ITV

Tag: R&B

  • Apparel Group snaps up LVMH marketing veteran for India push

    Apparel Group snaps up LVMH marketing veteran for India push

    MUMBAI: Apparel group has hired Aditi Chakravarty from luxury giant LVMH to spearhead marketing for its sprawling Indian retail empire, signalling ambitious plans to deepen its penetration in the subcontinent’s booming consumer market.

    Chakravarty, who joins as head of marketing, brings formidable credentials from her stint at Moët Hennessy, where she orchestrated the rise of India from sixth to third place globally for the luxury spirits portfolio between 2021 and 2024. Her precision-crafted campaigns for premium whisky brands Glenmorangie and Ardbeg achieved “outsized share of voice” in India’s heavily regulated alcohol market.

    The appointment positions her to oversee marketing for 14 international brands including Aldo, Charles & Keith, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and R&B across Apparel Group’s 250-plus Indian stores and digital platforms.

    Her career trajectory reads like a masterclass in modern marketing warfare. At Unilever, she delivered €1.2m in cost savings whilst driving global growth for Lifebuoy, the world’s largest skin-cleansing brand. She then pioneered Hindustan Unilever’s first online-only premium skincare brand, Aviance, scaling it to Rs 50 crore in India’s nascent e-commerce landscape.

    The marketing maven’s most impressive feat came at OmniActive Health Technologies, where she led nutritional supplements brand Setu from zero to a Rs 100 crore direct-to-consumer roadmap, delivering eight-fold growth in six months through what she describes as “earned-owned media mix, funnel optimisation, and lifecycle automation”.

    Her 15-year career spans blue-chip corporations including PepsiCo, where she cut her teeth in innovation and procurement for brands like Kurkure and Baked Lays, and a spell at DCM Shriram managing key accounts across India’s rural retail chain Hariyali Kisan Bazar.

    The hire reflects Apparel group’s determination to leverage India’s consumer boom, as international fashion and beauty brands increasingly view the market as essential to global growth strategies. With her track record of translating “market insights into integrated communication plans that grow brand love, share, and value,”  Chakravarty appears well-equipped for the challenge.

    Her personal motto—”Work hard. Speak the truth. Get your hands dirty”—suggests Apparel Group has found someone unafraid of the gritty realities of retail warfare in one of the world’s most competitive consumer markets.

  • Jazz Weekender returns for third edition in New Delhi

    Jazz Weekender returns for third edition in New Delhi

    Mumbai: After two standout editions, Jazz Weekender is thrilled to announce its return to the enchanting 1AQ in Mehrauli for its third edition. This year, the festival promises an even richer and more memorable experience under the canopy of the city’s most iconic Banyan tree.

    An unparalleled celebration of live music for the capital, Jazz Weekender’s previous editions galvanised the city’s music community with an impressive turnout of over 3000 attendees each time while featuring both global and local talent. This year, the festival will once again champion a diverse array of genres ranging from jazz to its adjacent styles like neo-soul, R&B, hip-hop, fusion, funk, and bossa nova.

    Highlights of the third edition:

    ●        Dates: 28-29 September 2024

    ●        Location: 1AQ, Mehrauli, New Delhi

    ●        Musical acts: A handpicked lineup featuring a blend of international and homegrown artists.

    ●        Additional attractions: A vibrant flea market, diverse culinary experiences, and exclusive cocktail pop-ups enhancing the weekend experience.

    Jazz Weekender’s past lineups have featured global sensations like Desmadre Orkestra, Cero Ismael, Tara Lily, and Trioritaët, alongside celebrated local acts such as Rhythm Shaw x Gino Banks, T.ill Apes, Tribemama Marykali, Kayan, NATE08, Sahil Vasudeva, and The Revisit Project. This year’s event promises to continue this tradition of excellence with a focus on boundary-pushing performances.

    Jazz Weekender is hosted and curated by boxout.fm, Wild City, Gatecrash, Jazz in India and Paytm Insider.

    Early Bird tickets are now on sale via Paytm Insider here.

  • HUL top advertiser in week 2: Barc

    HUL top advertiser in week 2: Barc

    Mumbai: Maintaining lead in the second week of 2022 (8-14 January), Hindustan Lever Ltd (HUL) delivered ad volumes of 4010.93, as per Barc data. Reckitt Benckiser India was second at 3187.2 (‘000s). Ponds India finished third with ad volumes of 995.42

    Brooke Bond Lipton India, Cadburys India, ITC, Godrej Consumer Products, Procter & Gamble, Amazon Online India, and Colgate Palmolive India were at number four to ten.

    At 631.12, the brands’ list was led by Harpic Power Plus 10X Max Clean. It was followed by Dettol Antiseptic Liquid (494.26) and Dettol Toilet Soaps (346.77) in the next two positions. Lizol All In 1 was in the fourth spot.

    Policybazaar.com and Asian Paints Apex Ultima Protek were the new entrants at number five and six.

    They were followed by Horlicks, Harpic Bathroom Cleaner, Ultratech Cement and Clinic Plus Shampoo.

  • HUL regains top spot in first week of 2022: Barc

    HUL regains top spot in first week of 2022: Barc

    Mumbai: After lagging behind Reckitt Benckiser (RB) for two consecutive weeks, Hindustan Lever Ltd (HUL) has regained the top position in the first week of 2022. According to data released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc), HUL delivered ad volumes of 4551.67 for the period of 1-7 January.

    The FMCG giant was the consistent top performer in 2021. It was trumped by RB in the last two weeks of the year by huge margins. While RB was at 3005.75 in week 52 (25-31 December 2021), HUL’s score was 1914.69. The corresponding figures for week 51 were 3322.98 (RB) and 2059.20 (HUL).

    Coming back to this week, RB was at the second position once again with 3022.09 ad volumes. At 1160.97 (‘000s) Ponds India was third.

    Brooke Bond Lipton India, Cadburys India, Procter & Gamble, Godrej Consumer Products, ITC Ltd., Amazon Online India, and Colgate Palmolive India were at the No. four to ten.

    Among the brands, Harpic Power Plus 10X Max Clean led the list with ad volumes of 608.55. It was followed by Dettol Antiseptic Liquid (550.43) and Horlicks (356.19) in the second and third positions.

    The remaining slots were grabbed by Dettol Toilet Soaps, Lizol All in 1, Clinic Plus Shampoo, Harpic Bathroom Cleaner, Vanish Oxi Action, Ultratech Cement and Almond Board of California (new entrant).

  • Gaurav Jain elevated as head of Reckitt India

    Mumbai: In a top deck restructuring, Reckitt India has elevated Gaurav Jain as the head of the hygiene unit, along with the health unit. Jain has been heading its health unit in India since 2017. 

    Accordingly, this new development makes him the chief of the company’s India business. Jain has been named senior VP, South Asia, with all business units across the region reporting to him.

    “Our health and hygiene business units have been brought under one focused leadership team. Gaurav Jain is the senior vice president, South Asia for Reckitt,” said a Reckitt India spokesperson, confirming the top management rejig.

    “Health and hygiene business units have been brought under one focused leadership team, to optimise the potential of the complementary nature of products spread over the Dettol, Lysol, and Harpic businesses,” said the spokesperson.

    This focused approach will help enhance synergies, align business strategy & execution consequently improving performance, she further added.

    Reckitt’s health unit houses brands such as Dettol, Veet, Durex, Strepsils, while its hygiene home business includes Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, and more.

    However, the spokesperson for the conglomerate clarified that the health and hygiene business units have not merged and will be operated independently. “This focused approach will help enhance synergies, align business strategy and execution,” she said.

  • Dettol & Treebo Hotels team up to ensure safe stays for guests

    Dettol & Treebo Hotels team up to ensure safe stays for guests

    NEW DELHI: With the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, Indians were beset with a zeal for personal and home hygiene products. Hand sanitisers and anti-germ wipes, besides face masks, became mandatory carry-on items for anyone venturing outdoors to combat the deadly pathogen. But like all things, fear, too, passes. People resumed activities that had been put on hold at the height of the pandemic – such as traveling. But Covid is still very much present and poses a threat. A research by Global Monitor indicates that consumers have heightened concerns regarding hygiene on their journey, and trust in cleanliness standards is an extremely critical element when it comes to travel. Clearly, it has become essential for the hospitality sector to implement an effective system to ensure standardised hygiene practices. To this end, Dettol has partnered with Treebo Hotels to facilitate safety and hygiene in domestic travel and create awareness about out of home disinfection and safety.

    The partnership program will ensure the use of Dettol products proven effective against the Covid2019 virus to elevate the disinfection and hygiene levels of the hotel premise, and drive regular training of the hotel staff among various other initiatives to ensure that guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay at Treebo Hotels.

    Dettol will also introduce its recently launched suite of innovative cleanliness products at select Treebo Hotels that will be conferred with the ‘Platinum Hygiene Shield’ for maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene.

    A Reckitt Benckiser spokesperson said, “As India’s #1 trusted hygiene brand, we aim to partner with our consumers to ensure a healthier environment not just inside, but outside of home as we are at crossroads with the ‘new normal’. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Treebo hotels in India, as our ethos and priority seamlessly align with one another; providing the safest environment to the Indian population. Through this partnership program we will aim to create a safe, hygienic, and enjoyable experience for its customers with the use of Dettol range of products which are effective against the Covid2019 virus. With this promise, Dettol will continue to drive the organisational purpose and fight in action – to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world.”

    The Treebo Hygiene Shield covers all aspects of safety. Disinfection and safety checks at arrival to contactless check-in, fully disinfected rooms, hand-sanitisers accessible across the property, in-room dining / dining with limited seating in the restaurants, social distancing at the lobby and reception, etc are just some of the aspects of providing guests with completely secured and safe stays. All of these safety and hygiene checks are audited regularly and rigorously by internal and third party experts to arrive at a score of the Treebo Hygiene Shield with Dettol Protection. Based on these scores, the properties are awarded bronze, gold and platinum badges.

    Treebo Hotels has also launched the web check-in feature which will further minimise the need for any human interaction at the time of checking-in at a Treebo Hotel. The web check-in feature allows guests to upload ID cards, furnish arrival details, select rooms, and place any other special request up to 48-hours prior to the check-in. Upon arrival at the hotel, guests who have already done a web check-in can just verify their ID cards and collect the keys to their rooms at the reception desk.

    Treebo Hotels co-founder Sidharth Gupta said “Dettol is India’s leading hygiene brand. Their partnership with our Covid safety program – Treebo Hygiene Shield – is a great validation of the quality assurance processes we follow, and our obsession about guest experience and safety. Despite the reducing numbers of new cases in India and the hope of mass vaccination on the horizon, we are not taking our eyes off the road and continuing to follow strict hygiene standards at our hotels.”

    Treebo hotel partners are optimistic and welcoming of Dettol’s partnership with Treebo Hygiene Shield. Sanket Wetal, who owns and operates three hotels under the Treebo brand across Maharashtra, said, “Dettol usage at Treebo gives the reassurance that our hotel premises are safe and hygienic for guests, visitors and even our own staff. The Dettol protection will become one more reason and a strong validation for guests to pick our hotel.”

  • Dettol partners Govt of Manipur to launch programme for adolescents

    Dettol partners Govt of Manipur to launch programme for adolescents

    IMPHAL: RB, under its flagship Dettol ‘Banega Swasth India’ in partnership with Primus Partners has launched a unique life skills program for kids, 'Birds and Bees Talk' (BBT). The curriculum was launched for children between the ages of 10-to-19 in Manipur in the presence of chief minister N. Biren Singh and chief secretary Rajesh Kumar.

    This comprehensive sexuality education curriculum will help to make children informed with the help of accurate, fact-based and age-appropriate information on growing up, sexuality and life skills amongst adolescent kids.

    Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh said, “We are proud to introduce one of its kind, life skill training modules for adolescent children in partnership with RB’s Dettol ‘Banega Swasth India’ campaign. It is heartening to witness organizations responsibly taking the lead towards contributing to the growth of young minds. Our vision is to work towards transforming the lives of people in India, and this program is a testament of a better and brighter future for the leaders of tomorrow.”

    The 'Birds and Bees Talk' program will be executed and implemented across Manipur in government and recognized private schools to ensure maximum reach and beneficiaries. The Manipur government is making sure that apart from its various healthcare and public benefiting programs education should also reach all sections of the society. The state of Manipur is an ideal state to kickstart a program in northeast as the education policy in the state is reformative and has emerged as the education hub in the region. It will reach out to two million children across seven north east states of India.

    Commenting on the partnership initiative, Reckitt Benckiser Health AMESA director external affairs and partnerships Ravi Bhatnagar said, “Education is the catalyst to social change and one of the most critical areas of empowerment for children. India needs to focus on comprehensive education which includes life skills as an important part of the holistic curriculum. Currently, it is not a part of the usual school curriculum and most schools, teachers and parents are not qualified to provide the required information to children. With the focus towards betterment of children, we are proud & honored to embark on this partnership with the Government of Manipur to launch BBT, a comprehensive life skill program for adolescent children. Through this curriculum, we aim at creating awareness around the importance of life skills so that every adolescent grows up in a protected environment.”

    Read more news on Dettol

    As stated by UNICEF, the life skills program is an important instrument in shaping the social, economic, physical, and mental well-being of adolescents. To help children with life skills, schools and supporting government bodies should believe in a “growth mindset”. They understand that progress takes time and they keep trying until they succeed.

    Addressing the issue, a group of organizations led by Primus Partners has designed a comprehensive curriculum aimed at improving knowledge, awareness, and behaviour among children. Interestingly, the curriculum is in alignment with the National Curriculum Framework and the recently announced New Education Policy 2020, as it follows the guiding principles of the Adolescence Education Program framework.

    Under this curriculum, teachers from the enrolled schools will be appointed & equipped with full program essentials including teaching methods & lessons. The training of these teachers will begin shortly to help them better train kids.

    The unique design of the program comprises of 27-hour lessons allowing the schools to teach in a staggered format, spread over the year. The program will help in developing key skills like critical thinking, decision-making, and analytics, amongst children.

    The 27 lesson plans and student workbooks comprise of animated characters, storytelling, poems, real-life scenario studies, group discussions, simulations, brainstorming and reflective learning. They especially focus on imparting knowledge in an engaging and interactive way to help students understand the physical and emotional changes taking place in their adolescent years.

  • Harpic’s new spots continues to aware Indians on disinfection

    Harpic’s new spots continues to aware Indians on disinfection

    NEW DELHI: For 100 years, Harpic has been working towards providing clean and hygienic sanitation solutions across the world. Being a leader in the toilet care category in India, Harpic has been pioneering the cause of hygiene and sanitation in Indian homes for decades.

    Harpic, with its new brand campaign- ‘Saaf Nahi Swachh’, is educating consumers on superior hygiene and disinfection of toilets and bathrooms at home to protect their family’s health & well-being.

    RB Hygiene south Asia CMO Sukhleen Aneja said, “Over the last 100 years, Harpic has been a champion in providing access to clean and hygienic sanitation solutions across the world. Its communication has been focused on driving behavior change. With our new ‘Saaf Nahi Swachh’ campaign, we’d like consumers to adopt superior disinfection at home to keep their loved ones protected. Harpic’s range of toilet and bathroom cleaners not only provide superior cleaning and disinfection but have also been found effective at killing the Covid2019 virus while being extremely water efficient vs commonly used detergents.”

    Read more stories on RB

    Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar commented, “Being associated with Harpic has helped me reach out to Indian audiences and educate the Indian audiences them on the need for optimum hygiene and sanitation. During the ongoing pandemic, where everyone is aware of the need to wash hands, disinfect floors and surfaces, cleaning toilets & bathrooms that can have illness causing germs is equally important. I am certain that this campaign will be a message for consumers not just to clean but also to disinfect their bathrooms and toilets, thus avoiding the spread of infection.”

    RB Hygiene south Asia director R&D Dr. Skand Saksena highlighted, “Harpic plays an important role in providing superior solutions that effectively clean and disinfect toilets/bathrooms. Both, Harpic Toilet Cleaner and Harpic Bathroom cleaner, have been scientifically proven to successfully kill Sars-Cov-2 virus when used undiluted. These products, therefore, play a contributory role in protecting homes and families during this tough time.”

    Read more stories on Havas Media

    The Harpic ad film has been created by Havas Media.

  • Hindi movie genre tops in ad volumes with 46% share: TAM report

    Hindi movie genre tops in ad volumes with 46% share: TAM report

    NEW DELHI: According to data released by TAM AdEx-Television Advertising Report series 10, television ad volumes grew by 37 per cent in week 32 when compared to week 23. Ad volumes for the month of July grew by 15 per cent compared to June 2020. 

    During Jun-Jul’20, the top 10 advertisers together contributed 50 per cent share of TV ad volumes. HUL alone had more than one-fourth of ad volume share followed by Reckitt with seven per cent share. Over 1150 new advertisers and more than 1850 new brands were seen in Apr-May’20. Facebook topped the list of new advertisers and WhatsApp led amongst the new brands.

    In the movie channel genres, Hindi movies topped in ad volumes with 46 per cent share followed by Bhojpuri movies at eight per cent. Bengali and Telugu movie channels stood at third and fourth positions with eight per cent ad volume each whereas Kannada movies channels took the fifth spot with seven per cent ad volume. Comparing week 32 to week 23, movie genre in total registered 49 per cent rise in ad volumes. The hours of ad volumes increased to 1,875 in week 32 as compared to 1,261 in week 23.

    As per the data, the ad volumes on Hindi movies grew by 19 per cent in July 2020 as opposed to June 20. The ad volumes saw an increase from week 28 after a decline in week 27 and peaked in week 30. When compared week 32 to week 23, the ad volumes increased by 64 per cent on Hindi movies channels. 

    The number of categories, advertisers and brands, on the other hand, witnessed a rise in July when compared to June 2020. Tally of advertisers and brands increased by 17 per cent and six per cent, respectively, in July 2020 when compared to June 2020.

    Hindustan Unilever took the top spot in the spenders’ list with 38 per cent ad volume share between June-July 2020, followed by Reckitt Benckiser with 12 per cent of ad volumes. Procter & Gamble took the third spot with four per cent share, while ITC and Godrej Consumer Products trailed behind at the fourth and fifth position with three per cent ad volume share, each. Top 50 advertisers had a 91 per cent share of ad volumes on Hindi movies channels. During June-July 2020, Hindi movies genre saw over 40 categories and more than 70 advertisers advertising on the genre including Facebook, Bajaj Corp, Hero Motocorp, Pepsi co among others.

    Ad volumes on Bhojpuri movies genre witnessed 53 per cent growth in week 32 when compared to week 23. Ad volumes on Bhojpuri Movies genre saw a 32 per cent rise in July 2020 as opposed to June 2020. Tally of advertisers and brands increased by 31 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, in July 2020 when compared to June 2020.

    Hindustan Unilever topped the spenders’ list with 61 per cent ad volume followed by Reckitt Benckiser with nine per cent share of ad volumes.

    Ad volumes on Bengali movies grew by 35 per cent in July 2020 as opposed to June 2020. In Bengali movie genre, the highest growth was observed in week 30 compared to week 23. Ad volumes grew by 38 per cent growth. Tally of categories, advertisers and brands saw a rise in July 2020 compared to June 2020. A number of advertisers and brands grew by 19 per cent and 21 per cent respectively in July 2020 when compared to June 2020.

    Hindustan Unilever emerged as the top spender with 51 per cent share of ad volumes followed by Reckitt Benckiser with nine per cent ad volume share. Godrej Consumer Products claimed the third position with five per cent share of ad volume.

    Ad volumes on Telugu Movies grew by eight per cent in July 2020 compared to June 2020. Telugu movies saw an 11 per cent growth in ad volumes in week 32 when compared to week 23. Tally of advertisers and brands increased by 27 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, in July 2020 as opposed to June 2020.

    Hindustan Unilever took the top spot and emerged as the top spender with 22 per cent ad volume share between June-July 2020 followed by Reckitt Benckiser with seven per cent of ad volumes.

  • RB announces $25 million for Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute

    RB announces $25 million for Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute

    NEW DELHI: RB today announced the launch of a global initiative to generate high-quality scientific research-based evidence to inform public health recommendations and promote behaviours that improve global hygiene. The Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute (RGHI) is a public health research and innovation hub that will bridge epidemiology, public health and behavioural insights to generate practical, high-quality scientific research that leads to enduring behaviour change. 

    “The Covid2019 pandemic has pushed public health to the top of the global agenda. At RB, we see the need for a new paradigm that brings together the highest quality scientific based evidence and informed public health recommendations to generate large-scale behaviour change for a cleaner, healthier world,” said RB CEO Laxman Narasimhan. “Today we’re announcing our commitment to convene a group of multi-disciplinary experts who, like us, believe real change on a global scale is within reach if we translate science-based evidence and consumer behavioural insights into sustainable hygienic practices that can be adopted globally. This ambitious goal is the result of our belief that the highest quality hygiene is a right and not a privilege.”  

    RB’s commitment to global hygiene research and education includes: 

    A multi-year, $25 million investment in research aimed at filling the gaps in our understanding of the science-based evidence around hygiene and the behaviours and solutions necessary to sustain it. 

    The formation of an Expert Panel—comprised of cross-discipline luminaries—to guide these research efforts at leading academic institutions around the world. 

    The creation of a Global Hygiene Institute with physical infrastructure, a Governing Board supported by full-time staff, ongoing research, and education programming driven by expert researchers and educators. 

    Through the establishment of a fellowship program with leading universities, RGHI will generate practical, informed public health research and recommendations that champion global hygiene as the foundation of health. The RGHI Governing Board will determine specific areas for research and will work with the Expert Panel to award the fellowships to promising early career academics, who will become Reckitt Fellows. In addition to the fellowships, the Institute will award grants to institutions for open, collaborative, cross-functional research. The Expert Panel will further define the parameters of these awards. 

    RB is honored to announce the founding members of the governing board and expert panel including: 

    Professor Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 

    Dame Sally Davies, master of Trinity College, Cambridge 

    Professor Feng Cheng, research center for public health, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Tsinghua 

    Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) 

    Professor Dr Albert Ko, department chair and professor of epidemiology, Yale School of Medicine  

    Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore 

    “The purpose of RB—to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world—resonates more than ever in the current environment. I am excited to work with the Expert Panel and combine the deep experience in their respective fields with RB’s expertise in hygiene and consumer behaviours,” said RB chief safety officer Simon Sinclair, who has been named executive director of RGHI. “We look forward to partnering across disciplines and geographies to generate the information necessary to support the right behaviour changes for a healthier world.” 

    Updates about RGHI are forthcoming as additional details about the initiative are confirmed. The formal launch of the Institute will be in the autumn of 2020.  

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment