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Tag: Pandemic

  • Second Covid wave weakens consumer sentiments, anxiety at an all-time high

    Mumbai: Consumer anxiety is at its highest level since the coronavirus outbreak hit India last year, shows the latest round of consumer sentiment survey conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

    The second wave of covid-19, which saw a huge spike in the country’s caseload and casualties numbers, has further weakened consumer sentiment as households cut their expenditure, says the report. At least 58 per cent of consumers think their income in the next six months will be lower than pre-COVID levels, as against 44 per cent in July last year. Similarly, the sentiment about spending has been impacted, with 51 per cent of consumers expecting their spending over the next six months to be lower, as compared to 40 per cent in July 2020.

    According to the survey, this fall in sentiment is steepest among the less affluent income groups or those with annual household income less than Rs five lakh. The study carried out between 23 May and 28 May covers 4000 consumers across all socio-economic groups in urban and rural India and is the sixth conducted by the group during the pandemic, since March last year.  

    Unlike last year, sentiments were impacted more uniformly across large towns, small towns, and rural areas in 2021 with 55-60 per cent of consumers across all feeling that the worst of the coronavirus is still ahead, BCG said in its report.

    Even amongst those in the Rs 10 lakh and above annual income bracket — termed as “affluent” households by the survey — expect their incomes to shrink in the next six months.

    The survey demonstrates uncertainty for more discretionary categories such as apparel, personal care, cosmetics, travel, and out-of-home entertainment in particular. “Travel, out of home entertainment continues to show negative sentiment with expected cutbacks reaching all-time highs,” as per the survey’s findings.

    The report sheds light on consumer anxiety, which is at its ‘highest levels’ since the pandemic hit India, with concerns around economic outlook, health, and lifestyle being accentuated.

    An overwhelming 86 per cent of those surveyed cited concerns over an economic recession due to the pandemic. Over 80 per cent reported feeling some sense of uncertainty toward their jobs and income—the highest ever recorded by the consulting firm.

    However, the forecast is not all bleak- there are certain positive themes too. Some categories like essentials, health, in-home entertainment, etc continued to show a stable, positive sentiment.

    “There is an impending sense of uncertainty however we have observed certain positive messages too. The spending sentiment has not been impacted similarly across categories. Essentials, health, in-home entertainment continue to be winners. Some of the discretionary categories, however, have been negatively impacted.” said BCG India MD & partner Nimisha Jain.

    There were also indicators that the shape of the new normal for consumer behaviour is beginning to emerge, now that we have been in the crisis for over a year.

    “Many of the newly adopted behaviours ranging from social commerce, online shopping, digital content/ payments – have continued to stick, even when the lockdowns were no longer in place. However, others like ‘do it yourself’ regimes, online doctor consultations have shown high sensitivity to the pandemic situation.” said BCG India Centre for Customer Insight lead Kanika Sanghi.

    A positive trend has also emerged, which shows a significant increase in the willingness to take vaccines after the lethal second Covid wave – especially in small towns and rural areas, which had shown high levels of hesitancy/ indifference earlier. At least 78 per cent of the eligible consumers in large towns said that they were very willing to take the vaccine now – compared to 62 per cent earlier. For rural, it stands at 63 per cent now as compared to 41 per cent earlier.

    BCG’s COVID-19 consumer sentiment research is based on a global survey that currently covered both developed and emerging markets. It is fielded in waves to provide a longitudinal view of consumer sentiments about the coronavirus pandemic, and changes in consumer consumption behaviour.

  • Shifts in Consumer trends to look out for by 2030: Dentsu report

    Mumbai: Consumers are likely to prioritise concerns over climate change and data privacy, and look for ‘Titan Brands’ that fulfill all their lifestyle needs and technology up-gradation over the next decade, says a new report published by Dentsu International.

    The report – Dentsu Consumer Vision 2030: The Age of Inclusive Intelligence attempts to capture some of the long-term consumer trends that are likely to shape this decade and provides brands with a roadmap to navigate through the post-pandemic world.

    The projections are based on in-depth interviews with world-renowned futurists, academics, authors, and experts, together with multiple proprietary consumer surveys from over 20 countries.

    Concerns over health and climate change

    Health and well-being is a key theme throughout the report, with consumers reporting a desire to utilise technology to stay healthy in the future. As per the report, increase in e-commerce will pave the way for the ‘Rise of the Titan Brands’ trend, where online retailers will increase in size and scope.

    Majority of global consumers also expressed concerns over climate change and said that COVID-19 has made them more aware of the harm caused to the environment by global travel. This is likely to fuel greater consumer activism in the longer run, with purchasing decisions increasingly based on sustainable factors. Two-thirds of global consumers say that by 2030 they will not buy goods that could have a negative impact on the environment. 

    Technology rules the roost

    Trends forecast that technology will be leveraged in increasingly innovative ways to foster human connection. One-third of consumers today consider allowing AI to care for an elderly relative unsupervised. In 2030, robot companions will become more commonplace as a way of helping the elderly and disabled, providing in-home care more effectively, indicates the study.

    Changes in Consumer Behaviour

    The study identified four overarching themes that will shape the next ten years in terms of consumer behaviour and brand response: Universal Activism, Synthetic Society, Bigger Bolder Brands & The Human Dividend.

    Universal Activism

    The study underlines that brands will need to reconceive their customers as activists, driven in their decision-making by a new range of influences and causes, from climate change to data privacy and new definitions of identity. How brands communicate the concrete action they are taking along these causes, for instance, on combating climate change, alongside realising some of its benefits will be a delicate balancing act. It also predicts that by 2030, more and more consumers will be deploying new AI-enabled personal data assistants to manage their relationships with brands, creating a new power paradigm.

    Synthetic Society

    The study predicts by 2030 we’ll see the emergence of a new, privileged class of citizens who can afford technological upgrades to their physical and psychological states. Around a third of consumers would consider undergoing non-essential surgery to improve their mental health. By 2030, eSports and immersive gaming will have changed the way we look at ‘real-world’ sports and activities, forcing the latter to innovate to keep up.

    For brands, the implications are manifold. New arenas of potential sponsorship and partnerships will emerge as eSports become mainstream, while new domains of augmented experience will provide further opportunities for entertainment and engagement In the next decade, technology will be leveraged in increasingly innovative ways to foster human connection, forging togetherness despite distance or solitude, and democratising friendships and intimacy.

    Bigger Bolder Brands

    Over the next decade, the focus will shift to how brands can help service consumers more effectively across all aspects of their lifestyle. At the same time, data will enable brands to be more selective in the consumers they choose to engage with, focusing on those segments that will in time be most lucrative.

    Rise of the Titan brands:

    By 2030 we can expect to see consumers selecting specific brands to be their main lifestyle partners, becoming an integral part of their commercial activity and everyday lifestyle. Competing with these ‘Titan’ brands will also be made harder by their access to huge amounts of customer data, placing the onus on other brands to form effective partnerships and alliances— or to develop a direct-to-consumer relationship that secures access to first-party data.

    Every brand is a health brand:

    Nearly half of people globally believe that over the next five to ten years they will use technology to predict what will happen to their physical health. Building on this trend, in 2030, every brand will have become a health brand and all companies will be expected to help consumers enhance their wellbeing through the brand’s products and services.

    The Human Dividend

    Attention will shift towards those traits and capabilities that make us human, leading to a renewed celebration of what makes us unique. Humanised service will be at the centre of premium brand propositions by 2030. Faced with the threat of automation, there will be an even greater premium on human skills such as creativity and compassion—and the brands that successfully embody those traits. A never-before-event we could see emerge by 2030 is – ‘product labelling’ that clearly states whether something was produced by a robot or a human.

    Inclusive Intelligence : Crucial for brands

    Each of these trends carries specific implications for brands. But all of them sit on the concept of ‘inclusive intelligence’— the ability to incorporate new views, values, and behaviours into their value proposition against a backdrop of widening inequality, societal dislocation, and ethical complexity. This concept will be a key battleground for brands over the next decade, dentsu believes.

    dentsu international Global CEO Wendy Clark said: “What is very clear from the past year and the findings of ‘dentsu consumer vision 2030’ is that business leaders must prepare for a very different consumer landscape. One which is continually evolving via innovation in technology, health and well-being, activism, and climate change. Leading brands will use this information and inclusive intelligence to build human-centric experiences and relationships to meet these consumer expectations.” 

    dentsu Asia Pacific CEO Ashish Bhasin said: “Brands, especially those in our region, will need to be more open, more transparent, in the way they work and be comfortable collaborating outside of their organisations as they are within them. This is especially key in their dealings with clients, agency partners, NGOs, governments, communities. Building inclusive intelligence starts with superior consumer understanding. The time is now for brands to take charge of their future narrative by developing pre-emptive efforts in getting to know and predict end-user behaviour, rather than play catch-up with the speed of their consumers.” 

  • NYUMI launches five new products for urban Indian women

    New Delhi: Direct to consumer start-up, Nyumi has entered the fast-growing nutraceutical space with the launch of five critical products specifically formulated for the urban Indian women.

    The company addresses the specific issues of nutrient deficiencies in Indian women through products that blend Indian herbs and Western ingredients in the form of vegan, gluten and allergen-free gummy. The initial product portfolio targets the most prevalent women centric issues: immunity, hair, skin, sleep and urinary tract wellness.

    With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of everyday immunity, wellness and nutrition have become major concerns, driving explosive growth for the nutraceuticals industry, further aided by the boom in e-commerce with wellness being one of the largest and fastest growing categories.

    Nyumi founder and CEO Ananya Kejriwal Agarwal said, “We have invested heavily in R&D for all of our products to ensure maximum efficacy and bio-availability while making delicious flavours. All of our ingredients have been tested not just for their nutritional benefits but also for the quality of their source, clinical reports and compatibility with other ingredients. Our gummies blend time-tested Indian herbs such as Amla, Haldi and Tulsi with Western nutrients like biotin and hyaluronic acid.”

    According to the company, all ingredients are clinically researched, and multiple ingredients are even patented extracts. “The new products are just the beginning of the overarching mission of the company to address some of the significant health issues affecting women, more so in the post-Covid-19 world,” it said. The products are available through Nyumi.com, Amazon, and Nykaa.

    As per International Trade Administration, the nutraceuticals market is expected to grow from $ four billion (in 2017) to $18 billion by 2025. This growth is expected to be even more after the attention that the issues of immunity & overall wellness have got post the pandemic.

  • The Minimalist launches Covid Care Program for its employees

    Mumbai: Mumbai based creative solutions group, The Minimalist has announced a Covid Vaccine Cover program for its employees which will cover the entire team of 140+ people, across offices.

    The program will cover vaccine expenses for the employees and include their spouse, parents, and upto two kids. Apart from bearing the cost of the vaccine, wherever needed, the agency is also giving a Covid special care leave of one day for vaccination for self or dependents. This program also includes insurance ranging from Rs. one Lakh to five Lakhs against Covid care.

    The Minimalist, director of corporate affairs, Himanshu Gander said, “Vaccination is an important step in curbing the spread of the virus and we encourage our employees to get themselves and their families vaccinated as we strive towards utmost safety of our team members. In these unprecedented times of global epidemic and grave state of health and precautionary measures around the world, we wish to extend a helping hand to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our employees and their loved ones”, he further added.

  • India’s ad-revenue to rebound over 2020-25 with 13 % CAGR : MPA

    New Delhi: After a 27 per cent plunge in 2020, ad revenue in India is forecast to rebound strongly over 2020-25 with a CAGR of 13 per cent, said a new report released by Media Partners Asia (MPA) on Monday.

    According to the report- Asia Pacific Advertising Trends 2021, digital advertising is expected to benefit from India’s expanding digital economy across online gaming, ed-tech, food and delivery platforms, outgrowing television to become the largest advertising segment by 2024.

    Overall, APAC advertising expenditure is forecast to grow at 5.4 per cent CAGR to reach $245 billion by 2025, powered by growth across key markets such as China, India, Japan, and Korea, says the report.

    Digital ad-revenue most resilient

    According to the report, digital ad revenue remained most resilient through the pandemic, with consumers across APAC spending more time online and brands accelerating digitization efforts. The medium is projected to contribute 67 per cent of APAC ad revenue in 2025, eating into TV’s share (18 per cent), it said.

    The role of e-commerce in advertising surged in 2020, with e-commerce contributing an estimated 39 per cent of China’s ad revenues, while growing significantly, albeit from a small base, in India, Indonesia, Japan and Korea. Search and social advertising benefited as well. As per MPA’s projections, digital advertising’s share of net advertising spend is likely to grow from 59 per cent in 2020 to 67 per cent in 2025.

    TV ad-spend to rebound in 2021 growing 4.6 per cent Y/Y

    Television advertising faced further pressure in 2020 as advertisers accelerated their transition to digital, declining 15 per cent Y/Y to $43.3 billion.

    While the dips in TV ad spend are expected to be permanent in mature markets such as Australia and Japan, the medium remains important in key markets like India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand where it retains its position as the largest ad segment as of end-2020. Overall, TV advertising is expected to rebound in 2021, growing 4.6 per cent Y/Y, before secular decline sets in again in 2023, according to the report.

    MPA projects total Asia Pacific TV advertising spend to grow at a CAGR of 0.7 per cent over 2020-2025 to reach $44.8 billion in 2025.

    Online video advertising to grow $ 33.3 billion in 2025

    TV broadcasters are growing online video ad market share through catch up and dedicated AVOD streaming services, particularly in connected TV markets such as Australia, Japan and Korea. MPA estimates online video advertising, led by YouTube, contributed 16 per cent to APAC digital ad revenue in 2020. With various local and regional AVOD and freemium platforms, including broadcaster-led platforms driving growth, online video advertising is forecast to grow to $33.3 billion in 2025, representing 20 per cent of the APAC digital ad pie while topping 40 per cent in emerging markets such as India & Indonesia.

    Ad-spend to exceed $ 200 billion by end-2021 in Asia-Pacific

    According to the report, net advertising expenditure in Asia Pacific, calculated after discounts, declined 4.3 per cent Y/Y in 2020 as Covid-19 ravaged the countries across the globe. Pandemic-induced macroeconomic uncertainty softened advertiser demand in the first half of 2020.

    However, as economies rebound, recovery is underway with ad spend forecast to exceed $200 billion by end 2021, topping pre-pandemic levels for the region. China was the single largest contributor to advertising expenditure, with 55 per cent share of APAC ad spend. The growth was largely led by digital advertising, which accounted for 70 per cent of China’s total ad spend, anchored to short video, live streaming, social, and e-commerce platforms. Ad markets in Korea and Vietnam will also return to pre-pandemic net ad spend levels by end-2021.

    Most other countries including India will follow in 2022, bolstered by the growth of digital advertising; TV advertising will return to pre-pandemic levels in India, Thailand and Vietnam, it said.

    KOREA: Ad spend fell one per cent in 2020, with a 9 per cent decline in TV advertising and bolstered by 12 per cent growth in digital advertising, led by mobile, display and search ads. The Korean advertising market is forecast to grow at 6 per cent CAGR over 2020-25. TV has bounced back strongly in Q1 2021 and digital advertising, including video, continues to maintain double digit growth levels.

    JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA: Ad spend is projected to grow by 2 per cent over 2020-25, led by digital. TV remains scalable in both markets. Video’s share of digital advertising is growing in both markets with global tech majors dominant though broadcasters are growing rapidly from low base through dedicated streaming platforms.

    SOUTHEAST ASIA (INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES, THAILAND AND VIETNAM): Ad markets are recovering rapidly with TV & online benefiting. Indonesia remains Southeast Asia’s largest advertising market and is projected to grow at 4 per cent CAGR over 2020-25, powered by digital (including video) and free TV.

  • Cable operators take steps to ease vaccination process for staff

    KOLKATA: Despite the imminent health risks, the cable industry employees have continued to work on the frontlines all through the pandemic. Now with vaccination drives in full swing across the country, leading cable operators, too, are taking a step ahead and getting their employees inoculated. Apart from organising special vaccination drives in some cities, they are also helping employees schedule slots wherever the camps could not be set-up.

    NXTDigital organised a three-day vaccination camp at its head office in Mumbai in conjunction with Hinduja Hospital last week for its workforce in the city. The company extended this drive to also include employees’ families.

    “The philosophy has always been to hold the good health and safety of its employees as a paramount endeavour, something that we strived hard for since the pandemic began. NXTDIGITAL, therefore, set up an Employee Health & Safety (EHS) team to help our personnel and their families across the country impacted by COVID, including organising hospital treatment, access to critical medication and the like,” NXTDigital MD & CEO Vynsley Fernandes said.

    The EHS team is working with NXTDigital employees all across the country, not just supporting personnel to get vaccinated, but also providing every possible assistance to enhance their health and safety.

    GTPL Hathway also arranged vaccination drives for 45+ employees in many of its offices, with the help of state governments, GTPL Hathway cable TV head and chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj said. However, the company could not organise such drives for 18-45+ due to shortage of vaccines. The human resources are helping employees to get the vaccinations scheduled, especially for people on the frontline. Teams are also trying to get the employees slots through government centres.

    On the other hand, Siti Networks could not organise the vaccination drive in one or two places given its pan-Indian footprint. But the MSO encouraged all employees to get vaccinated and reimbursed the vaccination cost, said Siti Networks group chief executive officer Anil Malhotra.

    Along with vaccination, the company informed that it would help employees procure PPE kits, masks whenever needed. It also imported oxygen concentrators to provide to employees if needed.

  • In memoriam: Remembering the lives lost to COVID-19

    Mumbai: The ebbing of the second wave of the pandemic is gradually paving the way for “normal” life to return. The restrictions are beginning to ease and industries are opening up. But with scientists warning of a possible third wave of infections, uncertainties are clouding what the future might hold. Even as people go about picking up the pieces of their lives and putting them back together- trying to return to some semblance of normalcy, some things will remain unchanged, things like the loss of loved ones.

    IndianTelevision joins these families, in remembering the life of some of the industry’s brightest minds lost to the deadly virus.

    Apurv Kumar Passi, 35 – Adobe India 

    Apurv Kumar Passi, 35 joined Adobe India in 2019 as a senior marketing specialist for digital media solutions. In a career spanning over 12 years, Passi spent a decade working for Publicis Groupe Co. He succumbed to COVID-19 on 10 May after battling the virus for three weeks. He is survived by his mother, younger brother, and wife.

    In a double tragedy that struck the family, Passi first lost his father to the dreaded virus, and within two weeks of his death, he succumbed to it. He desperately tried to ensure that his father gets critical medical care at the right time, even as his condition deteriorated rapidly.  In his memory, his colleagues and friends launched a fundraising campaign to raise funds for covid relief.

    His marketing colleague from Adobe, Bhavna Saluja, posted a personal memoir on the fundraiser page, detailing Apurv’s courageous battle with the dreaded virus while looking after his family. “He was everyone’s well-wisher who managed to cross the biggest hurdles of life, with a smile on his face. He was always available to help and sacrificed a lot. Everyone can find a piece of themselves in our Apurv. That’s how special he was!” wrote Saluja “If Apurv were alive today, he would’ve rushed to help more families going through this crisis, maybe just extend that warm hand so that no one else went through the pain he and the Passi family went through, (while) trying to save his dad.”

    Anirban bora, 42 – Economic Times 

    Senior journalist, infographic editor, and illustrator Anirban Bora, 42 worked with The Economic Times, New Delhi. He breathed life into stories with his stunning infographics, drew caricatures & designed the paper. A food aficionado,  Bora also wrote a gastronomy column in the ET’s Sunday Magazine. His work had a character and style, and he loved applying ancient art strokes to modern illustrations. “A quick thinker, a problem-solver, and a magical artist who helped writers on a visual block day,” recalled his colleagues at ET.

    Bora succumbed to COVID-19 on 1 May and survived by his wife and son. “Thank you for making us look at life from your canvas. Thank you for clearing our chaotic minds with your visuals. Thank you for being a fine storyteller. We will miss you! On behalf of team Brand Equity, Ani, this one’s for you,” wrote his colleague Priyanka Nair after his demise in a column in ET.

    Rohit Sardana, 41 – Aaj Tak 

    TV news anchor Rohit Sardana was the executive editor of Aaj Tak of the India Today Group, who also presented the evening show ‘Dangal’ on Aaj Tak. Before joining Aaj Tak in 2017, he was with Zee News where he anchored a prime-time show Taal Thok Ke. Prior to this, Sardana worked for ETV Network and All India Radio. He was a recipient of the 2018 Ganesh Vidyarthi Puraskar Award.

    Sardana died of cardiac arrest caused by Covid-related complications on 30 April, days after he tested positive for the infection. He is survived by his wife, two young daughters, and parents. Aaj Tak and India Today News director Rahul Kanwal remembered Sardana as a “sharp young anchor” who never flinched from asking questions. “Rohit Sardana was the sharpest young anchor I have met. Superb command over Hindi, brilliant with his turn of phrase, precise questions, clear in his thinking, loved by the masses, warm and humble off the screen, he was destined for great things,” Kanwal tweeted.

    India Today Group Founder, chairman, and editor-in-chief Aroon Purie remembered him as ‘a star of the newsroom’. “He had conquered the hearts of both TV and digital viewers. He had so much more to do,” he said.

    Syed Mohammed Talha Nazim, 46 – Ogilvy India

    Nazim, 46 was appointed the executive creative director for Ogilvy’s Bangalore office in May last year, his second stint at the agency. Before a short spell as an entrepreneur in 2019, he was the creative head at Innocean Worldwide. In a career spanning 21 years he worked with Leo Burnett, Bates, McCann, and Ogilvy, and was responsible for his work on several renowned brands. He had won over 180 metals and nominations in international and domestic award shows such as Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, Clio, LIA, Andys, Adfest, Spikes, NY Festivals, and Abbys, having also won Ogilvy’s only Cannes Lion in 2015.

    Nazim died after contracting covid on 10 May. “There was never any room for a negative talk with him. We weren’t allowed to be self-deprecating. His kindness made us want to be better. Write better,” wrote his colleague, Ogilvy Group creative director Divya Bhatia on LinkedIn.

    Nazim’s untimely death was mourned by many of his industry colleagues, whose lives he had touched. Communication professional & screenwriter, Prasoon Joshi tweeted, “He was a beautiful human being. His exceptional Penguin Audiobooks campaign will always resonate. Will miss you.”

    Rajeev Karwal, 57 – Milagrow Business and Knowledge Solutions

    Remembered as ‘Indian consumer goods industry’s brightest star’, Karwal, 57 was known for his brand-building efforts at LG, ONIDA, Philips, and Electrolux. He was credited with LG Corp’s entry into India, while also bringing a paradigm shift to the way robotics is viewed in the country. Rajeev Karwal, the man behind the Made-in-India robots, entered the domestic robots market in 2012 through Milagrow Robotics- the human tech division of his self-founded company, Milagrow Business, and Knowledge Solutions.

    Karwal’s robots were later deployed in COVID-19 wards of hospitals, as doctors and nurses were fearful of getting infected with the coronavirus. In his own words, unfortunately, it took a pandemic for the country to realize the potential of this industry. The company grew by 400 to 500 per cent during the lockdown. But in a cruel twist of fate, just when his ingenious products started to garner mass appeal, Karwal contracted the deadly virus, and on 12 May the Milagrow founder lost his battle to covid after being on ventilator support for almost a week. His attention to detail, his firm grip on data and trends, and his insight into Indian consumer behaviour made him the poster boy of the industry.

    ‘A dynamic leader, inspiration to many like me. Carried aura with humility, was flamboyant yet down to earth and ever-smiling. We have lost a visionary, mentor to many, and a strong leader.’ wrote a friend about him. “The fact that anyone and everyone who ever worked with Rajeev could turn to him for support speaks volumes of the human being Rajeev was”, wrote another.  It is truly tragic that while Karwal’s robots are helping healthcare workers across the country win the battle against COVID-19, he succumbed to the virus.

    Sunil Jain, 58 –  Financial Express 

    Sunil Jain started his career as a financial journalist with the India Today magazine in 1991 and went on to become the business editor at The Indian Express. In 2013, he became the managing editor of The Financial Express. He was credited with managing the newspaper’s circulation and readership in the competitive market. His column in the Financial Express, titled Rational Expectations focused on macroeconomic topics with a searingly honest outlook. Prior to Financial Express, Jain was a senior associate editor at Business Standard. The eminent business journalist was admitted to AIIMS on 3 May after testing positive for COVID-19. Jain passed away on 15 May. Considered one of the finest minds in Indian business journalism, fearless in his commentary, his sharp and incisive opinion pieces will forever be missed.

    Today, as the world tries to heal and revive itself, learning and evolving as we go, the imprints left by these stalwarts on each life they touched has the latter eternally grateful for their distinguished service to humanity. As a famous song goes, “The song has ended, but the melody lingers on…”

    [To Be Continued… ]

  • Covid Care: JCB India to support education of children of deceased employees

    New Delhi: JCB India has decided to support the education of the children of its employees who succumbed to Covid-19 and extend medical insurance for their families to ten years.

    “Besides, the term insurance policy benefits, the company will support the education of the children of deceased employees to the tune of Rs one lakh per child, per year for their schooling and Rs two lakh per child, per year for three years for their graduation. For contractual employees, there will be one-time support of Rs 3 lakh,” JCB India said in a statement.

    “The past few weeks have been a phase of intense learning. Virtually all our organisational resources were deployed towards supporting the health and safety of our employees and their families. Unfortunately, we also went through the painful phase of losing some of our colleagues to the virus,” said JCB India CEO and MD Deepak Shetty, highlighting that the company is fully committed to supporting the families.

    The company is also conducting special vaccination drives for its employees and has already inoculated over 2,000 employees and their families in Ballabgarh, Pune and Jaipur facilities.

    On 30 April, JCB India had to temporarily pause all manufacturing operations for ten days to stop the spread of the virus, which had taken a toll on workers across different facilities. Other manufacturers like Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Honda also had to close down their manufacturing facilities during the second wave

  • Sponsors jittery, as Covid casts a shadow over Tokyo Olympic 2020

    New Delhi: As the countdown begins for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, brands sponsoring the mega sports event are treading cautiously. The growing public opinion against the games has compelled brands to reconsider their move to go full throttle with their gaming-linked advertising.

    Some Japanese corporates that are sponsoring the international event have even hired consulting firms to advise, whether to proceed with Olympic-themed marketing plans or limit their association with an event that could damage their brands, reported Financial Times. Consultants include Britain’s Kantar Group and Japan-based firms, Macromill Inc and Intage Holdings, as per the report.

    The Olympic Games have evolved into one of the biggest marketing extravaganzas in recent times, allowing brands to reach out to global audiences across different platforms. The opportunity remains a lucrative one, despite all the uncertainties this time. Over 60 Japanese companies have together paid more than three billion $ to sponsor the Games this year. Sponsors have paid another $200 million to extend contracts after the Olympics were postponed last year, as per media reports.

    There are 15 global giants with exclusive marketing rights under the Olympic Partners program, the highest level of Olympic sponsorship and each one is looking to make the most of the opportunity.

    While a decision to cancel the games could be a hefty one, conducting the games amid the pandemic will not be easy either. Japan is battling a fresh surge of infections and it has left people disgruntled over the decision to go ahead with the event. There are imminent concerns about the event might trigger a potential health crisis, with local media calling for scrapping the event entirely.

    If local polls are to be believed, most Japanese are now rooting for the postponement of the games yet again, fearing invasion by any new coronavirus variants that could put pressure on an already burdened healthcare system. With just two months left for the games, the country is also scrambling to ramp up its vaccination drive.

    If the event goes ahead as per plan, the ongoing pandemic could make sure the event is a diminished one this year. There may not be any on-site brand events and big product launches may be muted, the engagement with the audience will be mostly online. The absence of enthusiastic fans in the stadiums will be felt quite evidently.

    Toyota, the official mobility partner, has already expressed concerns over athletes becoming the target of people’s frustration over the event. However, Samsung, the communications partner, has recently gone ahead with the launch of its Galaxy S21 Olympics Games edition of smartphones.

    For broadcast, NBCUniversal has announced its plans to broadcast 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage across NBC, USA, CNBC, NBCSN, and Peacock, among other properties. The US broadcaster will air live coverage of some events in 4K HDR. “We are going to deliver the most comprehensive – and accessible – coverage for any sports event in history,” the network said in a statement.In India, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has the broadcast rights for the event. 

    While the opportunity to associate with the games is a lucrative one, it remains to be seen how brands are going to pivot to the changing realities and capitalise on it amid the pandemic. 

    The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August.

  • Visage Lines appoints Siddha Jain as business head-women division

    New Delhi: Visage Lines, owner of grooming brand Bombay Shaving Company on Thursday appointed Siddha Jain to lead the company’s women’s beauty and personal care business.

    Jain is an IITB and IIMB alumni, and joins the rapidly growing premium grooming company from Bain & Co., where she served technology and consumer goods businesses for over five years. 

    The company also elevated chief business officer Deepak Gupta to chief operating officer. Gupta joined Visage Lines in January 2019 to lead the brick and mortar business and has risen the ranks rapidly. In his new role, he will lead expansion of the group into multiple strategic businesses across categories.

    Visage Lines’ founder and CEO, Shantanu Deshpande said, “We are thrilled to have Siddha join our leadership team. She brings outstanding business acumen, growth intrinsic, limitless energy and a first-hand understanding of the Indian woman consumer. Siddha has a stellar track record of supporting large businesses across growth strategy, sustainable scaling, transformation and people centricity. As we build a robust leadership to scale a new Bombay Shaving Company, a senior executive of Siddha’s calibre is a massive asset for us. Very excited to have her on this journey”

    Bombay Shaving Company started as a men-centric shaving, beard and skincare brand. However, over the last few quarters, it has become a preferred choice for women’s grooming needs too. “The Indian women’s hair removal market stands at Rs 15000 Cr (both products and services) and is projected to grow at 21 per cent year-on-year in the next five years. There is a growing demand for hair-removal solutions in the emerging GenZ and millennial customer base, and this has been fuelling the immense post-pandemic growth of the sector,” said the company.

    At Bombay Shaving Company, Siddha will be driving business critical mandates to scale the women’s hair removal business, with a special focus on building equity across digital commerce, modern trade and allied services.

    “I strongly believe that the brands of today are not just a machinery for serving products, but forcing tough conversations, bringing confidence in the everyday and equipping women to own their beauty. I am deeply passionate about bringing meaning and purpose to the personal care space for the young, ambitious and bold women of today. I am very excited to work with Shantanu and the entire leadership team to own the women’s hair removal space. I am looking forward to this transformative journey not just for me and our brand, but for the communities we serve who identify as women”, says Siddha Jain on her new role.