Brands
BARC week 29: Surf Excel becomes the top advertiser
NEW DELHI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India has released its data for top advertisers and brands for the period between 18 July to 24 July 2020.
The data reflects the top 10 advertisers and brands across genres on India television, 2+ Individuals, NCCS All demonstrating ads that were inserted the most in the 29th week of 2020.
Top advertisers:
Hindustan Unilever continued to be the biggest advertiser in the month of July. This week it has got 283326 impressions, as compared to 266697 last week. It was followed by Reckitt Benckiser which ranked second with 131750 ad insertions.
Godrej Consumers Products bagged the third spot with 39611 insertions. ITC Ltd and Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd secured the fourth and fifth place with 39536 and 39433 ad insertions respectively.
Colgate Palmolive India after many weeks bagged the sixth spot for the first time with 33942 ad insertions.
Other top brands in the pecking order were as follows: Procter & Gamble, Cadbury India, Ponds India, and Procter & Gamble home products.
| Rank | Advertiser | Insertions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 29 | ||||
| 1 | HINDUSTAN LEVER LTD | 283326 | ||
| 2 | RECKITT BENCKISER (INDIA) LTD | 131750 | ||
| 3 | GODREJ CONSUMER PRODUCTS LTD | 39611 | ||
| 4 | ITC LTD | 39536 | ||
| 5 | BROOKE BOND LIPTON INDIA LTD | 39433 | ||
| 6 | COLGATE PALMOLIVE INDIA LTD | 33942 | ||
| 7 | PROCTER & GAMBLE | 30641 | ||
| 8 | CADBURYS INDIA LTD | 27660 | ||
| 9 | PONDS INDIA | 22637 | ||
| 10 | PROCTER & GAMBLE HOME PRODUCTS | 20200 | ||
| TOP 10 Advertiser *Across Genre : All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals, To get this data on your Twitter timeline, tweet with #BarcTweet Top 10 Advertisers | ||||
Top Brands-
Surf Excel for the first time in this month became the top brand this week with 19338 ad insertions. Dettol Antiseptic Liquid which bagged the first spot last week, this time came in the second position with 18342 ad insertions. Lux Toilet Soap reached the third spot, like last week, with 15830 ad impressions.
The fourth and the fifth spots were acquired by Wheel Active 2 in 1 Dettol Toilet Soaps with 14876 and 14043. The sixth position was grabbed by Dettol Liquid Soaps with 13781 ad generations.
Other top brands in the pecking order were as follows: Tease TVS Motor, Colgate Swarna Vedshakti, Horlicks and Fair & Lovely Multivitamin.
| Rank | Brands | Insertions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 29 | ||||
| 1 | SURF EXCEL EASY WASH | 19338 | ||
| 2 | DETTOL ANTISEPTIC LIQUID | 18342 | ||
| 3 | LUX TOILET SOAP | 15830 | ||
| 4 | WHEEL ACTIVE 2 IN 1 | 14876 | ||
| 5 | DETTOL TOILET SOAPS | 14043 | ||
| 6 | DETTOL LIQUID SOAP | 13781 | ||
| 7 | TEASER-TVS MOTOR | 12405 | ||
| 8 | COLGATE SWARNA VEDSHAKTI | 11606 | ||
| 9 | HORLICKS | 10944 | ||
| 10 | FAIR & LOVELY ADVANCED MULTIVITAMIN | 10058 | ||
| TOP 10 Brands *Across Genre : All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals, To get this data on your Twitter timeline, tweet with #BarcTweet Top 10 Brands | ||||
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Brands
Lotus Chocolate FY26 profit drops sharply, Q4 slips into loss
Revenue steady at Rs 579.55 crore, Q4 loss at Rs 4.47 crore
MUMBAI: Sweet on the top line, slightly bitter on the bottom Lotus Chocolate’s FY26 numbers tell a story that’s more dark cocoa than milk. The company managed to hold its revenue steady for the year, but profitability took a visible hit, capped by a loss-making fourth quarter. Lotus Chocolate Company Limited reported revenue from operations of Rs 579.55 crore for the year ended March 31, 2026, marginally up from Rs 573.75 crore in FY25. Total income rose to Rs 615.61 crore, compared with Rs 574.56 crore in the previous year, supported by a sharp jump in other income to Rs 36.06 crore from just Rs 0.81 crore.
However, the gains at the top did little to cushion profitability. Net profit for FY26 fell dramatically to Rs 0.10 crore, down from Rs 17.23 crore in FY25, reflecting significant cost pressures across the business.
The March quarter proved particularly challenging. The company reported a net loss of Rs 4.47 crore in Q4 FY26, compared with a profit of Rs 0.14 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 1.42 crore in the same quarter last year. Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 138.01 crore, down from Rs 150.21 crore in Q3 FY26 and Rs 157.52 crore in Q4 FY25.
Expenses remained elevated throughout the year. Total expenses rose to Rs 614.44 crore in FY26 from Rs 551.50 crore in FY25, eating into margins. A key swing factor was the cost of materials consumed, which stood at Rs 304.44 crore, while changes in inventories also reflected volatility, with a negative impact of Rs 62.44 crore in the previous year reversing to a positive Rs 52.93 crore this year.
Employee benefit expenses nearly doubled to Rs 34.00 crore from Rs 17.98 crore, while finance costs surged to Rs 16.31 crore from Rs 7.11 crore, indicating higher borrowing and funding costs. Depreciation and amortisation expenses also increased to Rs 3.92 crore from Rs 1.81 crore, reflecting ongoing investments.
On the balance sheet front, total assets stood at Rs 275.96 crore as of March 31, 2026, slightly higher than Rs 270.34 crore a year earlier. Borrowings remained significant, with current borrowings at Rs 89.00 crore, highlighting continued reliance on external funding.
Cash flow dynamics showed improvement in operations, with net cash generated from operating activities at Rs 93.23 crore, compared with a negative Rs 129.60 crore in FY25. However, financing outflows remained high at Rs 74.90 crore, driven largely by repayment of borrowings and interest costs.
Despite stable revenue, the sharp drop in profitability underscores the pressure of rising input costs, higher finance expenses and operational adjustments. The contrast between steady sales and squeezed margins leaves Lotus Chocolate at a crossroads proving that in business, as in confectionery, the real test isn’t just in the sweetness of sales, but in the richness of returns.
