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<ul><li>FMCG giant HUL’s shares reported a decline of over 6% on Thursday.</li><li>This comes a day after the company reported a 2.33% decline in consolidated net profit in Q2.</li><li>The stock tanked 6.59% to ₹2,483.95 on the NSE.</li></ul>Shares of FMCG major <keyword id="20002610" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever" source="keywords">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> Ltd (HUL) on Thursday tumbled over 6% after the firm reported a 2.33% decline in consolidated net profit for the second quarter ended in September. The stock tanked 6.59% to ₹2,483.95 on the NSE. The stock emerged as the biggest laggard among the Sensex and Nifty firms during the morning trade. Hindustan Unilever Ltd on Wednesday reported a 2.33% decline in consolidated net profit at ₹2,595 crore for the second quarter ended in September 2024, impacted by moderation in demand from the urban market. The company had logged a net profit of ₹2,657 crore in the July-September quarter a year ago, HUL said in a regulatory filing. However, revenue from product sales was up 2.36% at ₹15,703 crore in the September quarter, from ₹15,340 crore in the year-ago period, HUL which owns power brands such as Surf, Rin, Lux, Pond's, Lifebuoy, Lakme, Brooke Bond, Lipton and Horlicks said. "In the September quarter, <keyword id="21419477" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="FMCG-demand" source="keywords">FMCG demand</keyword> witnessed moderating growth in urban markets, while rural continued to recover gradually. In this context, we delivered a competitive and profitable performance," HUL CEO and Managing Director Rohit Jawa said. HUL reported an underlying sales growth of 2% and underlying volume growth of 3%. Total expenses were at ₹12,581 crore in the September quarter, up 3.03% year-on-year. HUL's total income, which includes other income, was up 2.14% to ₹16,145 crore in the September quarter of FY25. Addressing an earnings call, HUL CFO Ritesh Tiwari said, "Two thirds of our business we do in urban areas, and one-third we do in rural areas … we are seeing growth in the urban market moderating. We are seeing rural growth recovery is gradual … it impacts all the categories that we have." On the outlook, he said, "In the near term, we expect demand trends to be stable with no further acceleration in pace of growth." In this context, Tiwari said, "Our focus remains on driving competitive volume-led growth, while continuing investments behind our brands and strategy priorities … If commodity prices remain where they are, we expect a low single digit price growth in the near-term." With inputs from PTI. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/afcons-infrastructure-ipo-gmp-risk-factors-and-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/114490954.cms">Afcons Infrastructure IPO – GMP, risk factors and all you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/upi-refund-scam-to-digital-arrest-scam-here-are-most-common-online-scams-in-india/articleshow/114428011.cms">UPI refund to digital arrest scam, here are some online scams you need to be aware of</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/waaree-energies-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/114508632.cms">Waaree Energies IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a>

Hindustan Unilever shares tumble over 6% post Q2 results

<ul><li><keyword id="2582336" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohit-jawa" source="Orion">Rohit Jawa</keyword> would take over the leadership role for a term of five consecutive years with effect from June 27, 2023.</li><li>Jawa will join the <keyword id="44863" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="hul" source="Orion">HUL</keyword> board as a whole-time director from April 1, 2023.</li><li>Besides the Indian market, he will also take over as President of <keyword id="45009" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="unilever" source="Orion">Unilever</keyword> South Asia. </li></ul> FMCG major HUL on Friday announced the appointment of Rohit Jawa as the Managing Director &amp; Chief Executive Officer to succeed <keyword id="169120" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sanjiv-mehta" source="Orion">Sanjiv Mehta</keyword> who will retire from the company after leading it for a decade. Jawa, presently the Chief of Transformation for Unilever, would take over the leadership role for a term of five consecutive years with effect from June 27, 2023, the company said in a statement. "The appointment of Rohit Jawa as a whole-time director and MD &amp; CEO will be subject to the approval of Shareholders and other statutory approvals as may be applicable," it added. Jawa will join the HUL board as a whole-time director from April 1, 2023. Besides the Indian market, he will also take over as President of Unilever South Asia. He will join the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE) effective April 1, 2023. After a transformational tenure of 10 years at the helm of HUL, Sanjiv Mehta will retire from the company. Jawa is currently the Chief of Transformation for Unilever in London where since January 2022, he has successfully orchestrated the once-in-a-decade, end-to-end transformation of Unilever. He started his career with HUL as a management trainee in 1988 and has a proven track record of sustained business results across - India, South East Asia, and North Asia. As EVP for North Asia &amp; Chairman for Unilever China, he led a significant transformation of Unilever China into a competitive, profitable, and consistent business, now Unilever's third biggest globally, the statement said. Further, as the Chairman of Unilever Philippines, he led the business to become one of the top 10 markets for Unilever globally. Rohit's ability to integrate the strength of traditional markets with digital technologies and future-fit business models positions him well to take HUL into its next growth phase. Commenting on the development HUL Chairman Nitin Pranjape said: "I am delighted to welcome Rohit back to India. He has a deep understanding of the business landscape, particularly in Asia and has led the transformation of Unilever businesses in China and in the Philippines. "I am certain that with his astute business acumen, and growth mindset Jawa will take HUL to the next level of performance." Mehta (62), had taken over as the MD &amp; CEO of HUL in October 2013 leading the business through a period of sustained growth. During his decade at the helm, the business crossed the Rs 50,000 crore turnover mark and the market capitalisation of the company increased more than four times from USD 17 billion to USD 75 billion, reinforcing HUL as one of India's most valuable businesses, the company said. He has been a proponent of long-term value creation anchored by growth, high-performance anatomy and distinctive capabilities and introduced several transformative business programmes such as 'Dial Up the Big Q' and 'Winning in Many Indias' to make the business more consumer-centric, agile, and resilient. In order to make the business more future-fit, Mehta kickstarted the 'Reimagine HUL' agenda by leveraging data, harnessing latest technologies, and designing business models to redefine how HUL engages with consumers, customers, and the way the business operates. He was also instrumental in HUL undertaking several strategic mergers and acquisitions, including the amalgamation of GSK Consumer Healthcare into HUL, one of the biggest mergers in the history of FMCG in the country. Besides, he actively championed the diversity agenda making HUL an even more inclusive organisation, the company said. Paranjpe said Mehta has been an integral part of the Unilever Leadership Executive and has driven the South Asia growth agenda as the president of the market cluster. Hindustan Unilever Led (HUL) is India's largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods company, For the financial year ended on March 31, 2022, HUL which owns power brands such as Rin, <keyword id="270001" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="surf-excel" source="Orion">Surf Excel</keyword>, Dove etc has a revenue of Rs 51,193 crore. Mehta also served as the President of the industry body FICCI. Besides, the HUL board also announced the appointment of Ranjay Gulati as an Independent Director of the company for a term of five consecutive years with effect from 1st April 2023. Gulati comes with a rich understanding of Business Strategy and is presently a Professor at Harvard Business School, said an HUL statement. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-technologies-files-drhp-with-sebi-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-tata-motors-subsidiary/articleshow/98539244.cms">Tata Technologies files DRHP with SEBI: All you need to know about this Tata Motors subsidiary</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/demand-for-call-center-remote-customer-service-jobs-see-sharp-uptick-since-pre-pandemic-indeed/articleshow/98543190.cms">Demand for call center, remote customer service jobs see sharp uptick since pre-pandemic: Indeed</a>

Hindustan Unilever appoints Rohit Jawa as new MD & CEO; Sanjiv Mehta to retire

<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><keyword id="6888422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sebamed" source="Orion">Sebamed</keyword>'s comparative advertising last year against <keyword id="44863" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hul" source="Orion">HUL</keyword> soap brands including <keyword id="119472" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lux" source="Orion">Lux</keyword>, Pears and <keyword id="94301" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dove" source="Orion">Dove</keyword> got it noticed by consumers.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="17535" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shashi-ranjan" source="Orion">Shashi Ranjan</keyword>, Country Head, Sebamed to understand how its strategy of targeting other brands in the category has worked for it.</li><li> Ranjan tells us the brand's campaigns have helped it win the trust of huge number of consumers who are looking for 'highly efficacious and scientifically superior products'.</li></ul>When it aired its campaign targeting some of HUL’s market leading soap brands including Lux, Pears and Dove in January 2021, German personal care brand Sebamed made quite a splash. It had taken on the biggest soap manufacturer in the country, to demonstrate the ‘superior benefit of Sebamed’s cleansing bar over market leaders in the soap category’, a claim that had later been rebutted by HUL. Following the launch of the campaigns, HUL had filed a commercial suit in the Bombay High Court, and alleged that Sebamed’s campaigns were ‘misleading consumers on soap efficacy during these difficult times, and further denigrating and disparaging well-known brands like Lux, Dove, Pears and Rin’. The Bombay High Court later permitted Sebamed to continue with its campaign for its cleansing bar. Despite the legal backlash, the brand and its comparative advertising was written about by numerous media outlets, which turned out to be great PR for the brand. It had the desired effect, getting a relatively new brand noticed by consumers. Later in the year, Sebamed released another campaign, this time drawing consumers’ attention towards misleading advertising by various hair care brands titled #NoConditionsApply. A year since the launch of its talked-about campaign, we caught up with Shashi Ranjan, Country Head, Sebamed, to understand how its strategy worked for the brand and how it has been educating consumers about the benefits of using its products and building a market for itself. Excerpts: Q) Sebamed has had a very different advertising approach. How do you think that has helped in its brand building in India? We are a purpose-driven organization, and we strive to transform the Indian <keyword id="34523" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fmcg" source="Orion">FMCG</keyword> landscape. By leveraging the power of honest and transparent advertising, we are empowering consumers with the right knowledge backed by scientifically verifiable facts and realistic claims. We want consumers to make informed choices about their consumption habits and our advertisements narrate the story in a unique and palatable way. Our differentiated approach to advertising has introduced a new vocabulary of pH and generated a buzz in the personal care category. It has nudged consumers to challenge the status quo and question claims around standard beauty practices and provide them with science-backed facts instead, and as a result, build a strong connection with Sebamed. We have been able to win the trust of huge number of consumers who are looking for highly efficacious and scientifically superior products. Q) What sort of reception have your ads received? They did the work of getting the brand noticed but did that translate to sales? We are overwhelmed by consumer responses after every campaign. It really gives a surreal feeling that consumers wait for our advertisements as every category we get into we impart new knowledge and most importantly something they can trust and validate. In addition to disruptive awareness, our advertisements have resulted into exponential increase in our revenue as well. Our annualized portfolio run rate is Rs 600 crore in MRP terms. We remain committed towards investing in brand building as a full-stack player. We continue to strive for share of affinity of our consumers and it has been overwhelming since inception. Q) What sort of growth have you witnessed since you launched your campaign? We are on an exponential growth path and have grown 5X in the last 3 years. In fact, some of the subcategories in personal care have grown more than 10X post the campaign. Q) How did the pandemic impact the business? Where do you stand now? Like any other FMCG player we were also impacted by the first wave of pandemic during Apr-June’20 quarter. However, we have managed to bounce back and are now on our growth trajectory. We witnessed ~40% growth on our overall portfolio vis-à-vis 2019 despite the pandemic. We used this as an opportunity to realign our Marketing, Sales, Distribution &amp; People strategy.We managed to bounce back after a quarter and are now back on our growth trajectory.Hence, the silver lining is, despite pandemic our exponential growth journey continues.Our offline sales have grown around 50% over last year itself. Q) For any relatively new brand, sampling plays an important role. With people stuck in their homes, how have you been able to take the brand to people's homes? How are you ensuring the brand stays top-of-mind for your consumers? Sampling has been a key enabler to induce trial for consumers across all categories and we have leveraged this since the beginning. During pandemic when people were stuck at home, we partnered with hyper local delivery partners as well as some society activation partners to take the experience to consumers’ home. Further recently we have also launched Sebamed shampoo sachet at Rs 10 to encourage trials. Today all Sebamed shampoos – Anti Hairloss, Anti-Dandruff and Everyday are available at Rs 10. We have also started seeing early trends on increasing revenue contribution of Tier II and Tier III cities for Sebamed products. Q) How important has e-commerce been for you? The world-wide pandemic has turbocharged ecommerce transition for FMCG companies. With the touchless economy and safety conscious consumers, we have witnessed a strong preference towards ecommerce during the pandemic and it’s going to continue in the long run as well. Ecommerce has been a key growth driver for us, and we have further enhanced our presence by partnering with quick commerce players as well in addition to traditional ecommerce players. In fact, we have taken an emphatic approach to set up our own ecommerce platform mywellnesskart.com during the first wave of the pandemic to ensure our products are made available to consumers amid logistic disruptions. Q) What's your marketing budget for the year? Will you be increasing spends this year? Which medium will get the largest chunk of the marketing pie? Our marketing budget is commensurate with our growth aspirations. We have grown our marketing budget by 3X over last 3 years. We remain committed towards investment in brand building as a full stack FMCG player and strive for consumer’s share of affinity towards our brands. Our current split between traditional and digital marketing is 50:50 and we will continuously evaluate the same and pivot it around consumer’s behavioral shift. Q) Going ahead too, will the brand continue focusing on competitive advertising or do you plan to modify your strategy? We invest a lot in understanding our consumers. Keeping the evolving consumer needs in mind, our advertising approach has been focused on building long-term trust with the consumers – there is no short-cut to gaining trust. This requires consistent effort. Competitive advertisement is just one tool in the marketing playbook. Every category has different objective and advertisement strategy would differ accordingly; however our brand purpose will remain consistent as the common denominator across every segment we operate. Q) Sebamed has positioned itself as a brand that empowers consumers with the right information on the basis of scientifically verifiable facts and realistic claims. Apart from your campaigns, how else are you educating consumers, since it takes a change in behaviour for people to opt for a new shampoo/soap instead of products they have been using for years? After the pandemic, basic health and hygiene choices are being re-evaluated. We strive to educate our consumers about the benefits of pH5.5 products for healthy skin and hair and impact of using conventional products. pH is a relatively new conversation in the personal care segment, and we are aware that persuading consumers to opt for a new shampoo/soap instead of products they are using for years is a journey. In order to expedite the transition process, in addition to integrated campaigns we are following a 3-pronged approach: -Offering free pH test kits to consumers, so they can test themselves at their homes -Offering free customized skin and hair solutions by our experts through our portal -Sampling and society activation initiatives Q) What is your strategy towards increasing your marketing spend? What is the growth strategy you are going to follow? -Brand building is a journey and we are committed to ramp up our marketing investments in alignment with our aspirations. -We will continue to focus on five key transformational pillars – people, differentiated products, branding, rapid distribution expansion and robust governance. Q) What kind of revenue target do you have for 2022? We are here for the long haul, we plan to grow 10X in the next 5 years, hence we aspire to grow exponentially in 2022 as well, pretty much the way we have grown over the last 3 years.

Our differentiated approach to advertising has nudged consumers to challenge the status quo and question claims around standard beauty practices: Shashi Ranjan, Sebamed

FMCG major <keyword id="87377" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hindustan-Unilever-Ltd">Hindustan Unilever Ltd</keyword> on Thursday reported an increase of 10.7 percent in its consolidated net profit at ₹2,100 crore for the first quarter ended June, 2021. The company had posted a net profit of ₹1,897 crores in the April-June quarter of the previous fiscal. Its net sales during the quarter under review stood at ₹11,966 crore, up 13.21 per cent, as against ₹10,570 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, Hindustan Unilever Ltd (<keyword id="44863" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HUL">HUL</keyword>) said in a regulatory filing. HUL's total expenses was at ₹9,546 crore, up 14.68 per cent in the first quarter of FY 2021-22, as against ₹8,324 crore a year ago. Commenting on the result, HUL CMD <keyword id="169120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjiv-Mehta">Sanjiv Mehta</keyword> said: "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. Mehta further said: "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." Shares of HUL on Thursday were trading at ₹2,446.15, up 0.50 per cent on BSE. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/policybazaar-plans-to-raise-close-to-870-million-through-its-ipo-at-a-likely-valuation-of-3-5-billion/articleshow/84606274.cms">PolicyBazaar plans to raise close to $870 million through its IPO at a likely valuation of $3.5 billion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-and-galaxy-z-flip-foldable-smartphones-launching-on-11-august/articleshow/84606447.cms">Samsung to unveil Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphones at its August 11 Galaxy Unpacked event</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/netflix-to-offer-games-on-mobile-devices-first-and-at-no-additional-cost/articleshow/84607744.cms">Netflix to offer games on mobile devices first, and at no additional cost</a>

FMCG biggie Hindustan Unilever's profit rises over 10%, remains "cautiously optimistic" on demand recovery

<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><keyword id="8675253" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="competitive-advertising">Competitive advertising</keyword> makes for a good public spectacle. If executed well, it helps generate engagement on social media platforms and create organic PR. </li><li>Was Sebamed’s recent advertising campaign targeted at FMCG giant HUL a smart move or just a PR spectacle, we speak to experts to find out. </li></ul>Rival brands have time and again engaged in ad wars by calling each other out on social media or pulling each other down publicly to achieve one-upmanship. We have all grown up watching ad wars between Burger King and McDonald’s, Tide and Rin, Mercedes and BMW, Coca-Cola and Pepsi and still look forward to watching their campaigns or tweets openly taking digs at each other. And in the age of social media, anything that is a little different from regular communications generates a lot of chatter. These wars have helped break monotony, given people laughs in dismal times and made sure they don't skip ads while watching TV. As the country continues to fight the pandemic together, these ad wars have also helped consumers stay distracted from the reality for a while. However, the advertising campaigns made to antagonise your rival brand can go either way -- it is like a double-edged sword, which can be sometimes confused with witless sloganeering. The recent raging ad war between FMCG giants <keyword id="6365619" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> (HUL) and German personal care brand Sebamed caught everyone’s attention in the media industry. The battle finally settled on January 19 as the <keyword id="48485" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bombay-high-court">Bombay High Court</keyword> allowed Sebamed to continue its advertising campaign with minor tweaks sans comparison with Rin. It made HUL’s Dove taste its own medicine, which is known for using its pH testing with a litmus paper to prove the mildness of its soap than other competitors. <div type="Youtube" id="-urr59Y65aY" title="Dove Litmus Test YouTube" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-urr59Y65aY/mqdefault.jpg"></div> In the campaign, Sebamed took a dig at HUL’s Dove, Pears and Lux claiming that it has a lower pH level than the mentioned soap brands and therefore, implying that it is better than soaps that HUL sells. The battle spiraled as HUL retaliated with a print ad and took the matter to court without giving a prior notice to Sebamed. While through an aggressive approach, Sebamed generated engagement on social media platforms and created organic PR. However, there is a thin line to tread between looking down on your competitor versus acknowledging how they let your creative juices flow by simply existing in the market. Was Sebamed’s strategy a great PR spectacle? Will it leave a long-lasting mark on the consumer's mind? How can HUL repair the dent the campaign made on its image in the market and win back its consumers? We reached out to a few experts to ask these questions. Here is what they said: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former APAC Marketing head of HP Inc:" text="Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former APAC Marketing head of HP Inc:">Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former APAC Marketing head of HP Inc:</cmsannotation> I think Sebamed played a smart gambit by precipitating a competitive war with market leader HUL, and by making consumers aware of acidity in soaps. As a new entrant and marginal player, they propelled themselves into a serious challenger by taking on bigger established brands, forcing them to respond. This helped them build huge awareness overnight that would have taken years to achieve had they not resorted to this competitive strategy. Given that Sebamed’s products are priced at a much higher level than their competitors products, for many consumers it will still be an issue of affordability. Every consumer purchase eventually is about a price-value proposition. So in that sense, Sebamed has just established its value proposition of being low on the acidity scale - and not proved that HUL’s products are inferior. I think HUL can continue to build on its huge legacy of consumer trust and its portfolio of value-for-money products, while continuing to establish the value proposition of its various brands in the personal hygiene segment. HUL’s significant distribution advantage - and products across price segments - is also a big factor that will help overcome any short term image loss. And while engaging in competitive advertising, brands should always stay focused on their core value proposition. Also, very important for them to be 100% factual and not mislead consumers. Being competitive is good but being truthful and anchored in your value proposition is paramount. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting:" text="Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting:">Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting:</cmsannotation> For Sebamed, a new entrant in a highly saturated market with large established brands, it would have been extremely difficult to make a dent in the market unless backed by massive spends. In such a scenario, leveraging and claiming genuine product superiority backed by scientifically proven data seemed to be an audacious and a smart move, possibly the only way that they could have attracted attention and generated trials. Sebamed will need to move fast in establishing awareness of and credibility for its claims of product compatibility with skin and garner a base of trialists. Once they have got the initial base of trialists based on performance, they should evolve the communication to the next level by focusing on image and identity and building an emotional affinity with the brand, beyond performance and beyond referencing of competitive brands. It should evolve towards creating a strong independent brand story. Large, established brands across industries need to come to terms with a new reality wherein large advertising spends and large market shares are no longer a cover for sub-optimal quality of products and services. Today’s young consumer, especially, does not necessarily equate big with quality. They are open to, in fact sympathetic towards new and fresh stories, especially when backed by honest, proven data. With so much focus on brand purpose, brand purpose cannot be treated as an academic exercise, rather needs to sit as a layer on top of authenticity and transparency. In the not so distant future, HUL might be forced to improve its products and come back with re-formulated soaps that have ph-compatibility with skin to create a level playing field and strengthen its market share further with its advertising spends. Sebamed should be prepared for such a response from its largest competitor. The Sebamed case may just unleash a new wave of boldness among new brands that can genuinely deliver quality product performance regardless of the competitive environment. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru &amp; Founder, HarishBijoor Consults Inc." text="Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru &amp; Founder, HarishBijoor Consults Inc.">Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru &amp; Founder, HarishBijoor Consults Inc.</cmsannotation> I do not think HUL is a bully or ever has been one. HUL brands are owned by consumers, and their success is testimony to the fact that consumers are with them and their products. A marketing company cannot ever be a bully. A marketing company needs to stand with its consumers, with a firm finger on the pulse of these very consumers. I do believe HUL does that well. Sebamed's campaign on the other hand, was a smart one. They were careful in their tone, tenor and decibel of language. They appeared to be making a mere comparison on the levels of PH across soap brands. The straight line comparison was between Sebamed and Lux. The anughty and nifty equation they established subliminally in the minds of consumers is the one between Lux and Rin, with both their pH levels at 10. That was naughty. That was nifty. And that did it. Sebamed knew for sure that their ads would be pulled down. And it was, for a while. The damage had however been done. The high decibel front-ended spends by the brand ensured that communication on the story of pH was complete. The battle is still open as of now. I think Sebamed has won the image war, not the volume or market share skirmish yet. Brands must make sure that what they are saying is the truth. And that nothing is denigrative of the brand attacked. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Karthik Srinivasan, Social Media Expert and Independent Brand Consultant:" text="Karthik Srinivasan, Social Media Expert and Independent Brand Consultant:">Karthik Srinivasan, Social Media Expert and Independent Brand Consultant:</cmsannotation> I always thought Sebamed's campaign idea was both disruptive and clever. Sebamed used an attacking tactic aptly, using science to back them. That they are repeating Dove's own tactic is a good irony to observe, even though the Court has clearly mentioned that 'two wrongs do not make a right' (that is, just because Dove used pH to attack other brands earlier, it doesn't mean Sebamed has the right to use the same tactic now). Also, considering Sebamed retails in a very different, higher price range, any and every deflection from the market shares of Dove, Pears, Lux and Santoor and other soaps would be welcome and add to Sebamed's numbers significantly. Sebamed could have targeted soaps in their price range - that would be conventional marketing wisdom, to go after Kama Ayurvedic, Forest Essentials, Roots Botanica, Good Earth etc. But that would be like aiming for the room's ceiling in terms of market share - what they have done is to aim for the sky, and won, in the process, at least in terms of significant awareness! The soap brand to lose the most, in terms of perception, is Dove, since it used the same pH factor to convince people earlier that they are better. Dove would need to think through their predicament really sharply. Given the heightened trust and interest in all-things science and doctors as a result of the pandemic and the vaccines, I'd think they may use the doctor/dermatologists route to win back trust. But that's also a staple of Sebamed, so it'd be an interesting battle ahead. As for the other soaps (Lux, Santoor, Pears etc.), they have an uphill battle ahead in terms of perception building since they have been showcased as less-than-ideal. It is a great challenge for their brand teams and agencies, to deal with and come out with perception-changing communication. Competitive advertising would obviously bring both disruptive attention and unwanted animosity too - it's a double-edged sword and comes with its own risks. So, while comparing, dissect your logic and points thoroughly. Cross-question your strategy, words and communication yourself, as if you are the rival, dispassionately. Anticipate that the rival would drag you to the court - what would be their arguments? If brands diligently follow these steps, they could anticipate and identify their own weaknesses and plan for it proactively. Also, more importantly, when your brand talks down rivals, from an end-user point of view, that signals another intent - "if they can talk down rivals, then they should be ok when we (users) talk down them too", particularly for larger brands. In this case, Sebamed could be seen as an underdog, so they may have escaped this factor to some extent, even though many users may not appreciate the negativity layered in their communication.

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