iWorld
Multi-screen marketing drive to pick-up in 2014
BENGALURU: Video budgets will continue to shift from TV to multi-screen in 2014 predicts a Millward Brown report. Millward Brown helps clients grow strong brands.
Authored by Millward Brown experts from around the world, the report identifies the need for marketers to better understand consumer behaviour across devices and adjust their investment accordingly as the primary challenge for 2014.
“In 2014, we’ll see more marketers seeking to generate interaction between screens via interesting approaches such as TV ads with hashtags. However, the most successful marketers will build a cohesive, clear and consistent presence across screens and closely align advertising expenditure with the time their audience spends on each device,” said Duncan Southgate Global Brand Director for Digital, Millward Brown
Marketers will need more in-depth audience planning insights into when, where and how different consumers are using different devices in a year when content will simply be viewed on the most convenient screen. They will also need research tools that assess communications effectiveness across screens and help them understand the roles of different screens in the path to purchase.
Clarity and consistency of messaging across all devices and new marketing opportunities will be critical to success. With Millward Brown eye-tracking data for digital display ads suggesting that just one appealing visual is enough to attract attention and consumers focusing on a range of stimuli in quick succession, brands that adopt a more minimalist and to-the-point approach will achieve greater engagement.
Millward Brown anticipates significant changes in the media landscape around the world such as: (1) Video budgets will continue to shift from TV to multi-screen; (2) Mobile media spend will rise dramatically, especially among youth-targeted brands; (3) Brands will create more mobile-friendly and readily shareable content and many will experiment with micro-video platforms such as Vine; (4) The rise of screens in all aspects of our lives will encourage many marketers to attempt genuine marketing firsts via creative uses of digital outdoor or via the new possibilities presented by wearable screens such as smart watches and Google Glass.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
