MAM
Medimix forays into handwash category
NEW DELHI: Handwash brands have been making a merry this year as the Covid2019 induced pandemic has increased the health and hygiene concerns for the people. They are following the handwash protocols strictly than ever and this has increased the need for the handwash and soaps in the market.
Starting March 2020, when PM Modi announced the first lockdown in the country, several big and small brands have forayed into this category. The market, since then, has widened, become competitive and so has the distribution expanded with it.
Amid this, Medimix, a leading player in the soap category, has unveiled a new campaign marking its foray into the handwash category with the launch of its new product Medimix Ayurvedic handwash.
The campaign captures the current situation where the pandemic has put personal hygiene and care in the spotlight and along with it the benefits of using natural products.
The film focuses on the product's proposition of protection and care. The campaign rides on insight that while India is washing hands more often than ever, they tend to do so with harsh chemical based washes, which end up harming the quality of their hand skin in the long run.
The TVC highlights how the Medimix handwash not only protects hands against germs, but also plays the role of ‘healer’, by nourishing the skin as well. The campaign is supported by digital media.
Leo Burnett India national creative director Sachin Kamble said, “Leveraging Medimix’s heritage, its Ayurvedic handwash brings the trusted solution of natural ingredients which protects the skin against germs and any kind of damage. Our campaign brings this message forth with a simple but impactful film.”
Cholayil head of marketing Ashish Ohlyan said, “Being one of the biggest Ayurvedic personal care brands worldwide, we wanted to offer a handwash which doesn’t have to rely on harmful chemicals for germ protection. The task was to communicate this differentiation in this hyper active category in a simple but convincing manner. We feel that the new campaign is doing that just right by clearly highlighting the product benefits.”
Media reports say that the personal wash care market in India has been pegged at Rs 18,400 crore, largely dominated by soaps and the market estimate for handwashing soaps stands at Rs 8,000 crore.
Cholayil has a big portfolio – Medimix, Cuticura, Krishna Thulasi, Sadayush, Dr Sidhan’s. They have always had a strong presence in soap and bathing bars and this is the first time they are getting into the hand wash category.
Medimix has always been a big advertiser and been present on different platforms.
MAM
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.
