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<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Lucas Jackson/Reuters</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Stocks once again ticked their way up to all-time highs.</p><p>First up, the scoreboard:</p><ul><li><strong>Dow:</strong> 22,635.28, +77.68, (+0.36%)</li><li><strong>S&amp;P 500:</strong> 2,532.56, +3.44, (+0.19%)</li><li><strong>Nasdaq:</strong> 6,525.77, +9.12, (+0.16%)</li><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-october-3-2017-2017-10">US dollar index</a>: </strong>93.58 (+0.02%)</li><li><strong>US 10-year yield:</strong> 2.334, -0.003</li></ul><p>1.<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-on-trump-gop-tax-reform-plan-cuts-berkshire-hathaway-2017-10">Warren Buffett said the GOP tax plan is "not a tax-reform act, it's a tax-cut act," and chances of it passing are "higher than most people think"</a> in an interview with CNBC. <span>Buffett has been an outspoken advocate for changes in the tax code, most famously for claiming that his </span><a href="http://www.barrons.com/articles/warren-buffetts-nifty-tax-loophole-1428726092">secretary pays a higher tax rate</a><span> than he does, despite his massive wealth.</span></p><p>2. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/equifax-former-ceo-richard-smith-congressional-hearing-2017-10">Congress slammed the ex-CEO of Equifax during his hearing before the House Energy Committee</a>. <span>"I worry that your job today is about damage control: to put a happy face on your firm's disgraceful actions and then depart with a golden parachute," said Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM, before Smith's opening remarks. "Unfortunately, if fraudsters destroy my constituents' savings and financial futures, there's no golden parachute awaiting them."</span></p><p>3.<span> </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/auto-sales-september-2017-10">The Big 3 carmakers crushed sales expectations after a slowdown caused by Hurricane Harvey</a>. <span>The Detroit Big Three - </span><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/f-Quote">Ford</a><span>, </span><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/gm-Quote">GM</a><span>, and </span><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/fcau-Quote">Fiat Chrysler</a><span> - topped analysts' forecasts, with Fiat Chrysler reporting a decline that was less than expected.</span></p><p><span>4. Speaking of GM, the company <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/gm-stock-price-hits-its-highest-price-ever-after-going-all-in-on-electric-cars-2017-10-1002953896">hit its highest price ever after going all in on electric cars</a>. The stock was trading as high as $43.70 on Tuesday after the company announced it would be <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/gm-to-launch-20-all-electric-cars-by-2023-2017-10-1002918264?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">focusing all its efforts on electric cars</a>. GM company hopes to be making 20 fully electric car models by 2023.</span></p><p>5. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amd-stock-price-short-interest-record-2017-10">Traders are making record bets against AMD</a><span>. </span><span>Short interest, or bets that the semiconductor manufacturer's stock price will fall, rose to an all-time high this week, according to the </span><span>financial-analytics provider </span><span>S3 Partners. The count of shares sold short rose to 159 million, or an estimated 18% of those available for trading.</span></p><p><span>6. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-stock-price-short-seller-interest-finally-making-millions-2017-10">Traders betting against Tesla are finally making millions</a>. Through Monday, short selling investors had made $72 million over a two-week period as Tesla's stock plunged 11%, putting a dent in a massive year-to-date gain that totaled 80% at its peak, according to data compiled by the financial-analytics firm <a href="https://www.s3partners.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">S3 Partners</a>. Their mark-to-market profit is even bigger over the past month, totaling $160 million, according to the data.</span></p><p><span>7. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wells-fargo-elizabeth-warren-tells-tim-sloan-he-should-be-fired-2017-10">Elizabeth Warren tells Wells Fargo's CEO, "You should be fired."</a> Warren said during a hearing on Tuesday, in which current CEO Tim Sloan was in attendance, that despite former CEO John Stumpf stepping down, she did not think that the bank did enough to mitigate the practices regarding fake accounts and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-warren-letter-fed-wells-fargo-board-of-directors-2017-6">failed to make things right</a> in the year since the scandal surfaced.</span></p><p><strong>ADDITIONALLY:</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/buffett-berkshire-hathaway-buys-stake-pilot-travel-centers-flying-j-truck-stops-2017-10">Warren Buffett's new stake in truck stops adds another layer to his big bet on the US economy</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/whole-foods-walmart-battle-for-high-income-customers-2017-10">Whole Foods and Walmart are battling for one crucial set of customers - and it reveals a dark truth about the American middle class</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/oil-geopolitics-risks-kurdistan-iran-venezuela-2017-10">Oil could be hit by 3 major geopolitical risk that may be "coming to a head in October," says Wall Street's top oil watcher.</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-price-up-but-fink-says-its-because-of-money-laundering-2017-10">LARRY FINK: Cryptocurrencies are proof of "how much money laundering there is being down in the world."</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tax-reform-plan-wall-street-repatriation-buyback-concern-overblown-2017-10">Wall Street says a major fear about Trump's tax plan is overblown</a>.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-trump-tax-plan-benefits-rich-americans-reform-standard-deductions-rate-oxford-economics-gregory-daco-economist-2017-10">An economist explains how Trump's tax plan could be great for rich Americans, but not as good for the middle class</a>.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-down-alibaba-annual-meeting-watch-ceo-jack-ma-michael-jackson-impression-2017-9">Watch billionaire CEO Jack Ma dance to Michael Jackson in full costume</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

STOCKS TICK UP TO NEW HIGHS: Here's what you need to know

<br />
There is a new, shiny marketing trend in Indian FMCG industry. Be it a liquid soap or candies, facelift cream or premium biscuits, marketers are just adding 'gold' before or after the brand name, because of which consumers are attracted to it.<br />
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Let alone the FMCG market, even the mobile phones that have 'gold' added to their names or the names of the colour variants, are a hit in the market.<br />
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Take, for example, Colgate came out with a new toothbrush, priced it aggressively at Rs 77 per piece, and named it ‘360 Charcoal Gold Toothbrush’. The product was a hit in the market. The tagline, "Wake up to a gold morning... with the gold standard of whole mouth cleaning", hits at Indians’ undying love for gold, which contributed to its popularity.<br />
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"The country is besotted with gold. That cuts across the literate and non-literate; it cuts across social, economic, political and religious divides," Harish Bijoor, brand consultant, told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fmcg/fmcgs-new-marketing-mantra-is-to-brand-products-gold-and-consumers-dont-seem-to-mind/articleshow/53292120.cms">ET</a>.<br />
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Bijoor added that companies now shy away from using platinum and silver, having tried it in the past and failing. "Indians don't understand platinum. And silver remains a distant second to gold," he said.<br />
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Some other products that have added ‘gold’ to their names are: Marico's Parachute Gold hair oil, Reckitt Benckiser's Dettol Gold liquid soap and bar soap, confectionery category leader Perfetti Van Melle's Alpenliebe gold candies, and Mondelez's premium biscuit Oreo's Golden Oreo variant.<br />
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However, adding ‘gold’ to the name doesn’t always mean that pricing has to necessarily be aggressive since the metal is not always used in the products. Sometimes, companies just want to attract users by this name.<br />
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However, every trend is ‘in’ for a limited period of time. Therefore, there are chances that companies might be overplaying with the gold thing.<br />
 <br /> "Marketers attach the gold name to brands to convey quality and premiumness but it needs to be done intelligently, linking it to a good, better, best in their portfolio. Otherwise it loses relevance as different marketers use the gold name for entry-level as well premium-quality products," says Devendra Chawla, group president, food FMCG and brands, <keyword id="44949" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Future-group">Future Group</keyword>.<br />
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It remains to be seen when the FMCG marketers realise this threat. <br />
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<a href="https://mohitze.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/treasure_treasure_chest_euro.jpg"><em>Image source</em></a><br />

Indians are so fond of gold that they don’t mind shelling extra money for FMCG products with ‘gold’ in their names

<ul><li>The Amazon Great Republic <keyword id="6371194" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sale" source="Orion">Sale</keyword> will be live till January 20.</li><li>The sale is offering various discounts and deals across all categories.</li><li>You can get an instant 10% discount with SBI credit card.</li></ul>With numerous discounts and deals across all categories, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/check-out-best-deals-on-smartphones-in-amazon-sale/articleshow/88898069.cms">Amazon Great Republic Sale</a> is now live for everyone and will last till January 20. The sale is a good opportunity to avail <keyword id="6407042" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="offers" source="Orion">offers</keyword> and to find good deals on products that will revamp your house, upgrade your wardrobe and stay updated with the gadgets.<br /><br />During the sale, Amazon has come up with discounts on fashion and beauty products like- <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/best-highlighter-for-face-in-india/articleshow/88814086.cms">makeup</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/best-choker-set-for-girls-in-india/articleshow/87504038.cms">jewellery</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/best-body-lotion-for-dry-skin-in-india/articleshow/88524325.cms">body lotions</a>,<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/best-face-serum-in-india/articleshow/88837532.cms"> face serums</a> and more. So if you have anything from the category listed in your wishlist, this could be the time to recheck the price. <br /><br />You can explore more deals on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/best-deals-and-offers-on-bluetooth-headphones-and-speakers-on-amazon/articleshow/88953479.cms">electronics</a>, gadgets, fashion and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/amazon-great-republic-day-sale-top-offers-and-deals-on-refrigerators-acs-washing-machines/articleshow/88899994.cms">appliances</a>.<br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B08S3MSGT9" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B08S3MSGT9_head"><div type="image" title="B08S3MSGT9" msid="88955063" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08S3MSGT9</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B08S3MSGT9_body"><bulletContentRow name="B08S3MSGT9_9609470590203344"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Sukkhi Pearl Choker Necklace Set</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Now available at ₹199, Sukkhi has offered a huge price drop of ₹1471 on this choker necklace set. Made from high-quality material, it is safe for the skin. The gold plated pearl design on the choker and the earrings make it look elegant and beautiful.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B092VBS5FQ" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B092VBS5FQ_head"><div type="image" title="B092VBS5FQ" msid="88955080" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B092VBS5FQ</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B092VBS5FQ_body"><bulletContentRow name="B092VBS5FQ_0747922644117313"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Brado Chain Pendant</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Brado is offering a discount of 75% on this sleek chain with a butterfly-shaped pendant. You get to pay only ₹99 and save ₹300 on this. The high-quality and skin-friendly design makes it a good option to buy.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07DRLK38Z" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07DRLK38Z_head"><div type="image" title="B07DRLK38Z" msid="88955092" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07DRLK38Z</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07DRLK38Z_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07DRLK38Z_0881670030356015"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Maybelline Liquid Lipstick, 5ml</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">You can now get this Maybelline Ruler shade liquid lipstick at ₹455, which is ₹195 less than its MRP. Available in various shades, the lipstick has a long-lasting matte finish. To ensure convenience while applying, it has a unique arrow applicator.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B08HSSBYB2" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B08HSSBYB2_head"><div type="image" title="B08HSSBYB2" msid="88955147" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08HSSBYB2</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B08HSSBYB2_body"><bulletContentRow name="B08HSSBYB2_8863206767395389"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Lakme Absolute Spotlight Eye Shadow Palette</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Originally priced as ₹995, Lakme is offering a 30% discount on this eyeshadow palette. It gives a creaseless finish to the eyes due to its lightweight formula. The easy to blend formula and velvety texture leaves a smooth finish to the eyes.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07DSWJLJ1" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07DSWJLJ1_head"><div type="image" title="B07DSWJLJ1" msid="88955173" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07DSWJLJ1</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07DSWJLJ1_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07DSWJLJ1_8501847404335397"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">L’Oreal Fresh Wear Foundation, 30ml</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Save ₹300 on this 125 Natural Rose colour foundation by L'Oreal. Made from a lightweight texture, it allows the skin to breathe and lasts all day long. Suitable for medium skin tone, it has a waterproof and sweatproof formula.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09BFR8P9C" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09BFR8P9C_head"><div type="image" title="B09BFR8P9C" msid="88955190" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09BFR8P9C</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09BFR8P9C_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09BFR8P9C_5402553410921330"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">L’Oreal Hair Care, Pack of 3</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Now available at ₹749, L'Oreal has come up with a 20% discount on this combo pack of shampoo, conditioner and cream. Formulated with vitamins, vegetal keratin and castor oil, it repairs hair, reduces hair fall and prevents split ends.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07H9T25WH" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07H9T25WH_head"><div type="image" title="B07H9T25WH" msid="88955197" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07H9T25WH</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07H9T25WH_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07H9T25WH_3166086352368423"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Dove Hair Fall Shampoo, 1L</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Down from its original price of ₹799, this Dove shampoo is now available at ₹456. Ideal for both men and women, it nourishes and prevents hair fall. Enriched with nutrilock serum, it makes the hair strong, soft and smooth.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B00CBRJ34E" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B00CBRJ34E_head"><div type="image" title="B00CBRJ34E" msid="88955210" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B00CBRJ34E</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B00CBRJ34E_body"><bulletContentRow name="B00CBRJ34E_0623971019759902"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Parachute Body Lotion, 400ml</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This body lotion from Parachute is available at a discounted price of ₹132, which is ₹178 less than its MRP. Infused with coconut milk and moisturizing properties, it has a mild fragrance. Also, the fast-absorbing and non-sticky formula makes your skin smooth and soft.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B00IJ72QWQ" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B00IJ72QWQ_head"><div type="image" title="B00IJ72QWQ" msid="88955222" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B00IJ72QWQ</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B00IJ72QWQ_body"><bulletContentRow name="B00IJ72QWQ_9763197628856772"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Nivea Body Lotion, 400ml</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Available at a 29% discount, you can now get this Nivea body lotion at ₹239. Suitable for men and women, it moisturizes and nourishes the skin. To keep your skin soft and smooth, it is infused with the goodness of almond oil and vitamin E.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07XS46Q73" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07XS46Q73_head"><div type="image" title="B07XS46Q73" msid="88955230" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07XS46Q73</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07XS46Q73_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07XS46Q73_2478812435985900"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Himalaya Neem Face Wash, 400ml</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">You can now get this neem face wash from Himalaya at a discounted price of ₹245 and save ₹105. It helps you keep your skin clean, oil-free and pimple free. Suitable for all skin types, it also detoxifies the skin.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B08FTQXWC7" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B08FTQXWC7_head"><div type="image" title="B08FTQXWC7" msid="88955244" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08FTQXWC7</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B08FTQXWC7_body"><bulletContentRow name="B08FTQXWC7_8850696601039179"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Garnier Face Serum, 30ml</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Now available at ₹314, Garnier is offering a 30% discount on this face serum. Suitable for all skin types, it makes your skin spotless by reducing dark spots and acne marks. The lightweight formula and fast-absorbing formula gives an oil-free look to the face.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/amazon-great-republic-sale-best-deals-on-kitchen-appliances/articleshow/88929627.cms">Amazon Great Republic Sale: Best deals on kitchen appliances</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/amazon-great-republic-sale-best-deals-on-kitchen-and-dining-products/articleshow/88931079.cms">Amazon Sale: Best deals on kitchen items and dining products</a><br />

Best fashion and beauty deals during Amazon sale

<ul><li>Despite a slowdown in 2019, Marico continued to hold on to market share and refrained from cutting down its marketing budgets.</li><li>Its focus on constantly innovating and coming up with premium products while keeping the consumer at the core of all its strategies helped the brand brave the slow times.</li><li>Koshy George, Chief Marketing Officer, Marico Limited walked us through the factors that helped the brand put up a good show in a difficult year, and its marketing game-plan for the year ahead. </li></ul>
    <div type="Video" msid="73255971" hostid="261" title="Koshy George, CMO, Marico Limited walks us through Marico's performance in 2019 and the key areas of focus in 2020" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=73255971"></div>




It's been just about a year since Koshy George came on board as the Chief Marketing Officer at Marico Limited. While 2019 wasn't particularly an easy year for the overall industry, thanks to the economic slowdown, Marico’s core brands have managed to hold on to their leadership positions. The reason for this growth is perhaps its strong marketing game and the fact that the brand has been focusing on innovation and premiumisation, to solve consumer pain points.<br /><br />Before Marico, George spent close to 15 years in Hindustan Unilever, working on prominent brands like Lifebuoy, Pears, Dove, Lux, Lifebuoy and Sunlight, amongst others. In Marico, George is leading the company’s core hair nourishment brands that include Parachute Advansed, Nihar, Hair &amp; Care, Shanti Amla and Livon, among other brands.<br /><br />For a while now, premiumisation has been helping bridge the gap between what once could be termed as luxury products and products with a more mass appeal. It is also making products more appealing to millennials and a younger set of audience, that is ready to shell out some extra bucks, to get a better consumer experience. <br /><br />Despite being a legacy brand, Marico identified this as a growth area and has been focusing on innovating and coming up with premium products under its portfolio. <br /><br /><strong>Why premiumisation will continue to be critical</strong><br /><br />The last year saw the economy witness a slowdown that led to muted growth across industries and FMCG wasn’t untouched by its effects. The effects were most starkly felt in rural markets, which witnessed a substantial dip in sales. However, despite the strong headwinds, Marico succeeded in gaining significant market share in the segments they play in. Its core brands like Parachute and Shanti Amla continued to perform well. “There is a headwind coming in, in terms of the growth of the overall categories shrinking. Competitively, we are doing well, our brands are looking very strong. However, what we need to realize is that the slowdown is here to continue and in such a scenario, how do re-tweak our strategies and get people back to help grow the category,” says George.<br /><br />In such a scenario, what does a marketer do, to protect a brand from being impacted adversely? The answer, George shares, lies in ensuring that consumers get better value from their products. <br /><br />“One of the things we are looking at differently is how do we pass on more value to our consumers? There is obviously some price or promotions we have initiated in the market that ensure that people get the right value at a time like this. Moreover, if you look at the other spectrum, there are channels like modern trade and e-commerce that continue to grow and premiumise. So at that end of the spectrum, we are looking at getting more premium innovations to drive growth there. So we are looking at very different approaches in different parts of the market,” he explains.<br /><br /><strong>Livon and its growth story</strong><br /><br />When it comes to the hair serum category, Marico had a clear first-movers advantage when it launched Livon. Years after its launch, despite the category getting cluttered with the entry of a lot of national and international brands, Livon has managed to hold its own. Today, the brand holds about 70% of the serum category.<br /><br />Speaking about Livon’s growth trajectory and the factors that have helped the brand hold on to its leadership position, George says, “Livon has done fabulously well and has stepped up growth in the last few years. For Livon, the core task continues to be driving relevance and building the category, considering it’s a very different format. Most of India is still rooted to using oils, so it’s our job to create the market and educate people on when a serum is used and that continues to be our number one focus. So we have got the product at accessible price points. We also continue to work on upgradations while promoting it around our brand proposition of salon finish hair. Thirdly, we are bringing about a lot of innovation. We now have Livon Colour Protect. We are now looking at opening at sub-segments and targeting modern trade and e-commerce more sharply.”<br /><br />George also says that being the market leader gives them the added responsibility of helping the category grow, which is why he is unfazed by the ever-increasing competition in the category. “Competition coming in is always good because it grows the category faster. We are quite sure that we have a pole position building the category and hence it will always work for us. The trick is to keep innovating and that we continue to drive category upgradation,” he adds.<br /><br /><strong>Getting the right marketing mix</strong><br /><br />While slowdowns usually directly impact advertising and marketing budgets, Marico refrained from cutting down on their budgets. Explaining why, George says, “We haven’t really tempered down on our marketing investment because we believe that once you start investing on brands, there will be cycles where the markets fluctuate, but if we continue to invest, we will get the benefits in the long-run.”<br /><br />While TV continues to be Marico’s lead medium, Digital has been witnessing a steady growth, in terms of marketing spends. In the last 2-3 years, the brands spends on Digital has almost doubled. However, George explains that the media mix for any campaign would depend on the purpose of the campaign and the kind of audience they want to reach out to. “While for a lot of our mass brands, TV continues to be the lead medium, there will be cases when Digital will take the largest chunk of our investments. Our investments will depend on our brand and the TG we are targeting,” he explains.<br /><br />Moreover, as a part of their digital investments, Marico is also looking at spending more on new-age social media platforms like TikTok. <br /><br /><strong>Marico’s marketing game-plan</strong><br /><br />While premiumisation will continue to be a big focus for Marico, it will also continue to work on bringing people present in the unorganized loose oil category into the organized hair-oil segment. <br /><br />“We believe there is a huge opportunity in premiumisation in all the categories across personal care and we will continue to focus on that. We will continue to invest in new brands, new formats and new benefits for our consumers. Equally while we do that, our strength lies in playing in the core of the market which we have successfully done over the years in terms of upgrading consumers from the belly of the market. So it will be a dual strategy but both for me will lead to meeting our growth ambitions,” adds George.<br />

Why premiumisation will continue to be a focus area and growth driver for Marico

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Skye Gould/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Solving America's energy problems, like reducing dependence on foreign oil and moving the country to a lower-carbon economy, will be a major election issue and a top priority for the next president.</p><p><span><a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2015/09/23/hillary-clinton-vision-for-modernizing-energy-infrastructure/">Hillary Clinton's energy plan</a> <span>is thoughtful and detailed, to the level of addressing funding sources. Her campaign has placed a priority on investing in and incentivizing renewable-energy technology to help create jobs and transition the US to a lower-carbon economy.</span></span></p><p><span><span>She mentioned boosting domestic solar power production - which is an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wunder-capital-solar-investing-2016-6">increasingly profitable market</a> - as a priority for her campaign, in the first debate in September. </span></span></p><p><span><span>Here's where Clinton stands. </span></span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Skye Gould/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2><span><span>Renewable energy</span></span></h2><p>Clean technology - solar, wind, and hydroelectric - is a rapidly growing sector of the US economy. </p><p>Clinton's campaign has the stated goal of generating half of the US's electricity from renewable resources by the end of her first term. Her campaign has specific strategies for accomplishing this, including launching a $60 billion <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/climate/">Clean Energy Challenge</a> to partner with local municipalities to cut carbon pollution and expand clean-energy technology to lower-income families.</p><p>Clinton also wants to cut oil and gas subsidies and invest in clean-energy research, specifically installing a half-billion solar panels by the end of her first term, according to <a href="http://sciencedebate.org/20answers">Science Debate</a>. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Balazs Koranyi</span></p><p class="caption">Three oil and gas rigs owned by Transocean Ltd sit idle in the Grand Harbor in Valletta, Malta October 22, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Oil drilling </h2><p>Oil drilling is an efficient yet highly destructive and invasive process for obtaining fossil fuel.</p><p>In March, the Obama administration announced that it would <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/03/15/obama-pulls-plans-to-allow-oil-drilling-off-southern-atlantic-coast/?utm_term=.2ae5dac64826">not open new oil reserves</a> near the southeastern Atlantic coast for drilling. Obama, however, did free up three massive reserves on sensitive habitat in Alaska earlier this year, though environmental activists say the land <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/will-any-oil-company-ever-drill-in-the-arctic/474234/">should never be drilled</a>. </p><p>Clinton opposes Arctic drilling and has expressed skepticism for oil production off the southeastern Atlantic coast, according to <a href="http://www.cfr.org/campaign2016/hillary-clinton/on-energy-and-climate">CFR</a>. </p><p>Some experts say that closing the southeastern Atlantic to oil drilling is a smart move. </p><p><span>Installing wind power off of the southeastern Atlantic coast could produce more jobs and more energy over the next two decades than drilling for oil, according to </span><a href="http://oceana.org/sites/default/files/sc_offshoreenergy_op.pdf">a study</a><span> from Oceana, a conservation-focused environmental nonprofit.</span></p><h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/archive/USA--TB3EACB1GDLSQ.html">Jim Urquhart/Reuters</a></span></p><p class="caption">Lee White pumps water from a natural gas well platform owned by Encana south of Parachute, Colorado, December 8, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></h2><h2>Hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'</h2><p>Fracking is a method of injecting liquid deep into the earth's crust to release previously inaccessible natural-gas reserves. Fracking has helped the US significantly increase domestic fuel production, and it's a popular method anywhere there's shale, like North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. </p><p>Fracking has also come under intense scrutiny for its environmental impact. It has been shown to <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fracking-can-contaminate-drinking-water/">contaminate groundwater</a> - used for drinking - in Wyoming, and there have been <a href="http://www.theoec.org/campaign/fracking-impacts-water-quality">multiple</a> <a href="http://www.athensnews.com/opinion/readers_forum/study-on-fracking-health-risks-reinforces-call-for-moratorium/article_bb60bb35-8424-5d6e-a1b9-159258c07e9c.html">reports</a> all over the US of similar issues. Wastewater disposal from fracking, which is injected deep into the ground, has also been <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/fracking-earthquakes-2013542184.html">linked to earthquakes</a> in Texas. </p><p><a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2016/02/12/hillary-clintons-plan-for-ensuring-safe-and-responsible-natural-gas-production/">Clinton's campaign</a> has expressed that domestically produced natural gas can play an "<span>important role in the transition to a clean energy economy." Her campaign also said that they'll focus on creating new standards and safeguards to make fracking safer and less environmentally destructive. </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst</span></p><p class="caption">Activists hold a rally against government approval of the planned Keystone XL oil pipeline, in front of the White House in Washington January 10, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><h2>Keystone XL pipeline</h2><p>The Keystone XL pipeline is a proposed $8 billion oil pipeline that would bring crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf coast of Texas, reports <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/business/international/transcanada-to-sue-us-for-blocking-keystone-xl-pipeline.html">The New York Times</a>. It was the subject of massive protests over the past few years and was ultimately vetoed by the Obama Administration.</p><p>Most of the oil produced in Alberta's oil sands - a process with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/photos-destructive-canada-oil-sands-2012-10/#t-thousands-flock-here-to-make-real-money-in-the-oil-sands--where-creating-synthetic-crude-begins-in-the-strip-mine-3">notorious environmental repercussions</a> - is bought by American companies. </p><p>The Clinton campaign opposes construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, saying that the project, "<span>distracts from U.S. efforts to combat climate change," according to <a href="http://www.cfr.org/campaign2016/hillary-clinton/on-energy-and-climate">CFR</a>. Clinton echoed Obama's comments regarding the pipeline, when he said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/06/statement-president-keystone-xl-pipeline">2015 statement</a> that the pipeline "<span>has occupied what I, frankly, consider an over-inflated role in our political discourse." </span></span></p><p><span><span>The pipeline, according to Obama, would not lower gas prices for American consumers, nor would it make any "meaningful, long-term contributions," to the US economy. The Obama Administration <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trancanada-is-suspending-its-permit-for-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-2015-11">rejected</a> Trans Canada's application last year. </span></span></p><p><span>Clinton has remained silent <span>on the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been the subject of protests by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe on the border of North and South Dakota in recent weeks. The pipeline could pose a threat to the local environment and water resources.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">A coal miner.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><h2><strong>Coal power</strong></h2><p>Coal is one the cheapest and most polluting fuel sources. Coal production <a href="http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/#coal">has fallen</a> over the past decade, and it's critical to the economies of many Appalachian and Rust belt states. </p><p>Coal power is the US's <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html#.V-WIfJMrIlK">top source of carbon dioxide</a> - a primary cause of global warming - in the air, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy organization.</p><p>Clinton's campaign announced a <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2015/11/12/clinton-plan-to-revitalize-coal-communities/">$30 billion initiative</a> to invest in the "economic diversification" of former coal-mining towns. Clinton's plan, while supporting long-term healthcare for retired coal miners, will also focus on redeveloping former coal-mine sites for different uses. She'll finance her plan using "unappropriated" resources from the <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/30/1231">Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund</a><span>.</span></p><h2><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Steam and other emissions are seen coming from a power station.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span><span>Emissions</span></h2><p>Reducing harmful emissions from power generation is one of the key tenets of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-paris-climate-change-agreement-2015-12">Paris climate accords</a>, an international agreement ratified by over 60 countries.</p><p>Clinton's campaign <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/climate/">called for</a> reducing gas emissions based on the terms set by the Paris agreement by up to 30% by 2025, relative to 2005 levels, and to "put the country on a path" to cutting emissions more than 80% by 2050. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brutal-hillary-clinton-ad-donald-trump-debate-2016-9">Watch the brutal Hillary Clinton ad that pits Trump against himself</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="lsbWY2NjE6yF6b_VF7iQaBKwS-bHRI1_" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's where Hillary Clinton stands on energy issues

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Philip Massie</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>The major stock averages finished the day little-changed while shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the most high-profile holding of high-profile hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, fell 50% after a run of very disappointing earnings news. </p><p>First, the scoreboard:</p><ul><li>Dow: 17,237.5, +8, (+0.05%)</li><li>S&amp;P 500: 2,014, -5, (-0.3%)</li><li>Nasdaq: 4,726, -23, (-0.5%)</li><li>WTI crude oil: $36.45, -2%</li></ul><h2>Bill Ackman's Terrible, Horrible, No, Good Very Bad Day</h2><p>The header sort of says it all. </p><p>Bill Ackman, by our math, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pershing-square-holdings-halted-2016-3">lost about $1 billion on Tuesday</a> as shares of Valeant Pharmaceuticals were cut in half after the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-valeant-cuts-2016-revenue-forecast-2016-3">company gave a disappointing earnings outlook</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/valeant-q1-guidance-call-2016-3">basically did nothing</a> to reassure investors that the very messy last six months are close to being anything like fixed.</p><p>Here are some of the gory details from Linette Lopez (emphasis mine):</p><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><strong>The way analysts talked to Pearson on Tuesday morning was the same way a parent talks to a teenager who just had the police called on his or her house party.</strong> It was the same way you talk to a dog that just chewed up the furniture. One analyst, David Maris of Wells Fargo, even asked Pearson if he would forgo his golden parachute if the board asked him to leave.</p><p style="padding-left: 60px;">Pearson sounded clueless.<strong> He said he didn't even know he had a golden parachute totaling about $200 million.</strong> He also said he didn't know when the company would release its annual report, giving April as his best guess. Valeant will be penalized if it isn't released by March 16.</p><p style="padding-left: 60px;">It was just one of many missteps on the call led by a man who once could do no wrong on Wall Street. <strong>Fudged numbers, estimate changes, issues with the company's new business model and partners - the analysts, usually so lenient with Valeant - caught it all.</strong></p><p>So this went badly!</p><p>And it is almost unbelievable that a company worth roughly $20 billion in the morning would be worth half that at the close. But it happened. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-valeant-cuts-2016-revenue-forecast-2016-3">The stock chart is real</a>.</p><p>The amazing thing, though, is that this is <em>not a new problem</em>. Certainly the stock falling 50% today is new, but consider that shares of Valeant <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/valeant-shares-crash-october-21-2015-10">fell as much as 40% in one day</a> back in October. In the last six months, the stock is off 80%. </p><p>There is so much to say here: on the hubris on management, on the company's major shareholders, on the pharmaceutical-industrial complex that more or less enabled the roll-up strategy the company propagated in the last several years. </p><p>With Tuesday's collapse Valeant shares are now basically flat over the last five years. </p><p>And while this is certainly a convenient time for value-based investors to look at Valeant and related parties and have the last laugh, we'll give The Motley Fool's Morgan Housel <a href="https://twitter.com/TMFHousel/status/709788580932145152">credit where credit</a> is due on nailing what seems to have <em>really</em> gone wrong here/ </p><p>Housel <a href="https://twitter.com/TMFHousel/status/709788580932145152">tweeted Tuesday</a> that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made clear he doesn't really care about the money. And now he has tens of billions. </p><p>Valeant CEO Mike Pearson, in contrast, has made clear he measures success by value returned to and created for shareholders. And the project has gone up in flames. </p><p>In entirely unrelated pharmaceutical news, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pharmaceutical-company-stock-up-over-300-2016-3">shares of Celator Pharmaceuticals gained more than 300%</a>. </p><h2>US Economy</h2><p>It's a busy week for US economic data and Tuesday saw the week's largest data-dump. </p><p>At 8:30 a.m. ET we got a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/empire-fed-manufacturing-march-2016-2016-3">manufacturing reading from the New York Fed</a> that came in better-than-expected, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/retail-sales-february-2016-2016-3">retail sales fell less than expected</a>, while the latest reading on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/producer-price-index-march-15-2016-3">producer prices fell 0.2%</a>, in-line with expectations. </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nahb-housing-market-index-march-2016-2016-3">Homebuilder confidence</a> came in slightly lower than expected, though this measure's March reading matched the level seen in February. </p><p>On balance, well, it was all fine. Nothing major happening in the economy that we didn't know about already, basically. Retail sales were a slight disappointment but, again, this is a series that uses nominal dollars and so the 0.1% headline decline in February's sales was impacted by a decline in the price of oil. The biggest jump in sales seen during the month came from building materials retailers. So that's good! </p><p>In the producer price index the cost of medical services rose more than the prior month, indicating potential upside for the next PCE inflation reading. This measure, which is preferred by the Fed over the consumer price index (which we'll get on Wednesday morning), <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/personal-income-and-spending-feb-26-2016-2">rose to 1.7% in January</a> and is quickly closing in on the Fed's 2% goal. </p><h2>Federal Reserve</h2><p>The Federal Reserve kicked off its two-day meeting on Tuesday which will culminate in Wednesday afternoon's policy announcement at 2:00 p.m. ET and a press conference from Fed Chair Janet Yellen at 2:30 p.m. ET. </p><p>Expectations are for the Fed to keep interest rates pegged at 0.25%-0.50%. The more interesting part of the release will be the updated "dot plot" - which gives a "House view" of sorts on where Fed officials think interest rates will be at various points in the future - as well as new economic projections for GDP, unemployment, and inflation. </p><p>Chair Yellen's press conference will also, of course, be closely tracked, particularly for any indications that the Chair sees inflation pressures building in way that the Fed will not choose to look past. For years inflation has run below the Fed's 2% target, but as we noted ticked higher in January and signs point to growing price increase in the economy. </p><p>But will the Fed, as it did in 2014, view this increase as temporary? Or will the Fed begin, for the first time in the post-crisis era, see durable, robust price pressures make their way into the economy. And, if they believe "this time is different" on the inflation front, how will this shape the path of future policy? </p><p>We'll have full coverage tomorrow. </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fomc-meeting-statement-preview-march-2016-3">To hold yourself over, read Akin Oyedele's full preview here</a>. </p><h2>Amazon</h2><p>Regular readers of this space know we love Amazon. </p><p>And on Tuesday, analysts at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-planning-world-domination-2016-3">RBC Capital Markets covering freight transportation stocks wrote</a> about how firms and investors in their coverage area have taken notice of Amazon's move into the more boring logistics space. </p><p>Not unlike the shockwaves seen through media stocks in recent months, the worries here are that investors in companies like, say FedEx or UPS, will start to get nervous about how Amazon will eventually impact operations even if the clear endgame isn't known. </p><p>In fact, it will likely be even worse <em>until</em> the endgame is clear, regardless of who wins. </p><p>Here's RBC (all emphasis mine):</p><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><strong>Amazon has been making waves across our coverage universe over the past few months by taking what appears to be a targeted and methodical approach to procuring and managing freight transportation capacity internally rather than outsourcing.</strong> These actions coupled with several peak shipping seasons of underwhelming service performance by FDX and UPS led to a great deal of concern among investors that Amazon is in the process of actively developing its own internally controlled supply chain capable of moving product across the globe all the way to a customer's doorstep.</p><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><strong>Our view is that this is partially true: Amazon is trying to build a global supply chain to reduce costs and create deeper customer relationships.</strong> Similarly, we believe Amazon is working to create a limited pickup and delivery operation to meet niche customer requirements and to keep the traditional parcel carriers "honest" with regards to pricing and service commitments. However, we do not think the company can yet build a full-scale pickup and delivery business capable of supplanting the likes of UPS, FDX and the USPS.</p><p style="padding-left: 60px;"><strong>At the core, we think the decisions Amazon is making today parallel those made by Walmart during the 1980s, as the company began to integrate itself more fully with its suppliers to aggressively reduce costs across all aspects of its business, especially the supply chain.</strong> This can accomplish two things: reduce costs in any way possible and ensure that customers receive goods in a timely manner year round.</p><p>So, a lot to unpack here (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-planning-world-domination-2016-3">you can read my full thoughts on the matter here</a>), but the basic point is that more and more industries no longer look at Amazon at arm's length: they are knock at the door. Loudly. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mythbusters-co-hosts-no-more-2016-3">Adam Savage reveals why he and 'MythBusters' cohost Jamie Hyneman won't be working together anymore</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="8yMjBqMTE64Z8GLc4yQx9nPkambvO6n4" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

STOCKS DO NOTHING, VALEANT CRASHES: Here's what you need to know

<ul><li>Marico’s India Business delivers a volume growth of 21%.</li><li>More than 90% of the company’s domestic portfolio gains market share. </li></ul>In Q1FY22, Marico’s revenue from operations grew by 31% YoY to ₹2,525 crores (USD 346 million) with underlying volume growth of 21% in the domestic business and constant currency growth of 21% in the international business. <br /><br />In India, the FMCG giant witnessed positivity in the demand sentiment until late April, when stricter mobility restrictions were once again imposed in various states in response to the rising severity of the second COVID wave. Unlike the first wave, the pandemic affected deeper pockets of the country, but Marico’s business was not as disrupted as in the last year given that supply chains were able to weather localized and staggered lockdowns and retail stores operated for certain number of hours during the day. Growth in key portfolios also witnessed some impact due to relatively higher salience in South and West India, which saw heavier caseloads and extended lockdown restrictions. In addition, there was also a marginal correction (2-3% impact) of the historical revenue skew from Q1 towards the previous quarter (Q4FY21). Traditional trade continued to perform well with rural and urban growing in tandem. E-Commerce maintained its accelerated growth trajectory, while Modern Trade could only recover partially as lockdown-like curbs were back into effect in various states. CSD grew on a low base. <br /><br />The International business posted a strong broad-based recovery relative to the varying levels of impact in each of the markets in the base quarter. This was despite signs of moderation in demand witnessed due to the resurgence of COVID in Bangladesh and Vietnam towards the end of the quarter. <br /><br />Gross margin was down 759 bps YoY given the stark contrast in the cost of inputs consumed in the two quarters, as pricing interventions in the core portfolios could only partially alleviate the inflationary pressure. However, operating leverage benefits reduced the drop in EBITDA margin to 522 bps YoY. As a result, EBITDA was up 3% YoY and recurring PAT was up 8% YoY. Reported PAT was down 7%, due to exceptional gain in the base quarter. <br /><br />Other highlights relating to the quarter’s performance are as follows: <br /><br /><ul><li>∙ The core portfolios in the India business continued to log market share gains on a MAT basis, on the back of their market leadership position and strengthening equity.</li><li>∙ Traditional trade continued its healthy run with both urban and rural growing by 17% in volume terms. E-Commerce grew 61%, sustaining its strong momentum. Modern Trade and CSD grew 10% and 56%, respectively. ∙ Parachute Rigids grew 12% in volumes, posting growth in both core and non-core markets. The brand continued to gain volume market share of 80 bps (MAT Jun’21).</li><li>∙ Value Added Hair Oils grew 34% in volumes with each of the key brands clocking double-digit growth. The Company gained 70 bps volume market share to 37% (MAT Jun’21)</li><li>∙ The Saffola franchise, comprising Refined Edible Oils and Foods, delivered 24% volume growth and 60% growth in value terms. Saffola Edible Oils delivered low double-digit volume growth despite a strong base, on the back of investment in new markets and increasing household penetration. Saffola Foods grew by more than 100% in value terms, augmented by the new launches over the last 12 months. The base Oats franchise grew by 59% in value terms backed by increased penetration and market share gains. Saffola Honey continued to grow briskly on a sequential basis, and has garnered double-digit market share in key Modern Trade chains and consolidated 25%+ market share in E-Commerce. Saffola Oodles and Saffola Mealmaker Soya Chunks have been scaling up well.</li><li>∙ The Premium Personal Care (contributing less than 5% of revenues) recovered sharply on a low base but was still below pre-COVID levels, as discretionary consumption remained soft.</li><li>∙ In the International business, Bangladesh clocked 9% constant currency growth. South East Asia delivered 16% constant currency growth. MENA and South Africa recovered smarty on a low base.</li><li>∙ Advertising &amp; Sales Promotion grew by 27% YoY as the Company actively invested in its core franchises and recent Foods innovations, while maintaining a low-key in discretionary categories.</li></ul>

Marico's revenue from operations grew by 31% YoY to ₹2,525 crores in Q1FY22; advertising and sales promotion sees a growth of 27% YoY

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP</span></p><p class="caption">A firefighter hoses down hotspots from a wildfire in Santa Rosa, California, on Saturday, October 14, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>California wildfires have hit the state's marijuana industry, burning dozens of farms and leaving many more engulfed in smoke.</strong></li><li><strong>The price of marijuana could spike as much as 20% in the aftermath of the fires.</strong></li><li><strong>The full extent of the damage will be unclear until growers send crop samples for testing.</strong></li></ul><p>Marijuana could get more expensive after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/santa-rosa-fire">a series of massive fires in Northern California</a> wiped out as much as a year's supply for some industry growers.</p><p>Nearly two dozen wildfires spread through the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/santa-rosa-fire-map-2017-10">counties of Napa, Sonoma, and six others</a> last week, destroying an estimated 5,700 structures, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/napa-sonoma-fires-aerial-photos-2017-10">burning over 200,000 acres</a> of land - a collective area roughly the size of New York City. <a href="http://beta.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-california-fires-20171014-story.html">Forty people</a> are dead.</p><p>The fires scorched dozens of the region's marijuana farms, including those in Sonoma County and in Mendocino County  - part of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/life-of-trimmigrants-2016-10">Emerald Triangle</a>, which is considered the marijuana-growing capital of the US. The number of farms burned is expected to "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/us/california-fires-marijuana.html?_r=0">increase significantly</a>" as evacuation orders are lifted and growers return to their homes.<span></span></p><p><span>The crop harvested later this month would have supplied California dispensaries through the end of 2018. The situation could create a shortage of marijuana in the state </span>just months ahead of California's launch of a recreational marijuana market. Tamar Maritz, regional director for California at marijuana data insights company BDS Analytics, said Californians could expect to see prices rise as much as 10 to 20% in the aftermath of the fires.</p><p>BDS Analytics found that in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, a "major disruption in the supply chain" created price increases in a magnitude of 10% to 20%, according to Maritz. Those breakdowns varied from regulatory changes that shorted supply, to the debut of a recreational market.</p><p>She added that those states saw prices return to normal one to three months after the event.</p><p>The going rate nationwide for legal, non-medical marijuana is about $11 per gram or $34 for an eighth of an ounce, according to <a href="https://mjcharts.com/about/">MJCharts</a>. Using case studies from states with fully legalized marijuana, California could see the price of pot increase roughly $2 more per gram or $7 more per eighth of an ounce after the price hikes set in.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Josh Edelson/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Marijuana plants are covered in fire retardant.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The fires came at one of the worst times for the marijuana industry. Harvest takes place between the months of September and November, and most grows provide crop for the entire year. Many farmers had only just begun cutting their plants, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2017/10/11/california-fires-destroy-cannabis-crops-at-harvest-time/#2684b45b30a1">according to Forbes</a>.</p><p>California produces <a href="http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Allure-of-legal-weed-is-fueling-land-rush-in-7948587.php">over half</a> of the marijuana consumed in the US. According to county surveys, there are between 3,000 and 9,000 marijuana farms in Sonoma County, where the fires hit hard. The number of farms in Mendocino County, where the illicit market thrives, is unknown.</p><p>Both the California Cannabis Industry Association and the California Growers Association reported "<a href="http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Cannabis-harvests-threatened-by-Sonoma-County-s-12263991.php">several dozen</a>" members that have lost their farms in the blazes. It's too soon to say what percent of grows in California were affected by the fires, though it appears to be a minority.</p><p>Smoke also blanketed huge swaths of Northern California last week, which presents a more widespread concern for the marijuana industry, according to Nick DiNicola, whose company, DiNicola Insurance Services, brokers insurance for companies in the cannabis space.</p><p>"A lot of the farms weren't destroyed but may not be able to sell their product because of all the pollution that came down from the fires," DiNicola told Business Insider.</p><p>Smoke-exposed crops <a href="http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Cannabis-harvests-threatened-by-Sonoma-County-s-12263991.php">are more vulnerable to disease</a>, which could lead to unhealthy levels of mold, mildew, and fungus. The marijuana might also smell like fire, which causes it to lose value if it's meant to smell like "lemon haze" or "blueberry kush," <a href="http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Cannabis-harvests-threatened-by-Sonoma-County-s-12263991.php">according to the San Francisco Chronicle</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Noah Berger/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Flames surround a marijuana plant as a wildfire burns near Oroville, California, on Saturday, July 8, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Still, the fires reached only a small section of the Emerald Triangle, which also includes Humboldt County and Trinity County. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2017/10/11/california-fires-destroy-cannabis-crops-at-harvest-time/#2684b45b30a1">Local dispensaries</a> that source their inventory from the counties affected by the fires are more likely to experience higher prices.</p><p>Marijuana extraction companies, which process marijuana plant material for oils and concentrates, could also have trouble getting their products to market, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/debraborchardt/2017/10/11/california-fires-destroy-cannabis-crops-at-harvest-time/#2684b45b30a1">according to Forbes</a>.</p><p>Maritz, of BDS Analytics, added that the full extent of the damage will be unclear until farmers collect what's left of their grow and send samples to marijuana testing facilities.</p><p>"The fire today isn't going to impact the inventory until tomorrow," Maritz said.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/parachuting-directly-into-wildfires-2016-9">Meet the badass fire fighters who parachute directly into the flames</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Marijuana could get more expensive after California wildfires wiped out a year's supply of weed

Encouraged by volume growth, margin improvement and recovery in rural sales, India's top fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are now back to their normal growth cycle as they step up investments as well as spending on advertising and marketing. <keyword id="84065" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fmcg-companies" source="Orion">FMCG companies</keyword> are chasing volume growth again after a gap of a few quarters, offering higher grammage and price cuts thanks to inflationary pressures softening on key raw materials for everything from soaps to food items. <br /><br />Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Dabur, Marico, Godrej Consumer Products, ITC, Tata Consumer Products and Nestle reported volume recovery in the March quarter and said they expect a gradual pickup in consumption in FY24. <br /><br />"The prospects of a sustained recovery have strengthened. After five quarters of volume decline, the sector has posted volume growth," Marico MD and CEO Saugata Gupta said in the company's earnings conference call. "Urban consumption has been steady while rural is showing some convincing signs of having bottomed out." <br /><br />Foods continue to drive growth for the sector, while the home and personal care segment also entered positive territory after an extended slowdown. <br /><br />Marico, which owns popular brands like Saffola, Parachute and Livon, reported an 18.7 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit to Rs 305 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2023 while sales rose 3.65 per cent to Rs 2,240 crore, driven by single-digit volume growth and moderation in commodity prices. <br /><br />HUL said rural areas have shown improvement with higher value growth sequentially. While HUL's volumes continue to fall, the extent of decline has reduced versus last quarter. <br /><br />"The slowdown in the FMCG market is bottoming out. This improvement was led by volumes, which have turned flat in this quarter, versus a mid-single-digit decline in the December quarter," said HUL CFO Ritesh Tiwari in its earnings call. <br /><br />The makers of popular brands such as Rin, Lux, Surf Excel and Pond's said it expects the price-volume growth to rebalance further. "We expect volumes to recover gradually due to high levels of cumulative inflation and the fact that consumption habits typically recover with a lag," he said. <br /><br />For the March quarter, HUL reported an increase of 12.74 per cent in its consolidated net profit to Rs 2,601 crore. Net sales rose 10.83 per cent to Rs 14,926 crore. <br /><br />However, HUL warned the near-term operating environment is likely to remain volatile due to global slowdown risk and uncertainty related to weather phenomena like El Nino and heatwaves. <br /><br />Abneesh Roy, Nuvama Group Executive Director for Institutional Equities, said the outlook for the <keyword id="495979" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fmcg-industry" source="Orion">FMCG industry</keyword> was "positive" with volume growth and improvement in margins for most companies in FY24. <br /><br />"As raw material prices are cooling off, companies shall start paring prices via grammage increase or gradual price reductions. Price growth shall ease while volume growth will improve," he said. <br /><br />Roy also cautioned about the impact of El Nino and the "aggression" from billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd, a known disrupter, which aims to be a big player in the USD 110-billion FMCG segment. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Godrej Consumer reported an 11.47 per cent increase in its India revenue to Rs 1,822.92 crore in the March quarter. This was led by volume growth of 11 per cent. Its home care segment, which consists of household insecticides and air fresheners, grew 14 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. <br /><br />"We expect to build on the current momentum and deliver volume-led growth along with upfront marketing investments and improvement in profitability," said its Managing Director and CEO Sudhir Sitapati. <br /><br />Britannia Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Varun Berry also expressed optimism. "Volume growth will be certainly much better than this year," he said. <br /><br />On commodity prices, Berry said there is deflation in prices of palm oil, laminates and corrugated material for packing but flour and milk prices are soaring. "There are certain brands and certain packs where we have already initiated price reductions or promotions," he said. <br /><br />In the March quarter, Britannia reported a 47.53 per cent jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 557.60 crore. Its revenue from operations rose 10.93 per cent to Rs 3,892.02. <br /><br />Similarly, Dabur reported volume growth of 11 per cent during the March quarter and 14 per cent for FY23. Its quarterly net profit was Rs 292.76 crore and revenue from operations stood at Rs 2,677.8 crore. <br /><br />"Despite near-term concerns around inflationary pressures, we plan to accelerate the growth momentum by continuing to invest in brand building, innovation, and capabilities that will drive growth," said Dabur India CEO Mohit Malhotra. <br /><br />Other companies also recorded growth. ITC's revenue from the FMCG segment rose 19.34 per cent to Rs 4,951.17 crore from Rs 4,148.62 crore while EBITDA jumped 76 per cent. <br /><br />Nestle, the maker of Maggi, Kitkat and Nescafe, reported an increase of 24.69 per cent in its net profit to Rs 736.64 crore in the March quarter. Sales rose 20.43 per cent to Rs 4,808.40 crore. <br /><br />Tata Consumer reported a 21.12 per cent rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 289.56 crore. Its revenue from operations was up 13.96 per cent at Rs 3,618.73 crore. <br /><br />Tata Consumer said it recorded growth in the India beverages business and food. It had a "strong margin growth and strong topline growth driven both by volume and price," the company said in its earnings call. <br /><br />"We have started seeing volume growth coming back. The impact of inflation and monetary tightening on economic growth and demand seems to be slowing down, but I would keep my fingers crossed and monitor it closely," said Tata Consumer MD and CEO Sunil D'Souza. "In the near term, we are seeing stability."<br /><br /><strong><br />SEE  ALSO: </strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/zomato-net-loss-narrows-to-188-crore-in-q4-revenue-rises-70-yoy/articleshow/100358894.cms">Zomato net loss narrows to ₹188 crore in Q4, revenue rises 70% YoY</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mankind-pharma-pnb-among-stocks-to-become-largecap-from-midcap-mutibagger-rail-vikas-nigam-to-turn-midcap-from-smallcap/articleshow/100356527.cms">Mankind Pharma, PNB among stocks to become largecap from midcap; mutibagger Rail Vikas Nigam to turn midcap from smallcap</a>

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