MAM
BBC World’s campaign for ‘University Challenge’ pays off
MUMBAI: A 360 degree marketing and promotion plan that the beeb conceived for the new quiz seriesUniversity Challenge has paid rich dividends.
An official release informs that its microsite for the show hosted by Yahoo! India got over two million entries. In addition the beeb also organised a roadshow which attracted 18,000 students. The series is sponsored by Samsung Sound. In addition Singapore Roars also signed a sponsorship agreement for eight weeks of the programme starting 21 August. The show commenced airing from 7 August.
In addition the channel is also using the SMS medium and claims to have received 90,000 entries through this route. Meanwhile the roadshows have targetted the top ten colleges in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kokata. They featured quiz question cards and prizes. In addition there is a contest where two winners get a chance to have dinner with the presenter of the show Siddhartha Basu.
On the Yahoo! India University Challenge microsite visitors can click on banners to access a page containing details about the show as well as on BBC World. An online contest offers Samsung DVD players and a Kinetic Zing scooter. The campaign also used Radio City as well as outdoor hoardings and the print medium.
Samsung VP marketing M.B. Lee added,” We are very happy with the terrific response that theUniversity Challenge online and radio contests have elicited from the youth market who are the largest group for our audio category. We can also gauge the response from the amount of enquiries and the interest that has been generated for Witz. This is the caricature who is representing Samsung Audio in all our communication for this product category.”
The programme airs at 10 pm every Thursday.and repeats at 10 am on Sundays.
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.
