MAM
Tata Safari Dicor to use Kartikeyan for on ground promotions
MUMBAI: ‘Reclaim your life’! That is the tagline of Tata Safari Dicor, a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the premium range from the the Tata Motors stable.
In a major promotional drive, Tata will use the services of its brand ambassador and FI driver Narain Kartikeyan. He will travel to the different cities where launch events are taking place and also visit key dealership outlets. The company is fortunate in that he has some free time on his hands at present, having recently participated in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
At a launch event in Mumbai last night, Kartikeyan said, ” I have a long standing association with Tata Motors. The Tata Safari brand is particularly close to my heart. This new car symbolises life in the fast lane and I am confident that consumers will have an enjoyable driving experience.”
Though used for on ground promotions, Kartikeyan will not feature in any of the TVCs. “Some brands that get very closely involved with their brand ambassador run the risk of the focus shifting from the product to the personality. This is why we have decided not to use him in the TVCs,” says a company executive.
In the past to create on ground awareness, Tata Motors has been involved with events like Golf tourneys. Around 15 Tata Safaris had also featured in the Asean Car Rally which covered 11 countries.
The print and outdoor campaigns for Tata Safari Dicor have kicked off. The television ads will break next week. The basic aim of the campaign, which is largely targetted at the metro market, will be to highlight the features of the car. Targetted at the working professional, the brand message is that the car enables users to get out there and reclaim lost ground, no matter how busy one is.
O&M is the creative agency for Tata Motors.The work highlights the fact that the new car has more power for its size, compared with the earlier products.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, a company official says that in order to create awareness among the affluent crowd test drives will be organised for dignitaries, corporates and well-heeled prominent individuals in society
The focus of the promotional campaign, though, will be on highlighting the features of the SUV. The new look Safari Dicor sports a chrome plated front grill, large 16-inch alloy wheel rims and stylish bumpers with integrated fog lamps and crystal clear lights. An aesthetically designed centre console, a new instrument panel, customised driver seat with height adjustment and lumbar support, leather upholstery, leather wrapped steering wheel and a stylish gear lever knob complement the interiors of the car.
The unique reverse guide system facilitates rear visibility while reversing the vehicle. The car offers a host of luxury and comfort features like the Blaunpunkt DVD/MP3 player with dual LCD screens and a mobile/laptop port for rear passengers. It also goes to great lengths to ensure convenience of the occupants through thoughtful features like a puddle lamp on the door, which
lights up the ground beneath the doors at night to help in avoiding puddles.
On the technology and safety front, the Safari DICOR comes with a host of technologically advanced safety features including Anti-submarine seats, Anti Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), 3-stage collapsible steering column, front airbags for both the driver and co-driver and demisters on the rear windscreen and side view mirrors. Strategically located crumple zones and side impact bars enhance protection during a collision.
Available in seven colours (Light Gold, Arizona Blue, Quartz Black, Arctic Silver, Passion Red, Arctic White and River Rock green), the
Safari Dicor is available through 131 dealerships across the country. With over 500 service outlets across 200 plus cities, Tata Motors claims to offer the second largest service network in the industry.
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.
