MAM
TV ads increase with approaching festival season in India, cliche but true
BENGALURU: Navratras followed by Diwali is the biggest festival season for India. This period is considered auspicious for purchase of apparel, consumer durables, automobiles and of course – the Indian women’s favourite – jewellery, which was earlier led by gold and silver and now diamonds and platinum. This is also a favourite time for marketers, for media. Often, a major portion of annual sales targets for brands are achieved during this short period. A big bulk of annual advertisement and marketing budgets are splurged during this season. Discounts and offers are touted by advertisers to entice buyers. Television is the major medium used by most advertisers to convey brand messages, and viewers are bombarded with ads selling various products and services around and during the festival season. All this is cliché and known by anybody and everybody that is connected with marketing. This has been the case this year also, as the number of ads released by the top 10 advertisers has only increased.
Now for some statistics for 2017 until week 37 of 2017 with some caveat – the list is based only on the information of the top 10 advertisers as provided by Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) in its weekly lists and hence the actual percentages could be different; Advertisers and ranks could vary from week to week; and HUL ad data in this paper doesn’t include ads of some of its subsidiary/associate companies such as Ponds India, etc. Often some of these companies have also found a place in BARC’s weekly top 10advertisers list in 2017. Even without these numbers, HUL has been the biggest advertiser on television this year until the writing of this paper, which includes data for week 37 of 2017 (Saturday, 9 September 2017 to Friday, 15 September 2017).
A total of 28 advertisers have found themselves in the weekly top 10 advertisers lists between weeks 1 and 37 of 2017. They are: Hindustan Lever Ltd; Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd; Cadburys India Ltd; Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd; Patanjali Ayurved Ltd; Procter & Gamble; ITC Ltd; Colgate Palmolive India Ltd; Super Cassettes Industries; Smithkline Beecham; Amazon Online India Pvt Ltd; Coca Cola India Ltd; Ponds India; Godrej Consumer Products Ltd,; Vini Product; Marico Ltd; Pepsi Co; Lalitha Jewellery; Johnson & Johnson Ltd; Godrej Sara Lee Ltd; Bharatiya Janata Party; Dabur India Ltd; Emami Limited; TVS Motor Company; Bharti Airtel Ltd; Jyothy Laboratories Ltd; Procter & Gamble Home Products
In 2017, the first few weeks witnessed the lowest combined total of television advertisement insertions of the top 10 advertisers. According to BARC, week 5 of 2015 (Saturday, 28 January 2017 to Friday, 3 February 2017) saw a total of 279,869 television insertions by the top10 advertisers, the lowest total in 2017 till week 37. The largest number of television advertisements is from the FMCG genre.
Of the total number of television ads by the top 10 advertisers in week 5, 192,939 ads or 68.94 percent were by FMCG advertisers. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), an Indian FMCG company, is the biggest television advertiser in India. In week 5 of 2017, 95,638 insertions (34.17 percent of the total television ads by the top 10 advertisers) were by HUL. So far in 2017, the lowest number of ads by HUL at 87,458, or 28.42 percent of the total television ads by the top 10 advertisers was in week 10 (Saturday, 4 March 2017 to Friday, 10 March 2017). In that week, the top 10 advertisers had released 307,710 television advertisements, while the total number of television advertisements by the FMCG players in the top 10 advertisers list was 208,769 or 67.85 percent of the combined total of top 10 advertisers.
HUL released a massive 180,246 television advertisements, or 62.40 percent of the total television ads released by the top 10 advertisers, in week 34 (Saturday, 19 August 2017 to Friday, 25 August 2017). During that week, the FMCG advertisers in the top 10 advertisers list released 288,872 television ads or 73.68 percent of the combined total of television ads released by the top 10 advertisers.
The highest total number of television ads by the top 10 advertisers was in week 28 of 2017 at 427,057. In that week, FMCG brands among the top 10 advertisers list released 290,620 television ads (68.05 percent of total ads by top 10 advertisers) and HUL released 142,260 television ads (48.95 percent of total ads by top 10 advertisers).
The total number of television insertions until week 37 of 2017 by the advertisers in the top 10 list was 12,897,001, of which 9,359,818 or 72.57 percent of the combined ads was by FMCG players in the top 10 advertisers’ lists. HUL has released 4,717,607 (36.58 percent)
Please refer to the figure below. It is quite obvious that advertisements by the top 10 advertisers have increased over the past few weeks. The tempo is likely the tempo will only increase.
Brands
Lovetc appoints Tamannaah Bhatia as brand face
Ananya Birla’s premium colour cosmetics line gears up for strong second year with 30 per cent monthly growth and fresh face category launch.
MUMBAI: Lovetc is tinting its success story with a starry new shade Tamannaah Bhatia has just been named the face of Ananya Birla’s premium beauty brand. As the colour cosmetics label under Birla Cosmetics completes a vibrant first year in April 2026, it is entering its second chapter with impressive momentum. The brand has delivered 30 per cent month-on-month growth, expanded thoughtfully into offline and quick-commerce channels, and built a loyal following through a digital-first approach mixed with genuine consumer connections.
Priced between Rs 650 and Rs 1,850, Lovetc focused its debut portfolio on lips and eyes categories. Hero products such as Tint, Talk, Etc Radiant Glow Hydrating Tint (SPF 30 PA++), Pout, Perfect, Etc Matte Bullet Lipstick, and Melt, Miracle, Etc Treatment Oil-Infused Lip Balm quickly won hearts. Early shoppers showed strong purchase intent, with average order values ranging from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,800 and an average of two items per transaction, signalling healthy basket-building and repeat purchases.
The brand made its mark in key metros including Mumbai, NCR, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ludhiana, and Cochin, while Tier-2 cities surprised with robust demand and loyalty. On the distribution side, Lovetc entered 90 offline retail doors in year one and is on track to cross 150 doors by Q2 2026, choosing each outlet carefully to match its premium positioning.
To mark the milestone, Lovetc is stepping into the face category with the launch of Ace, Face, Etc 4K Blur Matte Foundation in eight shades tailored for diverse Indian skin tones. Additional innovations like the multi-purpose The Etc stick and longwear lip tint Love Bites are also in the pipeline.
Tamannaah Bhatia, known for her pan-India appeal across films and her authentic love for beauty, brings cultural relevance and credibility to the brand. Ananya Birla, founder of Birla Cosmetics, said, “Year Two is going to be big. The brief for every new launch remains the same: Does it perform? Is it playful? Is it kind to the person wearing it? Performance, playfulness, and kindness that is the promise we intend to keep. Bringing Tamannaah on board feels especially pertinent because she brings together an authentic love for beauty with a connection that cuts across audiences and geographies.”
Tamannaah Bhatia added, “I have always loved beauty as a form of self-expression, and what drew me to Lovetc is that it feels playful, thoughtful, and modern at the same time. I am excited to be the face of a brand that is creating products with both performance and personality.”
With deliberate growth, quality-focused retail expansion, and a celebrity partner who genuinely connects with beauty lovers nationwide, Lovetc is blending performance with personality in a market hungry for thoughtful premium options. As it steps into year two, the brand is proving that in beauty, the right tint can make everything glow a little brighter. Delhi, Mumbai, or a Tier-2 favourite Lovetc is colouring India’s beauty shelves with confidence and charm.
