MAM
‘Indian Idol’ campaign reaches last leg
MUMBAI: The clash of the titans has reached to its final lap. Adrenaline levels are high among the two finalists (with Rahul Vaidya being voted out in the 18 February episode) and also among viewers. Indian Idol on Sony is all set to reach its climax and with that the channel is leaving no stones unturned to make a splash across the media to capture viewer attention.
The campaign with the tag line of Sab Kuch Bhula De is now urging viewers to vote for the first Indian Idol. A 360 degree marketing campaign, which includes print, radio, cable, television, online, outdoors, direct marketing and consumers connect activities has been an integral part of the show. Inflatable sky balloons, walking inflatables, bus-backs, backlit balloons are some of the innovative tools being utilised to fuel the buzz.
The last phase of the Indian Idol advertising campaign has the three finalists’ on-their-mark on a piano key board. Now with Vaidya out, his picture on the hoarding will have the sticker – “Voted Out.” The tag line on the hoarding ‘Kaun Hoga Aapka Indian Idol?’ will change to ‘Abhijeet ya Amit? Kaun Hoga Aapka Indian Idol?’ The ad has been conceptualsied by Euro RSCG under the stewardship of creative director Ashok Karnik and the photographs have been shot by Atul Kasbekar. The final campaign will be rolled out in key cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Ahemdabad, Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur.
Commenting on the campaign, SET vice president marketing and communications Tushar Shah says, “The current campaign of Indian Idol signifies and embodies the spirit of competition. A competitive spirit that is so prevalent in sports worldwide. The idea of this campaign is to showcase this spirit in the run up to the finale of the Indian Idol competition.”
To create a further buzz, the two finalists will be doing rounds of Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad in a typical election campaign trail from 27 February to 1 March.
Sony partnered with various media and non-media vehicles like Nokia, Planet M and Cafe Coffee Day, Aaj Tak and Radio Mirchi to build in extreme interactivity and engagement for the show. The channel also tied up with FMCG major Proctor & Gamble (P&G) for a unique promotion campaign for Indian Idol. The aim was to get people to buy a bottle of Rejoice shampoo, watch Indian Idol and win passes to the Galas. This was done keeping in mind the three-fold agenda of enhancing the association of Rejoice with Indian Idol, induce purchase and at the same time drive viewership for Indian Idol and have ground presence.
The consumer had to buy Rejoice; the bottle would have a sticker that said SMS Rejoice to 2525 to win fabulous prizes. On sending an SMS, the consumer would get a question on Indian Idol with three answer options. All the correct entries were put in for a lucky draw. A hundred lucky winners over four weeks got passes for the Gala’s to watch the live performance of the Indian Idol finalists on the sets.
The activity was carried across Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata in a total of 70,000 outlets. The promotions for the same started from 28 January wherein highly visible posters and danglers along with on-air contest promos were kicked off.
Viral marketing has always been a favourite with Sony… remember Jassi’s launch? This time round too, the channel churned out unconventional ways to create an on-ground buzz for the show. Street singers, branded auto-rickshaws equipped with microphones and fanfare, Idol march, human billboards, over 200,000 post it’s were stuck on vehicles at high traffic areas in Mumbai and Delhi, crank calls were made to key clients and media planners asking them to watch Indian Idol in an unobtrusive, sporting manner!
Apart from that, the Indian Idol website – www.indianidolonset.com – has been abuzz with activity providing people with streaming video footage, photographs, the on-stage drama, backstage gossip, previews, opinion polls, contestants’ profiles etc.
It’s a matter of a couple of weeks now before the first ever Indian Idol is chosen and the excitement coupled with apprehension among the final two has reached the nail biting stage. The question on everyone’s lips will be – ‘Abhijeet ya Amit? Kaun Hoga Indian Idol?’
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
