Brands
Economic slowdown impacted ad spend in H2 2019
MUMBAI: Economic slowdown in 2019 brought the country, as well as the media industry, to a standstill. It visibly impacted advertising spends. This view was shared by advertisers present during the sixteenth edition of the Video and Broadband Summit 2019 that took place on 11 December in Mumbai.
The panel was moderated by indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, with panellists ITC Ltd head media and PR Jaikishin Chhaproo, Havas Media Group managing partner west and south Kunal Jamuar, Godrej Consumers Pvt Ltd VP and head of media services Subha Sreenivasan Iyer and Madison Media vice president Vandana Ramkrishna.
Chhaproo, in his opening statement, said, “There has been a yo-yo syndrome since January 2019 and the only two media-mela events (Indian Premier League and World Cup) in the first half of the financial year saw some advertisement growth.”
He further added that since June people have been quite cautious about advertisement spend.
Agreeing to Chhaproo’s perspective, Jamuar said, “2019 has been something like that of 2008 double dip. And, with respect to advertisement spend on television is as similar as of last year.” Many of Havas Media Group’s clients are from the auto and finance sectors.
All of the four panellists were of the view that along with other sectors, the advertisement spends on television has also been slow and has hardly seen any growth this year.
Accepting the slowdown in the market, Iyer said, “This year had made us re-look at all our advertising plans due to lack of resources and we have been far more prudent in terms of evaluating the need for further spend with quantifiable ROI."
Meanwhile, Ramkrishna believes that one of the reasons for the slowdown could be because of the poor performance of world economies.
According to Ramkrishna, her agency being associated with retail brands, the festive season has not turned up to be a happening one. Adding further, she said people are very cautious on spends and there’s a fear that the economy is going to crash.
However, despite facing a slowdown, Iyer said that in terms of volume, the company’s growth is very strong, which is a positive sign. This goes with competitors as well, especially, in the FMCG sector.
She added, “Consumers are not completely cutting down on their basic essentials, especially in segments where value for money is core.”
In the same context, ITC’s PR head said, “Consumers seek value for money and this is what is happening in the current economic situation. Moreover, there have been steady volumes all over.”
Ramkrishna, talking about NTO’s impact on advertising spend, said, “GEC and movie channels continue to be there and the new order has hardly affected the brands' television spends.” However, she pointed out that the smaller set of channels will certainly have an adverse effect.
GPCL’s media head said there has been a vast difference between DTH and cable networks in data capturing granularity and that helps brands to decide on advertising spends on television.
Havas Media’s managing partner questioned the importance of a proper measurement of audiences’ rating that has seen improvement after DTH’s existence. He said, “Today, niche channels are offering niche content, making the existing eco-system a bit difficult.”
Iyer said that companies are ready to test any medium, just that accurate third party data is needed.
Brands
Marico eyes gulf as digital brands set sights on Rs 4,000 crore by FY30
From vietnam to the middle east, marico bets big on digital-first growth
MUMBAI: Marico is gearing up to take its digital-first brands to the Gulf, targeting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as it seeks a fresh wave of international growth.
The Mumbai-based consumer goods giant, famous for Parachute hair oil and Saffola edible oils, is riding the surge in smartphone use and e-commerce adoption in the region.
“In the Middle East, we are focusing on markets like the UAE and KSA, which rank among the world’s most connected,” said MD and CEO Saugata Gupta.
Marico has been sharpening its digital edge over the past eight years, scooping up six homegrown online brands including Beardo, Just Herbs, and Plix. Earlier this month, it boosted its Southeast Asian presence with a 75 per cent stake in Vietnam’s Skinetiq, home to the brand Candid, for Rs 261 crore. Altogether, these deals tally to around Rs 1,665 crore.
The strategy is already paying off. Beardo has grown fivefold since joining Marico, while plant-based nutrition brand Plix has expanded six times in two years and pivoted from pure nutraceuticals into hair and skin food, significantly improving profit margins. Functional wellness brand Cosmix, with an annual revenue run-rate of Rs 100 crore, targets the protein deficiency gap affecting 73 per cent of India’s population and boasts high-teen Ebitda margins.
Gupta said the company is now eyeing profitable brands with annual revenues of Rs 100–150 crore, a sweet spot that allows rapid expansion without heavy losses. Organic launches continue to add spice. In Vietnam, Marico rolled out Astroman and Lashe, aimed at men’s and women’s personal care, using a social commerce model that taps bloggers and influencers on platforms like TikTok. After navigating currency and demand challenges, Vietnam returned to 22 per cent constant-currency growth in Q3 FY26, with double-digit momentum expected to continue.
The company’s broader digital strategy is organised as a three-pronged digital chessboard: digital foods, digital personal care, and global digital brands. Gupta projects that Marico’s digital portfolio could collectively generate Rs 4,000 crore by FY30, while its new businesses are expected to contribute roughly 33 per cent of total India revenues in the same period.
To boost margins in competitive categories like food, Marico plans to leverage its institutional weight by cutting costs through centralised media buying on platforms like Meta and Google and using high-velocity supply chain capabilities. In the Middle East, the group intends to replicate its Indian success by bringing digital food brands to markets with high smartphone penetration.
With this blend of strategic acquisitions, organic launches, and operational know-how, Marico is clearly betting that its digital-first brands will power the next chapter of growth, beyond staples and across borders.
