Brands
Narayana Health’s World Heart Day campaign turns ketchup sachets into health nudges
MUMBAI: Indians love their snacks and they love them with ketchup. This World Heart Day, Narayana Health took that everyday condiment and turned it into a reminder for better heart health.
The healthcare provider launched a pan-India guerrilla marketing campaign titled “check-up sachets”, replacing ordinary ketchup packets with branded versions carrying a hidden message: “Cravings may come suddenly. Heart troubles don’t.” A QR code inside the sachet linked to Narayana Health’s preventive check-up booking page, turning a quick snack into an opportunity for reflection on heart health.
The back of each sachet listed the “real ingredients for a healthy heart”: physical activity, good sleep, balanced diet, fiber and good fats, hydration, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, stress control, and regular check-ups. Distributed across popular food stalls and cafés in major Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, the campaign created buzz, sparking conversations while meeting people in everyday, relatable moments.
Heart health is a growing concern in India, with lifestyle-related conditions such as high blood pressure, poor diet, and stress contributing to a rise in cardiovascular issues, especially among people in their 30s and 40s. The “check-up sachets” campaign reminds people that timely check-ups and small, consistent lifestyle changes can make a big difference.
Narayana Health group chief marketing officer Ashish Bajaj said, “Great ideas don’t always need billboards. Sometimes, they fit inside a ketchup sachet. If this campaign makes someone pause, smile, and think about their heart, then we’ve succeeded.”
Country head – brand & marketing Abhishek Misra added, “The brilliance of ‘check-up sachets’ lies in its simplicity. By turning ketchup into ‘check-up,’ we’ve made preventive healthcare part of daily life. After all, if we never forget to add ketchup to our samosas or rolls, why forget a heart check-up?”
By combining a universally loved snack with a simple, playful message, Narayana Health’s campaign proves that even the smallest packaging can deliver a message that sticks and may just nudge people toward a healthier heart.
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.
