MAM
P&G continues robust spends on ad and promo in Q2 FY13
MUMBAI: Keeping up with the trend of FMCG companies expanding media spends, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd (PGHHCL) upped its advertising expenditure by 35.77 per cent for the second quarter ended 31 December. The company spent Rs 945.8 million in the second quarter compared with Rs 696.6 million a year earlier.
The ad spends exceeded the company‘s net profit in the second quarter by a wider margin compared with a year earlier. In the second quarter of FY13, the company‘s net profit was Rs 539.9 million, up 5.47 per cent from Rs 511.9 million a year earlier. Its total income in the second quarter grew by 32.68 per cent to Rs 4.71 billion from Rs 3.55 billion a year earlier.
The company‘s advertising spend to total income ratio was up marginally in Q2 FY13 to 20.09 per cent from 19.61 per cent a year earlier.
For the half year ended 31 December, P&G spent Rs 1.63 billion on advertising and promotion. This is a 22.56 per cent increase from H1 FY12‘s Rs 1.33 billion. The company‘s total income for the first half rose by 28.77 per cent to Rs 8.46 billion from Rs 6.57 billion a year earlier. The company‘s profit for the first half stood at Rs 992.6 million, up 5.63 per cent from Rs 393.7 million a year earlier.
P&G managing director Shantanu Khosla said, “Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd has sustained & improved the past quarter‘s strong growth momentum. We have registered robust sales and volume growth for the quarter ended December 31, 2012, as we implement our proven business model of delivering value to the consumers combined with effective pricing and productivity which is helping deliver consistent top and bottom-line growth.”
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
