Brands
Beverages is the fastest-growing category this year: Kantar Brand Footprint India 2023 Report
Mumbai: Kantar has released the 11th edition of its annual Brand Footprint India report. The report ranks the most chosen (in-home & out-of-home) FMCG Brands based on consumer reach points (CRP’s). CRP considers the actual purchase made by consumers and the frequency at which these purchases are made in a calendar year.
This year’s report splits the most chosen brands across in-home and the newly launched out-of-home (OOH) list for the first time. The OOH list has been introduced keeping in mind the evolution in the behaviour & preferences of the Indian consumer.
Key findings: In-Home segment:
1. With a CRP score of 7449 million, Parle holds the top spot for a record 11th year in a row, followed by Britannia, Amul, Clinic Plus and Tata Consumer Products.
2. Overall, consumer reach points have increased almost 50 per cent in last five years.
3. Four new brands: Balaji, Lux, Sunsilk, Nirma joined the Billion CRP club in 2022. Over the last five years, the number of brands in the billion CRP club has increased from 16 to 28.
4. Beverages is the fastest-growing category this year.
5. More than half of the brands grew in terms of CRP. This number is highest in the Foods & Beverage categories:
6. Dairy brands have low penetration but higher frequency to have more reach points:
Key findings: Out-of-home segment:
1. Britannia leads the way in the inaugural OOH brand rankings with 498Mn CRP’s. It is followed by Haldiram’s, Cadbury, Balaji and Parle. The top five are all snacking brands.
2. The five most chosen OOH beverage brands in India are Frooti, Thums Up, Amul, Maaza, & Sprite.
Speaking about this year’s report and rankings, Kantar MD-South Asia, Worldpanel Division K. Ramakrishnan said, “Consumer choice is the ultimate strength test for a brand and Brand footprint has been a widely acclaimed ranking system to measure this for the past 10 years. As we see over the years, consumers are making increasing trips for purchase and that adds their options and in turn their choice. This is reflected in the constant increase in CRPS we observe. As purchases for out-of-home consumption are on the rise and seem to have different choice triggers, we found it necessary to introduce a ranking specifically for these categories, where there is a significant out-of-home component.”
Brand Footprint Top 10 Most Chosen In-Home FMCG Brands of India in 2022:
Brand Footprint Top 10 Most Chosen OOH FMCG Brands of India in 2022:
Brands
Microsoft faces worst quarter since 2008 financial crisis
Cloud giant battles soaring AI costs and fierce competition from nimble startups.
MUMBAI: When the tech titan starts looking a little wobbly, even the Magnificent Seven can feel the tremors because Microsoft is currently starring in its own sequel, “Clouds and Doubts.” Microsoft is on track for its worst quarterly performance since the 2008 global financial crisis, according to Bloomberg, as investors grow increasingly uneasy about rising capital expenditure and intensifying competition from nimble AI firms. The company has been pouring money into AI infrastructure, yet markets are questioning when these hefty investments will finally deliver stronger revenue growth.
At the same time, investors are shifting away from traditional software stocks amid fears that AI startups such as Anthropic and OpenAI are developing autonomous agents capable of replacing established products, including those from Microsoft. Jonathan Cofsky, portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors, noted growing concern that customers may bypass Microsoft and deal directly with AI vendors, potentially disrupting its core business and putting pressure on pricing and margins.
Microsoft’s stock has tumbled 25 per cent in the first quarter, putting it on course for its largest drop since a 27 per cent fall in the fourth quarter of 2008. It has also emerged as the weakest performer among the so-called Magnificent Seven technology stocks, while a broader index tracking the group has fallen 14 per cent over the same period. The shares slipped a further 1.7 per cent after markets opened on Friday, marking a potential fourth consecutive session of declines.
Cofsky pointed out that Microsoft has become more capital intensive and that improved investor confidence will hinge on assurances that software growth will not slow materially. Despite the sell-off, the stock is now trading at less than 20 times projected earnings over the next 12 months, its lowest valuation level since June 2016. Its valuation remains slightly above that of the S&P 500 Index, although it has recently traded at a discount to the broader benchmark for the first time since 2015.
Bloomberg data shows Microsoft’s capital expenditure, including leases, is expected to surge to $146 billion in fiscal 2026, up around 66 per cent from $88 billion in fiscal 2025. Spending is projected to climb further to $170 billion in fiscal 2027 and $191 billion in fiscal 2028, based on average estimates. Investors are growing cautious about such levels of spending without clearer signs of stronger growth.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud division has reported a slight slowdown in growth compared with the previous quarter, while its Copilot AI product has seen limited user traction, prompting internal changes aimed at improving performance. Ben Reitzes, an analyst at Melius Research, warned in a March note that Microsoft’s upside in Azure could be constrained as the company works to address challenges related to its AI models and Copilot offering, adding that these issues are unlikely to be resolved in the short term.
Of the 67 analysts covering Microsoft, 63 maintain buy ratings, three hold ratings and one a sell rating. The average 12-month price target of $592 implies a potential upside of more than 64 per cent, the highest on record based on data going back to 2009. The stock is also trading below its 200-day moving average by the widest margin since 2009.
Reitzes suggested the dominance of buy ratings may indicate complacency among analysts, while highlighting risks in Microsoft’s productivity and business processes segment as well as its More Personal Computing division. In contrast, Tal Liani of Bank of America reinstated coverage with a buy rating, citing durable multi-year growth prospects across cloud and AI. Jake Seltz, portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments, maintained that Microsoft retains strong long-term value and that its AI strategy is likely to be validated over time, viewing near-term concerns as a potential opportunity for longer-term investors.
The report highlights a growing divergence in market sentiment, with optimism around long-term AI potential weighed against immediate execution risks and investor uncertainty. In the world of big tech, even the mightiest clouds can have silver linings but right now, Microsoft’s investors are scanning the horizon for clearer skies.
