MAM
Advertising picks up in 2012: Nielsen
MUMBAI: Advertising spending across television, newspapers, radio, outdoor, Internet and cinema see an increase in the beginning of 2012 compared to last year, according to Nielsen’s quarterly Global AdView Pulse report.
Though TV continues to attract the majority of ad dollars, Internet advertising sees the biggest increase, with advertisers spending 12.1 per cent more in Q1 2012 than one year prior. During that time, ad spend overall increased 3.1 per cent globally.
Across the regions, the findings are markedly different as each media has taken root and evolved uniquely.
Television: Dollars devoted to TV advertising grew 4 per cent in North America, second only to outdoor, and 7.5 per cent in Latin America. In the Middle East and Africa, TV ad spend grew a whopping 33.8 per cent.
Internet: Online ad spend was a bright spot for the industry, with growth around the globe. Growth was particularly notable in Europe (12.1 per cent), Latin America (31.8 per cent) and the Middle East and Africa (35.2 per cent).
Print (Magazines and Newspapers): Magazines saw a minor decline compared to last year, but newspapers grew by 3.1 per cent. In Latin America and Asia Pacific, both media grew by 7.6 per cent and 10.3 per cent respectively in Latin America, and 3.6 per cent and 5.4 per cent in Asia Pacific. North America saw nominal declines in print ad spend.
Radio: Radio saw increases in every region around the globe, including a 2.6 per cent increase in North America and 2.8 per cent in Europe. In emerging markets in Latin America and Middle East and Africa, those increases were much higher. Radio grew 18 per cent in Latin America and 21.1 per cent in the Middle East and Africa.
Cinema: In the Asia Pacific, cinema grew by 27.1 per cent, offsetting the declines seen in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.
Outdoor: Still a nascent industry, outdoor is growing rapidly. In the past quarter, outdoor ad spend increased by 6.4 per cent globally. This included gains of 4.4 per cent in North America, 45.3 per cent in the Middle East and Africa and 21.1 per cent in Asia Pacific. Only Europe experienced a decline.
Brands
Dabur buys minority stake in Ras Beauty for Rs 60 crore
Dabur Ventures deal backs fast-growing luxury skincare brand
MUMBAI: Dabur India Limited has dipped into the world of luxury skincare, signing a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in Ras Beauty Private Limited for Rs 60 crore. The investment marks the first bet from Dabur Ventures, the FMCG major’s Rs 500 crore platform set up in October 2025 to back high-potential, new-age direct-to-consumer brands.
Founded in Raipur by Shubhika Jain, her sister Suramya Jain and their mother Sangeeta Jain, Ras Beauty has grown from a family-led passion project into a fast-scaling “Farm-to-Face” skincare label. Its range of face elixirs, serums and moisturisers blends essential oils with nature-derived actives, striking a balance between botanical purity and laboratory precision.
The numbers tell their own story. Ras has clocked a three-year Cagr of around 75 per cent and an annual run rate of approximately Rs 100 crore, all while maintaining strong gross margins. That growth has been fuelled by a digital-first approach, in-house R&D and manufacturing, and a sharp focus on clean, sustainable sourcing.
Dabur India executive director and group head corporate strategy Abhinav Dhall, said the company was drawn to Ras’s distinct positioning at the intersection of nature, science and luxury. He added that the premium beauty segment is poised for robust expansion over the coming decade, and that Ras is well placed to capture that opportunity.
For Ras, the partnership is as much about scale as it is about shared philosophy. Co-founder and CEO Shubhika Jain said Dabur’s 141-year legacy of building trusted, purpose-led brands makes it a natural ally. The capital infusion, she noted, will help accelerate the brand’s omnichannel footprint, deepen research capabilities and invest in team and brand building, with an eye on establishing Ras as a leading Indian luxury skincare name both domestically and overseas.
With this move, Dabur is not just investing in a skincare label. It is placing an early wager on India’s growing appetite for premium, conscious beauty, and signalling that heritage FMCG players are ready to play in the new-age D2C arena.
