MAM
HUL trims ad spend by 7% in Q3
MUMBAI: Joining its peer Colgate-Palmolive, FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) has cut down its ad spends in the fiscal-third quarter ended December amid pressure on margins and a slowdown in the economy.
The largest ad spender in India trimmed its promotional budget by 7.14 per cent in the quarter to Rs 6.9 billion compared to Rs 7.43 billion in the earlier year.
The year-on-year percentage of sales to advertising and promotional spending has also decreased from 14.5 per cent in the third quarter of FY‘11 to 11.6 per cent in Q3 FY‘12.
For the nine-month period ended December, HUL‘s ad and promotions spend dropped 7.77 per cent to Rs 19.74 billion as against Rs 21.41 billion a year ago.
Percentage of ad spend to sales during this period also took a blow, dropping to 11.84 per cent from 14.76 per cent.
HUL launched two products in the personal care category in the third quarter of the current fiscal – Dove Nourishing Oil Care shampoo and Sure for Men. In the foods category, it launched Bru Gold coffe, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Green Tea and a range of Brooke Bond Taj Mahal tea bags in various flavours. In its water category, HUL launched a new variant of Pureit water purifier.
The company launched a promotional exercise by the name Joy of Giving Week and also celebrated Global Handwash Day both in October 2011.
Fuelled by volume growth, sales rose 16.5 per cent to Rs 58.53 billion from Rs 50.27 billion in the corresponding quarter a year ago. Sales and detergents put up a stronger performance than personal products.
Competitive pressures, however, could challenge the sustainability of this volume growth.
| Company Name | Q3FY12 Ad Spend (in Rs) | Ad/Sales Ratio (%) |
| HUL | 6.9 billion | 11.6 |
| Dabur India Ltd | 1.98 billion | 13.6 |
| Marico | 1.34 billion | 12.5 |
| Colgate- Palmolive | 1.07 billion | 16.1 |
Marico and Dabur India are the two FMCG companies that posted an increase in A&P spends in Q3FY12 of 48.63 per cent and 46.9 per cent respectively while Colgate-Palmolive cut its spends by 10.86 per cent.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
