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Tag: second wave

  • AdEx zoomed 37% in 2021 despite Covid second wave: Pitch Madison Report 2022

    AdEx zoomed 37% in 2021 despite Covid second wave: Pitch Madison Report 2022

    Mumbai: The total advertising expenditure (AdEx) in 2021 grew at an unprecedented 37 per cent to Rs 74,231 crore, despite the treacherous second Covid-19 wave, which crippled the economy and AdEx for almost three months of May, June and July for the second year running. This is according to the latest flash figures of AdEx estimates released by Pitch Madison Advertising Report.

    In a departure from the convention, the Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2022 released flash figures of AdEx estimates only for 2021. Contrary to its own forecast of 26 per cent growth in February 2021, which meant AdEx in 2021 would not even reach 2019 levels, AdEx has comfortably surpassed 2019 figures by 10 per cent, the flash report estimates. An exhaustive report giving medium-wise figures, forecast for 2022 and commentary will be released three weeks later, the agency said.

    AdEx has not registered a 37 per cent increase in the last two decades for which figures are available. The closest it has registered was a growth rate of 22.9 per cent in 2007. For context, in 2020 AdEx had de-grown 20 per cent over 2019.

    “The two Covid years of 2020 and 2021 have altered the structure of AdEx, but Indian AdEx has shown that it is resilient and contrary to expectation surpassed 2019 AdEx level,” says Madison World chairman Sam Balsara. “Whilst Covid Wave I had a disastrous impact on AdEx, India Inc has taken the more deadly Covid Wave II in its stride and despite a setback of four months has not only recovered during the year itself but also comfortably surpassed 2019 levels.”

    Detailed medium analysis of AdEx in 2021 with a commentary along with forecast for 2022 will be released on 16 February in Mumbai at the hands of the newly appointed Godrej Consumer Products Ltd CEO Sudhir Sitapati, who will also deliver a talk on the “The New Marketing Playbook,” said the agency in a statement.

  • PepsiCo’s snacks unit reports double-digit Q2 growth in India

    PepsiCo’s snacks unit reports double-digit Q2 growth in India

    New Delhi: Despite the severe impact of the second wave, global food and beverage major PepsiCo has reported double-digit growth in India in the second quarter for March-April-May.

    PepsiCo’s net revenue from the Africa, Middle East, South Asia (AMESA) division under which India falls, was at $1.6 billion in the quarter, up 62.97 per cent as against $0.98 billion in the corresponding period in 2020. Overall, the company’s global net revenue growth was up 20.52 per cent to $19.21 billion.

    In the AMESA division, PepsiCo’s snacks unit volume reported “double-digit growth in India and Pakistan and mid-single-digit growth in the Middle East, partially offset by a high-single-digit decline in South Africa,” said PepsiCo in an earning statement for Q2. “Beverage unit volume grew 38 per cent, primarily reflecting a four percentage-point impact of our Pioneer Foods acquisition and double-digit growth in India.”

    Additionally, the Middle East and Pakistan each experienced double-digit growth and Nigeria experienced mid-single-digit growth, it added. “The recovery from the pandemic contributed to a current-year increase in consumer demand, which had a positive impact on net revenue, unit volume and operating profit performance,” the US based company said, PTI reported.

     “As mobility trends improved, our international beverage business accelerated and delivered 22 per cent organic revenue growth, while our international snack business delivered 11 per cent organic revenue growth,” said PepsiCo.

    Over the outlook, the company is expecting its international markets to perform well despite an uneven recovery across geographies as vaccination efforts and mobility trends vary.

  • Covid Care: Droom announces 1 cr budget to support fight against Covid

    Covid Care: Droom announces 1 cr budget to support fight against Covid

    New Delhi: Stepping up to take care of its employees during the devastating second wave of Covid2019, AI-driven online automobile marketplace Droom on Thursday announced Rs one crore budget for its new initiative – Droom Cares.

    As a part of this initiative, Droom will ensure sanitization of some healthcare facilities, police stations, clinics, pharmacies, and homes of healthcare workers in Delhi NCR using Germ Shield, its anti-microbial coating. It has also created a Covid SWAT team to verify all leads regarding oxygen supply, hospital beds, ICU availability, oximeters, food suppliers, plasma donors, and Covid-related life-saving drugs.

    The company has also launched programs for its 20,500+ dealers to assist with pharmaceuticals, Covid vaccination, medical assistance, and also provide isolation ward to asymptotic dealers with basic medical facilities. It has launched a telemedicine consultation for mental and physical health free of cost for Droomers. A unique Buddy Program has been initiated where Droom will assign one employee to another who is recovering from Covid2019 and requires assistance.

    “The second wave of the pandemic has triggered an unprecedented crisis for the country. We would like to show our commitment to society by trying to help people in these difficult times. We have also organized a Covid SWAT room for quick assistance and have converted one of our office facilities into emergency wards with basic medical facilities and doctor teleconsultation for our employees in times of need,” said Droom, founder and CEO, Sandeep Aggarwal.

    Among other relief measures, the company has announced a special insurance scheme for all its employees and dealers to have hassle-free treatment in these stressful times. The insurance scheme will give five times more cover to its employees and be also extended to their parents and current family members. “Our endeavor has always been to stand firmly united with our stakeholders in the most stressful times and we are confident to overcome these together,” Aggarwal added.

  • Amazon India steps up to help small businesses amid Covid surge

    Amazon India steps up to help small businesses amid Covid surge

    New Delhi: As the country battles the devastating onslaught of the novel Coronavirus, Amazon India has rolled out a slew of measures for small and medium businesses to help them wade through the crisis.

    The e-commerce major said it will waive 50 per cent of the ‘sell-on-amazon’ or ‘referral fee’ from 1-31 May for sellers who have had an average monthly gross merchandise sale (GMS) of Rs 10,000 or below across January, February, and March 2021. It will also reimburse storage fees and long-term storage fees charged for keeping sellers’ products at its warehouses for merchants based out of non-serviceable pin codes.

    “Never has it been more important to stand with small businesses and we wanted to do our part to help our sellers tide through these tough times. We hope our initiatives, which include fee waivers, policy relaxations, and vaccination support, will be of help to our sellers at this time,” tweeted Amazon India vice president Manish Tiwari.

    Amazon India has over 8.5 lakh sellers on its platform. It has recently announced its decision to cover the Covid2019 vaccine costs for its eligible sellers and their dependents.

    The etailer said it will temporarily relax the claim windows for various types of reimbursements that the sellers file for 30 days. It will also take steps to mitigate any negative impact on sellers’ performance metrics due to defaults caused by the pandemic and the resulting restrictions in several states, on the sellers’ account health.

    “We are also working to relax our policies regarding late shipment rate, order cancellation, and returns to better support our sellers during this period,” said Tiwari in a blog post.

    India on Sunday recorded a massive surge of 3.92 lakh new Covid2019 cases and as many as 3,689 deaths from across the country. While the government has announced the beginning of phase-3 of the vaccination drive, the process remained suspended in several states due to a shortage of vaccines for the 18-44 years age group.

    Amazon India said the lockdowns and curfews announced in different states to tackle the situation continues to impact its businesses, even though the e-commerce companies have been allowed to operate. The government has allowed the delivery of only essential items like groceries and medicines.

    Amazon India works with more than 10 lakh small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) including sellers, delivery and logistics partners, neighbourhood stores, enterprises, developers, content creators, and authors in the country.

    “Our number one priority right now is to help save lives and extend support communities across the nation including our employees, sellers, delivery associates, other partners, and their dependents in this time of crisis,” said Tiwari.

  • Facebook to launch vaccine finder tool on its mobile app

    Facebook to launch vaccine finder tool on its mobile app

    New Delhi: Social media platform Facebook said it is partnering with the government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app this week to help people identify nearby places to get inoculated. The announcement comes at a time when the country has begun the vaccination process for all citizens above 18 years.

    Earlier this week, the social media giant had announced a $10 million grant for emergency response efforts for the Covid2019 situation in India, which is grappling with a deadly second wave of Covid2019. “We are committed to doing our best to help the local communities in the country with medical supplies and other life-saving equipment,” it said in a public post on Friday.

    The tool will provide information in as many as 17 languages. The details of the vaccine center locations and their hours of operation have been provided by the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW).

    According to the government data, over 2.45 crore people have already registered on the Co-WIN app ahead of Phase-3 of the Covid2019 vaccination.

    In a post, Facebook said its tool will also show walk-in options for those aged above 45 years and a link to register on the Co-Win website and schedule vaccination appointments.

    “We are also partnering with organizations such as United Way, Swasth, Hemkunt Foundation, I Am Gurgaon, Project Mumbai, and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) to deploy the funds announced to help augment critical medical supplies with over 5,000 oxygen concentrators and other life-saving equipment like ventilators, BiPAP machines and to increase hospital bed capacity,” it stated.

    The platform said it is also providing health resources to people from UNICEF India about when to seek emergency care and how to manage mild symptoms at home. The information is accessible and prominent on Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Center and in Feed. It is also promoting this information on Instagram.

    Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have emerged as a lifeline, connecting those looking for oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, plasma donors, and ventilators with possible donors. Twitter too has set up a COVID-19 SOS page that helps surface information from those offering or seeking immediate help during this crisis.

    India is reeling under one of the most severe waves of Covid2019. The country reported a record 4 lakh new positive cases in the last 24 hours, its sharpest spike since the pandemic first gripped the country last year. 

  • Consumer sentiments dipping across globe: Kantar Covid2019 barometer

    Consumer sentiments dipping across globe: Kantar Covid2019 barometer

    NEW DELHI: Just 36 per cent of the consumers globally are willing to return to via public transport and 56 per cent are preferring delaying visits, for at least one more month, to restaurants/bars, 67 per cent to religious places, 70 per cent to gyms, and 72 per cent to cinemas, globally, reveals the wave seven of Kantar’s Covid2019 Barometer indicating the countries will have to face a tough time in restarting their economic activities in the full swing. 

    The number of people paying special attention to prices while shopping has grown from just over half (56 per cent) in April to two thirds (67 per cent) today. 

    The survey taken by more than 1,00,000 consumers across the world identified that consumers are becoming less supportive of the government relaxing restrictions, with a nine per cent dop if acceptance fo measures, (from 28 per cent in June to 19 per cent today), and a 10 per cent drop in support for a full reopening of social and leisure environments (from 27 per cent in June to 17 per cent today). 

    The report reads, “Disapproval is highest in the countries currently with the highest numbers of cases of coronavirus such as the USA where disapproval in the Government’s approach has risen from 36 per cent in May to 48 per cent today. With some countries showing signs of a second wave, health concerns are growing; two per cent more people are now classed by Kantar’s researchers as part of the Precarious Worrier tribe, and one in two are now very scared about the situation.”

    Kantar’s research suggests a near-term recovery will be difficult to achieve for many countries. Consumer finances continue to remain heavily impacted, with nearly three-quarters of the population claiming to have already, or expect to have, their income damaged by the pandemic. The result has been changing priorities for many; while 64 per cent are prioritising financial planning 68 per cent are focussing on supporting a local economy/ buying local

    “Despite the challenges we are all addressing, we see a growing appetite for change and renewal in our research,” observed Kantar CIO Rosie Hawkins. “Environmental causes and demand for brands to enact positive change have always been a priority for many, but we see a renewed focus in these areas. Demand for brands to be an example and guide change has consistently grown over several months to become the primary expectation of consumers. Our research highlights an opportunity for brands in prioritising product sustainability, waste reduction and purpose-driven products and experiences.”