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Tag: Sharat Verma

  • Tata Consumer brews a change as Sharat Verma takes the top role

    Tata Consumer brews a change as Sharat Verma takes the top role

    MUMBAI: The kettle’s whistling at Tata Consumer Products and this time, it’s not just the tea. The company has announced a leadership shake-up, with veteran marketer Sharat Verma set to take over as president of packaged beverages ford India & South Asia (including Organic India) from 1 December 2025.

    Verma, who moves from Procter & Gamble, brings over two decades of brand-building prowess, having helmed iconic names like Ariel, Tide, Gillette, Oral-B, and Olay across India, ASEAN, China, and the Middle East. At P&G, he led the 0.5 billion dollars Fabric Care business, clocking a 15 per cent CAGR in one of the most competitive categories. His “Share The Load” campaign remains a landmark in cause-driven brand storytelling, marrying social commentary with sales success.

    The appointment follows the resignation of Puneet Das, who exits after eight years at Tata Consumer to pursue new opportunities. Das, who played a pivotal role in the packaged beverages portfolio, leaves behind a strong growth legacy. His departure is effective 3 November 2025.

    Another notable exit is Soulfull business president Prashant Parameswaran who steps down on 15 December 2025 for personal reasons. Parameswaran, the driving force behind the Tata Soulfull brand, is credited with positioning the homegrown breakfast brand as a challenger in India’s healthy foods segment.

    With Verma’s appointment, Tata Consumer is signalling a renewed focus on consumer-led innovation and storytelling that resonates across Bharat and beyond. The move also reflects a broader trend of FMCG majors courting talent with both local insight and global polish.

    In a statement, Tata Consumer Products ltd. said the leadership changes form part of its ongoing transformation to strengthen its core businesses and unlock growth across markets.

    For Tata Consumer the company that put the world’s most loved chai on millions of tables this is more than a handover. It’s a fresh blend of strategy and storytelling, brewed perfectly for its next growth chapter.
     

  • P&G India appoints Mukta Maheshwari as its chief marketing officer

    P&G India appoints Mukta Maheshwari as its chief marketing officer

    Mumbai: Procter & Gamble India, maker of brands like Ariel, Whisper, and Gillette, has appointed Mukta Maheshwari as the company’s chief marketing officer (CMO) effective 1 September.

    Along with leading the marketing function, Maheshwari will also head the fabric care category for P&G India. She brings with her a rich work experience of over two decades. She joined P&G in 2007 in Singapore and has since worked across five brands across three different countries. Prior to assuming her new role as the chief marketing officer and fabric care category head, Maheshwari served as the vice president, fabric enhancers in the ASEAN region, based out of Singapore and was instrumental in delivering double digit top and bottom line for Downy in ASEAN. This was enabled by, among multiple other aspects, the launch of Downy Natural Essential oil scents range, which was spearheaded by her.

    Speaking about her new role, Maheshwari said, “I am thrilled to kickstart the next phase of my journey with P&G and coming back to India, after having the opportunity to work across multiple roles in the region, including Singapore and Philippines. P&Gs philosophy of touching and improving lives truly resonates with me, and I am glad that my new role will enable me to continue aspiring to positively impact our consumers, communities, and people. India continues to be an important market for P&G globally, as we continue to delight the consumers with our superior brands. These are exciting times, and I look forward to contributing to the growth of P&G in India, together with our people who are the backbone of this resilient and empowered organization.”

    Maheshwari is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology.

    Maheshwari takes over from Sharat Verma in the role, who has been elevated as the senior vice president – fabric care for P&G India, Middle East, and Africa (IMEA) and will spearhead the efforts based out of Dubai. Under Sharat’s leadership over the last four years, P&G has stepped up on its brand building efforts, leading many innovative solutions and campaigns that are not just a force for growth, but also a force for good. This is reflected not just in the growth of the brands, but also multiple external recognition – national and global – that the brands have garnered over the years on iconic initiatives like Ariel #ShareTheLoad, Whisper #KeepGirlsInSchool, etc.

    Sharing his perspective, Verma said “It has been my privilege and an absolute honor to serve as the CMO for P&G India. The journey has been rewarding and one filled with immense learnings. From every campaign that captured hearts, to each innovation that reshaped industries, our commitment to delivering exceptional results stands as a testament to our unwavering pursuit of excellence. Together, we raised the bar on consumer centricity and brand building and reinforced our brands as both – a #ForceForGrowth and a #ForceforGood. As I extend a warm welcome to Mukta, I am confident that our legacy will continue to thrive, inspiring new heights of creativity, impact, and success. I am only optimistic about what the future holds.”

  • P&G to make brand advertising accessible to people with impairments

    P&G to make brand advertising accessible to people with impairments

    Mumbai: Procter & Gamble (P&G) India on Tuesday announced its commitment to improve the accessibility of brand advertising to people with sight and hearing impairments by 2024.

    “The initiative will make P&G brands more inclusive and accessible to all members of our community. P&G also announced that it will sensitize students pursuing advertising and marketing courses on accurate portrayal and representation of women in advertising,” the company said in a statement.

    P&G will partner with leading marketing and communication colleges to shape the next generation of marketers and advertisers. Along with this, P&G also reinforced its commitment to continue leveraging the voice of its brands to have conversations that bust myths, break biases & shatter stereotypes.   

    P&G’s chief marketing officer Sharat Verma said, “At P&G, we want to step up and use our voice to be a force for growth and force for good. We have made strong progress in the role our brands are playing to drive social and cultural change. Not only that, but we are also committed to enabling equal opportunities for women in the advertising creativity and production industry.

    “It is important that we make equality and inclusion a sustainable part of creativity. Therefore, we are seeking to work with the next generation of marketers and advertisers, to drive holistic change in imagery, and in turn, society. We are deliberate in our actions to advance equality and inclusion, so that we can accelerate the pace of change,” he added.

  • Ariel’s #SonsShareTheLoad is WARC’s most awarded work for media excellence

    Ariel’s #SonsShareTheLoad is WARC’s most awarded work for media excellence

    Mumbai: Ariel India’s 2019 #ShareTheLoad campaign has made it to the most awarded work for Media excellence in the WARC list for the year 2020. World Advertising Research Centre (WARC) is an online marketing intelligence service that provides an independent benchmark for excellence in creativity, media, and effectiveness.

    Ariel started the #ShareTheLoad campaign in 2015 to address the inequality that exists within Indian households. As the social debate evolved, the brand continued to bring different perspectives and launched the third edition of the campaign in February 2019. The Sons #ShareTheLoad urged parents to raise the next generation as equals and teach their sons important life skills like laundry, cooking, etc. The TVC raised the pertinent question – “Are we teaching our sons what we are teaching our daughters?”

    P&G India CMO & VP – fabric care Sharat Verma said, “We started off by raising a pertinent question on 'Is laundry only a woman’s job?' back in 2015. We have kept the conversation alive all these years to continue to create awareness around the issue. With Sons #ShareTheLoad, we urged parents to teach our sons what we have been teaching our daughters over decades. We will continue to leverage our brand as a force for good and make laundry the face of the change we are trying to drive across the country.”

    The digital film garnered over 83 million views in partnership with Mediacom as the media partner. A mother-son fashion show was also organised in Chandigarh to drive home the message of teaching the sons of today basic household chores, where mothers sported clothes washed by their sons.

    Mediacom CEO south Asia Navin Khemka said, “It’s a moment of great pride to see our work getting recognised globally. We are proud to be an ally in this social change with Ariel and P&G India, not just now but since the start of #ShareTheLoad in 2015. Together, we aim to address the inequality that exists in Indian households and continue to work in that direction even now.”

    The Load Lockdown film- 

    Link season 4- 

    Link Season 3 – 

    Link Season 2- 

    Link- Season 1- 

  • The sound of silence in TV ads

    The sound of silence in TV ads

    NEW DELHI: Procter & Gamble’s detergent brand Ariel has continuously sparked conversation around household chores in the past. Now, the brand has come up with a new season of its ‘share the load’ campaign. The advertisement is conceptualised by advertising agency BBDO. This time the brand has urged all family members to contribute and share the load in household chores. However, what distinguishes it from the earlier campaigns is, there is no exchange of dialogue between family members. The brand has followed the route of silence to depict the message powerfully with visual elements.

    The film has already crossed 10 million views so far. P&G India and head CMO Sharat Verma says, “We believe there is something beautiful when a son, father or husband comes forward to #ShareTheLoad. Which is why Ariel has continued to raise pertinent conversations to encourage more and more men to participate in household chores.”

    The brand started bringing up these torchbearer conversations from 2015. The first ad which gained a lot of traction was, “Is laundry only a woman’s job”, while in 2016 it touched an important issue of doing household work from one generation to another with ‘Dads Share The Load’ movement. Last year, too, the brand focussed on an essential issue, “Are we teaching our sons what we are teaching our daughters” with Sons #ShareTheLoad. In the new campaign, ShareThe Load for Equal Sleep, it highlighted the impact of the unequal division of chores on housewives.

    The concept of silent advertising is not new. The craze for such ads began in the 1990s but disappeared later in the 2000s as brands started getting more vocal. Nevertheless, with time we are seeing brands following the nuances of silent ads once again. Fevicol ads barely came with dialogues and it has always connected with consumers because of its simplicity and humorous execution. Right from Camlin permanent markers to Pidilite M-seal or the recent Haier TVC silent performers’ ad highlighting Haier’s long-standing relationship with the Indian consumers, brands have started experimenting with their advertising communication.

    We have seen silent advertising being used globally as well. Last year, UK broadcaster ITV released a campaign on the rising issue of anxiety and depression in children. The ad ends with a message to “tune back in” to their family’s story. European footwear brand Bianco came up with an interesting silent love story in the form of a short film The Lift, urging everyone to start a conversation.

    India too has seen a resurgence of silent ads. One reason could be its differentiating factor that helps brands rise above the noise, increasing attention and recall.

    Makani Creatives, co-founder and MD Sameer Makani believes, “For an ad to be effective it needs to grab the user’s attention in two to three seconds and audio is a crucial part of the experience.”

    However, consumption patterns have evolved and social media has become a key platform for communication and content viewing. Most of these platforms have muted audio as default for any ad until the user chooses to turn it on.

    “Keeping this aspect in mind, brands are experimenting with no-audio crisp ads. The concept is different from a usual ad and one cannot draw parallels between the two. It’s a double-edged sword when a brand experiments with such content. The screenplay and plot need to be extremely strong to create impact. Otherwise, it may miss yielding any results for the brand,” Makhani explains.

    FCB Ulka group creative director Anusheela Saha says, “Silence, when applied judiciously and appropriately, can be a strong persuasive thought communication, and in Ariel’s case, it works really well. They have made a montage of their previous ads and have thoughtfully edited and crafted the message to make it relevant for today. In today’s time, when women are the silent bearers of additional home duties, a silent ode to them only resonates more beautifully.”

    However, Taproot Dentsu executive creative director Pallavi Chakravarti raises a pertinent point. Is there evidence that silent ad will work better than one with spoken words? Says she: “I don’t think one can make a blanket statement about how silent ads work versus regular ads. Every ad works or doesn’t on its own merits. There’s no guarantee that just because you have dialogues in your ad, you’ll make an instant connection with your audience. By that logic, every commercial should be a runaway hit. Equally, there’s no proof that a silent ad will work better – it could just pass like a ship in the night.”

    “Ariel’s ad works, to my mind, because it is consistent with the messaging that the brand has put out for many years now. The team has successfully built the share the load property from the day it was first launched, so we don’t need dialogues to understand the message, in this case,” she elaborates.

    Scarecrow M&C Saatchi founder Raghu Bhatt points out that if silent films can tell a story, silent ads can too. “In India, we have seen many successful zero-dialogue films for brands like Allout and Cherry Blossom. Coming to this ad, it’s like a reminder film. There is no story but a collage of couples sharing the washing chores. Simple storyboards that don’t require the expert supervision of an ace director- seem to be the norm, due to shooting restrictions.”

    That may be the case this time with the new Ariel TVC, however, silent ads can work well to make your brand be heard.

  • Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad campaign focuses on women’s sleep deprivation issues due to household work

    Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad campaign focuses on women’s sleep deprivation issues due to household work

    MUMBAI: While most ads propagated the notion that women bear all the brunt of housework, Ariel India was the first to break that stereotype a few years ago. The successful #ShareTheLoad campaign revolved around the unequal division of domestic chores, urging men to take up more responsibility. Continuing its mission, the fourth edition of the campaign, #EqualSleep, addresses the issue of sleep deprivation due to excessive household work which affects 71 per cent of women.

    Let’s rewind. In 2015, Ariel India raised a triggering question ‘Is laundry only a woman’s job?’ followed by ‘Dads Share the Load’ in 2016. This helped locate the root cause and the stigma of prejudice passed down from one generation to the next. In 2019, it started to drive action with sons urging parents to raise them like they have been raising their daughters, so that the future generation is more equal.

    P&G India CMO and fabric care head for the Indian subcontinent Sharat Verma says that the aim of #EqualSleep is to highlight how women compromise their sleep, downtime, rest and personal time to provide her very best to the family and her career.

    “Even within progressive households, where men have started to increase their involvement in domestic chores, the woman still takes the onus of getting everything done; the mental load is still only hers. When men don’t share the load, what ends up getting impacted is something as basic as sleep. Lack of sleep is, thus, almost an indicator of the inequality within the household. Hence, with this chapter, Ariel seeks to drive action, urging men to take the first step to #ShareTheLaundry and eventually, #ShareTheLoad for #EqualSleep,” he says.

    An Ariel India survey found that from 79 per cent men in 2014 who thought laundry was only a woman’s job, the number has steadily declined to 41 per cent in 2019. However, even today, only 35 per cent of men contribute daily to household chores. In a survey, most men agree that washing clothes in a machine are the easiest chore for them to start taking over. 

    Verma went on to add that the campaign shifted from showing that men weren’t sharing the load to showing how this decision impacts women. Uneven division of household chores like laundry is coming in the way of women getting enough sleep and rest with at least one hour of sleep that these women give up every day, over seven days that accounts to almost an entire night’s sleep that is lost every week, due to the uneven distribution of domestic responsibility 

    The film, conceptualised by BBDO, is depicted from the eyes of a little girl devoid of any conditioning; she notices her mom is missing at night while she is asleep and continues to notice her running around doing multiple things, tired and sleepy. The father’s moment of realisation is also in a way driven by the daughter missing her mom at night.

    BBDO India chairman Josy Paul said, “We started with ‘the condition' in 2015 – Is laundry only a woman’s job? In 2019 we focused on the younger generation, who if raised in a balanced manner, will grow up to be a generation of equals. This year, we make men realise the severe impact on their partners/ wives when they don’t share the load at home i.e., unequal sleep.”

    With every passing year, both BBDO and Airel have the challenge of coming up with the next round of an impactful #ShareTheLoad campaign. How do they manage it? “When thinking of the next leg, we realign ourselves with the evolved cultural context of current times. Society today is not the same as it was two years ago. Similarly, family and couple dynamics are not the same. So, we have to root ourselves in the reality of today. As a creative team, when we observe society, we see laundry as one of those daily chores where the distribution of load is uneven.  Laundry, here, is the face of the movement,” Paul concludes.

  • Ariel’s Dads#ShareTheLoad campaign receive appreciation from consumers & industry

    Ariel’s Dads#ShareTheLoad campaign receive appreciation from consumers & industry

    MUMBAI: Launched in February of 2016, Ariel India’s Dads#ShareTheLoad campaign has garnered widespread acclaim from consumers, media, advertising and marketing industry as well as celebrities, for its impactful message of change. The movement, dedicated to addressing the cycle of gender prejudiced, sparked conversations across multiple touchpoints, leading to a massive participation from consumers, with 2.1 mn men pledging their support to the cause. 2600 men showed their solidarity towards gender equality by creating a Guinness World Record of most number of men washing clothes together.

    With 2 out of 3 children believing that laundry is a mother’s job, gender biases within the household are subconsciously passed down from one generation to the next. Powered by Ariel Matic’s 1-Wash superiority, the brand joined women in asking Dads to #ShareTheLoad, since anyone can get great laundry results with Ariel.

    Speaking on this occasion, Fabric Care India associate director Sharat Verma said, “We are delighted with the reception to the movement and we are thrilled to have been recognized at an internationally celebrated platforms like the Cannes Lions. This is a testament to the message of the movement and the resonance it’s had with our consumers. Ariel India will continue to join women across the country to address gender prejudice, and we will continue to encourage more dads and husbands to #ShareTheLoad, since with Ariel Matic anyone can get great laundry results.”

    The film went viral internationally and garnered over 50 mn views in just 50 days. The emotionally appealing film, received extensive support from men and women, across countries and continents, paving the way from global recognition.

    Based on a true consumer insight that has resonated globally, Ariel India joined women across the country in bringing to surface the cycle of gender prejudice. This powerful message was very well received by Advertising and Marketing industry, testament by the wide number of awards that came their way.

    The films have also received the support and endorsement of a wide variety of International and Indian celebrities and partners including – Sheryl Sandberg, Melinda Gates, Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Tabu, MandiraBedi, Neha Dhupia, Irrfan Khan, Mary Kom, Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, KalNirnay, Tinkle, Whirlpool and Akshara Centre.

    The campaign bagged top international honors at the Oscars of the marketing and advertising world – The Cannes Lions, by taking home an unprecedented 5 Cannes Lions. Ariel India has now become the most awarded Indian campaign in the event’s illustrious history.

    it has won various other accolades which are listed below.

    1. Cannes Glass

    – Ariel Matic for India Mumbai, India.

    2. Cannes Bronze

    – Ariel Matic for Creative Effectiveness, India.

    – Ariel Matic in Cyber for Social Purpose, India.

    – Ariel Matic – India in Entertainment for Online: Fiction 15 Minutes or Under in Length, India.

    – Ariel Matic –India in Short Fiction Film (Under 10 Minutes) in Film, India.

    3. Laadli Grand Prix Award

    4. ADFEST: 1 Silver, 2 Bronze

    5. Dragons of Asia: Black Dragon, Silver, Bronze

    6. EMVIES: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

    7. Bloomberg Disruptor: Winner, FMCG

    8. Festival of Media: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

  • Ariel’s Dads#ShareTheLoad campaign receive appreciation from consumers & industry

    Ariel’s Dads#ShareTheLoad campaign receive appreciation from consumers & industry

    MUMBAI: Launched in February of 2016, Ariel India’s Dads#ShareTheLoad campaign has garnered widespread acclaim from consumers, media, advertising and marketing industry as well as celebrities, for its impactful message of change. The movement, dedicated to addressing the cycle of gender prejudiced, sparked conversations across multiple touchpoints, leading to a massive participation from consumers, with 2.1 mn men pledging their support to the cause. 2600 men showed their solidarity towards gender equality by creating a Guinness World Record of most number of men washing clothes together.

    With 2 out of 3 children believing that laundry is a mother’s job, gender biases within the household are subconsciously passed down from one generation to the next. Powered by Ariel Matic’s 1-Wash superiority, the brand joined women in asking Dads to #ShareTheLoad, since anyone can get great laundry results with Ariel.

    Speaking on this occasion, Fabric Care India associate director Sharat Verma said, “We are delighted with the reception to the movement and we are thrilled to have been recognized at an internationally celebrated platforms like the Cannes Lions. This is a testament to the message of the movement and the resonance it’s had with our consumers. Ariel India will continue to join women across the country to address gender prejudice, and we will continue to encourage more dads and husbands to #ShareTheLoad, since with Ariel Matic anyone can get great laundry results.”

    The film went viral internationally and garnered over 50 mn views in just 50 days. The emotionally appealing film, received extensive support from men and women, across countries and continents, paving the way from global recognition.

    Based on a true consumer insight that has resonated globally, Ariel India joined women across the country in bringing to surface the cycle of gender prejudice. This powerful message was very well received by Advertising and Marketing industry, testament by the wide number of awards that came their way.

    The films have also received the support and endorsement of a wide variety of International and Indian celebrities and partners including – Sheryl Sandberg, Melinda Gates, Pankaj Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Tabu, MandiraBedi, Neha Dhupia, Irrfan Khan, Mary Kom, Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, KalNirnay, Tinkle, Whirlpool and Akshara Centre.

    The campaign bagged top international honors at the Oscars of the marketing and advertising world – The Cannes Lions, by taking home an unprecedented 5 Cannes Lions. Ariel India has now become the most awarded Indian campaign in the event’s illustrious history.

    it has won various other accolades which are listed below.

    1. Cannes Glass

    – Ariel Matic for India Mumbai, India.

    2. Cannes Bronze

    – Ariel Matic for Creative Effectiveness, India.

    – Ariel Matic in Cyber for Social Purpose, India.

    – Ariel Matic – India in Entertainment for Online: Fiction 15 Minutes or Under in Length, India.

    – Ariel Matic –India in Short Fiction Film (Under 10 Minutes) in Film, India.

    3. Laadli Grand Prix Award

    4. ADFEST: 1 Silver, 2 Bronze

    5. Dragons of Asia: Black Dragon, Silver, Bronze

    6. EMVIES: 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze

    7. Bloomberg Disruptor: Winner, FMCG

    8. Festival of Media: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze