MAM
Castrol unveils new marketing strategy; ropes in Dravid & Abraham as brand ambassadors
BANGALORE: In a bid to increase their market share and stave off competition from new entrants, India’s largest player in the retail automotive lubricant market, Castrol India (CIL) has planned a new marketing strategy, revealed CIL vice president -marketing Sudhanshu Vats.
Vats spoke to Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press conference for the release of CIL brand ambassador and Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid’s biography The Nice Guy Who finished First by Mumbaikar Devendra Prabhudesai.
The book was unveiled by Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell, who was the chief guest.
Vats elaborated on the initiatives by his company. Firstly, CIL re-launched the Castrol master brand with a new thought and logo ‘Its not just oil, it’s liquid engineering.’
Next, they’ve simplified product brand architecture – migrated their 15-16 sub-brands under five categories: (a) Consumer trucks- this cover fleets, transportation, buses, tractors, LCV’s. (b) Passenger cars (c) Motor cycles (d) Heavy Duty – this is a B2B category that caters to fleet owners, off-highway vehicles such as JCB, Komastu, Caterpillar, building construction, state transport undertakings, and (e) OEM franchisee workshops.
Thirdly, along with Dravid who has been Castrol brand ambassador for the last six years; bike enthusiast, youth icon and cine star John Abraham is the new brand ambassador for their motorcycle oil.
Also, CIL has started strengthening partnerships with vehicle manufacturers, OEMs’. This includes their recently renewed partnership for five years with Tata Motors. Other OEMs’ with whom they have a tie-up include Mahindra & Mahindra and Maruti.
CIL has also taken the entire Liquid Engineering concept to the consumers through road shows, above and below the line activities, dealer meets, etc. The company has also tied up with Reliance and Essar for selling CIL lubricants at their retail fuel stations.
Castrol has increased its market share over the last two to three years from 26 per cent to 30 per cent of the Rs 70 billion retail automotive lubricant market through a 40,000 dealer network and indirectly through 80,000 dealers of the 110,000 retail automotive lubricant dealers in India.
The company spends around Rs 1.5 billion annually for product promotion activities that include print and other media ads, TVCs’, above and below the line ground activities. Oglivy & Mather handles the creative business, while MindShare handles the media.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
