MAM
O&M conceptualises Max New York Life’s new ad campaign
MUMBAI: Max New York Life is launching a new brand campaign ‘Aapke Sachche Advisor’.
Created and conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather, the campaign has been crafted to take the industry issue and concern of mis-selling head on and focus on Max New York Life’s brand promise for the organisation’s quality of advice and need- based selling.
The campaign will roll out on 14 April.
Max New York Life Insurance director and CMO Anisha Motwani said, “This campaign has been designed to extend itself beyond promoting life insurance policies and products and begin establishing trust with the consumers by educating them on how to identify a customer centric company and evaluate the correct selling behaviour of the agent keeping in mind the needs of the consumer.”
The first leg of the campaign launches with the TVC that features a ‘sachcha advisor’ who highlights need-based sales process for its customers and believes in providing right advice. This agent is constantly being lured by another character, ‘the bad agent’, in the film to give wrong advice to make the sale. However, the ‘sachcha advisor’ sticks to his ethics and provides the right advice to his potential customer.
The company is adopting a 360 degree brand campaign to establish itself as the most trusted player in the industry through its quality of advice and fair treatment with the customers. It is deploying digital and social media platforms, as well as outdoor marketing. As a part of BTL activity, the campaign would be organising ‘nukkad nataks’ or street plays to spread the message of right advice. The street plays will initiate in tier I cities and spread to tier II cities in the later stages.
Brands
Kwality Wall’s reports standalone losses following strategic HUL demerger
Ice cream major faces Rs 64 crore Ebitda loss amid commodity inflation and muted Q3 sales
MUMBAI: Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL) has released its first set of financial results as a standalone entity, revealing a challenging start to its independent journey. Following its successful demerger from Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on 1st December 2025 and its subsequent listing on 16th February 2026, the company is navigating a transition period marked by structural changes and high input costs.
For the quarter ended 31st December 2025, the company reported revenue of Rs 222 crores. Despite the revenue base, the bottom line was impacted by several factors, resulting in an Ebitda loss of Rs 64.2 crores. When calculated on a Pre-IND AS 116 basis, the Ebitda loss stood at Rs 83.8 crores.
Organic Sales Growth (OSG) declined by 6.5 per cent year-on-year during the quarter. Volume growth, however, saw a marginal increase of 1.2 per cent. The company reported a gross margin of 41.5 per cent. Additionally, exceptional expenses amounting to Rs 94 crores were recorded, primarily linked to non-recurring costs during the transition phase.
Performance across portfolios and channels was mixed. Within the impulse portfolio, brands such as Magnum and Cornetto recorded mid-single digit volume growth, indicating steady demand in on-the-go consumption. However, the in-home portfolio, which includes take-home packs, experienced muted consumption. The company is planning a relaunch of this category with improved offerings ahead of the 2026 season.
Quick commerce (Q-Com) continued to emerge as a strong growth driver, delivering robust double-digit growth during the quarter. Meanwhile, the company also expanded its physical distribution network by increasing the number of company-owned cabinets across markets.
Margin pressure during the quarter was driven by a combination of one-off factors and broader cost inflation. Gross margins were impacted by around 600 basis points due to trade investments made for stock liquidation. Additionally, cocoa price inflation contributed to another 400 basis points of pressure on margins.
Deputy managing director Chitrank Goel attributed the muted performance partly to prolonged monsoons and transitional challenges linked to the GST framework. Operating expenses also increased as the company invested in establishing its standalone supply chain, operational systems and corporate infrastructure following the demerger.
Looking ahead, the management remains focused on a volume-driven growth strategy. To restore profitability, the company has initiated a cost productivity programme aimed at reducing non-consumer-facing costs. It is also working on building regional manufacturing networks to optimise logistics expenses and improve operational efficiency.
The commodity outlook for the near term remains mixed. Dairy prices are expected to remain firm due to tight supply conditions and rising fodder costs. Sugar prices may also move higher following increases in the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). While cocoa prices have moderated recently, currency depreciation has offset some of the potential cost relief for the company.
