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Tag: Horlicks

  • WPP Media blends mischief and curiosity with ‘Horlicks Chhoto Byomkesh’

    WPP Media blends mischief and curiosity with ‘Horlicks Chhoto Byomkesh’

    MUMBAI: Detective stories just got a Horlicks twist. WPP Media has teamed up with Horlicks and Hoichoi to launch ‘Horlicks Chhoto Byomkesh,’ a branded content initiative that reimagines Bengal’s beloved detective in his childhood. The campaign marries the legacy of Bakshi with Horlicks’ brand values of curiosity and growth.

     
    Led by team Fulcrum, WPP Media’s dedicated HUL team, the series demonstrates how culturally resonant content can turn a brand association into a meaningful entertainment property. By spotlighting Bakshi’s early years, the initiative builds an organic connection with Horlicks’ ethos while celebrating Bengal’s collective memory of the detective. 

    Directed by award-winning Kamaleswar Mukherjee, the series stars Aarush Dey as young Byomkesh and Priyanka Sarkar as his mother, Sulochona. Anchored around Durga Puja, it leverages the cultural festival to amplify impact while creating a social-first, digitally amplified experience that resonates with families across Bengal. 

    WPP Media South Asia, president – client solutions, Amin Lakhani, said, “This first-of-its-kind AFP showcases how creativity, data and cultural insight can deliver impactful brand stories.”  HUL, executive director, foods, Rajneet Kohli added, “Byomkesh Chhoto Byomkesh inspires kids’ curiosity and love for problem-solving while connecting with families in a unique way.” 

    Hoichoi, co-founder, Vishnu Mohta said, “Byomkesh is a beloved character for all ages. We’re thrilled to bring a fresh, reimagined version of this iconic detective to our audience.” 

    Premiered on 24 September 2025, Horlicks Chhoto Byomkesh is more than a branded content initiative, it’s a cultural moment, showing how insights, storytelling, and platforms can come together to create lasting consumer connections. 

  • ShareChat ropes in Neha Markanda as chief business officer

    ShareChat ropes in Neha Markanda as chief business officer

    MUMBAI: Homegrown social media firm ShareChat (Mohalla Tech) has named Neha Markanda as its new chief business officer, handing her the mandate to scale revenues and deepen advertiser engagement across its flagship ShareChat app and short-video platform Moj.

    Markanda joins from Google, where she spent over three years as head of industry for e-commerce. She earlier led business marketing at Facebook India, and held senior roles at GSK Consumer Healthcare, where she steered brand strategy for Horlicks and family nutrition.

    Her two-decade career spans consumer goods and technology, including stints at HCL Technologies, PepsiCo—where she managed Tropicana, Pepsi Max and Gatorade—and ITC.

    At ShareChat, she will be tasked with sharpening revenue strategy, strengthening advertiser partnerships and pushing growth in a market where short-video and vernacular social platforms are battling for both user attention and ad dollars.

  • Indian brands turn heads and hearts at Kantar’s ad-effectiveness awards

    Indian brands turn heads and hearts at Kantar’s ad-effectiveness awards

    MUMBAI: Culture met creativity head-on, and Indian brands walked away with the spoils. Danone, Hindustan Unilever, Haleon and Godrej Consumer Products were among the big winners at Kantar India’s Creative Effectiveness Awards, which celebrated five years of ads that hit both hearts and wallets.

    With more than 1,350 Indian creatives tested in 2024—out of 12,000 globally—the winners were chosen not by agency suits, but by the toughest (and truest) critics: everyday consumers. Think festival rituals, everyday mishaps, Bollywood throwbacks and even snarky political satire. The kind of stuff that makes you nod, laugh or text your mum.

    HUL took home the crown across TV and digital. Meanwhile, Godrej Fab tickled funny bones with its satirical punch, Pond’s struck a Bollywood chord, and Nihar shaved off grooming clichés with flair.

    To mark the fifth anniversary of the awards, Kantar unveiled a snappy new mantra—distilled from half a decade of tracking India’s most powerful campaigns. Turns out, the most effective ads haven’t lost the plot: culture still sells, and creativity still seals the deal.

    The report’s insights are as spicy as a masala chai:

    ●    Culture is comfort food: Great Indian ads are like dal—with a creative tadka. They’re emotional, familiar, and loaded with meaning.

    ●    Tiny moments, big memories: It’s not grand gestures but the small stuff—rainy train stations, puja rituals, awkward family dinners—that truly lands.

    ●    Multilingual magic: Language may vary, but emotion doesn’t. The most effective brands ditched the Hindi-only formula for regionally rooted storytelling.

    ●    Execution eats strategy for breakfast: Music, humour, idioms, casting—get them right, and you’ve got a winner.

    Influencer-driven content, says Kantar, isn’t just noise—it holds eyeballs 2.2 times longer than standard ads, and delivers a 58 per cent average salience score. That’s gold in today’s skip-happy world.

    In India, you don’t invent culture—you tune into it, add some flavour, and serve it up with feeling. That’s how brands go from ads to icons.

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  • Stirring up strength as Horlicks enters the senior nutrition league

    Stirring up strength as Horlicks enters the senior nutrition league

    MUMBAI: It’s time to raise a glass not just for taste, but for strength. Horlicks, the heritage health drink from Hindustan Unilever Limited, is now blending nutrition with age-defying intent as it enters the senior wellness space with its latest launch, Horlicks Strength Plus. Designed for older adults, the formulation is all about supporting graceful ageing with serious muscle behind it quite literally.

    Launched across South and East India, Strength Plus is a nutritionally dense, zero-added-sugar drink tailored for seniors. It’s packed with easily digestible proteins, leucine, calcium, vitamin D, and dietary fibre all aimed at maintaining muscle mass, bone strength, and digestive balance. And with no added maltodextrin in the mix, it’s as clean as it is conscious.

    This isn’t just a product, it’s a well-timed intervention. According to the UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023, India’s senior population is projected to rise to 15 per cent by 2036 and nearly 21 per cent by 2050. With ageing comes sarcopenia, brittle bones, and gut troubles yet many seniors remain unaware of how significantly their nutritional needs shift.

    Horlicks Strength Plus is here to change that narrative not only through formulation, but through education. The brand has partnered with Apollo Diagnostics and Apollo Pharmacy to offer subsidised health checks for seniors, a Rs 2,525 diagnostic package available for just Rs 299 at select locations. The initiative aims to nudge India’s elders towards proactive health management through both diagnostic awareness and dietary correction.

    Speaking about the launchfoods HUL executive director Rajneet Kohli said, “We are proud to build on the strong legacy of Horlicks, a brand trusted by generations for formulations that are not only effective, but also cater to consumer taste preferences. As people age, they face unique health challenges, and supplementation can help bridge the dietary gap to meet their specific needs. Horlicks Strength Plus is an easy- to-consume solution that fortifies the body and helps maintain strength. It is the latest addition to our expanding Horlicks PLUS range, with a thoughtfully developed composition that elevates muscle strength, supports bone health and enhances digestive wellness. It contains no added sugar and is a flavorful drink that can be consumed with milk or water. Through our collaboration with Apollo Diagnostics and Apollo Pharmacy, we aim to empower elderly individuals to take charge of their well-being.”

    Speaking about the need for nutritional supplementation for older adults, Indian Institute of Nutritional Sciences (IINS) chairman Prof Varsha said, “Medical science has extended longevity of life. However, lifestyle has a negative impact on quality of life. Increased immobility and muscle-wasting results in 3F’s – Frailty, Falls & Factures. Nutritional science supports quality of life with safe protein supplementation, adequate activity-sustaining energy & correction of micronutrient deficiencies. Remember, you are what you eat or drink.”

    Strength Plus now joins Horlicks’ expanding ‘Plus’ portfolio, which already includes offerings like Women’s Plus, Mother’s Plus, and Diabetes Plus each a targeted response to evolving nutritional needs. But this launch hits a particularly crucial demographic at a crucial time.

    Because while youth may be fleeting, strength with the right support doesn’t have to be. With Strength Plus, Horlicks isn’t just keeping up with its consumers, it’s growing older with them, one nourishing sip at a time.
     

  • Horlicks taps into the segment of diabetes with Horlicks Diabetes Plus

    Horlicks taps into the segment of diabetes with Horlicks Diabetes Plus

    Mumbai: India has always been prone to the various risks associated with diabetes with the country ranking at the second number after China, and the prevalence rate of the disease set to double in the next 25 years. The major life changes that come with diabetes have also led to dissonance with consumers constantly looking for solutions to help manage diabetes better.

    Keeping these alarming figures and consumer needs in mind, the Horlicks Plus range has forayed into the segment of diabetes. Diabetes Plus, introduced by Horlicks, is a nutritional beverage that contains high fibre, which has been designed for Indian adults. Research has shown that a diet rich in fibre helps reduce glucose and lipids in the blood, said the company in a statement.

    Horlicks Diabetes Plus has introduced its first TVC to highlight the importance of fibre for diabetic patients.

    “Diabetes is equivalent to a pandemic and India is facing an increasing burden of it with 24 Cr diabetics and pre-diabetics. We know that nutrition and lifestyle can play a key role in its management,” said HUL vice president of nutrition Krishnan Sundaram. “We are launching Horlicks Diabetes Plus, a supplement specifically formulated for at-risk and diabetic individuals. With our communication, we want to educate consumers about the importance of high fibre for diabetics, and how Diabetes Plus which has dual blend high fibre fulfills 26 per cent of your daily fibre requirement. “

    “When anyone is pre-diabetic or a newly diagnosed diabetic, the immediate reaction is to cut down sugar. Our film opens with a middle-aged man worriedly asking about the sugar content of every food placed before him,” said FCB India executive creative director Sumitra Sengupta, sharing the creative insights that went into the making of the film. “What starts out as being the correct thing to do, suddenly appears inadequate in the light of the Doctor’s announcement that high fiber helps manage Diabetes. This creates a perfect opportunity to introduce Horlicks Diabetes Plus which fulfills 26% of daily fibre needs. We hope it results in a change in nutritional behaviour too – of not just reducing sugar, but adding fibre too.”

    Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India president Dr Banshi Saboo shared the importance of diet and lifestyle for diabetes management as he said, “An unhealthy modern diet and low activity patterns are regarded as major drivers of diabetes increase in India and this needs to change. Studies have shown that fiber-rich diabetes nutrition (FDN) has multiple benefits, including, improvement in glycemic control, reduction in glucose spikes, lowering of plasma lipid concentrations and weight management in T2DM patients.”

  • HUL becomes top advertiser in week 43: Barc

    HUL becomes top advertiser in week 43: Barc

    Mumbai: With ad volumes of 4600.63 Hindustan Lever Ltd (HUL) was the top advertiser in week 43 (23 – 29 October) according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) data. Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd (3121.31) and Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (900.75) were in the second and third positions, respectively.

    They were followed by Ponds India, Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd, ITC Ltd, Cadbury’s India Ltd, Amazon Online India Pvt Ltd, Coca-Cola India Ltd, and Colgate Palmolive India Ltd.

    Among the brands, HUL’s Horlicks was the top performer delivering ad volumes of 473.75 (‘000s). Dettol Toilet Soaps, Lalithaa Jewellery, and Veet Men Hair Removal Cream grabbed the next three slots.

    Fanta was the new entrant at the number five. It was followed by Harpic Bathroom Cleaner, Amazon Prime Video, and Clinic Plus Shampoo.

    Debuting at number nine, was Tata’s new SUV Tata Punch. Dettol Antiseptic Liquid finished last.

  • HUL leads top ten advertiser list in Week 31: BARC

    HUL leads top ten advertiser list in Week 31: BARC

    Mumbai: Hindustan Unilever Ltd was the top advertiser across genres in BARC week 31 (31 July – 6 August), with ad volume of 5487.39 (‘000 secs). Grabbing the second position was Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd (3213.56).

    The top two brands were followed by Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd, Cadbury’s India Ltd, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Colgate Palmolive India Ltd, Ponds India, Marico Ltd, ITC Ltd, and Lakme Lever Ltd in that order.

    Among the top ten advertised brands across genres Dettol led the tally with ad volumes of 514.79 (‘000 secs). Horlicks stood second at 406.82 (‘000 secs).

    The remaining list was dominated by FMCG brands including Vimal Elaichi Pan Masala, Dettol Toilet Soaps, Lizol, Clinic Plus Shampoo, Harpic Bathroom Cleaner, Surf Excel Body Wash, and Close Up Ever Fresh in that order again. Edtech brand WhiteHat Jr was an exception at 10th position.

  • TV ad volumes witness 34% surgein H2 2020

    TV ad volumes witness 34% surgein H2 2020

    MUMBAI: In a challenging year for India and the world, it was reassuring to see an increase in ad volumes on TV in the second half of 2020. Hindustan Unilever was the biggest advertiser in 2020 with a 30 per cent growth in ad volumes over 2019, followed by the Reckitt Benckiser group, with itsad volumes growing by 37 per cent in 2020 over the previous year. 

    “Television continues to be the screen of the household and the most important medium for all the major advertisers to reach their audience pre-pandemic and post lockdown too. Return of originals along with the festive season and live sporting events boosted the ad volumes, taking the overall growth in ad volumes to 34 per cent as compared to H1, 2020 and eventually minimising thereduction in volumes to a marginal -3 per cent for the overall year, as compared to 2019” said BARC Indiapartnership & revenue function head client Aaditya Pathak.

    Movies genre saw significant growth in ad volumes as the lockdown was gradually lifted. Hindi GECs witnessed the highest growth in ad volumes with 10 per cent as compared to 2019. Other regional GECs saw a growth of eight per cent as over 2019. News genre in 2020 too had the highest volume, while ad volumes dropped by one per cent.

    A heightened consciousness of safeguarding our healthgave a boost to the antiseptics and personal care categories. Ad volumes for Dettol Toilet Soaps and Dettol Antiseptic Liquid went up by 118 per cent and 136 per cent respectively.Horlicks ad volumes also surged by 60 per cent in 2020 as compared to the preceding year. 

    In this pandemic necessitated lockdown,and people confined to their homes, digital brands too turned to television to capitalise on the undisputed reach of the medium,given the changing consumer buying habits. 

    During the peak lockdown in April and May, the ad volumes for digital brands was the highest with 16 per cent and 13 per cent  respectively as compared to the month of January 2020. The highest ad volumes share for digital brands in 2019 was at nine per cent in the months of March, September and December. 
     

  • HUL ramps up ad spends in second Covid2019 quarter

    HUL ramps up ad spends in second Covid2019 quarter

    BENGALURU: FMCG major and the largest player in terms of advertising and marketing spends, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) upped its advertising spends by 43 per cent during the second Covid2019 quarter – (Q2 2021, the quarter ended 30 September 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the immediate trailing quarter Q1 2021. The company had pared quarter over quarter (q-o-q) and year-on-year (y-o-y) advertisement expenses in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 (Q1 2021, quarter ended 30 June 2020) during which the Covid2019 lockdown was in place by over 30 per cent to Rs 800 crore from Rs 1,175 crore (down 31.9 per cent) in Q4 2020 and Rs 1,167 crore (down 31.4 per cent) in Q2 2020 respectively. For the period under review, HUL spent Rs 1,144 crore towards advertisement expenses as compared to Rs 1,200 crore in the corresponding year ago quarter. All numbers in this report are consolidated numbers unless stated otherwise.

    The company reported 15.2 percent y-o-y and 8.2 percent q-o-q increase in total revenue at Rs 11,776 crore as compared to Rs 10,223 crore in Q2 2020 and Rs 10,885 crore in Q1 2021 respectively. However, in terms of percentage of total income (operating revenue plus other income), HUL’s ad spends during fiscal 2021 were down when compared to previous periods. The FMCG major’s ad spends in Q2 2021 of Rs 1,144 crore were 9.7 percent of operating revenue of 11,776 crore. Please refer to the figure below:

    For the half year ended 30 September 2020 (H1 2021) the company had spent Rs 1,944 crore (8.6 percent of total revenue), which was 17.9 per cent lower than the Rs 2,367 crore (11.4 per cent of total revenue) during the corresponding year ago quarter. For FY 2020 and FY 2019, HUL had spent Rs 4,688 crore (11.9 per cent of total revenue) and Rs 4,552 crore (11.7 per cent of total revenue) respectively.
    The company reports numbers for four segments, the largest of which in terms of revenue is the beauty segment, followed by the home, foods & refreshments, and ‘Others’.

    The company has reported y-o-y revenue growth for the four segments. In an earnings press release, HUL said that growth in Q2 2021 was competitive and profitable with reported turnover growth of 16 per cent and domestic consumer growth (excluding the impact of merger of GSK CH and acquisition of ‘VWash’) of 3 per cent. The FMCG player avers that the strength of its portfolio is demonstrated by the fact that 70 per cent of its business was gaining penetration and that health, hygiene and nutrition products, which formed cumulatively 80 per cent of its portfolio, grew in double digits.

    Company Speak:

    HUL chairman and managing director Sanjiv Mehta said: “In the context of a challenging economicenvironment, our growth has been competitive and profitable. We continue to demonstrate execution prowess,agility, adaptability, resilience, and passion of our people. We have expanded our portfolio with consumerrelevant innovations and have invested strongly behind our brands. Our operations and service levels are now back to pre-COVID levels and we have accelerated the pace of digitizing our operations under the ‘Re-imagine HUL’ agenda. The economic outlook has improved given the various initiatives taken by the Government and Reserve Bank ofIndia. In our sector, rural markets have been resilient but the demand in urban India especially in metropolitancities has been muted. We believe that the worst is behind us and we are cautiously optimistic on demand recovery.”

    Segment Results

    Excerpts from the HUL Q2 2021 earnings release

    Home Care:

    Household Care delivered strong performance across all segments led by continued penetrationgains. We have stepped up our innovation intensity to address the ‘clean living’ needs of consumers; ‘Domex’ range is now available nationally. In Fabric Wash, we have reduced our prices to pass on benefits of lowercommodity costs to consumers. Category consumption of Laundry has been adversely impacted due to confinedliving. Continued focus on driving market development has enabled us to grow our Liquids and Fabric Sensationsegments strongly.

    Beauty & Personal Care:

    Skin Cleansing grew in double digits on back of a very strong performance in ‘Lifebuoy’and a good delivery in ‘Lux’. Hand Sanitizers and Handwash segments continue to gain penetration and havedelivered robust growths. Oral care grew in double digits with accelerated momentum in ‘Close Up’. Hair Care alsogrew in double digits; our portfolio interventions along with repurposed communications are resonating well withconsumers and driving salience. In Skin Care, ‘Glow & Lovely’ and ‘Glow & Handsome’ have successfully landed onshelves across the nation and we continue the journey towards a more inclusive vision of beauty. While theessential part of Skin Care saw pickup in demand, ‘winter portfolio sell-in’ was impacted due to muted tradesentiment and liquidity constraints.

    Foods & Refreshment:

    Foods, Tea and Coffee sustained the high growth momentum and grew in double digits; ourconsumer-focused activations and innovations are leveraging the ‘in-home consumption’ trend. Our prudent anddynamic management of unprecedented inflation in Tea has enabled all our brands to grow in double digits andthis positions us well. Performance of our Nutrition business was competitive and disrupted supply lines are nowfully restored. In the quarter, we expanded ‘Boost’ nationally with the narrative of ‘Play a bigger game’ andlaunched a special film on ‘Horlicks’ to celebrate the deeper meaning of growth that stems from courage andconfidence. While we saw sequential improvement, Ice Creams, Foods Solutions and Vending businesses continueto be impacted due to out-of-home consumption loss.
     

  • Horlicks’ new TVC addresses critical need of supporting immunity

    Horlicks’ new TVC addresses critical need of supporting immunity

    MUMBAI: In line with Horlicks’ continuous commitment to nutrition, the brand has launched a new TVC highlighting how Horlicks*, consisting of immunity supporting nutrients like Zinc, Vit C and Vit D, can help support the body's defences.

    With ‘Work from Home’ being the new normal, individuals are stretching themselves every day, balancing work from home and work at home. In these times, it is essential to look after each of the family members. Today, healthcare professionals are putting up a tough fight in the hospitals and their own immunity is critical to continue this battle. The new TVC beautifully captures this aspect with a thoughtful husband, making sure that his wife, a medical practitioner, is getting the immunity nutrients every day, to support her immunity in this fight.

    HUL executive director foods and refreshment Sudhir Sitapati said, “In our battle against this pandemic, it is crucial to understand what each of us can do at an individual level. With this TVC, we aim to highlight the need for stronger immunity which is essential in these trying times. Balanced nutrition is important, especially when the immune system needs to be in optimal condition. Horlicks has Zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin D – key nutrients known to support immunity. Recently, we also committed to donating packs of Horlicks to all major Covid hospitals in 12 key cities to help support immunity of health care workers and providers as they continue their tireless fight against coronavirus.”

    FCB Ulka CCO Swati Bhattacharya said, “Caregivers are left with little or no bandwidth to care for themselves when it comes to nourishment. Be it the quintessential homemaker or the ones now in front line, battling the pandemic. Making a cup for Horlicks for people we care about, not only provides them with immunity supporting nutrients, but also comforts them."

    Adhering to government’s orders to maintain social distancing, the entire TVC was made indoors by a production team of two. Additionally, the technical team further helped in completion of the TVC while working remotely from their homes.