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Tag: Cadbury India

  • This Diwali, Cadbury creates India’s first AI based hyperlocal ad to support local retailers

    This Diwali, Cadbury creates India’s first AI based hyperlocal ad to support local retailers

    NEW DELHI: The markets are beginning to recover, especially during the festive season, as the customers are now keen to make purchases that have been pending for a long time. At this point, it becomes extremely important for everyone to support the local retailer that forms the back bone of the economy.

    Cadbury India took a cue from this thought and launched a campaign ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge?’ The idea is to turn this Diwali into the sweetest celebration of all times.

    The company will further add sparkle to the festivities, with eCommerce-exclusive premium pack, Oreo Moments and Cadbury Cocoa’s #TheSweetestDiwali activation.

    Continuing the legacy of ‘Kuch Achha Ho Jaye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye’, Mondelez India is taking a step further and leading by example by creating the most generous ad ever by reaching out to 1800+ local retailers, across 260+ pin codes, whose businesses are promoted locally through the latest Cadbury Celebrations ad and manifest the message of ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge?

    The ad leverages technology and AI to create India’s first hyper-personalised ad wherein during this ad, these stores will be featured against the product category for specific pin codes in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The ad beautifully captures this by showcasing an Indian family rejoicing the occasion of Diwali wherein the woman of the house gifts something to every member of the family which is bought from the local stores. The film ends on a celebratory note and a thought-provoking message – ‘When all of us support our local stores, all of us can have a Happy Diwali’, thus, putting the spotlight on the act of generosity.

    Mondelez India  senior director marketing (chocolates) – insights and analytics Anil Viswanathan  said, “Throughout festivities exchanging gifts and sweets holds a significant emotional value and embarks the beginning of a new era, and it makes us extremely proud about the fact that we humbly found a place in this small, yet important tradition. Moreover, this year, than any other warrants for acts that signify new beginnings and the potential of goodness in an imperfect world, and our recent Cadbury Celebrations campaign infuses this thought at the back of evoking generosity. Banking on the proposition of ‘Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge’, we are putting our best foot forward to inspire people to do what’s right this time by acknowledging people who helped us in difficult times. Whether it is weaving in ‘Mithaas’ into special occasions or adding a shimmer of cheerfulness to the joyous festivities, our much-loved snacking products have become an intrinsic part of every celebration and therefore, this year we’re furthering this effort by expanding our eCommerce premium portfolio to provide more choice to our consumers, along with many exciting initiatives across our brands, beyond just chocolates.”

    The ad film definitely follows the PM Modi’s call to support the local artisans and retailers and move towards being #Atmanirbhar.

    Someone watching in Golf Course Road, Gurgaon will receive and see this ad: 

    Someone watching in Mahalakshmi will see this ad: 

    Someone watching in Powai will see this: 

    This message is further being seeded through Cadbury Cocoa which is encouraging consumers to return the favour of goodness to their family members, who have always made their festivities more exuberant, with a ‘special mithai’ created using Cadbury Cocoa.

    Renowned personalities like Arjun Kapoor and Yuvraj Singh will be seen depicting the act of home-baking a  special recipe for their special someone to encourage people to walk an extra mile, be extra thoughtful and for a change, make the ones around you smile and turning it into #TheSweetestDiwali.

    With safety becoming a non-negotiable priority for consumers, e-commerce is playing greater role in implementing contactless shopping. Cdbury India is creating more digital shopping opportunities to continue redefining the joy of gifting. The seasonal offerings under the Cadbury Gifting portfolio will be available across multiple channels like e-grocers, marketplaces, e-commerce websites, hyper-local and omnichannel retailers and the company’s own direct-to-consumer website – CadburyGifting.in, so that people can partake in celebrations, unhindered.

    This festive season, the world’s favourite cookie brand – OREO, will continue to add more playful moments, through its special festive edition – Oreo Moments. The Oreo Moments gifting range has received great response over the last two years and the company has planned to scale up this year’s portfolio, in addition to launching an all new pack in the premium gifting segment under Oreo Cadbury Dipped Moments.

  • BARC week 39: Kia Sonet & Wheel Active are among top brands

    BARC week 39: Kia Sonet & Wheel Active are among top brands

    NEW DELHI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India has released its data for top advertisers and brands for the period between 26 September to 2 October 2020.

    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 week 39 of 2020.

    Top Advertisers: –

    Hindustan Unilever continued to be the biggest advertiser this week also with 305652 ad generations. It was followed by Reckitt Benckiser India with 190365 ad impressions.  

    In a first, Brooke Bond India bagged the third spot with 41342 ad impressions.  ITC Ltd and Godrej Consumer Products placed fourth and fifth on the list with 37714 and 31462 ad impressions respectively.  

    Ponds India secured the sixth spot with 28307 ad insertions.

    Other top advertisers in the pecking order were as follows: Colgate Palmolive India, Cadbury India, Amazon Online India Pvt, and Wipro.

    Top Brands:

    Dettol dominated the top ranks, with the brand’s Antiseptic Liquid taking first with 25565 ad impressions and its Toilets Soaps range securing the second position and got 23692 ad impressions. Direct competitor Lizol had grabbed the sixth position the week before with 12830 ad insertions but this week it has climbed to third position in the list with 17614 ad views.

    The fourth and fifth spots went to Glow & Lovely and Surf Excel easy wash with 14527 and 14189 ad insertions respectively.

    Clinic Plus Shampoo came in sixth with 14136 ad insertions.

    Wheel Active 2 in 1, Dettol Liquid Soap, Colgate Dental Cream, and Kia Sonet rounded out the top 10.

  • BARC week 38: Dettol Antiseptic Liquid continues to be the top brand

    BARC week 38: Dettol Antiseptic Liquid continues to be the top brand

    NEW DELHI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India has released its data for top advertisers and brands for the period between 19 September to 25 September 2020.

    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 38 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 38 week of 2020.

    Top advertisers:

    Hindustan Unilever continued to be the biggest advertiser this week also it has got 242618 ad impressions.  It was followed by Reckitt Benckiser India which ranked second with 195302 ad impressions.  

    ITC Ltd still continues to be on the third spot with 48785 ad views, as compared to 51140 last week’s insertions. Godrej Consumer Products Ltd and Colgate Palmolive India secured the fourth and fifth place with 42699 and 33763 insertions respectively.

    Brooke Bond India bagged the sixth spot with 32712 ad insertions.

    Other top brands in the pecking order were as follows: Cadbury India, Amazon Online India Pvt, Ponds India and Wipro.

    Top Brands-

    Dettol Antiseptic Liquid became the top brand this week with 29903 ad impressions. Dettol Toilet Soaps this time came in the second position with 24589 ad insertions. Glow & Lovely bagged the third spot with 17508 ad impressions.  

    The fourth and fifth spots were acquired by Dettol Liquid Soap and Colgate Dental Cream with 16135 and 14999 ad insertions respectively.

    The sixth position was grabbed by Lizol for the first time in the last so many weeks with 12830 ad insertions.

    Other top brands in the pecking order were as follows: Clinic Plus Shampoo, Amazon.in, Policybazaar.com, Lux Toilet Soap.

  • Mondelez India launches limited edition Cadbury Dairy Milk Vintage Box

    Mondelez India launches limited edition Cadbury Dairy Milk Vintage Box

    MUMBAI: Marking the 70th anniversary of Mondelez India (formerly Cadbury India Ltd.) and Cadbury Dairy Milk, the company has launched a limited edition Cadbury Dairy Milk vintage tin pack. The collecter’s edition box contains Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates packaged with covers from four distinct eras.

    Commenting on the milestone and the launch, Mondelez India director – marketing (chocolates) Anil Viswanathan said, “We look back on our history in India fondly and it is a huge honour to commemorate this special milestone. We thank our teams as well as all our consumers who have supported us over the years and invite everyone to join us in our journey ahead.”

    He added, “To celebrate this journey, we are thrilled to launch this beautiful Cadbury Dairy Milk Vintage Box. Consumers can take a trip down the memory lane with these retro pack designs and relive their favourite Cadbury Dairy Milk memories.”

    Mondelez India head of ecommerce Abhishek Ahluwalia said, “These days, consumers are not just looking at products and services, but at experiences that can create long-lasting memories. We are excited to launch our yet another e-commerce exclusive proposition. On its 70th anniversary, Mondelez India, wishes to connect with the consumers on an emotional level with the help of its limited edition vintage pack. This is our way to thank the consumers who have played such a significant role in Mondelez’s journey. The vintage pack is a symbol of its seven decades of consumer love and adulation and the positive leaps it has taken to become India’s favourite chocolate brand. We are committed to building on the legacy we’ve created in the last 70 years with the promise of bringing more moments of joy in the times to come.”

    Cadbury Dairy Milk limited edition vintage tin pack contains 4 Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate bars and will be available on Cadburygifting.in and exclusively on e-tailers like Amazon, Flipkart, and Paytm at INR 544.

  • Why does Dairy Milk continue to remain India’s favourite chocolate?

    Why does Dairy Milk continue to remain India’s favourite chocolate?

    MUMBAI: Go to any store in India and ask the person to hand you a Cadbury. You are for sure to get a bar of Dairy Milk, wrapped in purple cover, in your hand. Such has been the company’s branding that chocolate has become synonymous with Cadbury, although it is a brand with many candies.

    Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM) was the first chocolate bar to have higher milk content than earlier ones when it was launched in the UK in 1905. By 1914, it had become Cadbury’s bestseller. But how did it become India’s favourite?

    Cadbury India, now known as Mondelez India, began its operations here right after independence, in 1948, by importing chocolates.

    In the land of gulab jamun and rasgulla, chocolate was an alien and expensive. Dairy Milk turned out to be a rather failed launch for the company. None but the crème de la crème could afford to buy an imported chocolate. Also, in the 70’s and 80’s, the brand was only available in certain areas and its ads usually showcased a working man coming back home with a chocolate bar in his pocket for his child. Dairy Milk was relegated as a product for children only.

    In the 80’s, Cadbury decided to manufacture Dairy Milk in India just to ensure that the production cost comes down and it’s available at a cheaper price point for Indians. But, other chocolate makers were still selling at lower prices. With sales dipping, the team was desperate for a communication strategy.

    India’s ad-man Piyush Pandey from Ogilvy & Mather came to the brand’s rescue in 1991. He suggested that the brand needed a revamped identity and target the younger generation and adults. Ogilvy created the first iconic campaign for Cadbury titled, “Kuch meetha ho jaaye” in 1993 which continues to remain the favourite jingle of every 90s kid.

    The campaign worked like a charm and Dairy Milk soon became every youth’s favourite chocolate. Suddenly, all these grownups — these responsible, serious grownups — had CDM bars in their hands. Batsmen, referees, grandfathers, policemen, teachers, pregnant women, college friends, lovers— the target group for Cadbury had changed and it was okay for adults to indulge now and that too in public.

    There was no looking back. Since then, Dairy Milk has continued to remain every Indian’s go-to chocolate.

    Through the years, Dairy Milk has been known for its loveable advertisements that make you want to sing along and do a little jig yourself. In the last decade, Dairy Milk has been positioned as something ‘meetha’ (sweet) — a strategy to counter traditional Indian sweets and the reach of local sweet shops. It comes as no surprise that Cadbury Dairy Milk is the most sold chocolate during festivals and special occasions.

    Mondelez attributes the company’s strategy of constant innovation and evolving with Indian consumers as reasons for its growth. “In the beginning, we were just trying to say that chocolate is a nice treat for kids but today Dairy Milk is a mass brand and it is a part of everyone’s heart. We have made a huge change in communication right from talking to kids to being occasion specific to now a casual consumption product,” says Mondelez International associate director for chocolate equity, India and South East Asia Nitin Saini.

    According to a recent market research report titled Branded Chocolate Market in India, the chocolate market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17.8 per cent between FY 2017 to FY 2022. In the branded chocolate segment, Mondelez India has a whopping 65 per cent market share and its closest competitor is Nestle with 20 per cent market share.

    Another aspect that works in favour of CDM is that it has few competitors in its category. Mars Inc’s Galaxy is the closest you can get but while CDM is available for Rs 10, Galaxy starts at Rs 25. The product’s success has even spawned cheap imitation chocolates at lower prices.

    In the early 2000s, the company roped in star Amitabh Bachchan to promote it. Very soon, news about worms in CDM packets started leaking out and the company saw a 30 per cent dip in sales. The company lost no time in launching an aggressive campaign for its new tighter packaging which cost 10-15 per cent higher but did not hike the rates. It didn’t take long for consumer confidence to be back.

    Mondelez has a strong distribution network in India and it is only growing every year. You visit a chemist shop, a drug store, a general store, supermarket, airport or a small pan-bidi shop, they all have a dedicated set of CDM bars to offer. In 2017, the chocolate giant had over 1000 distributors and 7000 sub-stockists who distributed products to small general stores and other retailers. Rural sales contributed about one-fifth of Mondelez’s sales in the same year which was 10 per cent higher than a year before. Mondelez currently has 350,000 outlets in 40,000 villages and sees the next phase of growth coming from hinterlands.

    Though Dairy Milk cuts across all age groups and class, that seems to be changing now as chocolate and hazelnut confectionery, Ferrero Rocher, has come to be the latest favourite of the young and elite. Priced at Rs 430 for 12 pieces, the company faces a stiff competition from Dairy Milk that is India’s favourite festive gifting option. Come Diwali or Raksha Bandhan, and we see television and digital screens filled with Cadbury ads about making relationships stronger with something ‘meetha’.

    Not only has CDM managed to break into a difficult market but has even maintained its lead. Riding on the back of extensive marketing, communication and distribution networks, it will take a gigantic effort to dethrone it.

  • ASCI upheld complaints against 68 out of 108 ads

    ASCI upheld complaints against 68 out of 108 ads

    MUMBAI: In March 2014, Advertising Standards Council of India’s (ASCI) Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld complaints against 68 out of 108 advertisements. Advertisements in personal and healthcare sector category again emerged as the category which accounted for a majority of advertisements against which complaints were upheld.

     

    The CCC found the claims in health and personal care product or service ads of 44 advertisers, released in the press to be either misleading or false or not adequately / scientifically substantiated and hence violating ASCI’s code. Some of the health care products or services ads also contravened provisions of the Drug & Magic Remedies Act. Complaints against the ads like Hindustan Unilever’s Vaseline Healthy White Lotion showing exaggerated claims of ‘instant whitening’ on skin, Zydus Wellness claims that Everyuth Fairness Peel off to be India’s first intelligent delivering whitening technology that targets melanocytes to give unmatched fairness were upheld.

     

    Other complaints included Wipro (Glucovita Bolts) claims that Glucovita has iron and glucose which gives energy to the body and brain in 10 seconds. Hamdard Laboratories India product claims to be a herbal vitalizer for men.

     

    As for the education category, the CCC found claims in print ads by 14 different advertisers that were not substantiated and thus, violated ASCI guidelines for advertising of educational institutions and hence the complaints against these ads were upheld.

     

    For instance, DAV Institute of Engineering & Technology claims that it has ‘100 per cent placement track record of eligible students with highest offered pay package of Rs 5.65 lakh per annum, fourth top engineering college in Punjab as per CSR-GHRDC survey, 34th rank amongst private colleges of the country as rated by electronics for You magazine, 39th rank in top engineering colleges of excellence in India as per CSR-GHRDC survey and 66th rank in top engineering college of India as per Data Quest magazine.   

     

    In the food & beverage category, Cadbury India’s 5 star advertisement shows ‘a lady giving birth to a baby who is laughing. The voiceover says that the babies used to be laughing while being born in earlier days and later they started crying at childbirth due to a disease called seriousness. So eat 5 star to become jovial again.’ The CCC concluded that the frames in the TVC showing the process of child birth are gross and offensive.  The advertisement contravened Chapter II of the Code.  The complaint was upheld. The advertisement had received 21 such complaints against it.

     

    Other advertisements and claims which were upheld included the likes of CNBC TV18. The advertisement claims that, ‘CNBC-TV18 was the only channel India watched, during FM’s speech’ by relying on TAM rating of the day part 11:10 am until 12:06 pm. This claim of Network18 for its channel is completely misleading, factually incorrect, unsubstantiated and even disparaging to the other news and non-news channels including Network18’s competitor channels and ET Now. Network18 stated that according to TAM data, with the criteria- CS AB Males 25+, All India of 17 February 2014, the market share during the day part 11:10 am to 12:06 pm (‘Day Part’) was 100 per cent.  When calculating the TAM rating for the day part, we observed that Network18 had a share of 86 per cent which is in complete contradiction to what Network18 claimed in the Advertisement-1 and, ET Now had a share of 14 per cent, during the said day part, which clearly proves that Network18 was not the only channel that India watched during the FM’s speech as claimed by them.  TVTs garnered by ET Now during the aforementioned day part were 0.290, as against Network18 which garnered 1.680 TVTs.  Thus, it is very clear that ET Now also had viewership during that day part, which Network18 falsely and with mala-fide intention reduced to 0 per cent in the said Advertisement-1. Claim ‘as being the only channel watched’ is misleading to the viewers as there are 242 channels which had some amount of viewership ranging from 2,000 to 510,000 viewers in the Males 25+ SEC AB TG, out of which, 110 channels in that Day Part  had a higher reach than the Channel of Network18.  In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claim, ‘CNBC-TV18 was the only channel India watched, during FM’s speech’, was not substantiated and was considered to be misleading. The advertisement contravened Chapters I.1 and I.4 of the ASCI Code.  The complaint was upheld.  

     

    Click here for full report

  • Grand Emvies goes to ibs; HUL wins Media Client of the Year

    Grand Emvies goes to ibs; HUL wins Media Client of the Year

    MUMBAI: The glittery and boisterous night of the 13th edition of the award ceremony saw ibs walking away with the Grand Emvie.

     Last year’s Grand Emvie was taken home by Madison Media Infinity for its Saffola life-saving Private Heart campaign.

    In the overall agency tally list, ibs scored 65 points with three gold awards and stood at the seventh position.

    The ibs team ecstatic on winning the Grand Emvie

    Before the announcement of the Best Media Client of the Year award (120 points), the room echoed with the chants of HUL, which went on to win the prestigious award. Cadbury India (now a unit of Mondelez) which was the winner last year, finished second this time with 85 points.

    The second position was bagged by Lodestar UM with 150 points which lost out to Mindshare by a tiny margin. The agency which came fifth last year, won five golds, seven silvers and one bronze last night.

    The COO of the agency Nandini Dias was ecstatic at winning the maximum golds and said, “When you miss by a really small margin one delves more on what didn’t happen than what happened. So, it took some shaking people up to get everyone in a happy mood, but now we are in a celebration mood.”

    HUL won the Media Client of the Year award for being innovative and taking chances

    The third time lucky in a row, Maxus, retained its third place for the third year with 120 points. It took home three golds, six silvers and three bronzes. “The win has been satisfactory on a standalone basis and domination of awards of in the digital space. That‘s the good part for a agency born in the digital age. However we felt we dint convert enough of our shortlists to awards as Maxus keep getting shortlisted the maximum and when it comes to awards, other agencies seem to convert better. We need to work harder on the packaging and presentation,” said Maxus managing director south Asia Ajit Varghese.

    The newest entrant to the Emvies, Ogilvy India, stood fourth with 85 points and won four golds, two silvers and one bronze. And, Madison Media Pinnacle, which came second, last year, finished in the fifth place with 85 points.

    The Emvies, which is organised by The Ad Club, recognises the breakthrough innovations in Indian media by the agencies and allows them to gauge how each of them compare against each other. The night ended with a high as everyone wished for a bigger and better fight next year.

  • Oreo Choco Cr?me launches its new TVC

    Oreo Choco Cr?me launches its new TVC

    MUMBAI: Cadbury India, a part of Mondele-z International has announced the launch of a new TVC campaign for Oreo Choco Cr?me.

    The ad campaign showcase the playful relationship shared by two brothers , the ad is developed by Interface Communications.

    The ad is based on the insight that consumers love ‘Oreo’ for its chocolaty sandwich experience. It shows two young teenager boys enjoying Oreo Choco Cr?me and getting confused as to which is more chocolaty – the cream or the cookie. With real cocoa in both the cream and the cookie, that’s one debate that they find impossible to win, eventually switching sides multiple times.

    Speaking on the campaign, Mondele-z International AVP marketing biscuits Chella Pandyan said, “It’s a well-established fact that chocolate is India’s favourite cream flavor. The uniqueness of Oreo Choco Cr?me is that both – the cookie and the cream are chocolaty. The TVC highlights the delightful dilemma the two brothers face of deciding which is more chocolaty!”

    Interface Communications national creative director Robby Mathew added, “The campaign idea banks on the unique relationship that siblings share. What starts off as a coach-student relationship turns into one of equals, as they together discover Oreo Choco Cr?me’s double chocolaty delight.”

    The main Tv campaign is supported by four short films that keep the debate and dilemma going.

  • eBay appoints Alok Agarwal as director marketing

    MUMBAI: Ecommerce marketplace ebay.com has got on board Alok Agarwal as director – marketing.

    Agarwal moves to ebay from Mahindra Two Wheelers where he was designated as the category head motorcycles.

    On his appointment eBay India country manager Muralikrishnan B said, “We welcome Alok to the eBay India family. eBay and eCommerce in India are at an inflection point and Alok‘s expertise in building Brands and marketing thought leadership would help for further enhance our growth trajectory in India and strengthen our position.”

    Agarwal said, “Distribution in India is complex, and with more than a decade of healthy growth, demand and supply are even more widely dispersed. The conventional multi-tier distribution model will be hard-pressed to make demand and supply meet. With my new role at eBay India, I look forward to playing match-maker between brands, entrepreneurs and consumers”

    Prior to joining Mahindra, Agarwal had worked with Sara Lee for six years, handling different roles at the organisation. He had also worked in Unilver, Cadbury India and Philips Consumer Electronics.

  • Marico in list of top advertisers by volume as Bharti Airtel slips out

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has cut down its advertising on television and shifted allocations to other mediums in 2012, a year marked by slowdown and a difficult market condition for telecom companies.

    Bharti Airtel has fallen off the list of top 10 advertisers on television in terms of volumes, according to TAM AdEX‘s ranking in 2012. The telecom major held the number 10 spot in the TAM AdEx‘s list of top ten advertisers in 2011.

    Replacing Bharti Airtel is fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturer Marico. Not figuring in the list in 2011, Marico has marked its aggression to gain the tenth spot with one percent share in advertising volume on television.

    Top 10 Advertisers in 2012 on TV
    Rank
    		 Advertisers
    % Share
    1
    		 Hindustan Lever Ltd
    8
    2
    		 Cadburys India Ltd
    2
    3
    		 Reckitt Benckiser (india) Ltd
    2
    4
    		 Itc Ltd
    2
    5
    		 Procter & Gamble
    2
    6
    		 Colgate Palmolive India Ltd
    1
    7
    		 Ponds India
    1
    8
    		 Coca Cola India Ltd
    1
    9
    		 Samsung India Electronics Ltd
    1
    10
    		 Marico Ltd
    1

    Bharti Airtel has upped its ad inventory on digital and on ground marketing initiatives. Agrees a top media buyer who is familiar with the ad spends of telecom companies, “The shift to digital and on ground in case of Bharti Airtel would be the main reason why its volume of advertising on television has decreased. If you see the whole picture, the overall media spends may not have gone down so much, but resources have been shifted to focus on other aspects of a 360 degree media plan. The BCCI and F1 sponsorships are no small investments.”

    Top 10 Advertisers in 2011 on TV
    Rank
    		 Advertisers
    % Share
    1
    		 Hindustan Lever Ltd
    8
    2
    		 Reckitt Benckiser (india) Ltd
    3
    3
    		 Cadburys India Ltd
    2
    4
    		 Itc Ltd
    2
    5
    		 Procter & Gamble
    2
    6
    		 Ponds India
    1
    7
    		 Coca Cola India Ltd
    1
    8
    		 Colgate Palmolive India Ltd
    1
    9
    		 Bharti Airtel Ltd
    1
    10
    		 Smithkline Beecham
    1

    Bharti Airtel is one of the major ad spenders in India and has been on expensive mediums like cricket. The telecom major bagged the BCCI sponsorship rights of all international cricket matches played in India for the period 2010-2013.

    “While telecom companies in general have reduced their ad inventory on television, in case of Bharti Airtel this fall has been sharp. Even on TV, some of the focus has shifted to niche channels,” says Zeel chief sales officer Ashish Sehgal.

    Bharti Airtel’s consolidated net profit has been falling for the past 12 quarters on rising expenses. The company is also faced with large cash outflows in 2013-14 on account of one-time spectrum fees and licence renewal fees, for which it is expected to preserve cash.

    The reduction in TV ad volumes by Bharti Airtel could also be a reflection of the general economic slowdown that the industry is experiencing. While advertisers in general have either cut back on advertising and promotion spends or refrained from increasing them, FMCG companies have been increasing the same and this has been reflected in more FMCGs figuring in the top ten advertisers.

    Of the top ten advertisers on television, nine belong to the FMCG category (same as in 2011). Samsung India Electronics Ltd, a consumer durables company, is the only outsider at number nine. HUL is the number one advertiser with eight per cent of the television ads share by volume followed by Cadbury India, Reckitt Benckiser, ITC Ltd and P&G (in that order), all claiming two per cent of ad volume.

    MediaCom CEO Debraj Tripathi says, “Now that the slowdown has hit the industry, the telecoms are keeping a check on their spends and investing sparingly, while the FMCGs are robust on advertising.”

    Though TAM AdEx only gives ad volumes, Marico has also increased its spends in value terms. The company, which has been selling brands such as Saffola and Parachute, has upped its ad spends for the period of January-December by 16.67 per cent from Rs 3.54 billion in 2011 to Rs 4.13 billion in 2012.

    “Marico has been making efforts to increase market share. It has also launched new products and been trying to aggressively grow its brands. The aggression is marked with the acquisition of personal care brands of Paras Pharma from Reckitt Benckiser,” says a media analyst.