Brands

Brands keep up positivity during Covid-19 pandemic

Published

6 years ago

March 24, 2020

MUMBAI: As millions of people across the world are isolating themselves inside their homes to fight the spread of novel coronavirus, the need for positivity assumes far more significance. This might look like an unusual time to talk about positivity. Nevertheless, positivity remains the main ingredient to create a healthy recipe of not giving up in crisis.

People posting messages on social media brands are coming forward to bring a positive sentiment among people during these troubling times. And amidst the global challenges posed by COVID-19, brands are trying to spread positivity through various campaigns.
Mankind Pharma has come up with #Thanksforbeingmyfamily – a short film that showcases the hard work done by doctors and medical staff for the society.

Mankind Pharma CEO Rajeev Juneja says: “With the exponential rise in coronavirus cases in our country, we should acknowledge our medical fraternity like doctors, nurses and paramedics for their fighting spirit and selfless services. Let’s all of us follow required guidelines and help them by taking care of our own self.”

#Thanksforbeingmyfamily resonates everyone's thoughts of saluting the medical personnel, who are not giving up even in the adverse situation.

The COVID19 virus has been affecting hundreds of thousands of people and is having a growing impact on the global economy.

Says Metro vice president – marketing and e-commerce Alisha Malik: “At Metro Brands, the safety of our customers and employees is at the top of the priority list. All necessary safety measures like regular cleaning, sanitization, creating awareness among staff, work from home, setting up helplines internally and many other measures have been taken to ensure the safety of employees. We have also implemented all the best-known safety guidelines available for both employees and customers. It’s extremely important to keep employees motivated as well. Hence, we have been constantly motivating our employees, working from home, to utilise this time to enhance their own skills.”

Private radio network 93.5 RED FM has launched an on-air initiative ‘Care Karona’ that puts the spotlight on spreading authentic information about Coronavirus. Amidst the ongoing global health crisis, it has become more important to protect and safeguard everybody irrespective of their professions. With a similar vision, RED FM is encouraging its listeners to become facilitators of correct information by educating their maids, and drivers who are in direct contact with people to contain the ripple effect of virus.

Sarva founder and Diva Yoga co-founder Sarvesh Shashi said, “The Coronavirus outbreak has left many of us worried and restricted to our homes. Although our physical studios are currently non-operational, we have launched special online classes and a gratitude feature for those who wish to stay at home and practice. The classes are not only meant for our members but anyone and everyone who wants to continue their fitness regimen despite being unable to venture out. These are aimed at three things – physical fitness, immunity building and anxiety management. Both SARVA and DIVA yoga are utilising technology in the best possible way to help people achieve this and tide over the crisis.”

Housejoy CEO Sanchit Gaurav has launched a Virus Fumigation Service for offices and homes. “The products we use have proven to be highly effective in curbing the spread of 65 strains of viruses, 400 strains of bacteria and 100 strains of fungi. We are currently providing free services to a few old-age homes and hospitals and in the process of creating a brief guideline for anyone wanting to sanitize their homes."

“We at Munchilicious take this opportunity through our social media posts to create awareness and communicate directing our consumers to stay safe, stay at home and eat healthy. The major purpose is to focus on angles like social distancing, healthy eating and pro tips which are the most needed in this kind of pandemic. It also intends to provide a solution to the eating patterns for all those who are working from home because of this pandemic,” adds SOCH Foods LLP founder Rohit Pugalia

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A post shared by Munchilicious (@munchiliciousin) on Mar 17, 2020 at 12:57am PDT

Joining the bandwagon is Schindler India, a provider of escalators and elevators. It has launched an additional employee assistance programme called 'Schindler cares' – a wellbeing initiative.

Speaking about the initiative, Schindler India and South Asia chief people officer Shubha Arora says, “As a leader in employee engagement, we recognise the link between happiness, wellbeing and fulfilment for achieving productivity at the workplace. Schindler India values the wellbeing of its employees and we understand that preventive measures need to be taken to fight this current outbreak of COVID-19.

“Our employees and their families through our Employee Assistance Programme ‘Schindler Cares’ can access wellbeing services confidentially. We are pleased to have partnered with Santulan, and their team of experts to help provide guidance and counselling to deal with life’s expected and unexpected events,” said Arora.

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Brands

Netflix India names Rekha Rane director of films and series marketing

Streaming giant bets on a seasoned marketer who helped build Amazon and Netflix into household names

Published

2 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Netflix has put a proven brand builder at the helm of its films and series marketing in India, naming Rekha Rane as director in a move that signals sharper focus on audience growth and cultural cut-through in one of its most hotly contested markets.

Rane steps into the role after seven years at Netflix, where she has quietly shaped how the platform sells stories to India. Her latest promotion, effective February 2026, crowns a run that spans brand, slate and product marketing across originals, licensed content and new verticals such as games.

A strategic marketing and communications professional with roughly 15 years’ experience, Rane has spent much of her career building technology-led consumer businesses and new categories, notably e-commerce and subscription video on demand. She was part of the early push that introduced Amazon.in, Prime Video and Netflix to Indian homes, then helped turn them into everyday brands.

At Netflix, she most recently served as head of brand and slate marketing for India from March 2024 to February 2026, leading teams across media and marketing for global and local content portfolios. Before that, as manager for original films and series marketing, she led IP creation and go-to-market strategy for titles including Guns and Gulaabs, Kaala Paani, The Railway Men* and The Great Indian Kapil Show, spanning both binge and weekly-release formats.

Her earlier Netflix roles covered product discovery and promotion in India and integrated campaign strategy to drive conversations around the content slate, product awareness and brand-equity metrics.

Before Netflix, Rane logged more than three years at Amazon in brand marketing roles in Bengaluru. There she handled national and regional campaigns for Amazon.in, worked on customer assistance programmes in growth geographies and contributed to the go-to-market strategy for the launch of Prime Video India.

Her career began well away from streaming. At Reliance Brands in Mumbai, she worked on retail marketing for Diesel and Superdry. A stint at Leo Burnett saw her work on primary research for P&G Tide, mapping Indian shoppers’ paths to purchase. Earlier still, at Orange in the United Kingdom, she rose from sales assistant to store manager, running a team and owning monthly P&L for a retail outlet.

The arc is telling. As global streamers fight for attention in a crowded Indian market, executives who understand both mass retail behaviour and digital habit-building are prized. Rane’s career sits at that intersection.

For Netflix, the bet is simple: in a market spoilt for choice, sharp marketing can still tilt the screen. And with Rane now leading the charge, the streamer is signalling it wants not just viewers, but fandom.

Brands

Orient Beverages pops the fizz with steady Q3 gains and rising profits

Kolkata-based beverage maker reports stronger revenues and profits for December quarter.

Published

2 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: A fizzy quarter with a steady aftertaste that’s how Orient Beverages Limited, the company that manufactures and distributes packaged drinking water under the brand name Bisleri closed the December 2025 period, as the Kolkata-based drinks maker reported improved revenues and a healthy rise in profits, signalling operational stability in a competitive beverage market.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2025, Orient Beverages posted standalone revenue from operations of Rs 39.98 crore, up from Rs 36.42 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 33.53 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 42.24 crore, reflecting consistent demand and stable pricing across its beverage portfolio.

Profit before tax for the quarter came in at Rs 3.47 crore, a sharp improvement from Rs 1.31 crore in the September quarter and Rs 0.39 crore a year ago. After accounting for tax expenses of Rs 0.79 crore, the company reported a net profit of Rs 2.68 crore, nearly three times the Rs 0.99 crore recorded in the preceding quarter.

On a nine-month basis, the momentum remained intact. Revenue from operations for the period ended December 31, 2025 rose to Rs 117.66 crore, compared with Rs 106.95 crore in the corresponding period last year. Net profit for the nine months climbed to Rs 5.51 crore, more than double the Rs 2.18 crore reported in the same period of the previous financial year.

The consolidated numbers told a similar story. For the December quarter, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 45.06 crore, while profit after tax came in at Rs 2.06 crore. For the nine-month period, consolidated revenue touched Rs 133.57 crore, with net profit of Rs 4.49 crore, underscoring the group’s improving profitability trajectory.

Operating expenses remained largely controlled, with cost of materials, employee benefits and other expenses broadly aligned with revenue growth. The company continued to operate within a single reportable segment beverages simplifying its cost structure and reporting framework.

The unaudited financial results were reviewed by the Audit Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 7 February 2026. Statutory auditors carried out a limited review and reported no material misstatements in the results.

In a market where margins are often squeezed by input costs and competition, Orient Beverages’ latest numbers suggest the company has found a reliable rhythm not explosive, but steady enough to keep the fizz alive.

Brands

BCCL profit jumps 53 per cent in FY25 as tax bill shrinks

Revenue rises 4.3 per cent to Rs 10,209.33 crore while deferred tax gain lifts bottom line sharply

Published

2 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

NEW DELHI: Bennett, Coleman and Company (BCCL) has posted a sparkling set of financial results for the year ended 31 March 2025, proving that there is still plenty of ink and gold left in the ledger.

Revenue from operations climbed a steady 4.3 per cent, reaching Rs 10,209.33 crore compared to Rs 9,786.44 crore the previous year. When you sprinkle in other income, which rose 8.9 per cent to Rs 949.36 crore, the total income for the media behemoth hit a healthy Rs 11,158.69 crore.

While the income grew at a modest pace, the bottom line tells a far more dramatic story. The real headline is the 53 per cent surge in annual profit. How did they pull off such a feat? While Profit Before Tax (PBT) saw a gentle nudge upward of 2.7 per cent to Rs 1,610.00 crore, it was a vanishing act by the taxman that really did the trick.

Total tax expenses plummeted by 32.4 per cent, dropping from Rs 468.76 crore down to Rs 316.97 crore. This was largely thanks to a swing in deferred tax, moving from an expense of Rs 156.02 crore in FY24 to a benefit of Rs 39.44 crore this year.

Total income rose from Rs 10,658.55 crore in FY24 to Rs 11,158.69 crore in FY25, marking a 4.7 per cent increase. Total expenses grew at a slower pace, up 3.0 per cent from Rs 9,306.06 crore to Rs 9,581.45 crore. Profit before tax inched up 2.7 per cent, moving from Rs 1,567.02 crore to Rs 1,610.00 crore. However, the standout figure was net profit, which jumped sharply by 53.0 per cent, climbing from Rs 1,042.03 crore in FY24 to Rs 1,594.73 crore in FY25.

Despite the rising costs of doing business across the globe, BCCL kept a tight grip on the purse strings. Total expenses rose by just 3.0 per cent to Rs 9,581.45 crore. By keeping costs lower than the rate of income growth, the company ensured that the final figure, a net profit of Rs 1,594.73 crore, was nothing short of a front-page sensation.

In a world of shifting digital tides, it seems the BCCL ship is not just steady, but sailing into significantly wealthier waters.