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Tag: Saffola

  • Top honey brands fail international quality test

    Top honey brands fail international quality test

    KOLKATA: Among top honey brands in India, majority have failed to make it through a stringent quality test. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), brands including Dabur, Patanjali, Emami have flunked the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) test that was carried out at a lab in Germany, bringing focus on the adulteration of packaged honey in Indian markets.

    Food researchers at CSE selected 13 top brands and some smaller brands that sell processed and raw honey in India to check their purity. The researchers found that 77 per cent of the samples were adulterated with sugar syrup. Out of the 22 samples that were checked, only five passed all the tests.  

    Marico’s Saffola Honey has cleared the litmus along with two other brands – Markfed Sohna and Nature's Nectar. However, Dabur has already countered saying its honey has passed NMR test. For the record, the NMR test is required only for exporting honey, and not for local marketing in India.

    After the report was released, Dabur has categorically stated that its honey is not adulterated with sugar syrup. “Dabur is the only company in India to have an NMR testing equipment in our own laboratory, and the same is used to regularly test our honey being sold in the Indian market. This is to ensure that Dabur Honey is 100 per cent pure without any adulteration,” it said in a statement.

    On the other hand, Patanjali Ayurved MD Acharya Balkrishna claimed that the CSE report is an attempt to downplay Indian honey and promote German technology. An Emami spokesperson also said that its Zandu Pure Honey conforms to all the protocols during production and adheres to quality norms and standards.

    “It is a food fraud more nefarious and sophisticated than what we found in our 2003 and 2006 investigations into soft drinks; more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that we have found till now – keeping in mind the fact that we are still fighting against a killer Covid2019 pandemic with our backs to the wall. This overuse of sugar in our diet will make it worse," Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) director general Sunita Narain said.

  • Dabur files case against Marico for copying its packaging

    Dabur files case against Marico for copying its packaging

    NEW DELHI: FMCG brand Dabur has filed a case against its competitor Marico alleging that the brand has copied the packaging of its honey product. Marico launched its honey product last month and Dabur claimed it copied the entire packaging i.e., the shape of the bottle, its yellow cap, dome-shaped label, usage of honey combs on the label and other similarities, according to court documents.

    The Delhi high court in its observation mentioned that both the products prime facie show a similarity, which can cause confusion in the mind of the buyer even though the brand name Saffola is mentioned on the product.

    “An overall comparison of the two products would prima-facie show a similarity causing confusion in the minds of the buyer, even though the trade name Saffola is prominently noted on the bottle,” the court said in its interim order last week. “It is clarified that this interim injunction would not apply to the products already sold by the defendant in the market and the defendant will maintain the accounts thereof, which will be submitted to this court,” the order further said while setting the next date in August.

    Meanwhile, in a subsequent appeal by Marico both the parties agreed that the “order be kept in abeyance since the interim application preferred by the plaintiff/respondent herein is still pending consideration and has not been disposed of," according to a court order of 17 July.

    In the court documents, Dabur mentioned that the company has been selling the honey products since many decades, and revamped the new packaging and shape of the current bottle in 2013. The brand also said it generated sales of Rs 482 crore in 2019-20 from its honey business.

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  • Saffolalife urges to pay attention to your belly fat

    Saffolalife urges to pay attention to your belly fat

    MUMBAI: Saffolalife, a not-for-profit initiative by Marico launched a new campaign on World Heart Day. This year, the campaign ‘Dil ki haalat, pet se pakad’ aims to build awareness and educate people on the impact of belly fat on heart health, thereby inspiring people to begin their journey towards a healthier heart and lifestyle.

    The campaign kicked off with a digital film conceptualised by McCann Mumbai. The film shows light-hearted moments of family and friends holding a dear one’s belly fat in jest, but in reality it is no laughing matter since belly fat puts your heart at risk. Through the film and campaign, Saffolalife aims to build awareness of a lesser known fact, that the presence of belly fat increases heart risk. The video was launched across social media platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and OTT platforms like VOOT and HotStar complemented with print releases and on-ground activities to amplify the message ‘pet pakad mein aaye, toh karo dil ka khayal shuru.’

    Consumers can also visit the Saffolalife microsite (www.saffolalife.com) and use the Heart Risk Calculator to get a deeper understanding of the extent of their heart risk.

    On World Heart Day, Saffolalife also released a research study on the ‘Impact of belly fat on heart health’ which highlighted some astonishing facts such as 67 per cent Indians with belly fat are at heart risk, 83 per cent Indians who are at heart risk due to belly fat do not consider belly fat to be a key reason for heart risk, 6 out of 10 Indians are at heart risk due to belly fat despite having normal weight and 63 per cent Indians under 35 years are at heart risk due to belly fat.

    Saffolalife has also partnered with a team of cardiologists and nutritionists who provided various insights on this issue and recommend ways to improve one’s heart health.

    Marico chief marketing officer Anuradha Aggarwal says, “We endeavour to build a Heart Healthy India by encouraging people to take charge of their heart health through small yet impactful measures. For over a decade, the Saffolalife initiative has been building awareness on heart health and inspiring people to take care of their heart. This year’s campaign drives an important message on how the presence of belly fat can impact one’s heart health. And, that people should start taking care of their heart if they can see fat around their belly.”

    Talking about the campaign, McCann Mumbai EVP GM and national head planning Suraja Kishore adds, “Every World Heart Day, Saffolalife has been raising consciousness of people towards heart health. This time we discovered a powerful insight that made us go one step further. The insight stems from something that most of us worry about but don’t link to heart health which is the presence of belly fat. This led us to the idea of – ‘self-check your heart-health’ by measuring your belly fat.”

  • Saffola launches campaign to beat food cravings

    Saffola launches campaign to beat food cravings

    MUMBAI: WATConsult, the digital and social media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, and Marico’s Saffola, launched a new campaign for its newly introduced offering, Saffola Active Slimming Nutri-Shake, titled ‘Beat The Crave’.

    The campaign is a first-ever audio-driven digital initiative that aims to distract the audience from unhealthy food cravings.

    The campaign undertakes an array of social media activities along with a microsite that has been created for users to visit and distract themselves whenever their craving strikes, thus enabling them to maintain their diet plan. The microsite will have multiple audio skits; also available on WhatsApp to encourage people attain their fitness goals. While each audio skit is crafted to help people distract from their cravings, it also allows them to learn the psyche behind these cravings and provides solutions to avoid them.

    Marico chief operating officer Sanjay Mishra says, “In line with Marico’s commitment to support a healthy lifestyle, we have teamed up with WATConsult and created a digital buddy which helps distract people from unhealthy food cravings in a fun way. These cravings just add inches to the waist derailing the efforts toward slimming. So, the digital audio buddy will work by distracting the user from any food craving and support consumers to find the right alternative healthy options”.

    The campaign also features several personalities from different walks of life who have been roped in to join the ‘Beat the Crave’ way. Healthy alternative recipes are also on offer to beat those cravings.

    WATConsult founder and CEO Rajiv Dingra adds, “Anyone trying to lose weight and get in a better lifestyle/better shape has to first and foremost deal with the very human problem of craving. But if you can distract your mind for around three minutes, you can survive a craving incident. With this insight and to avoid facing a conflict between the love for junk food vs the weight loss goals, we created a digital friend who helps you beat the craving.”

  • Pruned Ad expenses among Marico’s tightening measures bring higher PAT in Q3-2014

    Pruned Ad expenses among Marico’s tightening measures bring higher PAT in Q3-2014

    BENGALURU:  Indian consumer products and services company in the global beauty and wellness space, Marico Limited (Marfico) reported 27.87 per cent growth in PAT to Rs 135.37 crore in Q3-2014 from Rs 105.87 crore in Q2-2014 and 32.33 per cent from the Rs 102.29 crore in Q3-2013. 

     

    The company has been tightening its operations, as seems evident from the figures reported by it for the current quarter. Changes in depreciation and amortization calculation method since FY-2013 that result in a lower figure as compared to the older method, reduction in employee benefit, pruning of advertising and sales promotion expense (Ad and sales promo), lower finance cost, lower percentage of  ‘other expense’ in relation to its revenue are some of the changes that have been reported by Marico.

     

     Let us look as the figures reported by Marico vis-?-vis Ad and sales promo expense during Q3-2014 

     

    Marico spent Rs 134.08 crore towards Ad and sales promo in Q3-2014, (-15.94) per cent lower than the Rs 157.82 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year and (-0.85) per cent lower than the Rs 135.22 crore in Q2-2014. During the nine month period ended 31 December 2013, Marico spent Rs 439.27 crore on this account, which was (-6.99) per cent lower than the Rs 472.26 crore spent during the corresponding nine month period of last year. During FY 2013, Marico spent Rs 597.94 crore towards Ad and sales promo. 

     

    In terms of percentage of operating revenue (national and international), Marico’s Ad and sales promo expense has trended downwards. The figures for Ad and sales promo expense are: 11.19 per cent of Operating revenue of Rs 1198.35 crore in Q3-2014; it was 13.56 per cent of Operating revenue of Rs 1163.99 crore in Q3-2013; it was 12.12 per cent of Operating revenue of Rs 1,115.36 crore in Q2-2014; it was 12.18 per cent of Operating revenue of Rs 3606.37 crore during the nine month period ended 31 December 2013; and 13.17 per cent of Rs 3587.09 crore during the nine month period ended 31 December 2012. For FY 2013, Marico’s Ad and sales promo expense was 13.04 per cent of Operating revenue of Rs 4,584.35 crore. 

     

    In terms of percentage of Total expense, Marico’s Ad and sales promo expense during Q3-2014 was 13.15 per cent of Total expense of Rs 1,019.58 crore;  During Q3-2013, it was 16.33 per cent of total expense of Rs 1,022.89 crore; During Q2-2014, it was 15.44 per cent of Rs 966.69 crore; During the nine month period ended 31 December 2013, Marico’s Ad and sales promo expense was 14.28 per cent of Total expense of Rs 3,076.05 crore as compared to the 14.97 per cent of Total expense of Rs 3,154.56 crore during the corresponding nine month period of FY 2013. During FY 2013, Marico’s Ad and sales promo expense was 14.74 per cent of Total expense of Rs 4,057.02 crore. 

     

    Marico says that its India operations FMCG business, which contributes 76 per cent to group revenue, grew nine per cent in terms of value and three per cent in terms of volume during Q3-2014, indicating a better price realisation during the quarter.  During the nine month period ended 31 December 2013, (YTD) Marico’s Indian FMCG business grew six per cent in both value and volume.  

     

    Marico claims a premier position on key parameters in market share (on basis of 12 month moving average total or MAT) for many of its branded products. It claims a market share of 56 per cent in India for its coconut oil under the brands Parachute and Nihar. For its edible refined oil brand Saffola, the company claims a market share of 57 per cent and no. 1 position.

     

    Marico says that its hair oil brands Parachute Advansed, Nihar, Hair & Care have a market share of 28 per cent and are ranked 1 in India. Its claims the 5th position in India with a market share of five per cent for its deodorant brands Set Wet and Zatak. 

     

    Marico’s largest branded product with 24 per cent contribution to group revenue, Parachute Coconut oil in rigid packs showed growth of six per cent in value and two per cent in volume. YTD, this product showed a decline in value by (-one) per cent, while showing a volume growth of two per cent.  

     

    Marico’s value added Hair Oils portfolio with brands like Parachute Advansed, Nihar, Hair & Care and having  17 per cent contribution to group revenue grew 16 per cent in value and 8 per cent in volume during Q3-2014. YTD, it grew 17 per cent in terms of value and 13 per cent in terms of volume. 

     

    Its refined edible oil brand Saffola with 16 per cent contribution to group revenue grew seven per cent in terms of value and nine per cent in terms of volume. YTD, Saffola grew five per cent in terms of value and nine per cent in terms of volume. 

     

    The company has raised the prices across all products in December 2013.

     

    Marico Group CEO Saugta Gupta said, “We believe that the soft consumption environment has bottomed out and the performance of the Company will pick up steadily going forward. In order to make the Company future ready, we are investing significantly on go-to-market transformation, cost management, innovation and analytics project. The Company will start reaping the benefits of these capability building initiatives from FY15 onwards. We will also experience greater synergies in product portfolio and talent mobility across different geographies in the coming year.” 

     

    Marico Group CFO Milind Sarwate said “Marico’s FMCG Business has managed to grow despite the challenges of the economic slowdown in India and instability in some of our overseas markets. The basics of our business are however robust. The Kaya demerger is now effective with Bombay High Court approval. We now expect shares in Marico Kaya Enterprises Limited to list in April 2014.”

     

    Click below for:-

     

    Information Update – Q3FY14

     

    Media Release – Q3FY14

     

    Statutory Advertisement – Q3FY14

  • Marico ups ad spend in fiscal as focus is on growth

    MUMBAI: Marico has upped its advertising and promotional spends by a mammoth 76.52 per cent for the three-month period ended 31 March 2012, reinforcing its focus on volume growth rather than margins.

    The company spent Rs 1.19 billion towards advertising in the final quarter, significantly higher than Rs 671.85 million that it consumed in the year-ago period.Advertisements and promotional spends were 14.3 per cent of the net sales in the quarter.

    Marico‘s advertising budget will continue to be higher in the coming fiscal as it focuses on growth through value-added products in its various segments.

    Marico’s net profit for the quarter fell by 2.67 per cent to Rs 696.971 million despite cut in product prices and high volume growth due to an increase in ad spend. Net sales grew 22.89 per cent to Rs 9.18 billion compared to Rs 7.47 billion a year ago.

    For the full fiscal also, Marico‘s ad spend rose 29.78 per cent to Rs 4.49 billion, from Rs 3.46 billion in the earlier year.

    Interestingly, Marico had said in August last year that the company would cut it ad spends and other costs to offset input cost pressure and avoid price hike.

    However, the company increased its spending on advertising and promotions in each quarter of FY’12, barring the second quarter when it remained flat.

    The major chunk of the spent was on the Saffola life World Heart Day Campaign 2011, which started in Q2 and continued in Q3 of FY’12.

    For the three-month period ended 31 December 2011, the company had spent Rs 1.34 billion on advertising, a 48.62 per cent jump from the earlier year. During the second-quarter of the fiscal, the advertising spends were at Rs 941.49 million.

    Even in the first quarter of the fiscal, Marico had increased spend on advertisement by 9.1 per cent as it had launched new products.

    For the full fiscal, the net profit stood at Rs 3.17 billion, up from Rs 2.86 billion in the previous fiscal, a 10.71 per cent increase.

    Marico’s annual net sales stood at Rs 33.97 billion as opposed to Rs 31.26 billion in the last year, registering a growth of 8.66 per cent.