IPL 6: Ad spends trickle in from FMCG players

TAM ratings released through SET Max for the first five days of the IPL 6 stand at an average of 3.9 (almost the same as last year).

FMCG majors such as HUL and P&G may be staying away from IPL 6 but other players in the same category are jumping on board. While beverage players might have a reason to use IPL to create visibility during summer, there are also non-beverage companies such as ITC, Marico, Godrej and recently even new advertisers such as Ruchi Soya who are targeting IPL this season.

Sandipan Ghosh, AVP Marketing, Consumer Brands Division, Ruchi Soya Industries, said, “This is the first time that the soya brand of Nutrela is being advertised on IPL. In these two months, the tournament will rule the roost in terms of TV ratings and we wanted to leverage it to establish the different usages of the Nutrela brand of soya chunks and granules through our latest campaign.” Nutrela is the flagship brand of Ruchi Soya Industries.

“IPL is also proving to be more cost effective this season and we have picked certain matches during the tournament to build visibility for the brand,” added Ghosh.

But media planners are not exactly enthused by IPL ratings this season. Gautam Kiyawat, CEO, Madison Media, says, “IPL ratings are almost the same as last year and maybe even a little down. Every client buys on the property based on the needs and brand objectives. Clients buy on IPL in the context of what else is available to buy during the season.” Madison Media has clients such as Ruchi Soya and Marico and has been buying airtime on IPL’s official broadcaster SET Max on their behalf.

In fact, there are companies who are on wait-and-watch mode before investing in IPL. For instance, powdered drink concentrate maker Rasna has assigned Rs 35 crore ad budget for the summer but is not jumping on the IPL bandwagon immediately. “We are waiting for ad rates to go down even further for the tournament. Last year, we had bought spots for the last few matches towards the end of the tournament. TV ratings are still not adequate compared to last year and we are still exploring the possibility of buying into the property,” said Piruz Khambatta, Chairman and Managing Director, Rasna.

Meanwhile, TAM ratings released through SET Max for the first five days of the IPL 6 stand at an average of 3.9 (almost the same as last year). Neeraj Vyas, Business Head, SET Max, said, “While there may be no novelty factor for IPL compared to its first season when ratings hovered around 4.5, it is still a complete entertainment package and a mature tournament today.” SET Max, the official broadcaster of IPL, has increased its advertising spends by 10 per cent this season (average spends are usually between Rs 18 crore and Rs 20 crore) with a new campaign by JWT featuring Farah Khan.

Brands celebrate Durga Puja

From serving soya nugget dishes for Mahabhog (big feast) to coaxing consumers to help build a structure of the Dhaki (the iconic drummer) with cans and bottles, companies are looking at several ways to soak up the festivities of Durga Puja which kicks off tomorrow.

Beverage major Coca-Cola India is undertaking a consumer engagement initiative by installing drop boxes at key outlets for its consumers to drop in crowns, cans, caps, bottles and labels of Thums Up in cities such as Kolkata.

The company will use this ‘Thums Up currency’ to build 25-foot tall structures depicting Dhaki, the drummer, around select Puja Pandals across West Bengal.

Debabrata Mukherjee, Vice-President, Marketing and Commercial, Coca-Cola India, said, “Coca-Cola has always been actively involved with the various festivities across the country. This Durga Puja, we plan to use brand Thums Up to build up the iconic symbol of Durga Puja, which will depict the essence of the festival through these installations and bring the entire community together.” The installation will be built in collaboration with artist Piyali Sadhukhan. The company will do other branding and consumer engagement activities across other key cities.

Ruchi Soya says it will be co-ordinating with select Puja committees to help them rustle up dishes using Nutrela soya products to be served at the Mahabhog for the Ashtami Puja on October 12.

Sandipan Ghosh, VP-Ruchi Soya, said the company thought the experiential marketing activity, would help break the clutter during Puja. “Bhogs (feasts) are organised on three days during the Puja, but the Ashtami Mahabhog is considered the most important, and we have chosen this day for the activation. We will be partnering with nearly 29 Puja Committees in Kolkata to provide them with Nutrela soya packets to be prepared for the bhog,” he said. Besides banners of the brands, the people serving food during Mahabhog will also be wearing branded aprons. The brand is looking at other branding opportunities in Mumbai and Delhi.

Besides scaling up visibility during Durga Puja, brands such as Ruchi Soya and Emami will also be organising visits of celebrities to Puja Pandals as judges for tasting contests.

Ruchi Soya recognized as largest processor in India

Ruchi Soya Industries Limited has been recognized by the Solvent Extractors Association (SEA) of India for being the largest processor in the country. Ruchi Soya was acknowledge for its leadership in the Indian edible oil industry at the SEA Awards 2013". Ruchi Soya Industries managing diectorDinesh Shahra received the awards on behalf of the company at a ceremony held in Mumbai on Sunday.

Ruchi Soya Industries diversifies into tomato processing

Ruchi Soya Industries, a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company focused on edible oil, soya products and margarine, plans to foray into tomato processing. The company has entered into a joint venture (JV) with Japanese tomato processing company Kagome Co Ltd and with Mitsui & Co Ltd, which has presence in trading, investment and services. The JV will be called Ruchi Kagome.

In the new JV, Ruchi Soya will have 40 per cent stake and 60 per cent will be held by a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created by Kagome and Mitsui, which own 66.7 per cent and 33.3 per cent share each in the SPC.

The first processing unit will be set up in Maharashtra with an initial investment of Rs 44 crore and commercial production will begin by June 2014. Land for the unit has been identified.

The JV plans to launch premium tomato purees, sauces, ketchups and other world-class products in India. Ruchi Kagome will work closely with Indian farmers. It will distribute higher yielding seeds and share global knowledge to educate local tomato producers, and set up local support centres.

Dinesh Shahra, founder and managing director of Ruchi Soya, said, "We are planning to launch a range of tomato products. These products will be marketed in both the business-to-business (food services) segment and the business-to-consumer (retail) segment."

The company will also educate farmers on choosing better crop suitable for processing and may also enter into buyback arrangements, subject to commercial viability.