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How Mudra helped build Itchguard from scratch
Launching Itchguard, a cream which provided relief from ‘itching’ proved to be a challenge for Mudra as they were required to promote the product in an interesting manner which was not distasteful and yet position it as a specialist medicine which brought instant relief from sweat-itch…
It was a ticklish task that Mudra faced in the summer of 1998 when Paras approached it with its new product – Itchguard. The thorny issue of itching caused by sweat retention, moisture in the folds of the skin, tight garments, warmth and friction had thus far been tackled with traditional relief providers like talcs and prickly heat powders. The agency was faced with the mammoth task of educating people about the fact that Itchguard was a specialist cream for relieving the problem of sweat – itch and proving its superiority over other contenders.
Based on the consumer insight that respectable people do not scratch in the presence of others, the agency launched a series of commercials which targeted sweat itch experienced by men in the groin area and in the waist area by women. The agency also developed a cactus-like character Itchy, to represent the feeling of itchiness. These commercials which highlighted the suffering endured in a situation where it was not possible to resort to scratching, were successful in encouraging the consumers to try the product. Eventually the product proved its dominance and surpassed other remedies like Nycil, B-Tex and Sapat, claims Mudra.
However, the Qualitative Research Study undertaken by the agency in 2000 revealed that sweat itch was being perceived as a serious problem, thus leading to the usage of the product by serious sufferers only. Thus the new challenge before the agency was to broaden the user base of Itchguard by making the brand relevant to the non-serious sufferers of sweat itch as well. The agency launched a series of new commercials to prevent the cream from getting slotted as a ‘groin only brand’ but as a cream effective for any kind of itch.
The strategy worked and led to Itchguard reigning supreme in the category of ‘itch creams’.
Mudra claims that Itchguard is today the second largest brand in the anti-fungal OTC category, with 25 per cent market share and is growing at the rate of 50 per cent per annum in an otherwise declining anti-fungal category.
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Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
