MxMIndia

Tag: Colgate

  • Ranjona Banerji will write about a grouse. Either spewing venom or tongue-in-cheek

    Ranjona Banerji: I also hate the chip chip!

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    I’m taking off from next week and staying with the advertising industry since it is also “news” as some Indian media organisations have told us for years. Also, you cannot escape advertising if you watch the news or read newspapers and magazine. After careful consideration and consultation with others, it is clear that Priyanka Chopra’s “chip chip” ad for Garnier remains the most annoying on television. It comes on so often and with such clever cross-channel planning that you are forced to watch it unless you jump up and run every five minutes. By this time, the sun, the dog, the grass have all started looking extremely embarrassed at being made party to the ill-matched song and dance routine.

     

    But close to this one are those with annoying children like the rude boy in the McCain’s ad. I don’t see why he deserves to be treated with various kinds of fried potatoes. He should stay in his room downloading food while his family has fun without him. Next is the little girl in the Cadbury’s ad who is smiled on indulgently/ protected for not wanting to share her chocolate. (I am far more generous. If anyone gives me a chocolate product made by Cadbury’s I promptly give it away.)

     

    Today’s newspapers say that table manners are becoming a thing of the past. The advertising industry has long known this which is why it is particularly fond of promoting messy eating. People who eat Cadbury chocolates not only give each other long and profound looks while discussing vegetables they don’t want to eat, they also manage to get half the bar of the chocolate they’re eating all over their faces. This is an Indian rule I think and also applies to eating ice-cream. To save money, these ads should be joint ventures with washing machine/washing powder companies and maybe even whatever Garnier is selling in that “chip chip” ad.

     

    Then there are irritating mothers – based on the general feeling that the advertising industry specialises in mothers you want to murder. The Kellogg’s mother, who does something as amazingly innovative (sarcasm emoticon please) as putting almonds on top of a bowl of cornflakes, wins the current round of MYWM. If Kellogg’s only sold their variety of cornflakes with almonds in it in India, she wouldn’t have to be quite so smugly clever.

     

    An award has to be given to both Rahul Bose and Mahesh Bhupathi for agreeing to tell us that their mouths are full of germs. This is courage extraordinary. Also, for the ungrammatical manner in which they both say: “and much less germs”. Since both speak very good English the rest of the time, one assumes (or hopes) that Colgate paid them a lot of money.

     

    Vodafone’s attempt to make old men cuddly and lovable after Tata Docomo’s portrayal of them as curmudgeonly and crotchety should win an anti-ageism award at one of the next 1,000 award ceremonies the advertising industry seems to organise. At which, the best actress award has to go to Anushka Sharma for not only being convincing in selling cameras, internet services, scooters and so on but also for beating Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and all the rest of the stalwarts for successful grabbing of TV time.

     

    Currently, there are several ads for a film called Cocktail starring, I think, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. I saw a film called Cocktail once. It had Tom Cruise in it. Any relation?

     

     

     

  • Presenting AdEx data for TV, Print & Radio in Apr 2011-Mar 2012, courtesy TAM Media Research

    AdEx 2011-12: Print grows 14%, TV 11%, Radio 0%

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    This is perhaps the shortest Big Story you’ve read in the eight-month existence of MxMIndia. But then more than words, it’s numbers that have got to do to the talking.

     

    MxMIndia requested TAM Media Research which painstakingly computes data for ad volumes for the television, print and radio sectors. The growth figures are indicative of how these are doing: print isn’t down and out yet with 14%, TV is growing but it’s not as dramatic as we thought it would and Radio hasn’t degrown. In fact we must urge radio practitioners to interpret the 0% in a positive way because there were enough naysayers willing to rubbish the potential of the business.

     

    Note: the analysis is based on ad , that is duration in seconds/CCMs and excludes promos.

     

     


     


     


     

     

  • Kotak Mahindra, the investment banker to the deal had also approached other personal care companies such as Godrej, Dabur and Marico for a potential transaction

    Shahs to drop Anchor’s oral care portfolio; Emami close to buying toothpaste brand

    By Kala Vijayraghavan & Sagar Malviya

     

    Mumbai-based consumer products Anchor Healthcare has had several rounds of discussions with the Kolkata-headquartered Emami to sell its oral care business, top officials close to the development said.

     

    Kotak Mahindra, the investment banker to the deal had also approached other personal care companies such as Godrej, Dabur and Marico for a potential transaction, added the officials.

     

    However, interest in Anchor’s only other brand outside of oral care, Dyna soap, was lacklustre, with buyers more interested in Anchor White toothpaste, Anchor Gel as well as a toothpowder and toothbrushes. When contacted, Atul Shah, promoter of Anchor, denied any sale plans. However, a senior executive at a domestic investment bank confirmed that the company has been sounding off various buyers.

     

    In early 2011, Business Standard had reported that the Shahs had plans to sell the entire consumer products business, lock, stock and Dyna. However, a banker privy to the proceedings pointed out that valuations of the business may have deterred the promoter family from selling in single transaction.

     

    The Shahs are expecting over Rs1,000 crore for the consumer business, added the banker. The company is estimated to have closed the year ended March 2012 with sales of Rs450-500 crore, said a research analyst covering the fast-moving consumer goods sector.

     

    Emami, for its part, has created a war-chest to fund acquisitions. In 2010, the board of the cosmetics and toiletries marketer had approved plans to raise long-term resources up to Rs2,000 crore through the issue of securities as well as to double the borrowing limit to Rs3,000 crore primarily to fund potential buys.

     

    In 2008, Emami had acquired Zandu Pharmaceuticals, but subsequently hasn’t had much luck with buyout attempts. Last year it lost out to Reckitt Benckiser in the race to buy Paras’ personal care business that includes brands such as Livon, Borosoft and SetWet. Early this year, Reckitt sold some of Paras’ personal brands to Marico in a deal that Emami too was keen on.

     

    “Emami will continue to explore avenues for inorganic growth, but we do not wish to comment on any speculations,” said NH Bhansali, CEO, finance, strategy & business development, Emami.

     

    In 1997, Anchor challenged multinational giants like Colgate and Hindustan Unilever by finding a unique proposition in a tough-to-differentiate category by launching a ‘vegetarian’ toothpaste. In the initial years, Anchor managed to grab a market share of close to 10 per cent in a highly-competitive market.

     

    In 2007, the Anchor group had sold an 80 per cent stake in the business of electricals to Japan’s Matsushita Electric Works – owners of the National and Panasonic brands – for Rs2,000 crore. Personal care became the family’s focus area. Soon after the sale of Anchor Electricals, the group bought Forhans, one of the country’s oldest toothpaste brands, from John Oak Remedies. However, the Shahs didn’t make much headway with Forhans, which does not figure amongst Anchor Healthcare’s brands on its website.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • The company has also started the 'Adopt a School' program to increase awareness about the importance of maintaining good oral habits

    Colgate’s ‘Oral Health Month’ focuses zero cavities

    By A Correspondent

     

    Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited (Colgate), the market leader in oral care and the Indian Dental Association (IDA), rolled out its annual national awareness program – ‘Oral Health Month’ (OHM), earlier this week.

     

    Spread over two months – December 2011 and January 2012, Colgate and IDA will focus on creating awareness to fight cavities and instill the importance of good oral hygiene through dental check-ups, across the country. This year, a unique ‘Adopt a School’ initiative has been kicked off, where school children, as ‘Little Dentists’, will spread the message of good oral care habits in community schools.

     

    Actor Raveena Tandon visited one such program atSacredHeartHigh School, Andheri, to extend her support and urge mothers to play an important role in the dental care of their children. Raveena Tandon said: “Colgate needs to be commended for an initiative of this scale. Given the dramatic changes in lifestyle and food, cavities are a growing concern for today’s generation. All mothers should insist on their children brushing twice a day to maintain a healthy mouth.”

     

    The ‘Adopt a School’ program is a new initiative by Colgate to increase awareness about the importance of maintaining good oral habits. As part of this ongoing school program, ‘Little Dentists’ will reach out to children in community primary schools, spreading the message of good oral care hygiene and pledge for ‘Zero Cavities’.

     

    During the ‘Adopt a School’ program, 10 Little Dentists fromMKESHigh School, Malad, visited over 250 children ofSacredHeartPrimary School. They spoke about their own oral care regime and the importance of good oral habits to prevent cavities. They introduced five important care tips for dental care recommended by Colgate. The ‘Little Dentists’ encouraged the students of Sacred Heart High School to avail of the free cavity check-ups organized at their premise as part of Colgate’s ‘Oral Health Month’. Furthermore, all participating school children pledged to invite their friends and family members to sign up for a free cavity check-up and practice good oral hygiene.

    Rekha Rao, Vice President Marketing, ColgateIndiasaid: “At, Colgate, it is our continuous effort to spread awareness around good oral care. Focused initiatives like the ‘Adopt a School’ during our ‘Oral Health Month’ are an important way to reach children and mothers. This year, in association with IDA, we will create oral care awareness in approximately 10,000 schools reaching out to 20 lakh school children acrossIndia.”

     

    Dr. Ashok Dhoble, Hon Secretary General, Indian Dental Association said: “We are delighted to partner with Colgate in this national awareness program that has grown phenomenally in the past seven years. This year we are looking at over 25,000 dentists to support and spread basic oral health education and awareness among the masses, especially in the interior rural areas.”