MAM

When the chips are down, hand sanitizer brands ride high

Published

6 years ago

April 15, 2020

MUMBAI: The simple act of washing your hands has become the only known way to stay safe from COVID-19. As more people, including the prime minister, health officials, celebrities, public faces and brands, started encouraging hygiene, the demand for products like soaps and hand sanitizers have shot up. In fact, hand sanitizers have become one of the fastest-selling products in the global market.

Reckitt Benckiser, the company that produces products under the brand name Dettol, has significantly scaled up production capacity of Dettol soaps, liquid soap, and hand sanitizers to meet the unprecedented demand.

Madison Media Sigma COO Vanita Keswani notes, “We know COVID-19 has heightened demand for sanitizer and how! Even in the coming months, healthcare and hygiene habits will certainly form an integral part of our lives, which will ensure a good future for the sanitizer industry at least for this year.”

As per Digitalkites senior vice president Amit Lall there is a major pandemic glaring across the globe, it’s a choice for humanity between life and death. Ways by which you can protect and control yourself, is by social distancing and by washing your hands thoroughly at regular intervals or using sanitizers. “This communication is not only broadcasted by the government across all channels but the same is also getting emphasized by celebrities, politicians and many digital and social influencers. By doing so, this whole exercise will not only help us to contain the spread of COVID-19 but will also help building this as a habit which will have a positive impact towards maintaining better hygiene standards. This will in-turn create an up-take for sanitizer as a product.”

In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, VLCC has also upped the production of its hand washes and hand sanitizer products. “We decided to start manufacturing and distribute hand sanitizers as our humble contribution to the collective national effort of tackling the COVID-19 crisis and have accordingly diverted part of our manufacturing capacity to produce them. The pricing of the product is in keeping with the latest statutory regulations for all pack sizes,” says VLCC MD and group head Jayant Khosla.

Currently, the company’s GMP-certified plant in Haridwar that manufactures skin-care, hair-care and body care products is now only producing hand sanitizers.

Recently, ITC also commenced the production of Savlon sanitizers at its newly commissioned perfume manufacturing facility in Himachal Pradesh. The company said it will help produce an additional 1,25,000 litres of Savlon hand sanitizers to meet the growing demand.

Pee Safe vice president growth Pragya Upadhyay thinks it is a good time for health and hygiene companies since everyone is looking to get hand sanitizers, soaps, masks and other safety measures to protect themselves. People have become more conscious of cleanliness due to COVID-19.

She adds, “We had planned to launch our brand ‘Raho Safe’ in the month of May which was in the process since October. But when we realised that the demand for hand sanitizers is going to go up we had to advance it. We supplied as many hand sanitizers as possible in March itself.”

In line with the government order and in public interest, some brands have slashed their prices and others have chosen to keep the price cap as per the regulation.

Reckitt Benckiser Health South Asia CMO Pankaj Duhan says, “In our continuous commitment to public health and in compliance with the government order capping sale price of hand sanitizer, RB has taken steps to revise the sale price of Dettol hand sanitizer, including holding stocks.”

VLCC has decided to go ahead with the manufacturing and distribution of hand sanitizers at this point in time despite the adverse implications on gross margins as a consequence of the price capping mandated by the government. “The company is ensuring that these products, in 50 ml and 500 ml pack sizes, at the stipulated retail price of Rs 25 and Rs 250 respectively, reach pharmacies and general stores throughout India as quickly as possible, to cater to the surge in demand. We are also providing these to some NGOs, but we would not like to take any credit for that at this time,” says Khosla.

Upadhyay explains that despite the lockdown the company is supplying to hospitals and pharmacies. “We have distributed a lot of products to police personnel. We distributed it in the district commissioner office in Gurgaon and Pune. From our end, we are doing as much as possible to make sure everyone gets this product.”

As the demand for hand sanitizers surged, Pee Safe had to ship 40,000 orders in a three day time. According to Upadhyay, to meet the demand, everyone from the sales and marketing team had to come out in the warehouse to help in shipping the products.

Riding on the wave is Dabur India, which has launched 'Dabur Sanitize' hand sanitizer. Initially, the product will be available at every e-commerce platform is priced at Rs 370 (500 ml), Rs 200 (250 ml), Rs 122 (85 ml), Rs 85 (60 ml), and Rs 72 (50 ml).

ITC has also reduced the prices of Savlon sanitizers and is working to reach the new stocks with the revised prices to the market. ITC is also spreading awareness about the importance of hand hygiene through campaigns across digital, print and other communication platforms.

However, brands are not looking at spending any money on promotional activities as logistics remains the main concern due to the lockdown.

With new entrants emerging to meet demands, especially from the unorganised sector, the challenges will also rise for incumbents. Upadhyay feels that there is a fair share for everybody in the market because the demand has gone up to the level where everybody is in need of these products.

“It will help only if more and more manufacturers come in the picture otherwise there will be a lack of supply. Six months back or just before COVID-19 hit, hygiene consciousness in India was at level one. Currently, hygiene consciousness has reached level ten. In the coming months, it is going to remain somewhere between six to seven, due to the awareness among people,” says Upadhyay.

Answering to what value will it add to an existing company to ramp up production and keep costs low Lall said, “As this pandemic is spreading its wings fast, it’s important for us to curtail it. It is important that the supply of the product should be uninterrupted and easily available to avoid fear and anxiety among people. Hence, the main prerogative of the brands in this hour of crisis, should be to ramp up their production and focus on distribution. The economics of business states that, the higher the volume of production, the lesser is the per unit cost. Also at this trying times, it’s important for brands to play a pivotal role towards CSR initiative to control the mayhem and add a humanitarian touch.”

Market players are adopting numerous kinds of strategies to hold consumer base. Where some manufacturers are adding fragrances to their formulation others are slashing the prices to attract the consumer.

However, a recent study shows that consumers care more about the availability than the brand and its attractive features. If products are unavailable, 40.55 per cent consumers said they would turn to less familiar brands as options. Whereas, 33.85 per cent consumers said they’d wait until the store restocks their preferred brands. 28.75 per cent consumers will rather try that they’d try other stores to find them. 17.50 per cent consumers will choose to sign up for product restocking updates.

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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

5 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

5 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.

MAM

Washington Post CEO exits abruptly after newsroom cuts spark backlash

Leadership change follows layoffs, protests and a bruising battle over trust.

Published

5 days ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When the presses are rolling but patience runs out, even the editor’s chair isn’t safe. The Washington Post announced on Saturday that its chief executive and publisher Will Lewis is stepping down with immediate effect, bringing a sudden end to a turbulent two-year tenure marked by financial strain, newsroom unrest and public backlash.

Lewis’s exit comes just days after the Bezos-owned newspaper announced sweeping job cuts that triggered protests outside its Washington headquarters and a wave of anger from readers and staff. While newspapers across the US are grappling with shrinking revenues and digital disruption, Lewis’s leadership had increasingly come under fire for how those pressures were handled.

The Post confirmed that Jeff D’Onofrio, a former Tumblr CEO who joined the organisation last year as chief financial officer, has taken over as CEO and publisher, effective immediately. In an email to staff, later shared by reporters on social media, Lewis said it was “the right time for me to step aside.”

The leadership change follows the announcement of large-scale redundancies earlier this week. While the Post did not officially confirm numbers, The New York Times reported that around 300 of the paper’s roughly 800 journalists were laid off. Entire teams were dismantled, including the Post’s Middle East bureau and its Kyiv-based correspondent covering the war in Ukraine.

Sports, graphics and local reporting were sharply reduced, and the paper’s daily podcast, Post Reports, was suspended. On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and supporters gathered outside the Post’s downtown office in protest, calling the cuts a blow to public-interest journalism.

Former executive editor Marty Baron described the moment as “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations.”

Lewis defended his record in his farewell note, saying “difficult decisions” were taken to secure the paper’s long-term future and protect its ability to publish “high-quality nonpartisan news”. But his tenure coincided with growing scrutiny of editorial independence at the Post.

Owner Jeff Bezos faced criticism for reining in the paper’s traditionally liberal editorial page and blocking an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 US election. The move was widely seen as breaking the long-standing firewall between ownership and editorial decision-making.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, around 250,000 digital subscribers cancelled their subscriptions after the paper declined to endorse Harris. The Post reportedly lost about $100 million in 2024 as advertising and subscription revenues slid.

While the wider newspaper industry continues to battle declining print advertising and the pull of social media, some national titles have stabilised. Rivals such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have managed to build sustainable digital businesses, a turnaround that has so far eluded the Post despite its billionaire backing.

As Jeff D’Onofrio steps into the role, the challenge is stark, restore confidence inside the newsroom, win back readers who walked away, and prove that one of America’s most storied newspapers can still find its footing in a brutally competitive media landscape.