Brands
Social Samosa ‘Gold’ for Zee Yuva
MUMBAI: Zee Yuva creates huge buzz in the industry by winning ‘Gold’ award in Media and Entertainment category by one of India’s top media publishing Site-Social Samosa. Zee Yuva not only surpassed regional channels but also defeated the industry honchos to win the coveted gold. This was only possible due to clear defined strategy of giving importance to digital medium as much as traditional mediums during channel launch. The pre-launch buzz was created by ‘#YuvaMhanje campaign’ which became talk of the state by engaging 8 Lakh+ audiences and boasting 7000+ entries. Release of shows title tracks on social media created interest amongst the audiences to watch the show. Bun Maska, Love Lagna Locha and Freshers title tracks got 2.5L,2L, and 3L views respectively in a matter of just two days.
On the day of launch, i.e. 22nd Aug’16 various digital platforms were targeted which were identified as having the highest number of Marathi Youth audiences. #ZeeYuvaOnAir became No. 1 trending hashtag not only in Maharashtra but in India. The campaign received excellent response on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook; with Twitter itself registering a total of 22 million impressions.
The Awards hosted by ‘Social Samosa’ featured 100+ Nominations in 25+ Categories and were evaluated based on Engagement of the brand on Social media, Jury evaluation and online voting. Carlton D’Silva-CEO & CCO, Hungama Digital Service, Roshan Abbas – Managing Director at Geometry Global Encompass Network and Ashish Bhasin – Jury Chair & Chairman and CEO, South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network were some of the renowned names who were part of the jury.
Zee Yuva has been excelling in the social media space since its inception. Compared to its peers in the media and entertainment space, the numbers for the channel have been beyond impressive when it comes to the rate of fan base growth. In a short span of 8 months, it has created its mark and reached 3 Lac fans on Facebook, 1 Lac fans on Instagram and 5,000 fans on Twitter. Despite the high growth rate in fan base Zee Yuva has constantly maintained highest engagement rate on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This has been only possible because, audience engagement has been one of the pillars that the Zee Yuva focuses on. To achieve this level, the content strategy is adapted by mapping digital audience behavior and creating content customized as per the needs specific target group. Digital Marketing in Zee Yuva is treated as a critical medium to reach to revelent audience and not only as a support system for on-air content.
The channel is set to come up with new initiatives and content with a purpose to serve Maharashtra’s digital audiences and maintain its dominance in Digital space.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
