Brands
Gillette India q-o-q ad spend up 28 per cent in Q4-2014; PAT down 23 per cent
BENGALURU: Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Limited (P&G) subsidiary Gillette India Limited (Gillette) advertising and sales promotion spend (Ad & SP)in Q4-2014 at Rs 123.84 crore (27.19 per cent of Total Income from Operations of Op Rev) was 27.8 per cent more than the Rs 96.9 crore (22.69 per cent of Op Rev) in the immediate trailing quarter and a whopping 85.92 per cent more than the Rs 66.61 crore (18.66 per cent of Op Rev) during last year’s quarter Q4-2014.
Note: Gillette’s financial year ends on 30 June. However, in keeping with convention in India, its June ended quarter has been termed as Q1 (instead of Q4 of the previous year), Its September ended quarter has been termed as Q2 (instead of Q1 of Gillette India’s new fiscal), the December ending quarter has been indicated as Q3 (instead of Q2 of Gillette’s fiscal), and the March ended quarter as Q4 (instead of Q3 of Gillette’s fiscal) in this article and figures/graphs.
Gillette’s ad & SP trends upwards both in terms of absolute rupee value as well as percentage of Op Rev across nine quarters starting Q4-2012 until Q4-2014. Please refer to Fig 1 below for Gillette’s Ad & SP Exp. Over 4 quarters starting Q1-204 to Q4-2014, Gillette’s ad & SP Exp was Rs 387.90 crore or 23.34 per cent of Op Rev.
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Gillette’s PAT has nose-dived (-23.19) per cent to Rs 8.48 crore (1.86 per cent of Op Rev) in Q4-2014 from Rs 11.04 crore (2.59 per cent of Op Rev) in the immediate trailing quarter Q3-2014 and was less than a third (down by -68.78 per cent) of the Rs 27.16 crore (7.16 per cent of Op Rev) of the year ago quarter Q4-2013. Overall, during the nine quarters under consideration, Gillette’s PAT has shown a falling trend in terms of absolute rupee value as well as in terms of percentage of Op Rev. The company’s PAT over four quarters starting Q1-2014 until Q4-2014 was Rs 51.13 crore or 3.08 per cent of Op Rev.
The company’s Op Rev shows an upward trend. During Q4-2014, Op Rev at Rs 455.50 crore was 6.68 per cent more than the Rs 426.97 crore in Q3-2014 and 27.62 per cent more than the Rs 356.92 crore in Q4-2013. During the last four quarters starting Q1-2014 until Q4-2014, Gillette’s Op Rev was Rs 1662.13 crore. Please refer to Fig 2 below.
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Three segments contribute to the company’s income from operations – grooming, portable power and oral care. Grooming segment includes blades, razors and toiletries, portable power includes batteries and oral care includes toothbrushes, toothpaste and oral care products. Gillette India’s products are sold under the brand Gillette with sub-brands like Fusion and Mach 3. Gillette India caters to men’s personal care products such as razors, blades, shaving creams, gels, men’s skincare products, among others in India.
Brands
Havas reports solid Q1 2026 with 2.5 per cent organic net revenue growth
Advertising group maintains positive momentum and confirms full-year guidance.
MUMBAI: Havas has started 2026 on a strong note proving that even in uncertain times, its converged model continues to deliver. The global advertising and communications group reported net revenue of €638 million for the first quarter of 2026, representing organic growth of +2.5 per cent compared to the same period last year. This performance was driven particularly by a robust +7.4 per cent organic growth in the United States.
Total revenue for the quarter reached €667 million, with organic growth of +2.8 per cent. Recent acquisitions contributed a positive scope impact of +1.7 per cent, while foreign exchange movements had a negative impact of -5.8 per cent, mainly due to the US dollar and British pound.
Europe, which accounts for 50 per cent of net revenue, delivered +1.1 per cent organic growth, supported by a good performance in France. North America (36 per cent of net revenue) led the way with +7.4 per cent growth, thanks to strong contributions from both Havas Creative and Havas Media. APAC & Africa (8 per cent) saw a decline of -6.2 per cent, while Latin America (6 per cent) remained nearly stable at -0.6 per cent.
Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré said, “Havas has started 2026 on a solid footing, continuing its momentum and delivering organic growth in net revenue of +2.5 per cent. This performance, in line with our full-year 2026 guidance, was driven in particular by continued strength in the US.”
The group also continued its bolt-on acquisition strategy, acquiring majority stakes in four agencies during the quarter: Acento Public Affairs (Spain), Ctrl Digital (Sweden), Styleheads (Germany), and Eyesight (France).
Havas maintained its strong creative reputation, ranking as a top holding company in the WARC Creative 100 for the sixth consecutive year, with three agencies BETC, Havas Paris, and Havas India placing in the Top 50.
Looking ahead, Havas confirmed its 2026 guidance: organic net revenue growth between +2.0 per cent and +3.0 per cent, adjusted EBIT margin between 13.2 per cent and 13.5 per cent, and a dividend payout ratio of around 40 per cent. The group also reiterated its medium-term targets for 2028.
Despite ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, Havas enters the rest of the year with solid fundamentals and confidence in its ability to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.
In a challenging environment, Havas is proving that its integrated, client-centric model remains resilient delivering steady growth while continuing to invest in creativity and innovation. The first quarter results suggest the group is well-positioned to navigate the year ahead with confidence.
