Household Spends Have Increased For 62% Of Families: Axis My India – CSI

*  Consumer Sentiment highest in the last one year, with a Net Score of +19

·        Over 10,086 people surveyed 67% is from rural India while 33% is from urban India

·        Overall household spending increased for 62%, an 8% increase from last month

·        Increase in essential spends and non-essential spends by 5% each

·        Health-related consumption decreased for 16% of families

·        Media consumption remained the same for 55% of families

·        Mobility sentiments maintain a net score of Zero

·        18% planning to buy or exchange products like AC/Fridge this summer season

·        13% plan for domestic holidays while 84% has no plans of travel

Axis My India, a leading consumer data intelligence company, released its latest findings of the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI), a monthly analysis of consumer perception on a wide range of issues. The period of March reveals a significant improvement in consumption across household products. Sentiments associated with mobility highlight marginal improvement while sentiments associated with media consumption remains the same as last month. At an overall level, the Consumer sentiment is at the highest in last one year.

The April net CSI score, calculated by percentage increase minus percentage decrease in sentiment, was up/down to +19, from +9 last month and reflecting the highest increase in last one year.

The sentiment analysis delves into 5 relevant sub-indices – Overall household spending, spending on essential and non-essential items, spending on healthcare, media consumption habits & mobility trends.

This month, Axis My India’s Sentiment Index delved deeper to comprehend consumer’s behaviour with regard to current world affairs, IPL consumption and information- seeking motivations. The survey further revealed summer- specific holiday/leisure plans and product preferences of consumers.

The surveys were carried out via Computer Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 10086 people across 36 states. 67% belonged from Rural India while 33% belonged from urban counterparts. In addition, 63% of the respondents were male while 37% of the respondents were female. In terms of regional spread, 24% and 21% belonged to the Northern and Southern parts of India while 25% and 30% belonged to Eastern and Western parts of India. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 31% reflects the age group of 36YO to 50YO and 27% reflect the age group of 26YO to 35YO.

Commenting on the CSI report, Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Axis My India, said, “With mounting geo-politics tensions, opening up of economies and diminishing fear of Covid-19, Indian consumers are showcasing confidence and overall sentiment is at the highest in last one year. While they are seeking out every new information with the help of the ever increasing penetration of internet, a majority of the population still relies on traditional media such as television to seek accuracy of this information. Even the government’s decision to abstain from voting resonated with the country's sentiment basis welfare and security concerns of the Indian community in Ukraine and awareness of long standing political and strategic ties with Russia. Increasing expenditures across categories, domestic travels and coming together for IPL further captures the sentiment of an optimistic consumer. It reflects their intent for an improved life and lifestyle.

Key findings:

·          Overall household spending has increased for 62% of families which reflects an 8% increase from the last month. The net score which was at +43 last month as increased by +10 to +53 this month.

·          Spending on essentials like personal care & household items has increased for 48% of the families which reflects an increase by +5 as compared to last month. Spends however remain the same for 33% of the families, reduced by -5 from last month. The net score which was +24 last month has increased to +29 this month.

·          Spends on non-essential & discretionary products like AC, Car, Refrigerator has increased for 13% of families reflecting an increase of 5% from last month. Spending nevertheless remains the same for 82% of the families. The net score has improved to +8 this month as compared to +3 in the previous month.

·          Consumption of health-related items more or less remains the same for 46% of the families, while decreased consumption is witnessed among 16%. The health score which has a negative connotation i.e., the lesser the spends on health items the better the sentiments, has a net score value of -22 this month.

·          Consumption of media has increased for 22% of the families reflecting the same as last month. Consumption remains the same for a majority of 55% of families. The overall, net score which was at +1 in the last month is -1 this month.

·          89% of families said that they are going out the same for short vacations, malls and restaurants. Increased travel is reflected only among 6% of families, an increase by +1 from last month. The overall mobility net score is at 0.

On topics of current national interest:

·        Axis My India further evaluated consumers’ views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the crisis that followed. Gauging consumers’ view on India’s stand, the survey discovered that 55% believe that India was right in not criticising Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. This reflects the countrymen’s confidence in the governments to take decisions based on national and strategic interest

·        Catching the excitement and thrill around the IPL, the survey discovered that a huge 33% will be watching the season on television at home or outside (mall/pub/friends’ place) while 10% showed interest in digital viewing. Only 2% reported enjoying the match live from the stadium. Marketers are thus expected to park a huge percentage of their ads on Television and Digital platforms being the most preferred medium as per the survey.

·        Assessing consumers’ views on buying non-essential summer- related products, Axis My India’s survey found out that 18% are planning to buy air-conditioners/fridge or replace an old one this summer season. However, 65% are still maintaining caution

·        The CSI – Survey furthermore captured consumer’s views on summer vacation/holiday plans. 13% are considering domestic travel while only 1% is looking to go for an international trip. A majority of 84% is still averse of major traveling for leisure.

·        In an attempt to understand consumer’s behaviour on information seeking, Axis My India discovered that 60% depend on the internet while seeking new information. However, 41% reports Television as the most trusted source of information followed by digital medium– the view of 33% and print – the view of 22%. This draws an interesting co-relation between the nature of the medium and the kind of need it fulfils of a consumers. While Digital caters to urgency, television caters to accuracy and honesty needs of the consumer seeking information.

About Axis My India:

Axis My India is India’s foremost consumer data intelligence consultancy that has revolutionized the field of election polling in the country, with an accuracy rate of ~93% spread across 28 states and 8 union territories and 2 national elections. The company has a presence in over 737 districts and has touched 85 million Indian households. It counts some of India’s largest corporations, state governments as well as Union Government in its clientele and offers a repertoire of research related services, including consumer insights, product validation, market segmentation, on-ground brand activation, personalized media solutions and micro marketing. The company publishes an annual Consumer Trust Index – spread across 45 consumer and product categories, and 1 million respondents.

For more information: https://www.axismyindia.org/

DeepFake AI Video Regeneration Tech De-Ages For First Time By Over 35 Years And Recreates 11-Year Old Sachin Tendulkar

* Campaign created and conceptualized by VMLY&R for Ageas Federal Life Insurance

Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R, unveiled the making of the film using Deepfake AI technology for Ageas Federal Life Insurance (AFLI) latest campaign featuring 11-year-old cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. The recreation process used a mix of custom pre and post processes and innovation took over 3 months, multiple stages, and dozens of technical and artistic experts across India and Spain to complete.

Making of the Video - https://vimeo.com/693461149

SRT Reaction Video - https://vimeo.com/693457577

YouTube link of the final campaign: https://youtu.be/GeF-Aecd0nY

Training Material Challenges

Deepfake AI video regeneration is a complex face-replacement process that only performs as well as the “learning” material that serves as its input. This was the first hurdle as no photographs or videos were available of Sachin at age 11. The few black and white photographs that were from his later teenage years and news interviews were of extremely poor quality and lacking in detail. The VMLY&R team conducted painstaking archival research with the help of the sportstar’s team to first visualise how he looked at a young age and assembled a set of photos and rare archival interviews.

The team auditioned over 40 child actors to find one who balanced performing abilities with a morphological resemblance to young Sachin.

They then proceeded to extract as many angles and expressions as possible from the archival material and a preliminary regenerated video was executed on 8 different young actors to help with the cast selection.

Precision Shooting and Preliminary AI

VMLY&R planned the shooting extremely carefully to ensure proper conditions for the best results, keeping in mind that we had a limited range of head angles. The team had to shoot the actor to mimic the same light conditions as in the archival photos, to get additional layers of information on each compositing.

Before editing, a second preliminary AI regeneration technique was applied to the best shots to make the take selection easier, to ensure that Sachin’s expressions looked believable. Once we had all takes and sources, a final calculation was done to get as many details and expressions as possible.

Integration and 3D

In the third stage, integration of the AI-generated visual layers over the young actor takes was performed. When comparing the results to the reference pictures, it was found that additional facial shape transformations on the chin were necessary to match a resemblance with the target at this age. 

So the team had to innovate again. A 3D model of a young Sachin's head was built based on the young Sachin photographs. This head was match-moved on every take to provide guidelines for proper shape adjustment.

VMLY&R even developed a technique to transfer details of the original actor to complete the missing details on young Sachin. Realistic face details such as the interior of the eyes had to be manually restored to increase the likeness. Next, additional 3D layers provided realistic were added lighting and texturing resources.

The VMLY&R team included some details that are the gold standard for Deepfake tests and can never be achieved with traditional Deepfake techniques - Such as a ball passing in front of the face, the head hiding behind the arm while he was performing with the bat.

At the end of the third stage, after colour adjustment, an artistic touch was an “old videotape look”, that helped melt original and post-produced layers together.

And finally, Sachin’s unmistakable voice had to be de-aged. The legend agreed to spend an entire day recording in a studio. With every take, we manually de-aged the voice and had to place it on the Deepfake output to make sure it matched and sounded authentic.

Commenting on the campaign, Mukund Olety, Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R India said, “It’s amazing what we can do with technology. We can tell stories that could have never been told before. We wanted an inspiring figure to convince parents to overcome their fears with better financial planning from Ageas Federal Life Insurance, and who is better than our protagonist - the 11-year-old Sachin. While we knew this was something we could achieve using technologies such as DeepFake AI, unfortunately for us, we didn’t have any pre-existing videos of Sachin as a child. Instead of letting that stop us, we found our way through custom tech innovations.”

The TVC is supported with integrated social, print and outdoor pieces.

About VMLY&R

VMLY&R is a global brand and customer experience agency that harnesses creativity, technology, and culture to create connected brands. Made up of more than 12,000 employees worldwide, the agency has principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. VMLY&R India encompasses VMLY&R, The Glitch and VMLY&R Commerce, and works with client partners including Colgate Palmolive, Marico, Ford, ICICI Bank, Kraft Heinz, Future Group, PepsiCo, Abbott Pharma and Swaraj Tractors. For more information, visit www.vmlyr.com. VMLY&R is a WPP company (NYSE: WPP).

Housing Demand Rises 4.6% QoQ iIn Q1, 2022; Supply Remains Stable, Reveals Magicbricks PropIndex Report

* Mumbai (15.2%), Gurugram (9.6%), Noida (8.2%) and Delhi (5.6%) have witnessed highest QoQ growth in demand.

* Pan-India prices increased 1.3% QoQ & 6.4% YoY; reflecting resilience of the housing markets vis-a-vi other real estate assets

Recovering from the pandemic-induced slowdown, the residential real-estate industry demonstrated inherent strength in Q1’ 2022, with pan India housing demand rising 4.6% QoQ and 6.7% YoY, reveals Magicbricks’ latest PropIndex Report for Q1’ 2022. Mapping trends in 13 cities across the country, the report highlights that Mumbai (15.2%), Gurugram (9.6%), Noida (8.2%) and Delhi (5.6%) witnessed highest QoQ growth in demand while Greater Noida (6.0%), Mumbai (3.8%), Ahmedabad (3.2%), and Chennai (2.9%) exhibited maximum QoQ growth in supply. The report also shares that delivery, size, location, connectivity and amenities are significant deciding factors for homebuyers and homes located in gated communities with health and security facilities have emerged as most preferred.

Elaborating on the same, Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks commented, “Increasing project completions, attractive offers from developers, supportive policies and improving employment opportunities have boosted buyer-confidence in the real-estate industry. While the present geopolitical situation is impacting the supply chain and input costs, we expect the momentum gained thus far to continue across demand and supply backed by new launches tailored to the evolving needs of consumers and all-time low home loan interest rates. In each of the cities mapped, the peripheral areas continue to be hotspots of demand driven by infrastructure development. These trends signal optimism and a stable outlook for the industry for the coming quarters.”

Market specific take-aways from Magicbricks’ Propindex Report Q1’ 2022:

1. Bengaluru’s housing demand increased 3.7% QoQ. There was continued preference for bigger homes; 2BHK and 3BHK constituted 79% of the total demand and 81% of the total supply.

2. Chennai’s residential market is driven by demand in affordable localities, which accounted for 68% of total demand. The supply witnessed a growth of 2.9% QoQ and is likely to continue increasing in the coming quarters with new project launches, indicating a healthy outlook.

3. Delhi's housing demand grew 5.6% QoQ while the average price increased 0.4% QoQ. The residential market was dominated by 3BHK and above configurations that constituted 64% of the demand. In Noida and Greater Noida, the aggregate demand for residential markets witnessed a 6.8% QoQ growth, whereas supply increased 0.2% QoQ and average prices increased 2.1% QoQ.

4. Demand in Mumbai's residential market increased 15.2% QoQ. New residential launches increased the supply by 3.8% QoQ; while average prices increased 1.4% QoQ. The demand and supply for 2BHK configuration constituted 40% and 42% respectively in Q1’ 2022.

5. Pune’s housing demand and supply observed a QoQ increase of 3.9% and 2.2%, respectively. Home buyers are inclined towards 2BHK configuration; 2 and 3 BHK units commanded the bulk of the demand with a combined share of 78%. 

The report further predicts an onward trajectory for 2022 due to external stimuli such as digitisation of land records, increased allocation of INR 48,000 crores under PM Awas Yojna and PM Gati Shakti, that are expected to further strengthen infrastructure and boost investments in the real estate sector.

About Magicbricks: India's no 1 property site

As the largest platform for buyers and sellers of property to connect in a transparent manner, Magicbricks has monthly traffic exceeding 2 crores and an active base of over 15 lakh property listings. Magicbricks has metamorphosed into a full stack service provider for all real estate needs, with 15+ services including home loans, pay rent, movers and packers, legal assistance, property valuation, and expert advice.

With 15+ years of experience and deep research-based knowledge, Magicbricks also presents a repertoire of insight-driven platforms like MBTV- India’s leading online real estate YouTube channel, and other proprietary tools so that home buyers can access all information related to price trends and forecasts, locality reviews and more.

Kids Back To School? Here’s How You Can Rebuild Their Immunity And Encourage Healthy Growth

* Attributed to Dr. Ganesh Kadhe, Associate Director, Nutrition Medical and Scientific Affairs, Abbott

The pandemic kept most kids restricted to virtual classrooms for close to two years. Lack of physical activity, increased screen time and unhealthy dietary habits have had immense impact on the physical, mental and social development of children. Additionally, kids are prone to ‘immunity debt’ as a result of not being exposed to the outside world, which causes a slower and inadequate development of the body's defence system, eventually leading to negative consequences when one returns to normal life.

With restrictions now easing up and schools reopening, students are all set to flock back, meet their friends and indulge in much needed physical playtime as well as social interaction. While parents are relieved to see their kids slowly resume normal life, there is understandably an element of anxiousness. The biggest question in their minds is on how strong their child’s immunity is at present since kids in school are bound to be surrounded by their friends and teachers — and germs.

Here comes the importance of nutrition in building the immune system in addition to aiding proper growth and overall development of a child.

The lack of a sufficient, varied, and nutritious diet can affect the cognitive development of a child, interfere with learning, and weaken their immune system.   

There are
several key nutrients that play a part in regulating, building, and strengthening the body’s immune system and promoting healthy growth in kids. These nutrients are found in foods like lean protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy, legumes, nuts, and grains. Parents should consider adding it in daily breakfast or lunch

Vitamin C: An essential vitamin that is produced in the body, it is abundantly found in many food groups. Fruits like oranges & lemons are a great source of vitamin C; so are vegetables likes broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers

Vitamin E: A key antioxidant that helps keep the nervous system healthy and it is important nutrient that supports cell development. Moderately required in the children, Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, leafy & green vegetables

Selenium: An important mineral that is essential for health functioning of the body and ensuring healthy cells. It is a great antioxidant and is usually found in abundance in vegetables. Foods like Beans, mushrooms, and sunflower seeds are great source of this mineral. It is also found in poultry and certain seafood

Arginine: This is an important amino acid that plays a key role in growth by promoting the multiplication of cells in the growth plate of the bones to help them grow faster when there is a delay in growth. Sources of Arginine are dairy products, non- veg foods, nuts etc.

Vitamin K2: An important micronutrient that helps to transport calcium in the bones and ultimately helps build stronger bones.  It is found in fermented foods, dairy, eggs, and meat

Zinc: An important nutrient for growth and immune system, it can be found in lean meat, poultry, seafood, milk, whole grain products, beans, seeds, and nuts

Iron: A mineral that our bodies need for many functions as it helps muscles store and use oxygen. It is found in dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, legumes, pumpkin seeds, eggs, meat

Iodine: Iodine is a mineral the body needs to make thyroid hormones which control the body's metabolism and many other important functions. It is found in sea food and iodized salts

Parents should focus on protecting children by providing healthy nutrition to strengthen immunity and optimize physical, cognitive, and social development. Feeding a child, a nutritious, balanced diet, which is beneficial for their holistic development and growth is easier said than done. This is especially true when parents are confronted with fussy eating that limits a child’s nutritional intake. Getting innovative with mealtimes and introducing fun, gamified ways to get your kids to eat their veggies and greens and pulses is something most parents struggle with on a daily basis. In such scenarios, it is recommended to opt for a health food drink/supplement that offers key macro and micronutrients that aid growth and build immunity in toddlers. One such solution is science-based childhood nutrition supplement PediaSure that offers a complete and balanced nutrition solution with 37 nutrients and is clinically proven to bring visible growth to children in 90 days.[1]

OPPO F21 Pro Sets A New Benchmark In Smartphone Photography With The Segment-First, Flagship Sony IMX709 Selfie Sensor

* The flaunt-worthy F21 Pro also comes with AI Portrait Enhancement and segment-first microlens

Leading global smart-device brand, OPPO will launch its F21 Pro Series and OPPO’s Enco Air2 Pro on 12th April 2022.

The OPPO F21 Pro will feature the Flagship Sony IMX709 RGBW (red, blue, green, white) selfie sensor that is 60% more sensitive to light and reduces noise by 35% when compared to the previous generation IMX615 RGB sensor. It allows users to capture crisp, clear and evenly-exposed photos. With OPPO’s Quadra Binning algorithm, two W pixels are added to each R, G, and B pixel so that the sensor can detect red, green, blue, and white signals. This boosts light intake without reducing colour information, improves cross-platform compatibility and image processing efficiency. OPPO’s imaging R&D team designed the IMX709 using the 22nm process to consume lesser power than any other flagship front camera image sensor.

The F21 Pro also features an advanced AI Portrait Enhancement feature that is a solution to the problems that customers face in front and rear portrait shooting. It can differentiate between beauty spots and skin blemishes and identify subjects—based on ethnicity, gender and age—to offer personalised and natural face retouching.

OPPO has introduced a 2MP microlens on OPPO F21 Pro—with support for 15x/30x magnification—that allows you to explore textures, colours, shapes and sizes at a microscopic level. The inclusion of the microlens involved more than simply making room for an additional lens on the phone: At the structural level, OPPO installed the microlens module on the back cover instead of mounting it on the motherboard. OPPO also added a new Orbit Light around the microlens for illumination as the short focal length of this lens required the phone to be very close to the objects that are photographed.

Thanks to the ingenuity of OPPO’s engineers, the device delivers high image versatility, level of quality, and attention to microscopic detail. The design of the Microlens and Orbit Light matches the design aesthetic of the OPPO F21 Pro while it delivers on performance.

OPPO Enco Air2 Pro: This new TWS, launching alongside the F21 Pro series, will feature a 12.4mm titanized diaphragm driver, wide sound fields, potent bass, crystal-clear vocals and active noise cancellation which is capable of capturing and cancelling out ambient noise at various frequencies.

The OPPO Enco Air2 Pro adopts a dual-layer, transparent bubble design with a refractive top cover that adds a unique touch of translucent lightness.

About OPPO Mobiles India Private Limited

OPPO is a leading global smart device brand. Since the launch of its first mobile phone “Smiley Face” in 2008, OPPO has been in relentless pursuit of the perfect synergy of aesthetic satisfaction and innovative technology. Today, OPPO provides a wide range of smart devices spearheaded by the Find and Reno series. Beyond devices, OPPO provides its users with the ColorOS operating system and internet services like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. OPPO operates in more than 50 countries and regions where more than 40,000 OPPO's employees are dedicated to creating a better life for customers around the world. 

Information Technology: Q4FY22 Preview: Seasonal Moderation In Growth Momentum; Margins To Remain Under Pressure

* We expect healthy revenue growth momentum to continue on the back of a broad-based demand environment, albeit seasonal factors should weigh on QoQ growth. We expect USD revenue growth of 0.9-4.9% QoQ (1.2-5.2% CC) for Tier-1 IT services companies. Tier-2 IT services companies are expected to grow in the range of 3.6-7.6% CC QoQ.

*  Except for COFORGE, MPHL and ECLX, EBITM is expected to remain flat- to lower sequentially due to higher backfilling costs amid a tight labor market, increase in travel and other discretionary costs with the easing of travel restrictions, and back-to-office trends.

*  We expect INFO to guide 12-15% CC YoY revenue growth with 22-24% EBITM for FY23. HCLT is likely to guide for double-digit revenue growth while lowering EBITM guidance range to 18-20%. Wipro should guide for 2-4% CC QoQ revenue growth for Q1FY23.

* After significant outperformance in H1FY22, the Nifty IT index return came in line with the broader markets in H2FY22. We believe continued revenue growth momentum with stable margins is required to sustain current valuations. Our pecking order is INFO, WPRO, HCLT, TECHM, and TCS among Tier-1 names, and MPHL, ROUTE, BSOFT, ECLX, FSOL and PSYS in mid-caps.

Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. Elevates Anuj Jain As Managing Director

* He succeeds Mr. H M Bharuka who was the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Kansai Nerolac Paints 

 * Mr. Jain will be responsible for steering the next phase of the company’s growth and bolstering the brand’s presence in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh. 

Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL) has elevated Mr. Anuj Jain as Managing Director, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. He succeeds Mr. H M Bharuka, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Kansai Nerolac Paints who has been spearheading the company for the last 21 years.  

In his tenure spanning over 30 years at Kansai Nerolac Paints, Mr. Anuj Jain has worked in various capacities and played a pivotal role in driving growth organically and inorganically along with business excellence. Mr. Jain commenced his journey with Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. in 1990 as a management trainee. He worked with the decorative sales function covering various markets in the North and South regions of India. Being recognized for his noteworthy contribution and expertise in marketing, he rose the ranks to take over as Vice-President, Decorative Marketing & Sales in 2003. Subsequently, he was promoted to Director, Decorative for Kansai Nerolac Paints in 2010. He has been serving as Executive Director in charge of the Sales & Marketing, Manufacturing, Technical & Human Resources functions since 2018.   

Commenting on his appointment Mr. Anuj Jain, Managing Director, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd said “I express my heartful gratitude to the Board and Kansai Paints Japan for entrusting me with this enormous responsibility and for their unstinted support, rendered during my tenure as the Executive Director. I look forward to strengthening the company’s position and taking it to greater heights with the support of our Nerolac family. The focus on innovations to grow our business is in sync with our plans to establish Nerolac as a ‘Paint+’ brand. Backed by our principal Kansai Paints Japan and the technological prowess we have built in India, we will continue to provide superior, sustainable solutions to our customers.” 

About Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited: 

With a rich heritage of over 100 years in the paint industry, Kansai Nerolac Paints is one of the largest paint companies in India and the leader in industrial segment. A wholly owned subsidiary of Kansai Paint Co. Ltd., Japan, which is among the Top 10 companies worldwide, Kansai Nerolac manufactures a diversified range of products ranging from decorative paint coatings for homes, offices, hospitals and hotels to sophisticated industrial coatings for industries. Kansai Nerolac has established itself as a leader in product innovation with its initiatives including no added lead, low VOC and HD finishes with brands like Excel, Suraksha, Impressions, etc. Its product portfolio and customer awareness campaigns promote environmental sensitivity. www.nerolac.com