<ul><li>Local brands are making a comeback after their pandemic lows, and are now competing with national brands in categories like detergents, noodles, masalas and more.</li><li>HUL CEO said in an earnings concall that they have seen a market share dip in certain mass categories.</li><li>The number of homes that buy over 4-5 brands of the same product are growing, says a Kantar report. </li></ul>In Karnataka, many stores now have ‘1 To 3 Noodles’ on display along with Nestle’s 2-minute Maggi, the category leader. Apart from a stellar 35% penetration in the state, this local brand is catering to local tastes with a desi twist to instant noodles that comes with more masala. Similarly, North India-based Vasant Masala is catering the specific spice needs with its Awadh Garam Masala. There are more such examples of local brands that concentrate only on specific states — that are making a headway into the retail shelf space as well as the consumer’s homes, if not hearts. “Local brands live up to the local tastes better,” K Ramamkrishan, MD South Asia of Kantar tells Business Insider India. Moreover, these brands are bringing value onto the table beyond price points by capturing the specific preferences of the states and relationships with retailers. So much so, now they’re threatening the national brands sold by FMCG behemoths. “Local brands are no more brands that have basic packaging with a brand name. They are innovating, have brand ambassadors. Today local brands are only limited by their presence not their ambition,” said Ramamkrishan. He says the speed of decision making in local brands is high, and their agility allows them to capture dynamic trends in shopping habits faster. Back from pandemic lows Kantar’s Consumer Connections 2023 report says that there has been a resurgence in local brands that had faced troubles during the pandemic. Curtailed by their inability to raise prices, over 12 brands have shut shop during the pandemic. Many more couldn’t source raw material during the high inflationary period, or bear the costs, Ramamkrishan explains. With the pandemic over, the troubles have decreased and local brands are back with a vengeance. FMCG major HUL also admitted in its recent quarterly announcement that regional brands have curtailed the price growth in the sector. Rohit Jawa, CEO of HUL said that it has seen dips in market share in the mass segment due to small and regional players. “There has been a resurgence of small and regional players in select categories due to softening commodity prices – many of whom had vacated the market during the peak of inflation,” he said in an earnings concall. Most of the local brands tend to categories that are already high in penetration such as food and beverage, detergents, spices, washing powders, hair oils etc. “For example they won't be in face washes where the penetration is low,” Ramkrishnan explains. Kantar has picked a few brands like — Reflect Dishwash in Maharashtra, Saras Detergent Bar in Gujarat, Challenge Detergent Bar in Tamil Nadu, Sastry Balms in Andhra Pradesh, Supreme51 in Madhya Pradesh as some of the single-state brands that have exhibited double or even triple digit growth in the last one year, along with extensive penetration in the state of their choice. Flirting with many brands While consumers are pivoting towards local brands, they’re not shedding their loyalty to national brands either. The complex Indian consumers are more tuned to experimenting more. Ramkrishnan calls it ‘flirting with multiple brands’. The number of shopping trips or purchase occasions for Indians are growing at a rapid pace, says Kantar. An Indian makes 152 shopping trips in a year – which breaks it down to one in every 58 hours. This also includes e-commerce shopping. It indicates that people are buying only as much as required, and household consumption levels are not back to normal in spite of signs of revival. But a few others also prefer frequent shopping for reasons like freshness, accessibility and more. More shopping trips means more experimenting. The homes that buy over eight brands of biscuits/cookies rose to 34% in 2023 from 24% in 2022. The percentage of homes that buy over three brands of washing powders and liquids came in at 47%, going up by 6% in a year. And, 43% of homes bought over six brands of soap bars in 2023, rising by over 5%. Experimenting Indians are also giving a fillip to direct-to-consumer brands that have national ambitions buoyed by PE and VC investors who are betting big on them — all indicating rising competition in the sector.

Local brands rise as Indians flirt with newbies

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47527037.cms" /> After the much discussed <keyword id="2880611" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maggi-controversy">Maggi controversy</keyword>, celebs who endorsed the merchandise in the past are quizzed. A district court in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur has directed the cops to file a complaint against <keyword id="2878870" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maggi-brand-ambassadors">Maggi brand ambassadors</keyword> counting <keyword id="6357912" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="amitabh-bachchan">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword>, Madhuri Dixit and <keyword id="8145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Preity-zinta">Preity Zinta</keyword>. 
 
Celebrities refused to make any comment on the matter after ET tried to reach out to them just after the news came out. In fact, what we heard those saying is that they have become a soft target in a fiasco. 
 Bollywood actor and singer <keyword id="6354535" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ayushmann-Khurrana">Ayushmann Khurrana</keyword> said that "Fame is a double-edged sword". <keyword id="289" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="madhuri-dixit-nene">Madhuri Dixit Nene</keyword>’s lawyer <keyword id="166222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anand-Desai">Anand Desai</keyword> on the other hand, turns down the reports saying that the actor did not received any <keyword id="54048" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Food-and-Drug-Administration">Food and Drug Administration</keyword> (FDA) notice. 
 
Not just this, but Big B also declined the reports saying "I have not received any notice yet. So I cannot make any comment. If it (notice) is received, my lawyers shall attend to it. It would be inappropriate to comment on a matter that is subjudice." 
 "It's sad and true that known faces get targeted for the wrong reasons and agendas just to seek attention. It's unfortunate because it becomes like a cry wolf syndrome; the day there will actually be someone with a justified reason and cause, it will not be given the importance it possibly deserves," said actor <keyword id="114453" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arjun-Kapoor">Arjun Kapoor</keyword>, who recently faced public ire over his participation in the AIB Roast. 
 According to social commentator <keyword id="115728" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Santosh-Desai">Santosh Desai</keyword>, the primary responsibility lies with the FDA and they have yet to figure out that what actually is wrong. Then how do you expect the stars to do it? 
 
"If a product has been passed by the FDA, why would a celebrity not believe that all is in place? Yes, it merits an investigation but in the case of anything being amiss, the primary responsibility lies with the FDA not the stars. It is a completely irrelevant fact, it is just that everyone feels important by association with the stars," he added.

Amitabh Bacchan, Madhuri Dixit say they haven’t received any legal notice for endorsing Maggi yet

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47529226.cms" /> 
It’s not the first time that there has been a huge recent outcry over brand ambassadors and the ‘increased reasonability’ they should take up. The latest has been about the overt lead and MSG content found in Nestlé’s Maggi noodles and the stars involved in its advertisements. 
 
Bollywood biggies Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preiti Zinta have cases filed against them under Indian Penal Code Sections 270 (act likely to spread dangerous disease), 273 (sale of toxic food or drinks), 276 (sale of drug as a different mixture) and 420 (cheating). 
 
Madhuri recently tweeted: 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Nestle has reassured me that they adhere to stringent testing for quality and safety and are working with the authorities closely.
	— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) <a href="https://twitter.com/MadhuriDixit/status/604648165258723328">May 30, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>While Preiti Zinta protested saying: 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	 Reading the news about me being sued for doing the <keyword id="13633" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maggie">Maggie</keyword> commercial over 12 years ago ? 12 years ago ? How does that happen ?
	— Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) <a href="https://twitter.com/realpreityzinta/status/605977867436974081">June 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Most industry experts are united that brand ambassadors should go scot free. 
 
“If anyone’s accountable it’s the directors and executives of the company. No ambassador has the ability to do industrial research on products they endorse”, Arvind Singhal, Chairman at Management Consulting firm Technopak observes. 
 
Would this scare celebrities off liquor ads passed off as soda, pan masala, or anything that might get them into trouble? 
 
“It actually varies person to person. These brands are sold legally and allowed to advertise. It may be a beverage to someone, and it’s their choice. Any tobacco advertising and direct alcohol advertising are not allowed anyway. After this, if anyone declines to star in a fairness cream ad saying they have moral issues, we should respect that,” Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Ogilvy &amp; Mather India and South Asia says. 
 
Maggi noodles has been hauled for higher Lead and MSG content. Lead concentration above the prescribed limit of 2.5 ppm may lead to anemia, abdominal ache and heart palpitation. Long term effects include permanent damage to organs. 
 
(Picture credit: Indiatimes) 
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Are Celeb Ambassadors to blame for poor product quality? #MaggiBan

<ul><li>The <keyword id="8730685" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Duff-Phelps-celebrity-brand-valuation-report">Duff &amp; Phelps’ celebrity brand valuation report</keyword> reveals the new faces that bagged the most number of brand endorsements in 2019. </li><li>The list includes national award winner <keyword id="2618061" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vicky-Kaushal">Vicky Kaushal</keyword> and recent entrants like Tara Sutaria, who is the celebrity brand ambassador of the global makeup brand <keyword id="2140856" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bobbi-Brown-Cosmetics">Bobbi Brown Cosmetics</keyword> and <keyword id="3273962" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Janhvi-Kapoor">Janhvi Kapoor</keyword> — signed by Reliance Retail. </li><li> <keyword id="6354535" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ayushmann-khurrana">Ayushmann Khurrana</keyword>, Kartik Aaryan and Tiger Shroff featured in more than 10 endorsements last year. </li><li>The shift in focus from established celebrities to new faces across the advertising and media industry over the past year explains the theme “New is Gold”.</li></ul>The world of <keyword id="145279" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Celebrity-endorsements">celebrity endorsements</keyword> in ringing in the new and how. Ayushmann Khurrana, <keyword id="2214479" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karthik-Aaryan">Karthik Aaryan</keyword> and Vicky Kaushal - won over 10 brand endorsement deals each, last year. Other new-age actors like debutante Tara Sutaria and Jahnavi Kapoor also bagged more endorsements than movies in 2019. The actor who took the cake however was Ayushmann Khurrana who not only made it to number 10 on the list by <a href="https://www.duffandphelps.in/-/media/assets/pdfs/publications/valuation/celebrity-brand-valuation-report-2019.ashx">Duff &amp; Phelps’ celebrity brand valuation report</a>, also endorses a whopping 17 brands. With three hits last year with movies that are based on offbeat stories and smaller budgets — he is called Bollywood's Mr Return on Investment. Looks like brands are rushing in to invest him in too. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Celebrity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Movies </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Endorsements </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ayushmann Khurrana </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">17 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kartik Aryan </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Tiger Shroff </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Disha Patani </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">15 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kriti Sanon </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Rajkummar Rao </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">13 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Taapsee Pannu </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">11 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vicky Kaushal </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10 </td></tr></tbody></table> “This year we saw the new generation celebrities make it to the top 20. Apart from the celebrities who were featured in last year’s study, this year, we have Ayushmann Khurrana (rank 10), Tiger Shroff (rank 17) and Rohit Sharma (rank 20) with a cumulative brand value of $87.5 million,” said Aviral Jain, managing director of Duff &amp; Phelps. A few new age celebrities like Tara Sutaria bagged global deals. The actress who is two films old is now the brand ambassador of the global makeup brand Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. Janhvi Kapoor however is now a part of India’s top company — Reliance Retail. Kartik Aaryan, Tiger Shroff bag over 10 deals Actors who saw the most hits last year - like Kartik Aaryan and Tiger Shroff - bagged over 10 endorsements last year. In total, Aaryan who delivered three consecutive hits which made more than Rs 100 crore - now endorses 16 brands. He will soon hit the screens again with his feature in the sequel of Love AajKal. Tiger Shroff who was a part of last year’s top grosser War, too has 16 endorsements in his kitty. Actress Disha Patani who is a rage on Instagram has 15 endorsements. Kriti Sanon and <keyword id="699893" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taapsee-Pannu">Taapsee Pannu</keyword> won 11 deals last year. Rajkummar Rao did not have a successful run last year. But he too has 13 endorsements in his kitty including Maggi. “Their strong millennial connection landed them multiple endorsement deals,” the report concluded. The shift in focus from established celebrities to new faces across the advertising and media industry over the past year explains the theme “New is Gold”. Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli is recognised as the most valued celebrity for the third year in a row. “National award winner Ayushmann Khurrana, dancing wizard Tiger Shroff and hitman Rohit Sharma grabbed 10th, 17th and 20th spots, respectively. The overall brand value of the top 20 celebrities in 2019 is estimated at USD 1.1 billion, an increase of 25% from last year,” the report said. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/article/virat-kohli-continues-to-be-the-most-valuable-celebrity-with-a-brand-value-of-237-5-million/articleshow/73954865.cms">Virat Kohli continues to be the most valuable celebrity with a brand value of $237.5 Million: Duff &amp; Phelps Study</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/check-out-top-10-personalities-name-in-2019-google-search/articleshow/72470520.cms">Vicky Kaushal, Rishabh Pant, and Abhinandan Varthaman among the top 10 personalities that Indians googled this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/youtuber-bhuvan-bam-of-bb-ki-vines-makes-to-forbes-30-under-30-list/articleshow/73952923.cms">Youtuber Bhuvam Bam is having a wonderful year - from World Economic Forum to Forbes India's 30 under 30 list</a>

From Ayushmann Khurrana to Vicky Kaushal and Kartik Aaryan, millennial stars are beating legacy actors for brand endorsements

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47562438.cms" /> 
There’s a huge confusion over Maggi. This is mainly due to the huge disparity between the official claims by India’s food regulator FSSAI and Nestlé. 
 
Devindar Sharma, Food and Trade Policy Analyst agrees. “Nestlé should demonstrate Maggi is safe. If that doesn’t happen, it would send out a wrong message that FSSAI can let the big fish get away”, he says. 
 
Nestlé’s website claims the brand has decided to take its noodles off the shelves in spite of it being safe. The company’s latest press release reads, “MAGGI Noodles are completely safe and have been trusted in India for over 30 years.” 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47562444.cms" /> 
While India’s statutory food safety and standards agency FSSAI released an official statement confirming the presence of excess Lead, misleading labeling of ‘No added MSG’, and a ‘non-standardized food product’: Maggi Oats Masala Noodles. 
 
The brawl’s heating up with government officials, NGOs and the media fuelling the fire. 
 
So what’s the way forward when India’s largest noodles brand gets banned? 
“The company shouldn’t be in the denial mode. The more they deny the more damage it’ll beget. The brand should rework the product to make it fully compliant. It can then initiate a strong ad campaign to convince customers. It is undoubtedly a challenge”, Arvind Singhal, Chairman at Management Consulting firm Technopak says. 
 
Speaking of consumer skepticism and strong ad campaigns, one can’t help but reflect on the 2003-2007 Pesticide Controversy Cola companies faced, and the ads they floated. 
 
 Coca Cola employed brand Ambassador Aamir Khan: 
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rplO6LFQW8c" width="420"></iframe> 
 
While in a rare move Pepsi Co. India’s then Chairman Rajeev Bakshi debuted on TV: 
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DrZn5_Iw50Y" width="420"></iframe> 
Will the hue and cry over Maggi kill the instant noodles market in India? Some believe other companies may suffer losses as an aftermath of the Maggi ban. 
 
Industry experts beg to differ. 
 
“There might be a short term dip of 1 or 2 yrs on the balance sheet, then the markets would bounce. The brands are powerful and the products well entrenched”, Singhal observes. 
 
When asked the same, the ITC spokesperson remarked, “It is too early to gauge the impact on the industry as a whole." 
 
Image credit: indiansharemarket and peggywright

Can
Maggi pull it back together? The way forward #MaggiBan

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47515130.cms" /> 
What have been your midnight saviour during those hunger laden exam days in college hostels are now posing serious threats to the top notch Bollywood celebrities right from Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dix it and Preity Zinta. 
 
Since last month, Nestle’s flagship product of instant noodles, Maggi is in soup for alleged use of lead. 
 
As per a news report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), district court at Muzzafarpur in Uttar Pradesh has directed police to register an FIR against two Nestle officials and film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dix it and Preity Zinta, who have featured in the Maggi advertisements and arrest them if required. 
 
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ramchandra Prasad directed Kazi Mohammadpur Police Station to register the FIR against the five and investigate the complaint. 
 
The court also directed the police to go for arrest if required in the course of investigation. 
 
The order came during the hearing of a case filed by lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha yesterday. 
 
The petition had named Managing Director of Nestle Mohan Gupta, its Joint Director Sabab Alam and the three film stars Amitabh, Madhuri and Preity, who have featured in Maggi ads at different times. 
 
As per the news report, the complainant claimed that he purchased Maggi from a shop at Lenin chowk of Muzaffarpur on May 30 and that he was taken ill after he ate it. This prompted him to file a case against Nestle, the maker of the noodles and the film stars who are the product's brand ambassadors. 
 
Lenin Chowk falls under Kazi Mohammadpur police station. The case has been filed under IPC sections 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 273 (sale of noxious food or drink), 276 (sale of drug as a different drug or preparation) and 420 (cheating and dishonesty), confirmed the PTI news report. 
 
(Image: India Times)

Maggi row:  Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Madhuri  Dixit may be arrested

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47501718.cms" />The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is testing <keyword id="6369404" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maggi">Maggi</keyword> samples collected from various states after Uttar Pradesh’s food authority found Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) and access lead in the two-minute noodles. 
 
The Indian Government said the reports will be out within next three days and if the reports turn out to be negative, brand ambassadors of Maggi would be liable for action in case advertisements are found to be misleading. 
 
Additional Secretary, Consumer Affairs, G Gurucharan said that FSSAI had taken samples from all states. “Testings are being done. Some reports are expected today and within 2-3 days we will get complete reports,” he said. 
 
He added that in case of any violation, FSSAI would initiate action. 
 
"FSSAI has taken up the case, it will take action. We have already written to the FSSAI," said Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. 
Paswan also said that no complaints from consumers were received yet. 
 
Last week a case was registered against Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, asking her to explain the nutritional value in Maggi. 
 
A huge furore broke out on April 30 when the food authorities in Lucknow asked Nestle to recall one batch of Maggi noodles after tests showed it contained seven times higher levels of lead than permissible and traces of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG) and high amounts of lead, more than the permissible limits that could cause harm to organs in our body. 
 
Nestle defended it saying, the batch was manufactured in February 2014 and had reached the best-before date in November. One batch contains about 200,000 packs. As per a news report in The Economic Times the company has said its practice is to collect stock near the expiry date from distributors and retailers. 
 
The company told the ET, it doesn't add MSG to Maggi noodles sold in India and this is stated on the product. "However, we use hydrolysed groundnut protein, onion powder and wheat flour to make Maggi noodles sold in India, which all contain glutamate. We believe that the authorities' tests may have detected glutamate, which occurs naturally in many foods," the company said. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Stars may face action if Maggi samples tested negative

<ul><li><keyword id="6398864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mondelez">Mondelez</keyword> India found itself in a soup on Sunday after a few screenshots surfaced on Twitter suggesting that its Cadbury Dairy Milk may contain gelatine derived from beef.</li><li>Cadbury was quick to respond to its row over beef in chocolates clarifying that the screenshots circulated on social media were of the company’s international products and all its Indian products are vegetarian.</li><li>We speak to brand and PR experts to discuss Cadbury’s crisis management strategy and what else should the brand do to win back consumer trust.</li></ul>After screenshots suggesting that Mondelez's Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolates may contain gelatine derived from beef surfaced on social media platforms in India on Sunday, Mondelez India took to Twitter to clarify that its products in India are all vegetarian. It said that the screenshots circulated were of the company’s products sold overseas. Trolls were quick to call for a boycott on all Mondelez products but some users even pointed out that the screenshot being shared is that of Cadbury Australia’s website. <div type="twitter" handle="DairyMilkIn" handlename="Cadbury Dairy Milk" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1327255370444668928/1NjkNhJE_normal.jpg" favoritecount="868" retweetcount="230" status="https://t.co/798qgPozsF" createdat="1626616484000" id="1416758336909840387"></div> After issuing a public statement to soften the uproar, Mondelez decided to respond to all tweets with its official statement mentioning that the green dot on its wrapper signifies that it is 100% vegetarian. However, instead of engaging with the internet users one-on-one and addressing their queries, Cadbury decided to use its templatized statement everywhere. Sharing the best ways to tackle such crisis, particularly when the brand may not be at fault, or ‘has a plausible and believable counter-point to quell the crux of the crisis,’ Social Media Expert and Independent Communications Consultant, Karthik Srinivasan said, “Do not use stock statements and plaster it as a reply to anyone and everyone. Prioritise a few top voices who are causing maximum damage and engage with them contextually and in the form of a conversation on the medium they are active in. This requires good social media monitoring tools (to ascertain who are the top voices causing or worthy of causing most damage) and a cross-functional team consisting of PR and communications (agency and client-side) and Legal. Most importantly, this group needs to be empowered to take decisions in real-time in terms of the brand holding a conversation with its detractors online.” Dilip Cherian, Consulting Partner, Perfect Relations advised looking through the company’s Owned Media first. He said, "Responding a little late, triggers a little panic but eventually, all seems to have been well. It could also be useful for Cadburys to recognize that going forward having more details of its India-specific process and the safety factor need to be built into it. India market product specs could be emphasized on its Owned Media. This is something that we at Perfect Relations have been advocating quite strongly in recent times. With the rise of fake news and it's tremors, the most obvious place for customers or trigger happy influencers all look through the company’s Owned Media. Cadburys need to check even now whether it's India site is strong enough to tackle it's possible problems. To my mind, that's where we should start.” Many brands have become a victim of boycott culture on social media lately and a lot of them bow down and maintain a low profile to cushion the blow. Cadbury decided to address the concerns and face the situation head-on. Gone are the days where a brand could hope for this to die a natural death and wait for consumers to move on. A small trend can snowball, and a little ignorance can lead to a huge amount of audience permanently boycotting a brand. At the same time, logic dictates that brands should not get involved in arguments or low blows since it tends to feed the trolls. Suggesting the best way out of this, Tarunjeet Rattan, Managing Partner, Nucleus PR said, “A measured response is the best route. However, the mark of the measure can only be decided by the brand based on their consumer profile and industry segment.” She said that when a brand finds itself in a PR crisis such as Cadbury, it should go all out on social media. Sharing how Cadbury can further fix the damage caused, Rattan added, “Add Linkedin to the mix so that they can get Corporate Inc behind them. Engage with editorial media to help them share their side of the story with an interesting bite or two sprinkled with nuts and nuggets (no pun intended). Create a statement that goes up on their website and social media pages along with a newsletter sent out to all internal and external stakeholders. Reach out to fact-checking websites/handles and ask them to do their own checks and put it out. Add a dose of sweet humour (in true Cadbury style) by engaging reel influencers and use it as an opportunity to turn this into positive PR for them.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="You snooze, you lose" text="You snooze, you lose">You snooze, you lose</cmsannotation> Cherian said that a company should get back to its trolls on Twitter in less than an hour. "Companies, in today's hyper-connected world, can get trolled cancelled or boycotted swiftly, for all the right reasons. But what really constitutes a crisis, and one that strikes from the outfield is when it's totally based on wrong reasons. Cadburys has fallen victim to a classic case of this with the wildcard allegation that its chocolates manufactured in India had beef components in them. There is an element of mischief here but by those trying to create a sensation to ride out with. Speed is the most important ingredient in managing a crisis of this kind given that these issues have been dealt with multiple times before. So, there is no reason why there should be anything even close to an hour's delay in getting back on mischievous tweets that sought to cause commercial and customer confusion. The fact that the company chose to clarify directly to the person pushing the offending tweet is good. But at Perfect Relations, we'd have opted for a quicker but generic tweet. That I believe would have been even better. And the time factor needs to be taken into account. We now live in a 24x7 world and crisis can erupt anywhere at any time. There is no time to pause to ponder and prevaricate. Pushing out the right message very quickly is essential. In my view, Cadburys did manage to stem rubbish from expanding. But some hits were hurting," said Cherian. Srinivasan also said that if a crisis begins and perpetuates on social media, the conversations on Twitter need to be quick and in real-time. “Delays in reacting to specific questions could make it seem like the brand has something to hide. A brand handle on social media is just that - a brand handle, without a human voice. So when trying to add a factual counterpoint, it would be better to name a credible, verifiable (LinkedIn'able!) individual as the person behind the counter-point.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Personalisation" text="Personalisation">Personalisation</cmsannotation> When Fortune Oil got caught in a crisis earlier this year, after its brand ambassador Sourav Ganguly suffered a mild heart attack, it immediately released a statement asserting that it would continue to work with Ganguly. After a few days, it launched a personalised print ad penned by its ambassador Ganguly to clarify that there are multiple reasons that can affect one’s heart's health. In Cadbury’s case, it is just a note from brand’s official Twitter page and Srinivasan pointed out that ‘when sharing a factual response as a stock statement, who says it matters. For instance, if the response being used by Cadbury now was attributed to the India CEO, that would carry more weight.’ Due to the vastness of information available on social media, a lot of such crises come and go. Add to it people's perpetually decreasing attention spans. However, a Google search can still bring up stories around such controversies with just one search which could result in people changing their minds about a particular product. So, durable brands, FMCG or luxury brands need to be extra careful while handling a ‘small’ PR crisis. Srinivasan added, “It is important to put forward the brand's counterpoint impactfully so that future readers see both sides of the controversy and are able to make up their mind unambiguously.” He is sure that Mondelez will pull a ‘Maggi’<a href="https://twitter.com/beastoftraal/status/1416989779460190208"> and hire a big celebrity </a>to cover the damage and communicate how safe their products are. For its future communication, Rattan advised, “On a consistent basis, it should keep talking about safety and hygiene. Cadbury is not new to this and has faced a crisis before. But they stopped talking about hygiene in their overall campaigns once the immediate threat was overcome. Brand conversations that touch upon safety and hygiene must be a standard and not a crisis response, especially for a brand consumed by all ages including children. Keep hammering it and then some.”

Cadbury row over beef: Was Mondelez’s crisis management strategy convincing enough to win back its consumers' trust?

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/535ecc3f69bedd287a9c9157-623-467/laurent-potdevin-4.png" border="0" alt="Laurent Potdevin" />YouTube/LululemonLululemon CEO Laurent Potdevin was formerly president of TOMS Shoes.</div></div></div>Lululemon shares have taken a beating since the company's investor meeting earlier this month.
Shares have fallen 14% since the April 17 presentation, where analysts say the company's new CEO, Laurent Potdevin, failed to provide an adequate plan for stabilizing the business. Sales are estimated to be flat this year, down from an average 20% to 30% growth in previous years, according to the <a href="http://blogs.marketwatch.com/behindthestorefront/2014/04/28/heres-why-lululemon-shares-have-fallen/">Wall Street Journal</a>.
The meeting also led to an entirely new problem for Potdevin: He's become the target of tabloid newspapers for his weight and "dumpy" appearance. 
<a href="http://nypost.com/2014/04/21/lululemon-and-ceo-not-in-great-shape/">The New York Post</a> published a story quoting two shareholders who said Potdevin's physical appearance at the meeting made them question whether he's a good ambassador for a brand that sells yoga and athletic apparel. 
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2611411/Does-Lululemons-dumpy-CEO-need-yoga-Boss-comes-fire-investors-bulging-stomach.html?ITO=1490&amp;ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490">The Daily Mail</a> covered the story under the headline, "Does Lululemon's 'dumpy' CEO need to do yoga himself?" and <a href="http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/04/new-york-post-tries-to-fat-shame-lululemon-ceo.html">New York Magazine's Maggie Lange</a> also followed up, writing, "Excellent plan! Hiring a CEO who faces tabloid fat-shaming is a surefire way to appeal to yoga-pants seekers of every size. Lululemon has got this re-branding thing all figured out."
While Potdevin has made no claims he does yoga, he is known to snowboard and ski regularly. 
It's pretty uncommon for a CEO to face this kind of criticism, but the company's recent performance - and the fact that it sells yoga apparel-gives the issue some relevance, according to David Srere, the co-CEO of branding and design firm Siegel+Gale. 
"If Lululemon was hitting their numbers from a financial performance standpoint, this would not be a story," Srere said. 
Potdevin's physical fitness isn't going to move markets the way his presentation to investors did, but it can impact shareholder confidence, Srere said.
"The role of the CEO is to personify the brand," he said. "If someone asked me, 'Does this guy take yoga regularly, is this guy into fitness?' I would say 'no.'
"He can't come out and say, 'I live and breath this company,'... And that's a missed opportunity for him to better personify the brand."
Lululemon declined to comment on the criticism of Potdevin, who was formerly the president of TOMS Shoes and Burton.

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