MAM
Nivea takes humorous route to address winter odour
MUMBAI: The problem of body odour is usually associated with the hot and sweaty months of summer but people are surprised that body odour can strike even if it’s cold outside.
In a cluttered deodorants category where all brands talk about superficial fragrances, Nivea is trying to create year-long relevance for the category by driving usage of roll-on deodorants in winters to solve the problem of body odour at its source – the sweat under the sweater.
The campaign consists of four films that end with a funny twist, triggered by the sudden realisation of the protagonist’s ‘winter odour’. From an everyday cab ride to a reunion party, the films are inspired by all those incidences where body odour tends to make its presence felt.
Nivea India marketing director Sachin Killawala says, “There is a belief that people sweat only in summers and not so much in winters. Our research shows that this is not true. People wear multiple layers of clothing in winters such as warm inner wear sweaters, jackets etc. due to which they actually sweat quite heavily and that leads to body odour formation. The roll-on campaign is targeted to make the consumers aware of this winter odour caused by the sweat under the sweater.”
The task with this campaign was two-fold. First, make the audience aware of body odour in winters while also trying to create a single campaign that reached out to both male and female audiences. The key observation that led to the campaign was that body odour tends to be most obvious when one takes off their sweater or jacket. This helped in identifying situations where people were naturally inclined to take off their sweaters, and each film was crafted to bring out this ‘moment of truth’ in a fun way. Keeping in mind the sensibilities of both men and women, humour was the best way to tackle this.
DigitasLBi India head of creative for Mumbai Mark Mcdonald adds, “Advertising a deodorant in winter is a first-of-its-kind communication for the category and for Nivea deodorants. Given that we are aiming to establish a phenomenon that most don’t think about, we chose to keep the creatives simple yet fun. The situations used were everyday life situations that our TG can relate to, with a funny twist at the end that highlights the problem of body odour, even in winter. The films are done as a series – one winter day – giving us the opportunity to tackle multiple situations where body odour can strike.”
The slogan – #EndWinterOdour – serves dual purposes, creating awareness for the problem and giving it the scale of a movement spearheaded by Nivea. The films will be followed by a digital amplification plan.
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.
