MAM
Slice welcomes mango season with new TVC
MUMBAI: PepsiCo’s mango drink, Slice, is all set to unveil its campaign featuring brand ambassador Katrina Kaif. The campaign will adopt the tagline ‘Ab Ras Barsega’ (‘Now the juice will flow’).
The campaign has been created by JWT Delhi and the TVC has been produced by Nirvana Films. It centres around the insight that mango the fruit has a special place in the quintessential Indian household.
The fruit is related to many things like indulgence and auspiciousness. Slice has captured the emotions and the passion Indians have for the fruit in its new ad film in a uniquely Indian way to welcome the onset of the mango season.
The latest commercial is a new chapter in the ‘Aamsutra’ series and it communicates the fact that there is an abundance of mangoes in every bottle of Slice. The commercial is set in a haveli (palatial mansion) with Kaif who has her rasiya (beloved) in mind. She is seen running through the corridors and the courtyard towards the fruit-laden mango tree by the river. The lyrics of the qawwali plays in the background highlight her wait coming to an end, where she celebrates by playing Ras Ki Holi – a metaphor for her uninhibited expression of joy.
PepsiCo India category director – colas, hydration and mango based beverages Homi Battiwalla said, “Our new campaign, Ab Ras Barsega captures the essence of Slice and its deep relationship with the mango fruit in India. With a distinct Indian look, mesmerizing background score and engaging narration; we have attempted to create a unique, playful yet sensuous mood, which we are confident will be appreciated by mango fans. We look forward to another exciting summer season and maintain the strong growth momentum in the juice and juice based drinks category.”
JWT NCD Swati Bhattacharya said, “The mango has always been a tyrannical lover. A lover that makes us wait for ten months for those two months of fulfillment and leaves immediately after. Slice is man‘s sweet revenge on the mango. And this film is a celebration of the same. The wait, over. The tables, turned. The indulgence, flowing like never before.”
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.
