idea of designing fun souvenirs & collectibles inspired by India.

The new logo reaffirms Chumbak’s positioning as a lifestyle brand. Speaking about it Chumbak co-founder Vivek Prabhakar, mentioned “When we launched Chumbak ten years ago, the logo was designed to reflect the quirky, young brand positioning. At the time, the logo enabled us to stand out in a serious retail landscape. It worked perfectly with the initial product range that was India inspired. Over the years, we’ve not only expanded our product range but also presented an evolved, globally relevant design language. The new logo represents & establishes that shift.”

Chumbak CEO Vasant Nangia added “In the last ten years, Chumbak has successfully diversified its product portfolio and scaled to appeal to audiences across the country. The new brand identity reflects our mission to be an evolved and globally relevant, design-led lifestyle brand.”

Designed to work effortlessly across the brand’s digital and physical channels, the new logo uses simple serif typography that mirrors the brand pillars of wit, warmth, and authenticity. It also brings to the forefront, the beloved Chumbak owl that is known and recognised by its growing community of consumers and community. The design was developed with the in-house brand team and Delhi-based design consultancy, Bull Design. The logo will be rolled out across brand touchpoints in the months to come.

July 11, 2020
India Gate Basmati Rice to focus on expanding portfolio, product availability & quality checks

NEW DELHI: As the nation is dealing with Covid2019, the problem of hunger still prevails amongst millions of under-privileged humans. India Gate Basmati Rice, being one of the oldest brands in India has started #UmeedHainHum – an initiative to feed families during these tough times. The brand has been providing more than 20,000 meals every day across the country.

KRBL Limited business head, sales and marketing Ayush Gupta shares, “When we first started this activity, it was about helping an orphanage which was struggling for their daily meals somewhere in Bhopal, but as we moved along the journey became larger and more vivid in terms of the people and sections of the society we could serve.”

According to Gupta, the brand has observed that people are buying via online channels, “We are observing a heavy surge in online purchases, which is becoming beneficial for top brands who have a really high recall. FMCG as a consumer segment is going to be the most sustained and will provide a backbone for customers returning to the market. Groceries will remain key to the last mile shopping with strong positive sentiment towards supporting them.”

He also points out that local brands, which are providing quality products, will be the most benefited in the coming months as well.

“During the ongoing crisis of Covid2019, we want to make sure that we are available in appropriate quantities to all our customers across the globe. As rice is one of the most consumed essential grains in most countries, we are taking special measures to make sure that each and every packet is passed through stringent quality checks and is hygienically packed,” he says.

When asked about what kind of shift the brand has seen in the marketing strategies and on what mediums the brand is experimenting to connect with the consumers, Gupta says, “Right now, in times of uncertainties, brand communication should be able to educate, assure and be empathetic to the needs of customers. Being omni-channel, ensuring the availability of stocks everywhere with a 'value for money' proposition is how we are approaching the current scenario.”

He shares that the remaining financial year looks promising as the food and beverage industry will become the forming grounds of people coming out again shopping for their staple requirements. “This will, in turn, provide opportunities to various other categories to get picked up and provide better balance to the overall market,” he adds.

Gupta reveals that the brand is planning to extend its existing health portfolio which has brown rice and quinoa in it, with flax seeds, chia seeds and black rice. These products, which are already available under the brand India Gate in international markets, will now be available in India as well.

He further added, “Currently, KRBL intends to expand further into various regional rice varieties which are generally available as loose rice only. In our category particularly, customers are fast moving towards packaged products as it gives assurance of safety, hygiene, cleanliness and quality consistency month on month. Along with this, after the successful launch of Idli Rava, we are planning to launch similar rice- and grain-based products which can be used for making a multitude of dishes.”

July 9, 2020
Brooke Bond Taj Mahal extends classical music association with e-concerts

NEW DELHI: Due to the current nationwide lockdown, Indian classical musicians were looking for opportunities to continue performing for their audiences. Brooke Bond Taj Mahal recently launched the concept of live online Indian classical music concerts featuring gifted Indian classical musicians serenading audiences with specially-curated compositions from the confines of their homes.

Their limitless passion to deliver symphonies to the living rooms of their audiences prompted Brooke Bond Taj Mahal to extend its 30-year old association with Classical Musicians to create ‘Sur Ke Saath’, a line-up of 24 artists performing live for over two months.

Tea & Foods (HUL) vice president- Shiva Krishnamurthy, in a conversation with Indiantelevision.com, spoke about the insight behind its latest campaign, 'Sur Ke Saath' where it is bringing classical musicians together. “Brooke Bond Taj Mahal’s purpose is to champion Indian classical music," Krishnamurthy said. "Taj Mahal tea has always been associated with Indian classical music and has promoted it through some memorable and iconic advertising for over three decades. During the lockdown, classical musicians and classical music aficionados are not being able to experience the joy of live classical music performances. Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea believes that “the show must go on” and is proud to present “Sur ke Saath”, a series of live Indian Classical Music content on digital platforms of Facebook. Our endeavour is to urge people to support Indian classical music by coming to Taj Mahal Tea’s Facebook page every Sunday morning at 10 am. We hope that Brooke Bond Taj Mahal’s Sur ke Saath will make people say “Wah Taj!”"

Krishnamurthy also shed light on the future of e-concerts in India. He says that for the foreseeable future, there is likely to be an increase in the number of e-concerts. “For the sake of Indian classical music, I hope this turns out to be true. Virtual streaming and virtual gigs were a part of our life even in the pre-Covid2019 era. With physical distancing being the new norm, e-concerts have gained in popularity. It gives you a chance of attending sessions in any form, from the comfort of your home. And I see a lot of scope for e-concerts to grow as it gives budding musicians a platform to showcase themselves.”

This unique initiative is also being supported by Nirali Kartik who came on-board and helped in curating the weekly performances. Kartik is one of India’s popular Hindustani classical vocalists and the brand ambassador for Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea.

Krishnamurthy shares that the campaign has received an overwhelmingly positive response. “We have reached over 82 lakh people so far with this initiative. The most gratifying part is the love that we have received from the wonderfully talented musicians who have performed for us. Conceptualised by Ogilvy India, Sur Ke Saath has seen classical musical lovers join us every Sunday on the Facebook page of Taj Mahal Tea for two months, and this really motivates our upcoming artists to put up a great show.”

To spread the word about the campaign, the brand has a digital marketing plan to urge people to watch the e-concert. “We created a campaign video (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=565165081028169 ) with Nirali Kartik. Week-on-week, we create chatter around the artists performing for the week through different social media channels."

Due to the ongoing pandemic, people are spending more time at home, there is an increased consumption of tea. Brooke Bond Taj Mahal sees this as an opportunity to serve consumers with the finest of Indian tea and raga-themed virtual concerts performed by classical musicians.

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July 8, 2020