Category: Brands

McDowell’s, DriveU tie up; launch service app

MUMBAI: McDowell’s No.1 Soda has joined hands with DriveU, an app-based start-up, which offers on-demand driver service, to launch a feature within the app called Share, through which friends can commute together. A strong mainstream and digital campaign will be rolled out with celebrity drivers.

The partnership creates first of its kind benchmarks where a consumer brand and a startup come together to provide a need-based consumer offering based on a long-term revenue sharing model. Through this partnership, McDowell’s will provide marketing support and generate demand for DriveU with an ambition of generating half a million downloads and completing one million rides in the first year of association.

United Spirits senior VP marketing Subroto Geed said that the unique association was based on USL’s next generation marketing thinking where there were engaging with the right partners to create a personalised experience. This partnership was a true marketing innovation and that they very excited to be working with a young and edgy start-up, he said.

This innovation was a big move that was expected to dramatically increase DriveU’s user base to meet its revenue targets. DriveU business was expected to grow tenfold over the next year, while operating across India’s top 10 metros, said DriveU CEO Ramprasad Shastry.

January 27, 2017
McDowell’s, DriveU tie up; launch service app

MUMBAI: McDowell’s No.1 Soda has joined hands with DriveU, an app-based start-up, which offers on-demand driver service, to launch a feature within the app called Share, through which friends can commute together. A strong mainstream and digital campaign will be rolled out with celebrity drivers.

The partnership creates first of its kind benchmarks where a consumer brand and a startup come together to provide a need-based consumer offering based on a long-term revenue sharing model. Through this partnership, McDowell’s will provide marketing support and generate demand for DriveU with an ambition of generating half a million downloads and completing one million rides in the first year of association.

United Spirits senior VP marketing Subroto Geed said that the unique association was based on USL’s next generation marketing thinking where there were engaging with the right partners to create a personalised experience. This partnership was a true marketing innovation and that they very excited to be working with a young and edgy start-up, he said.

This innovation was a big move that was expected to dramatically increase DriveU’s user base to meet its revenue targets. DriveU business was expected to grow tenfold over the next year, while operating across India’s top 10 metros, said DriveU CEO Ramprasad Shastry.

January 27, 2017
BankBazaar.com partners with Experian

MUMBAI: BankBazaar.com, India’s leading financial marketplace, has announced its tie-up with credit bureau Experian to offer free credit monitoring service to customers, giving them a much better understanding of their financial footprints. Experian Credit Information Company of India Private Limited provides Credit Information Services to consumers. A general misconception is that checking your own credit score on platforms like BankBazaar will reduce your score but in fact, a soft query, which is made by a person or company and not by a financial institution will not affect your credit score.

This one-of- its-kind integration brings several benefits to the customers:

· In the first place, it is absolutely free. Generally, consumers have to pay the credit rating companies for more than one soft query in a year. BankBazaar.com, on the other hand, is facilitating this service through Experian absolutely free. This makes it a cost effective option.

· Second, unlike the usual procedure, which is a mix of online and offline processes, BankBazaar has taken the entire process of applying for the credit score completely online and instant, making it convenient and fast.

· Finally, the report, which provides a detailed history of the applicant’s financial history till date, is supported with detailed analysis and recommendations by financial experts at BankBazaar for improving and maintaining a good credit score.

BankBazaar.com co-founder and CEO Adhil Shetty said, “BankBazaar.com has always strived to make the access to right financial product easy for consumers. The integration with Experian will complement our efforts and empower our consumers with better financial decision making ability. I am very happy to announce that this service in now available on BankBazaar and customers don’t have to juggle between multiple platforms and organization to make an informed purchase decision.”

This service extension will improve the quality of credit applications at BankBazaar as the users will get an idea of their credit eligibility before they apply.

BankBazaar.com chief business development officer Navin Chandani added, “Customers should obtain credit scores in order to evaluate their eligibility accurately and to time their application right. If they have a good score, they will be able to negotiate for better offers. If not, expert’s tips on BankBazaar will help them improve their score. This way, the customer will be able to access the right financial product and apply for it at the right time. This will also enhance the quality of applications on BankBazaar and will assure our partners of our users’ creditworthiness.”

The integration is expected to motivate customers to keep a stronger check on the state of their finances.

Experian Credit Bureau MD Mohan Jayaraman said, “Individuals being able to better understand their credit profile, is key to supporting them take well-informed decisions concerning their credit profile besides ensuring protection from the fast-growing threats of identity fraud in today’s increasingly digital world.”

The report will essentially give a snapshot of customer’s current credit status indicating their utilization of loans and credit cards by stating a score between 300 and 900. It will indicate score details and state reasons influencing the score, such as repayment behavior, credit utilization pattern, type of loan (secured/unsecured), default in EMI payments, etc. Customers may also see whether banks have closed the loans which have been already paid off by them.

January 23, 2017
BankBazaar.com partners with Experian

MUMBAI: BankBazaar.com, India’s leading financial marketplace, has announced its tie-up with credit bureau Experian to offer free credit monitoring service to customers, giving them a much better understanding of their financial footprints. Experian Credit Information Company of India Private Limited provides Credit Information Services to consumers. A general misconception is that checking your own credit score on platforms like BankBazaar will reduce your score but in fact, a soft query, which is made by a person or company and not by a financial institution will not affect your credit score.

This one-of- its-kind integration brings several benefits to the customers:

· In the first place, it is absolutely free. Generally, consumers have to pay the credit rating companies for more than one soft query in a year. BankBazaar.com, on the other hand, is facilitating this service through Experian absolutely free. This makes it a cost effective option.

· Second, unlike the usual procedure, which is a mix of online and offline processes, BankBazaar has taken the entire process of applying for the credit score completely online and instant, making it convenient and fast.

· Finally, the report, which provides a detailed history of the applicant’s financial history till date, is supported with detailed analysis and recommendations by financial experts at BankBazaar for improving and maintaining a good credit score.

BankBazaar.com co-founder and CEO Adhil Shetty said, “BankBazaar.com has always strived to make the access to right financial product easy for consumers. The integration with Experian will complement our efforts and empower our consumers with better financial decision making ability. I am very happy to announce that this service in now available on BankBazaar and customers don’t have to juggle between multiple platforms and organization to make an informed purchase decision.”

This service extension will improve the quality of credit applications at BankBazaar as the users will get an idea of their credit eligibility before they apply.

BankBazaar.com chief business development officer Navin Chandani added, “Customers should obtain credit scores in order to evaluate their eligibility accurately and to time their application right. If they have a good score, they will be able to negotiate for better offers. If not, expert’s tips on BankBazaar will help them improve their score. This way, the customer will be able to access the right financial product and apply for it at the right time. This will also enhance the quality of applications on BankBazaar and will assure our partners of our users’ creditworthiness.”

The integration is expected to motivate customers to keep a stronger check on the state of their finances.

Experian Credit Bureau MD Mohan Jayaraman said, “Individuals being able to better understand their credit profile, is key to supporting them take well-informed decisions concerning their credit profile besides ensuring protection from the fast-growing threats of identity fraud in today’s increasingly digital world.”

The report will essentially give a snapshot of customer’s current credit status indicating their utilization of loans and credit cards by stating a score between 300 and 900. It will indicate score details and state reasons influencing the score, such as repayment behavior, credit utilization pattern, type of loan (secured/unsecured), default in EMI payments, etc. Customers may also see whether banks have closed the loans which have been already paid off by them.

January 23, 2017
DB Corp’s radio business numbers expand with network growth

BENGALURU: DB Corp’s MY FM radio network now encompasses 26 live stations with the launch of nine new stations over the last two quarters of this fiscal (year ending 31 March 2017 or FY-17). DB Corp’s radio business revenue for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (Q3-17, current quarter) increased 12.4 percent to Rs 36.32 crore as compared to Rs 32.32 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter (year-over-year or y-o-y). The company’s press release says that its radio business operating profit (EBIDTA) grew 3 percent y-o-y to Rs 14.8 crore (41 percent margin), while profit after tax (PAT) also increased 3 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.1 crore (22 percent margin).

DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported 6.3 percent higher consolidated revenue for the current quarter as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. The media house’s total income from operations (TIO or revenue) in Q3-17 was Rs 627.27 crore as compared to Rs 589.97 crore.

DB Corp’s consolidated profit after tax (PAT) increased 6.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 118.1 crore as compared to Rs 110.75 crore. However, quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) it’s PAT declined 14.9 percent from Rs 103.96 crore in Q1-17.

EBIDTA (excluding other income) for the current quarter increased 4.5 percent y-o-y to Rs198.25 crore as compared to Rs 189.63 crore and increased 39.2 percent q-o-q from Rs 142.39 crore.

Four segments contribute to DB Corp’s numbers – Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals (Printing) segment; Radio segment; Event segment, Internet segment; and Power segment. Its Printing and Radio segments are major contributors to the company’s top and bottomlines and have been considered here.

The radio segment or business numbers have been mentioned above.

Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals (Printing) segment

DB Corp’s Printing segment reported 4.9 percent y-o-y growth in revenue to Rs 569.91 crore in the current quarter as compared to the Rs 543.36 crore in Q3-16.The Printing segment’s revenue increased 15.4 percent q-o-q Rs from Rs 493.79 crore. The segment’s operating profit in the current quarter increased 4 percent y-o-y to Rs 173.55 crore as compared to Rs 166.91 crore and increased 34.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 129 crore.

Other numbers

DB Corp’s consolidated Total Expenditure for Q3-17 increased 6.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 450.81 crore as compared to Rs 422.92 crore and increased 9.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 410.12 crore.

Consolidated Cost of raw materials consumed in Q3-17 increased 6.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 177.24 crore from Rs 166.46 crore and increased 8.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 163.43 crore. Consolidated Employee Benefits Expense in the current quarter increased 6.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 108.5 crore as compared to Rs 102.16 crore in Q3-16 and increased 1 percent q-o-q from Rs 107.41 crore. Consolidated Total comprehensive income in Q3-17 increased 7.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 118.11 crore from Rs 110.05 crore, and increased 38.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 85.21 crore.

Company speak

Commenting on the performance DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said, “The resilience of our business model and strength of our operating strategy has been brought to the fore by our performance in Q3, which has broadly been a quarter of weak demand and subdued consumer spending and I take this opportunity to thank the team for their sincerity and dedication. Dainik Bhaskar has been acknowledged as the nation’s largest circulated multi-edition daily by RNI which is again an endorsement of our operating approach and philosophy. We have undertaken several growth oriented initiatives across all our print, digital and radio segments that have made a

holistic impact on the business. We will continue to maintain this discipline and control at all levels while we are also empowering employees to enhance agility in the workplace.

We expect the immediate-to-midterm impact of the currency purge undertaken by the Government, on consumption, to normalise over the next few months, a process which has already slightly started improving. We will continue to sharpen our strengths across our print and non-print businesses as well as

our deep knowledge of our customers’ domain that are driving our ability to play a strategic role in the Indian M&E environment

Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

(a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

(b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.

January 19, 2017
DB Corp’s radio business numbers expand with network growth

BENGALURU: DB Corp’s MY FM radio network now encompasses 26 live stations with the launch of nine new stations over the last two quarters of this fiscal (year ending 31 March 2017 or FY-17). DB Corp’s radio business revenue for the quarter ended 31 December 2016 (Q3-17, current quarter) increased 12.4 percent to Rs 36.32 crore as compared to Rs 32.32 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter (year-over-year or y-o-y). The company’s press release says that its radio business operating profit (EBIDTA) grew 3 percent y-o-y to Rs 14.8 crore (41 percent margin), while profit after tax (PAT) also increased 3 percent y-o-y to Rs 8.1 crore (22 percent margin).

DB Corp Limited (DB Corp), home to flagship newspapers Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Dainik Divya Marathi and Saurashtra Samachar reported 6.3 percent higher consolidated revenue for the current quarter as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. The media house’s total income from operations (TIO or revenue) in Q3-17 was Rs 627.27 crore as compared to Rs 589.97 crore.

DB Corp’s consolidated profit after tax (PAT) increased 6.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 118.1 crore as compared to Rs 110.75 crore. However, quarter-over-quarter (q-o-q) it’s PAT declined 14.9 percent from Rs 103.96 crore in Q1-17.

EBIDTA (excluding other income) for the current quarter increased 4.5 percent y-o-y to Rs198.25 crore as compared to Rs 189.63 crore and increased 39.2 percent q-o-q from Rs 142.39 crore.

Four segments contribute to DB Corp’s numbers – Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals (Printing) segment; Radio segment; Event segment, Internet segment; and Power segment. Its Printing and Radio segments are major contributors to the company’s top and bottomlines and have been considered here.

The radio segment or business numbers have been mentioned above.

Printing and publishing of newspaper and periodicals (Printing) segment

DB Corp’s Printing segment reported 4.9 percent y-o-y growth in revenue to Rs 569.91 crore in the current quarter as compared to the Rs 543.36 crore in Q3-16.The Printing segment’s revenue increased 15.4 percent q-o-q Rs from Rs 493.79 crore. The segment’s operating profit in the current quarter increased 4 percent y-o-y to Rs 173.55 crore as compared to Rs 166.91 crore and increased 34.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 129 crore.

Other numbers

DB Corp’s consolidated Total Expenditure for Q3-17 increased 6.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 450.81 crore as compared to Rs 422.92 crore and increased 9.9 percent q-o-q from Rs 410.12 crore.

Consolidated Cost of raw materials consumed in Q3-17 increased 6.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 177.24 crore from Rs 166.46 crore and increased 8.5 percent q-o-q from Rs 163.43 crore. Consolidated Employee Benefits Expense in the current quarter increased 6.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 108.5 crore as compared to Rs 102.16 crore in Q3-16 and increased 1 percent q-o-q from Rs 107.41 crore. Consolidated Total comprehensive income in Q3-17 increased 7.3 percent y-o-y to Rs 118.11 crore from Rs 110.05 crore, and increased 38.6 percent q-o-q from Rs 85.21 crore.

Company speak

Commenting on the performance DB Corp managing director Sudhir Agarwal said, “The resilience of our business model and strength of our operating strategy has been brought to the fore by our performance in Q3, which has broadly been a quarter of weak demand and subdued consumer spending and I take this opportunity to thank the team for their sincerity and dedication. Dainik Bhaskar has been acknowledged as the nation’s largest circulated multi-edition daily by RNI which is again an endorsement of our operating approach and philosophy. We have undertaken several growth oriented initiatives across all our print, digital and radio segments that have made a

holistic impact on the business. We will continue to maintain this discipline and control at all levels while we are also empowering employees to enhance agility in the workplace.

We expect the immediate-to-midterm impact of the currency purge undertaken by the Government, on consumption, to normalise over the next few months, a process which has already slightly started improving. We will continue to sharpen our strengths across our print and non-print businesses as well as

our deep knowledge of our customers’ domain that are driving our ability to play a strategic role in the Indian M&E environment

Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:

(a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.

(b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.

January 19, 2017
E-com: Godrej Interio, IBM tie up

MUMBAI: IBM has announced that Godrej Interio, the furniture division of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., is collaborating with IBM to capture the attention of the growing number of home furniture and accessories consumers. Godrej Interio, India’s largest furniture brand, has selected IBM Commerce and IBM Design Thinking-led engagement to further augment customer engagement and experience across all of its 3 brands (Godrej Interio, U&Us and a new lifestyle home furniture brand) and increase brand loyalty by delivering a seamless personalized shopping experience across store, mobile and social channels.

Godrej Interio has more than 50 exclusive furniture showrooms in top 20 cities and more than 800 dealer outlets across India. With the increase of urban buyers and rising disposable income in India, a growing number of consumers are spending more on their homes, specifically on furniture, furnishings, and décor. With this increase in spends, there is also the pressure to meet rising consumer demand for a seamless shopping experience, from store to mobile and digital channels. Godrej needed a well-integrated omni-channel commerce solution to help innovate the way they engage with each consumer, but also respond quickly to the latest trends and customer demands.

“We needed the right combination of design and technology capabilities to provide us with the insights to turn our existing and potential customers into loyal brand advocates,” said Godrej Interio Head – Ecommerce and Digital Transformation Shanu Singh. “We believe design thinking is an innovative strategy and the most effective way to create a customer centric business model. With IBM’s global expertise and local experience in the omni-channel commerce and retail space, we are confident this will give us the edge over competition.”

IBM’s design-based consulting and e-commerce capabilities will enable Godrej Interio to gain deeper customer insights by evaluating customers’ observations, ideas, and insights by their browsing behavior online and offline. Godrej Interio will use these insights to recommend home decor ideas.

“In this fiercely competitive home decor market, retailers need to keep pace by adapting to new business models that help innovate and deliver unique customer experiences,” said IBM ISA managing partner GBS Lula Mohanty. “With IBM Commerce, Godrej Interio now has the insights to help guide and redefine how they meet the unique needs of each customer.”

January 17, 2017
E-com: Godrej Interio, IBM tie up

MUMBAI: IBM has announced that Godrej Interio, the furniture division of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., is collaborating with IBM to capture the attention of the growing number of home furniture and accessories consumers. Godrej Interio, India’s largest furniture brand, has selected IBM Commerce and IBM Design Thinking-led engagement to further augment customer engagement and experience across all of its 3 brands (Godrej Interio, U&Us and a new lifestyle home furniture brand) and increase brand loyalty by delivering a seamless personalized shopping experience across store, mobile and social channels.

Godrej Interio has more than 50 exclusive furniture showrooms in top 20 cities and more than 800 dealer outlets across India. With the increase of urban buyers and rising disposable income in India, a growing number of consumers are spending more on their homes, specifically on furniture, furnishings, and décor. With this increase in spends, there is also the pressure to meet rising consumer demand for a seamless shopping experience, from store to mobile and digital channels. Godrej needed a well-integrated omni-channel commerce solution to help innovate the way they engage with each consumer, but also respond quickly to the latest trends and customer demands.

“We needed the right combination of design and technology capabilities to provide us with the insights to turn our existing and potential customers into loyal brand advocates,” said Godrej Interio Head – Ecommerce and Digital Transformation Shanu Singh. “We believe design thinking is an innovative strategy and the most effective way to create a customer centric business model. With IBM’s global expertise and local experience in the omni-channel commerce and retail space, we are confident this will give us the edge over competition.”

IBM’s design-based consulting and e-commerce capabilities will enable Godrej Interio to gain deeper customer insights by evaluating customers’ observations, ideas, and insights by their browsing behavior online and offline. Godrej Interio will use these insights to recommend home decor ideas.

“In this fiercely competitive home decor market, retailers need to keep pace by adapting to new business models that help innovate and deliver unique customer experiences,” said IBM ISA managing partner GBS Lula Mohanty. “With IBM Commerce, Godrej Interio now has the insights to help guide and redefine how they meet the unique needs of each customer.”

January 17, 2017
‘Unpack Your Dreams’, advise cricketers

MUMBAI: Aristocrat has appointed Indian cricket champions Rohit Sharma and R. Ashwin as its ambassadors to endorse the brand’s new identity and stylish product line.

Repositioning the brand with a fresh outlook, Aristocrat will now have a new logo with a tagline that says, ‘Unpack Your Dreams’ which is aimed towards individuals who are ambitious and constantly pursue their passion.

Sharma said, “All of us dream, but very few of us live the dream. Somewhere along the way, we lose sight of our vision. Ever since I was a young kid it was my dream to play cricket for the country. Now, when I look back, I know that it wouldn’t have been possible had I not given it my all. It was only through self-discipline and practice that I managed to achieve this.”

Ashwin says, “As a cricketer, I am always travelling, be it for practice sessions or for a series and having reliable travel gear is of utmost importance.” Expressing her views on the partnership, V.I.P Industries managing director Radhika Piramal says, “We are delighted to have two powerful players to endorse Aristocrat. They have passionately followed their dreams and have managed to become one of the best cricketers in the world.”

V.I.P Industries sales and marketing vice president Sudip Ghose added, “With the repositioning, we wanted to extend our product offering with a new collection and create a fresh appeal for the brand, keeping in mind the evolving consumer and industry trends. We believe our new brand ideology and ambassadors will resonate with a younger audience who are passionate about their dreams and follow them no matter what.”

The digital film will go live from 14 January across all social media platforms of Aristocrat.

January 17, 2017
‘Unpack Your Dreams’, advise cricketers

MUMBAI: Aristocrat has appointed Indian cricket champions Rohit Sharma and R. Ashwin as its ambassadors to endorse the brand’s new identity and stylish product line.

Repositioning the brand with a fresh outlook, Aristocrat will now have a new logo with a tagline that says, ‘Unpack Your Dreams’ which is aimed towards individuals who are ambitious and constantly pursue their passion.

Sharma said, “All of us dream, but very few of us live the dream. Somewhere along the way, we lose sight of our vision. Ever since I was a young kid it was my dream to play cricket for the country. Now, when I look back, I know that it wouldn’t have been possible had I not given it my all. It was only through self-discipline and practice that I managed to achieve this.”

Ashwin says, “As a cricketer, I am always travelling, be it for practice sessions or for a series and having reliable travel gear is of utmost importance.” Expressing her views on the partnership, V.I.P Industries managing director Radhika Piramal says, “We are delighted to have two powerful players to endorse Aristocrat. They have passionately followed their dreams and have managed to become one of the best cricketers in the world.”

V.I.P Industries sales and marketing vice president Sudip Ghose added, “With the repositioning, we wanted to extend our product offering with a new collection and create a fresh appeal for the brand, keeping in mind the evolving consumer and industry trends. We believe our new brand ideology and ambassadors will resonate with a younger audience who are passionate about their dreams and follow them no matter what.”

The digital film will go live from 14 January across all social media platforms of Aristocrat.

January 17, 2017