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  • This Durga Puja, Tanishq urges celebration with safety

    This Durga Puja, Tanishq urges celebration with safety

    NEW DELHI: Rabindranath Tagore described the fragrance of autumn as one of shiuli flowers and incense. But the poet forgot one little thing – for Bengalis, the autumn air is charged with anticipation for Durga Puja, or pujo. Everyone – from the young and the old, prosperous or modest – comes together to celebrate this annual festival. Family gatherings, pandal hopping and festive shopping are de rigueur. But in the new normal post Covid2019, pujo will be different this year. What hasn’t changed is the zest for pujo in the heart of every Bengali: for it is not just a festival, but an emotion.

    With this sentiment, jewellery brand Tanishq has launched its new campaign Ekotai Shundor, Ekotai Shokti (unity is beautiful, unity is strength), an ode to the resilient spirit of Bengalis. The campaign intends to kick start the season of celebration and encourages people to come together while adhering to safety norms.

    Conceptualized by Tanishq and WYP Brand Solutions, the campaign features popular Bengali actress Mimi Chakraborty, who is also brand ambassador of Tanishq for the east region. The campaign dwells on the lore of Pujo and the myths of Maa Durga and is shot against the backdrop of rituals and traditions which are integral to Pujo.

    The campaign attempts to put across the message, more relevant than ever in these times, that one cannot battle it out alone and the true essence of victory lies in the spirit of oneness.

    The campaign also celebrates the Karigars and the entire ecosystem who infuse life into every aspect of pujo celebrations – from the potters who shape up Maa’s protima (statue) with dedication, to the daaker shaajer shilpi, to the ones who mould the dhunuchis (earthen incense burners) and craft the pradips (lamps) out of brass – essentially everyone who adorns Maa in all her festive glory.

    Also pujo is not only a festival but also an industry which provides livelihood to various craftsmen. This year, the pandemic and cyclone Amphan have significantly impacted the overall wellbeing of karigars and the entire value chain associated with jewellery making.

    With their campaign Ekotai Shundor, Ekotai Shokti, Tanishq urges Bengali women to make its latest collection – Aparajita a part of their pujo celebration and appreciate the efforts of Bengal’s karigars for their contribution. The new collection in yellow gold inspired by Bengali traditional designs is exclusively curated for Bengalis, and was released ahead of festive season this year.

    Explaining the rationale behind the new campaign, Tanishq GM marketing Ranjani Krishnaswamy said that the campaign has been crafted to instill hope, positivity, and oneness which are intrinsic to pujo celebrations. “First came the pandemic and then came Aamphan and along with it, the realisation as to how no one can battle these adversities all alone. The campaign is inspired by the symbolism of Ma Durga, her avatar of Aparajita and the invincible force she represents.”

    He described the campaign as an ode to the countless craftsmen for whom these few days of festivities are a crucial source of livelihood. “Even with reduced demand, they are pouring in their artistry with utmost dedication! These karigars are the foundation of the festivities, involved in evoking faith and devotion through the celebrations,” he added.

  • Marico ups advertising spends in Q2 FY21

    Marico ups advertising spends in Q2 FY21

    Leading FMCG player Marico stated in its quarterly report that the brand has upped its advertising spends in Q2 FY21 (July, August, September 2020) to pre-Covid levels. This is a good sign for the industry that has been reeling under the declining ad expenditure from brands these past few months.

    The report further stated that Parachute, a flagship brand from the company, reaffirmed its strong brand equity and clocked growth ahead of medium-term aspirations. Saffola edible oils continued its stellar run and delivered strong volume growth in line with past few quarters. Value added hair oils showed resilience and returned on a growth trajectory in the quarter from a sharp decline in Q1.

    Foods portfolio, riding the tailwind and on the back of innovations, continued its momentum and registered exponential growth in line with the company’s near-term expectations. Discretionary portfolios of premium hair nourishment and male grooming performed better than Q1 but continued to face headwinds.

    The company also launched new products in the health and hygiene segment that were tracking well across most channels. Marico has strengthened its position in the healthy foods and immunity-boosting segment with the launch of the Saffola ImmuniVeda range.

    Read more news on Marico

    The international business has clocked mid-single digit constant currency growth. Bangladesh continued to lead from the front with double digit growth while other markets have shown improvement sequentially.

    As per the company, rural continued to perform better than urban aided by government’s focused relief packages, relatively lower impact of the pandemic, the resilience of the agricultural sector in a declining GDP context and the consumption shift due to reverse migration of labour. Although there were intermittent supply chain disruptions across locations due to localized lockdowns, the distribution network has rebounded back to near pre-COVID levels. Traditional trade and e-commerce continued to drive growth. While modern trade fell behind, it did improve sequentially.

    Although the key raw materials have seen an inflationary trend towards the end of the quarter, the brand expects to deliver healthy earnings growth on the back of robust volume growth and a host of cost-saving initiatives.

    As lockdown restrictions are progressively easing, the company maintains a positive outlook for the rest of the year provided the ongoing health crisis does not escalate further and economic activity revives steadily. Given that the medium-term potential of the franchises remain firmly intact, we believe the company is on track to deliver sustained profitable volume-led growth, through a focus on strengthening the franchise in the core categories and driving the new engines of growth towards gaining critical mass.

  • Myntra teams up with Max Fashion for festive season blowout

    Myntra teams up with Max Fashion for festive season blowout

    NEW DELHI: Myntra is teaming up with Max Fashion, one of the largest fashion retailers in India, to make your festive season shopping spree even more lit. The announcement comes ahead of the e-commerce giant’s ‘Big Fashion Festival’ scheduled to be held from October 16-22

    Under the partnership, over 20,000 of the latest styles and designs from Max Fashion’s collection will be made available on Myntra; the selection of styles will grow through the festive season, giving customers a wide array of choices from everyday fashion to ethnic wear.

    Myntra will also be offering a curated array of products bundled as ‘packs’ at value for customers who want to style their looks from across categories. The bundle ‘packs’ are a part of the ‘Max Your Look’ proposition that empowers fashion-conscious customers to curate their complete look under Rs 999. Myntra aims at targeting the sweet spot for value-conscious customers across tier 1/2/3 cities to strengthen its position as a one-stop online fashion destination.

    The association with Myntra will enable Max to access Myntra’s tech capabilities, large customer base and reach untapped markets. On its part, Max will offer an even greater variety of options for shoppers on Myntra looking for trendy yet affordable daily wear across all age groups and categories – from apparel to footwear and accessories, ahead of the festive season. 

    In addition to Myntra’s strong ethnic line-up, this launch will also have a wide range of exclusive collections across women, men and kidswear. Some of the styles include Romantic Retro (Retro-inspired style statement) in Women’s Western wear, Neo Sports in athleisure, Binge on Prints, Casual Brights, Cool Checks, Graphic Mania in Men’s Wear and Floral Fantasy, Candyland Pastels, Print Play and All Things Blue in Kids Wear.

    Myntra head of business Ayyappan Rajagopal said, “Our collaboration with Max provides a platform that caters to all the fashion needs of a family under one roof. Coming as it does, ahead of the festive season, the association offers a huge impetus for consumers to shop for their favourite collection from the comfort and safety of their homes.”

    Max Fashion India CEO and Lifestyle International Pvt Ltd MD Shital Mehta added: “Our focus on the latest cutting-edge fashion from around the globe makes it a perfect addition for their (Myntra) platform. With an ever-increasing number of fashion-forward users on Myntra, we see this as a long-term partnership that will enable Max Fashion to reach a much larger audience in the country and provide them access to our amazing fashion at unbelievable prices.”

    Myntra’s strong delivery network and wide reach are set to enhance Max’s foothold in the country while offering the perfect opportunity for consumers to access a wide range of fashion and lifestyle products. The partnership between Myntra and Max is set to bring this year’s festive cheer a little early. 

  • With a smile: Himalaya promotes cleft lip awareness

    With a smile: Himalaya promotes cleft lip awareness

    BENGALURU: On the eve of World Smile Day, wellness brand The Himalaya Drug Company rolled out its flagship social impact initiative, Muskaan, to spread awareness about cleft lip and palate conditions. In partnership with Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft lipand palate charity, the initiative will support free life-saving cleft treatment to children in need.

    Through the EkNayi Muskaancampaign, Himalaya Lip Care will focus on educating people about cleft lip and the availability of corrective treatments at the grassroots level. The awareness drive kickstarted with a heart-warming video capturing the inspirational story of eight-year-old Munmun. The film portrays how Munmun’s life was transformed with safe cleft surgery.

    As part of the initiative, a multimedia awareness campaign has started reaching out to people across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Smile Train India’s toll-free Cleft Helpline, 1800-103-8301, is available for people to enquire about cleft and avail free cleft treatment.

    This year’s campaign featured Arjuna awardee and Commonwealth gold medallist Geeta Phogat, who extended her support to the initiative. 

    “As a wrestler, I have faced multiple challenges throughout my journey, but never let go of my dreams. Every child has a dream, and the ability to achieve the dream should not be limited by a medical condition like cleft. I am extremely happy to be associated with Muskaan, which has been helping children lead a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. Such initiatives show how a simple surgery can transform the life of children and help them discover a better future,” said Phogat.

    Every year in India, more than 35,000 babies are born with a cleft. This can greatly impact their ability to thrive, as having an untreated cleft can cause difficulties in eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking.Smile Train VP and regional director Asia Mamta Carroll said it is imperative to generate awareness around cleft and the importance of early medical intervention.

    “There is a lack of awareness that cleft can often be treated with a safe surgery. With enhanced safety guidelines to protect both patients and health workers, our partner hospitals across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are now slowly resuming cleft surgeries and we are supporting free treatment for cleft patients,” Carroll elaborated.

    Rajesh Krishnamurthy, business director of consumer products divisionat The Himalaya Drug Company believes that the social awareness campaign is true to the brand’s spirit of spreading happiness through wellness and changing lives for the better.

    “EkNayi Muskaan is very close to our hearts. Through our partnership with Smile Train India, we have brought smiles to a lot of families across India in the past five years by facilitating free cleft surgeries for their children. Our endeavour is to continue transforming the lives of many more children living with cleft and help them achieve their dreams,” he said. 

    Himalaya Lip Care has been consistently spearheading cleft care awareness and making efforts to bring many more smiles to children across the country through Muskaan. In addition to creating awareness, Rs 3 is contributed towards Muskaan with the sale of every Himalaya Lip Care product. 

  • Hindware Kitchen Ensemble introduces MaxX Safe technology in its new spot

    Hindware Kitchen Ensemble introduces MaxX Safe technology in its new spot

    NEW DELHI: Somany Home Innovation, makers of ‘Hindware Appliances’ and one of the leading players in auto clean chimney segments in India, has introduced its breakthrough technology and design innovation with the new TV campaign for Adonia Hob with MaxX Safe Technology. Ahead of the festive season, Hindware brings to its customers another innovation in its range of hobs in the form of the Flame Failure Device (FFD). This device automatically cuts off the gas supply whenever there’s an accidental leakage, when the flame goes off.

    Conceptualised and created by DDB Mudra, the TVC brings back Neha – a smart and modern woman – and her snooping and gossipy neighbour Evilika who were part of last year’s TVC as well. Neha is shown boiling the milk over the hob just as Evilika enters and starts gossiping. However, she gets distracted by Neha’s new stylish Hindware Hob and is shown getting curious and jealous about the new appliance. She fidgets with the knobs but is surprised to note no leakage of gas. On closer examination of the hob – as Neha steps asides – Evilika marvels at the new Flame Failure Device.

    The campaign aims to highlight the MaxX Safe technology which prevents the gas leakage in case the flame gets off while the knob is in the ON position. The TVC emphasizes on the dual convenience that the Adonia Hob provides – handiness in cooking and safety from fire-related mishaps and not to forget the appealing aesthetics of the hob.

    With this TVC, Hindware Kitchen Ensemble is taking a 360-degree marketing approach for the coming festive season. The campaign will be present across various platforms such as electronic, print & digital. For a wider reach, the TVC will be aired on key regional channels in languages like Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu including prominent News channels.

    Read more news on DDB Mudra

    Somany Home Innovation CEO & whole time director Rakesh Kaul said, “Designed for modern-day homes, Hindware Kitchen Ensemble, one of the leading players and trusted brand in the consumer appliance category aims to grow the business manifold. It offers top-of-the-line products to Indian consumers. It helps our customers adopt a comfortable, luxurious and sustainable lifestyle while fostering innovation”.

    Kaul further added “We received an overwhelming response to the TVC for Titania series and we decided to bring back the creativity to underscore the innovation in form of the Flame Failure Device in the hob series. This is a revolutionary addition to our range of hobs and a testament to Hindware’s legacy of creating symbiosis between consumer requirements and superior technological solutions. With the Adonia series we aim to endorse a safe and hazard-free environment and encourage the consumers to cook with the MaxX Safe Technology.”

    DDB Mudra spokesperson from said, “This Hindware HOB is a state-of-the-art kitchen appliance for users with an essential safety feature. The team has tried to create a realistic kitchen scenario in the story which revolves around the product and its main feature – Maxx safe technology.”

  • ASCI upheld complaints against 257 misleading ads in June & July

    ASCI upheld complaints against 257 misleading ads in June & July

    MUMBAI: In the months of June and July 2020, the Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) investigated complaints against 363 advertisements, of which 76 were promptly withdrawn by advertisers. The independent Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of Asci evaluated the remaining 287 advertisements, of which complaints against 257 advertisements were upheld. Of these, 150 belonged to the healthcare sector, 40 to education, 20 to food and beverages, four to GAMA complaints, 12 to personal care and 31 to the other category.

    Covid2019, continued to be the biggest fight which in turn led to a rise in the false claims of cure and prevention from Coronavirus. Holding hands with the Ministry of AYUSH, Asci is continuously working towards eliminating such false claims for the betterment of the society. In the month of May – June 97 such cases were flagged to the regulator.

    Read more news on Asci

    Asci chairman Subhash Kamath says, “There has been a flood of advertisements with dubious claims about COVID-19 cures and preventions. Especially at this time when consumers are feeling more vulnerable about the virus, it becomes more important for us as regulators to ensure that these ads don’t exploit the consumer’s anxiety.  We understand that such claims can adversely affect consumers and we are committed to work closely with the Ministry of Ayush to help eliminate such malpractices from society.”

  • Linc Pen spent Rs 44 crores in advertising & promotion in last 5 years

    Linc Pen spent Rs 44 crores in advertising & promotion in last 5 years

    Linc Pen, a leading stationery player in India, in its twenty-fifth annual general meeting disclosed that the brand had spent nearly Rs 44 crores in advertising and promotions in the last five years.

    Linc Pen MD & CEO Deepak Jalan stated that the company achieved the best ever result in FY20 despite the loss of sales in the last few weeks.  “Revenue grew by 9 per cent to close at almost Rs. 400 crore. EBIDTA margin was in double-digit at 10.3 per cent. PAT of Rs. 19.25 crore registered a healthy jump of 273.8 per cent over a lower base of Rs.5.15 Crore in the previous year. The board recommended a dividend of Rs. 1.50 per share, same as last year, in view of unprecedented challenges ahead in FY21.”

    However, Jalan stated that going by the current scenario, the brand may witness at least 70-80 per cent of FY20 sales by the end of FY21.

    “Turnover at Rs. 27.52 crore, was about one further of normal levels. For the first time ever, we registered a negative PAT of Rs  3.99 crore. Company’s April and May sales were washed out because of the nationwide lockdown. Our factories were closed for 28 days, and thereafter, gradual resumption started once the lockdown was lifted in a phased manner,” adds Jalan.

    Jalan further mentioned that the company saw sales come back to more than 50 per cent levels of what it reported in the same month last fiscal (June 2019).

    He also cited that the writing instruments industry has been severely affected by the Covid2019 as it has resulted in the closure of educational institutions and commercial establishments operating with lower physical attendance, which has clearly impacted the demand for writing instruments. The situation is similar all over the globe, with trade disruptions and lockdowns in several countries.

    Linc Pens has an aggressive plan to enhance the organizations retail footprints from 65000 retail touchpoints to about half a million, helping the brand to embark upon a multi-year growth journey.

    The stationery brand in past has launched several campaigns and even did ad films with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.

    The stationery products market garnered revenue of 109.5 billion dollars in the year 2019 globally and has been foreseen to yield USD 154.1 billion by the year 2027 at a CAGR of 4.6 per cent over the forecast period. 

  • How Samsung helped Flipkart find its missing ‘F’

    How Samsung helped Flipkart find its missing ‘F’

    Last week, Flipkart, a leading online etailer, started tweeting on its official twitter handle without using the alphabet ‘F’. Some of the words in its tweets were like ‘rom’, ‘itness’, ‘irst’, ‘inds’, and others.

    Ideally, these words are not part of the English language but if we prefix the alphabet ‘F’ they made proper sense such as ‘from’, ‘fitness’, ‘first’, ‘find’ and others.

    After the brand did its first tweet, several users pointed the error and asked ‘Where is the F’.

     

     

    The etailer immediately responded with another tweet with missing ‘F’ and added a hashtag #WheresTheF .

     

     

    Read more news on Flipkart

    It continued with a series of tweets for a few days with the missing word ‘F’ and engaged with the audiences asking them to find the alphabet ‘F’ for the brand while urging them to shop from the etailer across various categories of products present on the platform.

     

     

    On Sep 22, Samsung came to rescue Flipkart and suggested that it might know where the alphabet ‘F’ is. It tweeted a link in the ongoing twitter thread that took the audiences to the Flipkart store.

     

     

    Samsung had taken the front page of the Flipkart store to promote its Samsung Galaxy F41 that will be unveiled on 8 October. The page further shared a few details on the new phone and urged people to explore it when it is unveiled.

    Read more news on Samsung

    The idea behind the activation was very clear as Samsung wanted to bring the focused audiences of Flipkart to its page to create buzz and excited about its new phone. The activation became even more exciting as several brands also jumped in to participate in the ongoing trend. This included the likes of Vedantu, Axis Bank, PhonePe, Myntra, Swiggy.

     

     

    Interestingly, each of these brands utilized the occasion to talk about their offerings and interact with their audiences. For instance, Vedantu, an online learning platform donned the hat of a teacher; Swiggy, an online food ordering brand, related it with the food. The network brands such as PhonePe and Myntra also participated in the banter communicating their own positioning.

     

     

  • Aashram was viewed by users from 2500+ cities: MX Player’s Gautam Talwar

    Aashram was viewed by users from 2500+ cities: MX Player’s Gautam Talwar

    KOLKATA: How do you spend time when a virus has taken away all the usual options of outside home entertainment? The answer lies in screens. For most of the country, the television sets and the six-inch screens have served as source of entertainment since the onset of the pandemic. But at the beginning of the lockdown, there was a dearth of fresh television content as well. As a result, over-the-top (OTT) platforms in the country emerged as the alternative for a new wave of users along with the existing consumers.

    Times Internet’s “bold bet” MX Player is one of them. It has witnessed a huge surge in user base during this period. As MX Player chief content officer Gautam Talwar says “it has been quite crazy”. While the platform has kept content flow usual with launch of around ten shows during this period, the user engagement has gone beyond expectation in all metrics, as Talwar shares without divulging the exact numbers. Thanks to a host of new releases, the consumers shifting from the linear mode of content consumption to watching on-demand content have exploded even after unlock.

    According to Talwar, the platform has broken all the records after the launch of Aashram which was in production for more than two years. He claims the show has recorded 250 million + streams within 15-18 days of its launch. With this show, the platform has witnessed the number of screens growing exponentially as well as a dramatic upsurge in watch time. Some northern markets like Delhi NCR have responded very well to the show.

    As per the data shared by him, Aashram was viewed by users from 2500+ cities ranging from metropolitan to rural cities. While it was liked by users across all the cities, however the affinity in tier I (Jaipur, Pune, Ahmedabad etc) and tier II (Agra. Ludhiana, Meerut, Chandigarh, Ranchi etc) was higher than the metropolitan cities, precisely 1.2 times more higher. Although he did not share exact number, he added that there are more than enough viewers that are binge watching Aashram. 

    “It was conceptualised two years ago by the MX content team and we were sure that this is a fascinating world and must be explored. So, we got Habib Faisal on board to write the story and the bible first and then Kuldeep Ruhil to write the screenplay and dialogues for the show. Thereafter, we took it to Prakash Jha who along with his team also added a whole lot to the writing process along with the MX team and that's how the show got conceptualised. The genre was chosen because data suggests that crime dramas are something that our core audience loves and consumes in quantity and hence it was a no brainer.” Talwar comments.

    MX Player did not leave any stone unturned to promote the marquee content. While all the major OTT platforms halted outdoor campaigns during the lockdown, Aashram romanced with billboards. The platform went for a 360 degree campaign and the media mix included radio along with TV and digital.

    Aashram is helping in overall engagement as well. The cohort of users who are coming to the platform to watch this particular show are sampling other content from the similar genre leading to a higher retention rate. However, it is not unique to this particular show only.

    “Once a new user comes on the platform, they discover the content slate and then they cherry pick. All metrics of engagement have gone up because of this trend. They come for one show and sample other shows and the fact that they stay on is a testament to good content being on the platform,” Talwar opines.

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    Hence, it is apprehensible why the parent company is not shying away from investing more in the platform. In the annual report of Times Internet, vice chairman Satyan Gajwani said: “Two years ago, we made our largest acquisition, and it was a bold bet: that we could build a video streaming platform atop a local video player, developing and licensing compelling content to build a new user habit on an existing app. I’m extremely pleased with our results… In less than 18 months, MX Player now engages over 200 million monthly users, making MX Player the largest premium video destination in India.”

    While most of the major OTT players in India are now going for the subscription-based model, MX Player is the one which has not taken its content behind paywall yet. Thanks to the scale of users, the platform is attracting major brands.

    Talwar says the appetite for good content has gone up as users are getting more aquatinted with premium content. “The pressure is now to deliver more,” he states. “All the data mining that we do basis how the shows are doing, the pressure is going to get even more accurate. The more you know, the pressure is to make sure to deliver to your particular audience. My audience may be slightly different from other OTT platform because we are a mass-market channel. Our core audience lies in tier II-tier III towns. Therefore, we are trying to understand what they like because they are also experiencing digital for the first time,” he adds.

    Thanks to feedback on metrics like completion rate, watching pattern of users, the platform is fine-tuning its content strategy. It has also noticed that the sweet spot of an episode’s length ranges between 20-40 minutes.

    Recently, MX Player also forayed into short form video with the launch of the new platform. But it is also experimenting with long-form content as well. “There is a show that we are looking at in terms of interactivity. Right now, we are at writing stages of it. We have to see how to build that level of functionality once we kind of get to that,” Talwar states.

  • Harley Davidson exits India

    Harley Davidson exits India

    Harley-Davidson will shut down manufacturing and sales operations in India as part of its restructuring exercise under ‘The Rewire’ programme, the US-based motorcycle maker announced on Thursday.

    Earlier, in August, the bike maker had indicated to restructure business in some its loss making international markets to reroute focus on the US market. The move is going to increase the restructuring costs to 169 million dollars.

    Covid2019 is the key reason behind this decision as the brand was witnessing poor sales and weaker demand. Media reports say that Harley-Davidson India sold less than 2,500 units in the last financial year, making it one of its worst-performing international markets. SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) figures mention that Harley-Davidson sold only 103 units of motorcycles in India in July 2020 and 176 units last month in the country. Indian market contributed to only 5 per cent of the brands overall sales.

    The bike maker will be laying off employees from its assembly unit in Haryana.

    Read more news on Harley Davidson

    Harley-Davidson joins the growing list of automotive brands, such as General Motors, Fiat, UM Motorcycles and others which have exited India in the past.