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India’s oldest conglomerates: 10 pre-independence giants still leading the market

The <keyword id="189426" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="gsma" source="Orion">GSMA</keyword>, a global organisation that represents mobile network operators worldwide, on Monday elected Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword> as Deputy Chair among the newly-elected members, for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2023. Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete Lopez, CEO of Telefonica Group, will continue to be the Chair at the GSMA, the organisation said in a statement. There are 26 members of the GSMA Board. including senior representatives from global mobile operators as well as smaller independent operators. "The industry is at a pivotal point at the moment. It is more important than ever that we work together to ensure that the true potential of the mobile ecosystem benefits people, businesses and society as a whole", said Mats Granryd, GSMA Director General. He added that "we are delighted to welcome the new and re-elected Board members and we thank the outgoing GSMA Board members for their exceptional support". After graduating from IIM Calcutta in 1990, Vittal joined <keyword id="178761" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever-limited" source="Orion">Hindustan Unilever Limited</keyword> (<keyword id="44863" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="hul" source="Orion">HUL</keyword>), one of India's biggest FMCG companies. In 2006, he was roped in by <keyword id="6358599" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sunil-mittal" source="Orion">Sunil Mittal</keyword>, Founder and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises, to join Bharti Airtel as the head of marketing. His first stint at Airtel lasted till 2008 as he returned to HUL. In early 2012, Vittal re-joined Bharti Airtel. In early 2013, Airtel announced that Vittal would be the next CEO of Airtel India. He took over as the CEO on March 1. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem are associate members. "I look forward to working closely with the rest of the Board, the GSMA leadership team and our entire membership to address the critical issues facing our industry and our customers," said Lopez. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/telegram-launches-new-updates-with-topics-in-groups-collectible-usernames/articleshow/95353505.cms">Telegram launches new updates with Topics in Groups, Collectible Usernames</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/signal-will-now-allow-users-to-delete-stories-before-24-hours/articleshow/95357692.cms">Signal will now allow users to delete stories before 24 hours</a>

Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal appointed Deputy Chair by GSMA

<ul><li>Last week, <keyword id="178761" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever-Limited">Hindustan Unilever Limited</keyword> (HUL) launched its first in-store vending machine model, <keyword id="11605454" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-fill-machine">Smart Fill machine</keyword>, for its Home Care products with the aim to reuse, reduce and recycle plastic.</li><li>We talk to Prabha Narsimhan – Executive Director (Home Care) for Hindustan Unilever and Vice President (Home Care) for Unilever South Asia about the company's latest sustainable projects, how HUL has been focusing on becoming a sustainable company at a larger level, and future goals.</li></ul>Earlier this year, Hindustan Unilever Limited had announced that it would collect and process more plastic packaging waste than what it uses in a bid to achieve 100% plastic waste collection by the end of 2021. HUL has taken one more step forward towards sustainability and achieving this plastic waste neutrality goal. The FMCG giant has launched an in-store vending machine model, Smart Fill machine, for its Home Care products. It allows consumers to reuse and recycle plastic. According to Terrin.org, around <a href="https://www.teriin.org/sites/default/files/files/factsheet.pdf">43%</a> of manufactured plastic in India is used for packaging purposes, and is mostly single-use plastic. India produces an estimated 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, which is likely to reach 165 million tonnes by 2030. With this growing concern around plastic pollution generated by companies, more and more brands are realising the importance of becoming sustainable and relooking at their packaging strategy. The ban on single-use plastic has also further pushed manufacturers to look at green alternatives. So, to do its bit for the environment and undo some of the damage caused by plastic, HUL’s Smart Fill machine will allow its consumers to reuse their plastic bottles by refilling products from its brands like Surf Excel, Comfort and Vim, to begin with. <div type="Youtube" id="Bkjlj6S5c5E" title="HUL‘s ‘Smart Fill’ machine empowers consumers to reduce plastic waste" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Bkjlj6S5c5E/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The vending machine has been installed at Reliance Smart Acme Mall in Mumbai and the project is currently in pilot stage. Sharing how HUL is slashing its product prices to nudge consumers to switch, Prabha Narsimhan – Executive Director (Home Care) for Hindustan Unilever and Vice President (Home Care) for Unilever South Asia said, “As an incentive, consumers are being offered Rs 30 off on the MRP or effective price at the store if they get their own bottle and Rs 15 off to those who purchase the Smart Fill bottle. The flagship brands that consumers can avail these benefits on include Surf Excel liquid for Top Load and Front Load washing machines; Comfort Fabric Conditioner and Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel.” The COVID-19 pandemic has added a safety dimension to sustainability that consumers and organisations must now balance. However, for HUL, the timing couldn’t be more perfect to launch this pilot. Sharing why, Narsimhan said, “COVID-19 in general has been difficult for businesses and brands across sectors. After most COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, we have continued our on-ground efforts with health guidelines in place, for elimination of plastic litter. All our plastic waste collection partners mobilized their resources to minimize disruption without risking the health of their staff members and partners. In fact, COVID has improved our focus on responsible disposal of waste, which is why we feel it is a good time to start this pilot.” After gauging the response at Reliance Smart, the project will be implemented across the country. Narsimhan said, “We believe that upstream interventions such as shifting from single use towards re-use and refill models can be one of the most impactful solutions to plastic waste from an environmental, economic, and social perspective. This project will serve as an ideal pilot to gather learnings and use them to replicate it across the state and the country. Given that this is our first initiative, we have partnered with Reliance. In fact, we had partnered with Reliance Smart across 3 cities, in 2019 to carry out an awareness drive amongst customers on the importance of segregation of waste at the household level for effective waste management. Continuing with our shared vision to manage plastic waste, we have collaborated with Reliance Smart for this pilot project as well. We are hopeful that through our awareness building exercises, we will be able to ensure mass behavioral change in the consumers regarding the role that they can play in curbing this menace. We aim to use learnings from this pilot project in Mumbai to create a scalable refill business model in partnership with prominent retailers and modern trade outlets.” To further promote the cause and get more consumers to visit the mart, HUL has partnered with influencers in the vicinity. Narsimhan shared the marketing plan with us. She said, “One of the key aspects to draw visibility to the vending machine is in-store branding. Our effort would be to make sure that as more and more consumers visit and experience this model, they will be able to help us spread the awareness through word-of-mouth, which we plan to amplify further. We have also tied-up with a few influencers in the catchment areas around the store that will help us create surround sound around the Smart Fill. As the initiative scales up further, we will look at a more broad-based digital campaign that will help us further spread the message across consumers.” Millennials and GenZ today are much more conscious of the brands they choose. Their choice usually depends on how much of an effort a brand is making towards helping the environment and society at large. While Narsimhan agreed that young people are more likely to be the first adopters of refilling, HUL is trying to target all age groups. She said, “Millennials and Gen Zs are by far one of the most conscious consumers we have witnessed in the last two decades. Born in a digital age, this generation is socially aware, more health-conscious and understands the impact of their actions on the environment. All our sustainable interventions are designed to not just cater to their sensibilities, but towards the larger goal of driving real, on-ground impact that is accessible. As for the ‘Smart Fill’ project, we are catering to consumers across demographics including Millennials and Gen Zs. Since Reliance Smart is a retail outlet that garners footfalls across age groups; we intend to bolster awareness and empower our consumers to make smarter decisions when it comes to the issue of plastic waste generation.” But this isn’t the only sustainable effort that the FMCG giant has taken in this year. Walking us through the past action-filled 6 months, Narsimhan shared, “We have substituted commodity polymers with performance-based polymers, optimized the packaging designs and changed the packaging formats of our products to consume less plastic. For example: Pond’s Talc was recognized at the 24th DuPont Global Packaging Award for reducing packaging through innovation. We have developed coating technology to replace the polymer coating in our soap cartons. Our soap bar range cartons in skin cleansing are plastics free. We have started migrating to recyclable flexibles across our portfolio starting with pilots in few brands like soap wrapper of Lux and Lifebuoy, Sunsilk shampoo sachets and Pond’s tubes. We have also started using rPET (80% recycled PET) in our blister packs for personal care brands such as Pepsodent toothbrush, Vaseline lip care. We have launched Vim liquid bottles having 50% rPET. We have initiated use of rHDPE (25% recycled HDPE) in our personal care bottles like Tresemme, Sunsilk, Surf Excel Laundry liquid and Comfort fabric conditioner.” Brands play a huge role in bringing about change in society and Narsimhan said that brands should use that to empower consumers to make better choices. She said, “Consumers relate to brands that resonate with their own way of thinking. Brands that don’t just advocate such ideas but put them into measurable, result-oriented action. Therefore, brands can and must play their part in empowering consumers to make sustainable choices. And one of the key aspects of this empowerment journey is by offering choices that are accessible and hassle-free. With our plastic waste collection initiative and now the refill machine, we are encouraging and empowering our consumers to be a part of this solution. These small changes that consumers make on a day-to-day basis can lead to a sizable impact overall.” When it comes to sustainability, we often hear the three popular R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in every marketing campaign. Many companies have promoted only recycle and reuse. However, reduce hits at consumption. As a result, HUL has also formulated long-term goals to focus on reduction of plastic. It has committed that by 2025 100% of the company’s plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable and halving use of virgin plastic by reducing the absolute use of plastic packaging and accelerating use of recycled plastic. Shedding some light on HUL’s larger sustainability efforts and vision, Narsimhan said, “We are committed to accelerating a transition to a circular economy, moving from the linear take-make-dispose model to a regenerative approach, which keeps materials at their highest value for as long as possible. We recently announced that from 2021 onwards, we will collect and facilitate environment-friendly processing of more plastic packaging waste than the plastic we use in our packaging. Since 2018, we have facilitated safe disposal of more than 1.5 lakh tons of post-consumer use plastic waste with the help of collection and disposal partners across India. We are also working closely with the government and other partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Xynteo for end-to-end pilot projects for plastic waste management. Apart from this, the Education Department of Maharashtra, HUL and Xynteo have rolled out a digital school curriculum focused on the importance of segregation, collection and safe disposal of waste. The programme reached nearly one lakh children in Maharashtra during its pilot last year and is currently being scaled across the state.”

Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Prabha Narsimhan shares latest steps that the company has taken towards sustainability to achieve its goal of 100% plastic waste collection by the end of 2021

<ul><li>The FMCG giant HUL has released its financial statement for FY21. </li><li>HUL reported a 34% increase in its turnover. </li></ul><keyword id="178761" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever-Limited">Hindustan Unilever Limited</keyword> has announced its results for the quarter and year ending 31st March 2021. As per its financial records, the FMCG giant spent Rs 4,737 crore on advertising in FY21. Broad-based performance Growth in the quarter was competitive and profitable with reported turnover growth of 34% and Profit after tax growth of 41%. Domestic consumer growth* was at 21% with underlying volume growth of 16%. Health, hygiene and nutrition forming c.80% of business grew in double-digits for the third consecutive quarter, while discretionary and out-of-home categories improved sequentially. Home Care: Home Care growth at 15% was enabled by a strong recovery in Fabric Wash. Household Care continued its strong performance delivering double-digit growth. Liquids and Fabric Sensations continue to outperform benefitting from robust market development initiatives. Beauty &amp; Personal Care: Beauty and Personal Care grew 20% with Skin Cleansing, Hair Care and Oral Care delivering high double-digit growth. Skin Cleansing performance was led by ‘Lifebuoy’ and premium segment. A calibrated approach towards price increase has helped protect our business model even as vegetable oils continue to inflate at record levels. Consumer-focused innovations and contextual communications in Hair and Oral Care continue to yield good results. Skin Care portfolio registered strong performance in Hand &amp; Body Care and Face Cleansing segments. Color Cosmetics performance improved sequentially. Foods &amp; Refreshment: Foods and Refreshment delivered another quarter of strong performance and grew at 36%. All our Tea brands continue to grow in high double-digits. Ketchups, Soups and Ice Creams also performed well with double-digit growths. Ice Creams recovery in the quarter was aided by multiple product innovations. Nutrition volumes grew in double digits and we launched Rs. 2 sachets in Horlicks and Boost. Our goal remains to drive penetration in this category. Operating margins: EBITDA margins at 25% remain healthy. Profit after tax at Rs 2,143 Crore increased by 41%. HUL will continue to invest behind its brands and portfolio, and in future-fit capabilities. According to its statement to the press, HUL's focused actions on net revenue management and savings have enabled the compnay to manage inflationary pressures and deliver a healthy bottom-line performance.<a name="m_6766058920235297106__Hlk31014716"></a> Financial Year 2020-21: Growth competitive and profitable Turnover at Rs 45,311 Crores grew by 18%, Domestic Consumer Growth* was 6%. Profit after tax at Rs 7,954 Crores was up 18%. We managed COVID challenges well and sustained strong cash generation. The Board of Directors have proposed a final dividend of Rs 17 per share, subject to approval of shareholders at the AGM. Together with interim dividend of Rs 14 per share, the total dividend for the financial year ending 31st March 2021 amounts to Rs. 31 per share. During the year, a special dividend of Rs. 9.5 per share was also paid. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director commented, “Our in-quarter performance was strong on both the top-line and bottom-line. Despite challenging times, in FY’21 our business ecosystem has withstood the disruption and demonstrated agility and resilience across the value chain. We have delivered on our multi stakeholder business model. Our purpose-led brands and capabilities were further strengthened during the year and this positions us well to serve our consumers during this turbulent period. Our focus firmly remains behind delivering volume-led competitive growth. The recent surge in COVID cases is of serious concern and ensuring safety and wellbeing of people remains our top priority. We will continue to work closely with governments, health authorities and our partners to support the needs of the society and the Nation to overcome this adversity. #HULStandsWithTheNation” * excluding the impact of merger of GSK CH and acquisition of ‘VWash’<table align="left" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table>

HUL spent Rs 4,737 crore on advertising in FY21, saw a 41% increase in profit after tax

<ul><li>The decision to remove ‘normal’ is one of many steps that <keyword id="44863" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HUL">HUL</keyword> is taking to challenge narrow beauty ideals, as it works towards helping to end discrimination and advocating for a more inclusive vision of beauty.</li><li>More of Unilever's beauty and personal care brands will join the likes of Dove, Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Sunsilk by taking action on social and environmental challenges and advocating for the evolution of norms, policies and laws.</li></ul>Unilever today announced it will eliminate the word ‘normal’ from all of its beauty and personal care brands’ packaging and advertising, as part of the launch of our new Positive Beauty vision and strategy. Positive Beauty, which sets out several progressive commitments and actions for HUL's beauty and personal care brands, including Dove, Lifebuoy, Axe and Sunsilk, will champion a new era of beauty which is equitable and inclusive, as well as sustainable for the planet. Using Unilever’s innovation and technology, Positive Beauty will also help to drive a transformation in how its products are designed and formulated so that they do more good for both people and the planet, deliver a superior product experience, and tap into consumer trends. The decision to remove ‘normal’ is one of many steps that HUL is taking to challenge narrow beauty ideals, as it works towards helping to end discrimination and advocating for a more inclusive vision of beauty. It comes as global research into people’s experiences of the beauty industry reveals that using ‘normal’ to describe hair or skin makes most people feel excluded. The 10,000-person study, which was commissioned by Unilever, was conducted across nine countries. It found that: <ul><li>More than half of people (56%) think that the beauty and personal care industry can make people feel excluded.</li><li>People want to see the beauty and personal care industry focusing more on making people feel better, than just looking better (74%).</li><li>More than half of people (52%) say they now pay more attention to a company’s stance on societal issues before buying products.</li><li>Seven in ten people agree that using the word ‘normal’ on product packaging and advertising has a negative impact. For younger people – those aged 18-35 – this rises to eight in ten.</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="India highlights:" text="India highlights:">India highlights:</cmsannotation> In India, making products that cater to all people is recognised as one of the most pressing challenges that the beauty and personal care industry should address; only behind making products affordable for all and being transparent on what ingredients are included. Almost two in three people in India (64%) agree that the beauty and personal care industry makes certain people feel excluded. Six in ten people in India (59%) say the industry makes certain people feel bad about the way they look and makes certain people feel bad about themselves (59%). The beauty industry is seen as contributing to the spread of narrow beauty ideals: over six in ten people in India (63%) agree that the BPC industry shares narrow beauty ideals, and two in three (66%) think that the industry pressurising people into thinking they need to look a certain way contributes to narrow beauty ideals. The majority of people in India agree that the BPC industry still has some way to go in representing people of various body types (76%), people from different age groups (77%) people from different ethnicities (74%) and people from the LGBTQIA+ community (67%). Over eight in ten people (83%) think that using the word “normal” on beauty product packaging and in advertising has a negative impact on people. This includes making people who don’t feel as though they have “normal hair” or “normal skin” feel excluded or feel bad about themselves. The majority of people in India, feel positively about Unilever’s commitment: they agree that removing the word “normal” would inspire them to feel more positive about the way they look (70%), believe that it is the right thing to do (69%), and feel positively about the company behind it (67%). The trend is clear: two in three people in India (65%) say they now pay more attention to a company’s stance on societal issues before they buy products than they used to. Six in ten people there (63%) will not buy a product if they do not agree with the company’s vision of D&amp;I, even if the company offers the best price. With its commitment, the majority of people in India (71%) think Unilever is working to broaden the definition of beauty in society. Additionally, broadening the definition of beauty is not only the right thing to do for profit but also for people according to seven in ten of people in India. Sunny Jain, President Beauty &amp; Personal Care, said: “With one billion people using our beauty and personal care products every day, and even more seeing our advertising, our brands have the power to make a real difference to people’s lives. As part of this, we are committed to tackling harmful norms and stereotypes and shaping a broader, far more inclusive definition of beauty. “We know that removing ‘normal’ from our products and packaging will not fix the problem alone, but it is an important step forward. It’s just one of a number of actions we are taking as part of our Positive Beauty vision, which aims not only to do less harm, but more good for both people and the planet. “With more consumers than ever rewarding brands which take action on the social and environmental issues they care about, we believe that Positive Beauty will make us a stronger, and more successful business.” In addition to removing the word ‘normal’, Unilever will not digitally alter a person’s body shape, size, proportion or skin colour in its brand advertising, and will increase the number of advertisements portraying people from diverse groups who are under-represented. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Driving positive change for people and planet" text="Driving positive change for people and planet">Driving positive change for people and planet</cmsannotation> Central to Positive Beauty is the ambition to do more good, not just less harm, for people and the planet. Our decision to remove ‘normal’ from our packaging and advertising is just one action within the set of three commitments we have made to create real and measurable impact: Taking action through our brands to improve health and wellbeing, and advance equity and inclusion, reaching 1 billion people per year by 2030. They will focus on: <ul><li>Helping to end discrimination in beauty and champion inclusion, by challenging narrow beauty ideals and building a more inclusive portfolio of products.</li><li>Driving gender equity, including stepping up brand programmes, advocacy to challenge the status quo and #unstereotyping advertising.</li><li>Improving health and wellbeing through existing educational initiatives in handwashing and oral hygiene and expanding focus into new areas, including physical health and mental wellbeing.</li><li>Helping to protect and regenerate 1.5 million hectares of land, forests and oceans by 2030, which is more land than is required to grow the renewable ingredients in Unilever’s beauty and personal care products.</li><li>Supporting a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics by 2023, working alongside lawmakers, animal protection organisations and like-minded companies. Twenty-three Unilever beauty and personal care brands are now PETA Approved, with more working towards certification.</li></ul>At the heart of the delivery of these commitments will be Unilever’s beauty and personal care brands, many of which have a track record of delivering impactful programs and purpose-led growth. More of its beauty and personal care brands will join the likes of Dove, Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Sunsilk by taking action on social and environmental challenges and advocating for the evolution of norms, policies and laws. Sarah Degnan Kambou, President of the International Center for Research on Women said: “Every day, we see and hear messages about how to ‘fit in’, how to be included in very narrow definitions of what is ‘normal’. In order to champion equity, we need to challenge these restrictive ‘norms’ and create societies and communities that celebrate diversity – and the unique qualities and ideas that each person brings. Beauty is no exception. We look forward to seeing Unilever advance these commitments and hold themselves to the high standards they have set out before them.” Consumers increasingly expect brands to take a stand on the issues they care most about. Unilever’s brands perceived as more purposeful grew more than twice as fast as the rest of the portfolio in 2020. The company’s research further supports this trend, with the majority of people (69%) saying they will recommend a beauty brand to their friends and family if it caters to a wide range of skin and hair types, while half of respondents would pay more for these products. Positive Beauty will also accelerate our science and technology programmes and innovation partnerships, driving the continued transformation of how our products are designed and formulated to become more people and planet positive. This includes developing tailored products to serve the diverse needs of people around the world, delivering real and meaningful consumer benefits, backed by cutting-edge science. Innovation will also advance the use of more natural, biodegradable, and regenerative ingredients – alongside continued packaging innovations that use less, better or no plastic.

HUL to eliminate the word ‘normal’ from all of its beauty and personal care brands’ packaging and advertising

<ul><li>FMCG major <keyword id="6365619" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> Ltd on Friday reported a 12.95% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,631 crore for the third quarter ended December 2019.</li><li>The company had posted a net profit of Rs 1,444 crore in the October-December period of the previous fiscal. </li><li>Total expenses stood at Rs 7,849 crore as against Rs 7,900 crore earlier.</li></ul>FMCG major Hindustan Unilever Ltd on Friday reported a 12.95 per cent rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,631 crore for the third quarter ended December 2019, helped by improvement in margins and volume growth.
 The company had posted a net profit of Rs 1,444 crore in the October-December period of the previous fiscal.
 Net sales during the quarter under review stood at Rs 9,953 crore, up 3.87 per cent from Rs 9,582 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, <keyword id="178761" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever-Limited">Hindustan Unilever Limited</keyword> (HUL) said in a regulatory filing. "Domestic Consumer Growth was 4 per cent with Underlying Volume Growth at 5 per cent" in the quarter, it said.
 "This quarter witnessed an overall challenging market environment, mainly reflecting a sharp slowdown in rural and discretionary spends. In this tough environment, HUL has delivered a resilient performance which is reflective of the strength of our brands, consistency in strategy and execution prowess," HUL CMD <keyword id="169120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjiv-Mehta">Sanjiv Mehta</keyword> said. "Our continued focus on innovation and market development has helped sustain underlying volume growth at a steady 5 per cent. We have also delivered a healthy margin improvement," he added.
 Total expenses stood at Rs 7,849 crore as against Rs 7,900 crore earlier.
 Shares of HUL on Friday settled at Rs 2,034.15 apiece on the BSE, down 1.18 per cent from the previous close. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/news/hul-star-india-declared-joint-winners-as-effie-india-client-of-the-year/articleshow/73196428.cms">HUL &amp; Star India declared joint winners as Effie India Client of the Year; McCann Worldwide and Ogilvy Group take home Effie India Agency of the Year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/patanjali-group-eyes-to-be-40000-crore-company-in-2020-21-aims-to-be-largest-fmcg-firm/articleshow/73588594.cms">Patanjali group eyes to be 40,000-crore company in 2020-21, aims to be largest FMCG firm</a>

HUL volume growth is frozen at 5% for 3 quarters in a row⁠— cost savings boost profit by 21%

<ul><li>In a revolutionary decision, <keyword id="178761" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever-Limited">Hindustan Unilever Limited</keyword> has announced that it will rename the brand ‘Fair and Lovely.’ The giant said that it will drop words like ‘Fair,’ ‘White/Whitening,’ Light/Lightening’ from all its packs and communications. </li><li>This move comes after Fair &amp; Lovely faced a lot of backlash on social media for building unrealistic beauty standards and stereotyping skin tones. </li><li>We speak to experts to understand how Fair &amp; Lovely can go about rebranding themselves to undo the damage and win back consumer trust. </li></ul>On June 25, Hindustan Unilever’s Fair &amp; Lovely announced that it will drop the word ‘Fair’ from its name and restrict using ‘White/Whitening',’ ‘Light/Lightening’ from all its packs and communications. In the wake of Black Lives Matter, recent protests against racial discrimination in the US, social media was abuzz with people calling out beauty brands for perpetrating a bias based on skin colour. Following this, Johnson &amp; Johnson announced that it will be discontinuing its skin lightening creams Neutrogena Fine Fairness and Clear Fairness by Clean &amp; Clear. Now, HUL has joined the list. Albeit, it is only dropping the brand name. Over the years, HUL’s Fair &amp; Lovely has created an image for being a skin lightening cream. While there are many other players in this industry, Fair &amp; Lovely has faced a lot of backlash on social media for its poor choice of brand name, advertisements and for propagating unrealistic beauty standards and stereotyping skin tones. The statement released on HUL’s website said, "Fair &amp; Lovely has never been, and is not, a skin bleaching product.” However, its communication indicated otherwise. Its advertisements from the late 90s and early 20s portrayed women of colour as failures, who aced their presentations or could only upload their profiles on matrimonial websites after applying a cream. They started by selling ‘gori twacha’ (fair skin) and moved to using alternatives like ‘nikhaar’ (glowing skin), which hinted that confidence is a by-product of <keyword id="16219" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="fairness-creams">fairness creams</keyword>. <div type="Youtube" id="FGsYdi3PdXw" title="Bidita Bag in FAIR &amp; LOVELY" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FGsYdi3PdXw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> About the old racist ads, HUL said, “We are aware that historic advertising is available on the internet; these ads are not aligned with the current values of the brand. In 2019, we reflected this evolution on the Fair &amp; Lovely pack in India, removing before-and-after impressions and shade guides that could indicate a transformation; and we have progressed all communication of product benefits towards glow, even tone, skin clarity and radiance.” So, we reached out to experts to understand how bad is the damage and how should HUL go about rebranding its popular ‘skin whitening’ product in India. Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and Angel Investor, said, “I think this a positive move by HUL – though long overdue – should be welcomed. Any product or service that reinforces stereotypes, be it race or colour, is never a great proposition, and global corporations need to be very sensitive to these issues. I only wish this had happened much earlier and did not need a movement like ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the USA, and Johnson and Johnson’s withdrawing a similar offering, to precipitate it. I believe the real solution is recasting the proposition, while taking the brand towards a more inclusive vision of beauty which could include holistic measures of healthy skin.” Ronita Mitra, Business Consultant - Founder, Brand Eagle Consulting also opines that HUL's move is just a reactive measure that was taken after Black Lives Matter. She said, "Brands have a responsibility towards shaping opinions of its consumers and in the process, the larger society, rather than following and reinforcing existing popular belief systems. Positioning by brands on the platform of fairness has always inherently had discrimination at its core along with a reinforcement of a regressive belief system. It is indeed a positive step for brands that are re-looking at the fairness positioning and branding. Given the timing of the re-branding exercise, it does appear like a reactive measure. Nonetheless, it's a big step forward in the right direction and will eventually shape and influence consumer psyche towards a more holistic perception of beauty. Brands ought to focus more on highlighting beauty at a deeper level celebrating quality (of skin) and the person and her character." Shashwat Das, Founder, Almond Branding was appalled by people rejoicing with this move. Das was not amused with HUL’s tokenism. He expected HUL to follow J&amp;J and drop the products altogether that stand for colourism in India. “In my opinion, it's only an eyewash. I am looking forward to a complete ban on skin-tone oriented products. The very foundation on which these brands are built is flawed. We have known it for years and it took 45 years and a raging anti-racial movement to force this move upon certain companies. How come there is a sudden awakening? This is not a change out of self-realisation. Had these protests not caught momentum, such a move by HUL would have taken a few more decades to come.” The official statement of HUL says that Fair &amp; Lovely’s advertising has evolved to communicate a message of women’s empowerment, they have started focusing on their career. On this statement, Das said, “I beg to differ here. For years, the brand has been making young Indian girls insecure of their skin tone by promising dreams coming true through fairness. That’s not empowerment, that’s exploitation! How do you claim to support women when your entire brand story is around colourism? The damage caused in the last 45 years is too deep to be healed by a mere change in name.” Winning back consumer trust with honesty and sensitive communication Fair &amp; Lovely has been in India for over 45 years now and has been one of the best-selling creams. According to The Drum, Fair &amp; Lovely had entered the Rs 200 crore market back in 2017 and held a 60-70% share of the skin whitening industry. Telling us how big the industry is, Rimpie Tulsiani, Senior Beauty and Personal Care Analyst, India, Mintel, said, "Historically in India, skin whiteners and lighteners contribute more than a third to overall facial care value sales. So it is a large contributor to business. And India's obsession with fair skin and persistent bias against darker faces has been the standard narrative for brand communications until recently. This narrative is now evolving to terms like “skin brightening/ whitening" and in the direction of health.” According to Mintel research, 39% of Indian consumers define healthy skin as one that is 'fresh, followed by bright and spotless.' To which, Tulsiani said, “The fairness category in India is currently under the radar as authorities are scrutinizing how brands communicate their claims and what ingredients they use. Whitening brands will need to accelerate their change in mindset and thereby positioning in order just to stay relevant to these consumers, they will need to regain consumer trust with honest claims and broaden their scope to skin health rather than focus on skin colour alone.” What's in a name? “No, it won’t just be called ‘And Lovely’,” jokes <keyword id="247533" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karthik-Srinivasan">Karthik Srinivasan</keyword>, Independent Brand Consultant and Social Media Expert. Srinivasan said HUL should put all efforts again in rebuilding their brand image and occupying consumer minds. “The brand's name and use-case have been drilled into minds over many years, considering the brand was launched in 1975. That use-case is: if you need 'whiter' skin, you need to pick a cream. And that one of the best creams, which is in the name itself, is Fair &amp; lovely. Now if they change the name, it is not a big deal because they have already left an impression. However, it is in the right direction because they will be honest about what they are really selling in the cream -- standing to a truer representation of saying that you will get clearer skin without blemishes, a message they evolved after moving away from explicit connection with white/fair skin. From a product formulation point of view, there wouldn't be any doubt in anybody's mind, which product they're talking about. However, now they need to spend a lot of money to put a new name into consumers' minds because Fair &amp; Lovely was so iconic, it is like Maggi in India. There is a lot of history and legacy behind the brand which was built over the years through advertising and marketing. They need to spend at least a snapshot of it,” said Srinivasan. But isn’t HUL just selling an old wine in a new bottle? Will it be able to undo the damage it has caused over the years and regain consumer trust? In a simple answer, Das said no, they can’t and they shouldn’t. “You can’t just drop a word and claim innocence, when you still continue to sell the same product that people recognize as something that stood for colourism. At the end of the day, you are still selling a skin lightening cream, whatever fancy name you may give it. And only if Fair &amp; Lovely does drop the entire fairness range, can it come out as a brand who seriously believes in the cause. That’s when consumers can give it a clean chit and that’s when it can regain their trust,” said Das.

Fair and Lovely to drop ‘Fair’ from its name but will that be enough to appeal to new-age consumers?

<ul><li><keyword id="44863" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HUL">HUL</keyword>'s Q1 standalone net profit for the quarter ended June 30 saw a 9.5% jump at Rs 2,061 crore. </li><li>Its advertising and promotions spends stood at Rs 1,024 crore from Rs 797 crore for the same quarter last year.</li></ul><keyword id="34523" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="fmcg">FMCG</keyword> major <keyword id="6365619" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> (HUL) spent Rs 1,024 crore on advertising and promotions in the quarter ending June 30, a substantial increase from Rs 797 crore in the same quarter last year, according to its standalone results for the quarter. Despite the impact of the challenging second wave of COVID-19 in the country, HUL's <keyword id="6615026" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="domestic-consumer">Domestic Consumer</keyword> segment witnessed a growth of 12%, Underlying Volume Growth of 9% and Profit after tax growth of 10%. "Performance was broad based with all 3 divisions growing competitively and in double-digits. Our business fundamentals remain strong with a large part of our business gaining penetration," revealed the organization in its quarterly results. Here are the highlights from its results: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Home Care:" text="Home Care:">Home Care:</cmsannotation> Home Care grew at 12% enabled by double-digit growth in Fabric Wash. Household care continued to perform well growing in high double-digits on a strong base. Liquids and Fabric Sensations continue to outperform benefitting from robust market development initiatives. We have taken calibrated price increase across fabric wash and household care portfolio to partly offset the high inflation in input costs. ‘Surf Excel’ extended its Matic range with the launch of 3 in 1 Smart Shots, a unique three chambers smart technology to provide advanced stain removal, long-lasting fragrance and care for fabrics. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Beauty &amp; Personal Care:" text="Beauty &amp; Personal Care:">Beauty &amp; Personal Care:</cmsannotation> Beauty &amp; Personal Care grew 13% led by Hair Care and Skin Care, both growing in high double-digits. Contextual communications in Hair Care continue to yield good results. Skin Cleansing continued its strong momentum, soaps grew on a high base and premium segment performed well. Hand Hygiene portfolio declined against an exceptionally high base. ‘VWash’ had another strong quarter. A calibrated approach towards price increase has helped protect our business model as vegetable oil prices remain at elevated levels. Color Cosmetics recovered sharply from a weak base in JQ’20 although performance in the quarter was impacted by limited mobility. During this quarter we launched, ‘Pepsodent’ mouthwash that fights Coronavirus, new moisturizing gels and body lotions in ‘Vaseline’ and ‘Lakme Lip Crayons’. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Foods &amp; Refreshment:" text="Foods &amp; Refreshment:">Foods &amp; Refreshment:</cmsannotation> Foods &amp; Refreshment delivered another quarter of strong performance and grew at 12%. All our Tea brands continue to grow in high double-digits despite a very strong base in the prior year. Ketchups and Soups continue to perform well led by strong volume growth on a high base in JQ’20. Go-To-Market integration in Nutrition business is progressing well, Health Food Drinks gained penetration sequentially and grew volumes in mid-single digit. Ice Creams recovered and grew YoY from a weak base, although performance in the quarter was impacted by limited mobility. In partnership with Mondelez International, we have launched ‘Kwality Wall’s Cadbury Crackle’ frozen desert. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Operating margins:" text="Operating margins:">Operating margins:</cmsannotation> EBITDA margins at 24% remain healthy. Profit after tax at Rs. 2,061 Crores increased by 10%. We continue to invest behind our brands and portfolio, and in future-fit capabilities. Our focused actions on net revenue management and savings have enabled us to manage inflationary pressures and deliver a healthy bottom-line performance. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director commented, "In a challenging environment, we have delivered a strong performance across topline and bottomline. Our performance in the quarter has been resilient and is reflective of our capabilities, the agility in our operations and the intrinsic strength of our portfolio. The second wave of COVID-19 brought upon us a severe humanitarian crisis. We launched ‘Mission HO2PE’ to support the nation during this difficult period and have provided oxygen concentrators, facilitated upgradation of medical infrastructure, and are supporting vaccination of not only our employees and their dependents but also people in our extended value chain. Looking forward, we remain cautiously optimistic about the demand recovery. Our focus firmly remains behind delivering volume led competitive growth and margins in a healthy range."

Hindustan Unilever spent Rs 1,024 crore on advertising and promotions in the April-June quarter

<ul><li>Rin has launched a new campaign to celebrate Olympic fencer C.A. Bhavani Devi. </li><li>It is a story of grit, determination and hard work. </li></ul>Rin detergent from the house of <keyword id="6365619" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> has launched its latest campaign celebrating the inspiring story of C.A. Bhavani Devi, India’s first woman fencing champion to qualify for Tokyo Olympics 2021. From a humble background having chosen a relatively lesser-known sport of fencing, Bhavani had to overcome not just financial obstacles but also patriarchy led stereotypes. The TVC focuses on the heart-warming journey of Bhavani Devi and her struggle to keep her sporting dreams alive. <div type="Youtube" id="pqvIXQPaOQU" title="RIN - Ab Waqt Hai Chamakne Ka | Hindi" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pqvIXQPaOQU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Bhavani with her determination and hard work perfected her skills in a relatively lesser-known sport while refusing to cede to the societal challenges levied upon her. Rin’s #AbWaqtHaiChamakneKa campaign demonstrates Bhavani’s tale of grit and gumption and the unflinching belief of a mother who supported her in this pursuit. The brand, which has always stood for ordinary people whose extraordinary actions have made the world stand up to take note, shares Bhavani’s story hoping to inspire several others on their journey to success. The minute-long TVC opens with a shot of Bhavani practicing fencing as a child and recalls the journey of her struggle against patriarchal notions, right from childhood to that of a successful fencer. Her first fencing kit was expensive in a household of limited means. Her mother financed her training by pawning her gold and encouraging her to never stop dreaming. Every day was a challenge, she went home exhausted with training gear dirty and soiled from the day but she never gave up and always showed up resolutely the next day. Finally, she goes ahead to win gold at the Commonwealth games and she holds up her gold medal as a fitting tribute to her mother’s faith and unrelenting support when says, ‘Dekho maa main sona vapis le aae.” The brand, through its core purpose-led narrative of lending brightness not only to clothes but to people with the inner passion, to better their lives and stubborn confidence in themselves &amp; their ability to make it big, despite starting without privileges. Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Prabha Narasimhan, Executive Director &amp; VP – Home Care, Hindustan Unilever Ltd, says, "Rin has been an integral part of Indian households for over five decades now and has stood for people who are unwilling to be defined by preset roles and have the courage to pursue their dreams, undeterred by their socio-economic backgrounds. The brand stands for supporting and celebrating the progress seeker, individuals who pursue their dreams and demonstrate courage to rescript their destiny. Through our latest campaign, 'Ab Waqt hai chamakne ka', we endeavoured to showcase the glorious journey of Bhavani Devi, her mother's sacrifices and their collective success and in the process inspire millions of others to keep persevering in their dreams, despite the odds. The essence of our brand aligns beautifully with such extraordinary stars who have risen from ordinary lives. We salute Bhavani for her dedication and wish her good luck as she prepares to represent India in Olympics 2021.” Brand Team: Prabha Narasimhan: Executive Director &amp; VP – Home Care, Hindustan Unilever Nitish Bhalotia – General Manager, Fabric Solutions Apala Sen – Marketing Manager, Rin Sonam Doshi – Assistant Brand Manager, Rin Gaurav Mehta – Assistant Brand Manager, Rin Agency Credits: CCOs : Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar, Sukesh Nayak Vice Chairperson &amp; Chief Client Officer: Hephzibah Pathak Chief Strategy Officer: Prem Narayan Senior VP, Planning: Russel John Planning Director : Sanketa Kapse Managing Partner (Creative - West): Anurag Agnihotri Group CD and Copywriter: Saurabh Dikshit Group CD: Shahrukh Irani Senior VP : Nikhil Mohan Client Services Director: Chandni Butta Account Supervisors : Savni Kenkre &amp; Aouj Naqvi Production House: Little Lamb Films Director: Bauddhayan Mukherji (Buddy) Executive Producer: Monalisa Mukherji Producer &amp; Editor: Avishek Ghosh

You Searched For "Hindustan Unilever Limited" and got 9 results

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HUL spent Rs 4,737 crore on advertising in FY21, saw a 41% increase in profit after tax

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HUL to eliminate the word ‘normal’ from all of its beauty and personal care brands’ packaging and advertising

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HUL volume growth is frozen at 5% for 3 quarters in a row⁠— cost savings boost profit by 21%

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Fair and Lovely to drop ‘Fair’ from its name but will that be enough to appeal to new-age consumers?

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Hindustan Unilever spent Rs 1,024 crore on advertising and promotions in the April-June quarter

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Rin celebrates India's Olympic fencer C.A. Bhavani Devi's story of grit, determination and hard work in its latest TVC

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