Happiest Minds & NielsenIQ Brandbank Partner To Solve Product Data & Shopper Experience Challenges

Happiest Minds Technologies Limited (NSE: HAPPSTMNDS), a ‘Born Digital . Born Agile’, Mindful IT Company, and a global strategic partner for Pimcore, today announced its partnership with NIQ Brandbank, the global leading provider in digital product content.

Happiest Minds is the largest Pimcore services provider in the world. Working together over the past two years, Happiest Minds has been an exceptional consulting and services provider, driving innovation and technology to build NIQ Brandbank’s Shopper Experience Platform. The partnership will help NIQ Brandbank leverage Happiest Minds’ deep expertise in building agile and adaptive digital solutions. It will enable retailers and manufacturers worldwide to accelerate digital transformation and improve their shopper experience, further strengthening NIQ Brandbank’s ability to provide world-class digital content solutions to new and existing customers. It will also offer a centralized and consolidated product data management platform, with the opportunity to adjust based on the client's individual digital strategy, taking the transformation to the next level.

Rajiv Shah, Executive Board Member & CEO, Digital Business Services (DBS), Happiest Minds Technologies said, “We are thrilled to further strengthen our partnership with NIQ Brandbank, a true market leader in digital product content. We are committed to delivering innovative solutions that help our clients drive business growth and success.”

Mike Nickituk, Global Managing Director, NIQ Brandbank said, “As a market leader in product data and shopper experience, we are proud to partner with Happiest Minds and continue our commitment to our clients across the world, driving shopper engagement. We look forward to building on this partnership, delivering innovative solutions to support the industry.” 

Pimcore is an award-winning technology company providing data and customer experience management solutions powered by open-source technology. Pimcore has shown continuous development in PIM, MDM, DXP, and Digital Commerce and has been recognized as Gartner Peer Insights Customers Choice in MDM Solutions (2021 and 2022) and Gartner Cool Vendor (2018). Operating within the FMCG industry, many of NIQ Brandbank and Pimcore clients align, including Carrefour, Carlsberg, Schweppes, Spar, and Lavazza. Happiest Minds has significantly contributed to what Pimcore has delivered to its clients globally, i.e., 3.6B+ Products and Customers Master Records, 10B+ Data Intelligence Relations, 150M+ Web pages, Digital and Print Documents, and 700M+ Media Assets. Being Pimcore’s largest global partner, the company has a team of 4600+ professionals.

Designed for perpetuity and powered by its mission statement of ‘Happiest People . Happiest Customers’,  Happiest Minds counts for more than fifty-five Billion-Dollar corporations as its customers.

About Happiest Minds Technologies:

Happiest Minds’ Technologies Limited (NSE: HAPPSTMNDS), a Mindful IT Company, enables digital transformation for enterprises and technology providers by delivering seamless customer experiences, business efficiency and actionable insights. We do this by leveraging a spectrum of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud, digital process automation, internet of things, robotics/drones, security, virtual/augmented reality, and more. Positioned as ‘Born Digital. Born Agile’, our capabilities span digital solutions, infrastructure, product engineering and security. We deliver these services across industry sectors such as automotive, BFSI, consumer packaged goods, e-commerce, edutech, engineering R&D, hi-tech, manufacturing, retail, and travel/transportation/hospitality. 

A Great Place to Work-Certified™ company, Happiest Minds is headquartered in Bangalore, India, with operations in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East.

About NIQ Brandbank:

NIQ Brandbank is the leading provider of digital product content solutions powering omnichannel shopping experiences. We enable brands and retailers to deliver the best shopping experience by giving them the ability to capture and share rich digital product content on all channels seamlessly. NIQ Brandbank’s end-to-end solutions connect shoppers to the most up to date and relevant digital product content making consumer goods more discoverable and engaging. 

The world's biggest brands including Walmart, Tesco, Carrefour, P&G and Unilever use NIQ Brandbank every day to digitalise the shopper experience. With 25 years of experience and operating in 39 countries, NIQ Brandbank is the content partner to over 52,000+ brands, 700+ retailers, and wholesalers across the globe, creating a rich online shopping experience, while minimising the cost and complexity for the industry. 

To learn more, visit:https://nielseniq.com/global/en/landing-page/brandbank/ 

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Targets 10 Million Jumps In Its #JumpForHealth Campaign 2023

·         ABHICL to donate one prosthetic leg for every 10,000 jumps

·         The 6th edition of #JumpForHealth goes live from April 7 with the theme “Jump for help”

Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Ltd. (ABHICL), the health insurance joint venture of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd. (ABCL), holding company for the financial services business of Aditya Birla Group, one of the largest diversified conglomerates in India, has announced the launch of its annual campaign #JumpForHealth.

The sixth edition of #JumpForHealth kick starts on World Health Day, April 7, 2023, with a target of receiving 10 million jumps this year and donate around 1000 prosthetic legs to differently-abled individuals.

This year the campaign is based on the theme of finding your reason to jump and in the process help someone who is in need. The campaign encourages the participants to work towards a better lifestyle while contributing towards the society by helping differently abled people walk again.

Through this campaign, ABHICL donates one prosthetic leg for every 10,000 jumps recorded by the participants. Since its inception in 2017, #JumpForHealth campaign recorded more than 32 million jumps and donated more than 3262 prosthetic legs to individuals thereby making a positive difference to the respective families as well.

In 2022, #JumpForHealth was awarded a Guinness World Record title for the 'Largest online video album of people jumping in the air’ with 5455 videos.  

Speaking about this initiative, Mr. Mayank Bathwal, CEO, Aditya Birla Health Insurance, said, “At Aditya Birla Health Insurance, we have always encouraged people to lead a healthy life and inculcate the habit of healthy living through our HealthFirst philosophy. #JumpForHealth campaign is an extension of this philosophy, created to inspire individuals to be active and jump for a greater cause – health for self and in the process help those who are in need.”

“Over the years, this campaign has lived up to its purpose of creating an awareness on healthy living and its benefits. The millions of jump we have received over the last five editions is a testimony to this. Over the years, we have seen great enthusiasm and participation from our partners, agents, customers, employees and participants who look forward to this campaign every year. We are committed to our mission of promoting health and wellness and are happy to see the positive impact that this campaign has created in the society.”

Watch Launch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_UbK4Xlon0&ab_channel=AdityaBirlaHealthInsurance

Tata Consultancy Services; Weak Operating Performance; Deal; Intake Remains Healthy

HOLD

CMP: Rs3242 

Target Price: Rs3300

TCS delivered a weak operating performance in Q4, due to softness in discretionary spending and deferment of non-critical new projects. Revenue grew 1.7% QoQ to USD7.19bn (0.6% CC QoQ), amid a challenging operating environment as clients turned cautious, pausing discretionary projects and deferring non-critical ones. North America played-out weaker than expected in Q4 and, against the anticipation of a recovery, actually weakened further (-0.7% QoQ CC). Growth momentum sustained in the UK in Q4, while growth further moderated in Continental Europe. Weak revenue growth led to a miss in Company’s exit EBITM guidance of 25%. Overall deal intake in Q4 was broad-based and healthy, at TCV of USD10bn (book-to-bill at ~1.4x). Improvement in sentiment across Europe led to better velocity of deal closures in Q4. Management remains watchful in the near term, considering the heightened macro uncertainties; however, it reiterated confidence on accelerating revenue growth, once uncertainties abate. We tweak our earnings estimates for FY24-25 (a 0-1.5% cut) post the FY23 performance. We retain HOLD with TP of Rs3,300/share at 22x Mar-25E EPS.

Results summary: Revenue grew 1.7% QoQ to USD7.19bn (0.6%/10.7% QoQ/YoY CC), below our estimate of USD7.24bn. EBITM was flat QoQ at 24.5%, missing Mgmt guidance of exiting the year at 25%, due to weaker-than-expected revenue growth. For the full year, EBITM declined by ~120bps due to annual wage hikes (-160bps), impact of supply-side pressures (-140bps), and higher travel costs (-30bps) that were partly offset by realization improvement (+50bps), pyramid optimization (+50ps), and currency movement (+110bps). Net Profit stood at Rs113.9bn, lower than our estimate of Rs116.4bn on account of miss on the operating performance front. Revenue growth in Q4 on CC YoY basis was led by Retail & CPG (13.0%), Life Sciences & Healthcare (12.3%), Technology & Services (9.2%), Manufacturing (9.1%), BFSI (9.1%), and Communication & Media (5.3%). What we liked: Healthy deal intake (TCV of USD10bn; book-to-bill of ~1.4x), moderation in attrition (20.1% vs 21.3% QoQ). What we did not like: Miss on operating performance.

Earnings call KTAs: 1) Cloud, Cyber Security, Enterprise Application Services, and Cognitive Business Operations led the growth in Q4. 2) Management highlighted that clients are recalibrating spends, prioritizing cost optimization projects, investing in automation initiatives, and consolidating vendors amid a challenging environment. 3) Deal TCV for BFSI stood at USD3.1bn, Retail & CPG TCV stood at USD1.3bn, and North America TCV at USD5.0bn in Q4FY23. 4) TCS onboarded over 44K freshers in FY23. It has made offers to 46K freshers so far for FY24. 5) TCS has ~116K hyperscaler cloud certifications, which place it among the top-2 partners. 6) IT Services attrition on an LTM basis continued to trend down and was at 20.1% in Q4. Management indicated that quarterly annualized attrition moderated by ~4% QoQ and by ~10% from the peak. 7) Management highlighted that a cautious sentiment by clients weighed on demand, particularly in the US. The travel vertical continues to perform well. BFSI, Manufacturing (particularly for process and industrial), Discretionary retail and fashion retail in the US remain weak. Weakness in Communication & Media was largely attributed to softness in the Information and Media segments. 8) K. Krithivasan will take over as the CEO & MD of the company w.e.f June 1, 2023, for a period of 5 years.

Worldline Partners With SignCatch To Coll Out Merchant Digitisation Programme To Empower MSMEs In India

Worldline, a global leader in payment services, today announced the partnership with  India based SignCatch, a pioneer in Retail Tech, providing one-stop cloud-based Retail Solutions for MSMEs[1] to roll out the Merchant Digitisation Programme (MDP) through Worldline’s Android POS terminals.

Under the partnership, SignCatch and Worldline will enroll a base of 100,000 merchants in India, leveraging SignCatch’s super-app Bech (??ch) platform across multiple business categories like modern retail stores, supermarkets, grocery shops, bakeries, cafes, and restaurants in the first three months of launch.

Fueled by Worldlines commitment for ‘Pioneering PayTech for a Buland Bharat’ and SignCatch’s vision of enabling cutting edge Retail Technology for Indian MSME’s, through the MDP initiative, Worldline and SignCatch will empower many small business owners to instantly digitise their brick and mortar store operations, activate digital payments and set up an online presence to help them to grow their business digitally.

Vishal Maru, Executive Vice President of Financial Institutions of Worldline in India, said, “In 2022, we announced our collaboration with SignCatch and now we are all set to launch the offering to empower the Micro and SME segments retailers. We are thrilled to offer this integrated technology solution through our Android POS terminals branded as ANTERA. We have a strong network of over a million merchants through all our managed banks across the country and we will be extending this offering to our partner Banks and their merchants. I believe that the offering will become more exciting by enabling the ONDC features in the near future.”

Sumit Duggal, Founder and CEO of SignCatch, said, “The Worldline and SignCatch partnership signals the dawn of a new phase in the digitalization of small and micro retailers across India. In the past, SignCatch has worked closely with large retail aggregators such as Walmart, Grofers, and Metro Cash & Carry to facilitate purchasing & supply chain automation across neighborhood retail stores. Now, working with a global payment solutions giant like Worldline will open up a plethora of unique business opportunities for MSMEs and brands to partake in this new digital evolution!”.

SignCatch's super-app platform Bech enables Small Business owners to automatically create product catalogs for billing, purchasing, and promoting their businesses with in-app marketing tools, thereby significantly improving their operational efficiency. Being an all-in-one multi-tool digital commerce platform, Bech also offers multiple value-added services like quick billing, delivery logistics, B2B purchasing along with a fully integrated payment stack from Worldline.

Spearheading the revolution that will shape the Indian and global SMB retail shortly, SignCatch is amongst one of the early companies to have commenced the integration of their multi-utility seller side platform Bech on ONDC. The platform is compatible across all MSME retail verticals and caters to various categories of sellers including – Hardware, Grocery, Mobile, Electronics, Garments, Agricultural Goods and Tools, and many more. Once ONDC is enabled, small brands, wholesalers, and retailers on the platform can receive orders from buyers across the network while accessing 3rd party services, such as – instant loans, supply chain credit, digital payments, integrated delivery solutions, and much more.

LG Electronic Smiles Back To The World With Its New Brand Identity

* With Reinvented Brand Strategy, Company Aims to Actively Communicate With Customers Beyond Generations and Locations

LG Electronics (LG) unveiled a new brand direction and visual identity, which will shed more light on the value of Life’s Good with a more dynamic and youthful look across all physical and digital customer touch points.

In the company’s new Brand Communication Guidelines shared with employees all around the world, LG outlined the new direction for the brand to be loved by customers across countries and generations, including Generation Z, and ultimately establish itself as an iconic brand. The Brand Communication Guidelines reiterate LG’s core values of ‘Uncompromising Customer Experience,’ ‘Human-centered Innovation’ and ‘Warmth to Power a Smile.’

The brand slogan, Life’s Good, encompasses the message of how the company enables its customers to enjoy a quality life and indulge in precious moments via LG products, services and communication. And, as the brand mission, the company has pursued Innovation for a Better Life, contributing to the shaping of a better life and future for the planet.

The newly established brand direction includes a revamp of LG’s visual identity, reinterpreting the existing warmth and sense of togetherness of the brand. The company aims to boost interaction with more customers through a new visual identity that adds vitality and interactive elements while putting a new spin on the existing brand image.

In the digital space, the company’s symbol will come to life, engaging customers with a new level of expressiveness. The brand symbol, composed of the letters ‘L’ and ‘G,’ can perform eight unique motions, including nodding, spinning and winking. With its new capabilities, the brand symbol can greet customers with a friendly smile or move along with background music on digital platforms in a variety of witty ways.

In addition to its signature LG Red color, the company will be using the more energetic LG Active Red across all customer contact points. Also, various gradient elements in LG Active Red, white and black were also introduced, offering variety as they can be applied according to the unique characteristic of each product or service.

The company also designed a new typeface for its Life’s Good brand slogan, which will be used more widely as a brand asset in product packaging. Cleverly integrated into the typeface are shapes inspired by various LG products.

LG’s new brand strategy not only strengthens the company’s unique identity, but signals its willingness and capacity to evolve with generations, along with its unmatched commitment to innovating customer experiences all around the globe. The company plans to utilize its one-of-a-kind brand asset at all customer contact points globally throughout the year.

“Having a strong, consistent brand strategy enables us to better communicate our value proposition and unique identity, which harmonically blends innovation and warmth,” said William Cho, CEO of LG Electronics. “Implementing the new brand strategy, LG aims to become an iconic brand that resonates with consumers transcending generations and locations.”

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics is a global innovator in technology and consumer electronics with a presence in almost every country and an international workforce of more than 74,000. LG’s four companies – Home Appliance & Air Solution, Home Entertainment, Vehicle component Solutions and Business Solutions – combined for global revenue of over KRW 80 trillion in 2022. LG is a leading manufacturer of consumer and commercial products ranging from TVs, home appliances, air solutions, monitors, service robots, automotive components and its premium LG SIGNATURE and intelligent LG ThinQ brands are familiar names world over. Visit www.LGnewsroom.com for the latest news.

Nestlé MILKYBAR Presents A New Campaign ‘Imagine Karo, Kuch Naya Seekho’

The relationship between a mother and her child is always evolving. However, the role of the mother in her child’s life as someone who nudges them to learn and explore every day, remains constant.  The new MILKYBAR campaign brings alive this beautiful relationship and highlights how a slight nudge from the mother to imagine leads to fun learning for the child.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Rupali Rattan, Head – Confectionery Business, Nestlé India said, “We wanted to build on the world that MILKYBAR has created – one of imagination, learning and curiosity. We wanted to focus on this strong mother child bond and how she can subtly nudge the child to unlock learning by the power of their own imagination”

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Joy Chauhan, Chief Client Officer – Wunderman Thompson South Asia & Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson Delhi, said, “With the new MILKYBAR thematic, we aim to build brand relevance with mothers and children with the message ‘Imagine karo, kuch naya seekho’. It leverages the concept of learning new things while they engage in imaginative play everyday. The commercial is an entertaining reminder that Milkybar believes that a kid’s imagination must be nurtured and MILKYBAR is the best way to do it.”

The new campaign would be launched across television and digital platforms.

Link to the TVC : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ-dZJStr2U

Ambuja Ranked No.1 And ACC At No.2 In ‘India’s Most Trusted Cement Brands 2023’ By TRA Research

·         Ambuja Cement and ACC recognised as India’s Most Trusted Cement Brands for second year in a row.

·         Ambuja Cement and ACC rank amongst the top two cement brands and are also amongst the top 3 brands in the manufacturing category of the report.

·         Ambuja and ACC have seen a remarkable jump in their overall ranking from last year's report.

Ambuja Cement and ACC, the cement building and material companies of Adani Cement and part of Adani Group, have been recognised as India’s Most Trusted Cement Brands by TRA Research in its Brand Trust Report 2023, for second year in a row. Ambuja Cement and ACC rank amongst the top two cement brands and are also amongst the top 3 brands in the manufacturing category of the report.

TRA's Brand Trust Report offers a valuable snapshot of India's 1000 most trusted brands. One of the most significant findings from this year's report is the importance of transparency and social responsibility in building consumer trust. Ambuja Cement and ACC have secured impressive rankings of 91 and 115, respectively, in the overall report of ‘India’s Most Trusted Brands 2023’.  This is a significant improvement from their positions in the previous year's report wherein they ranked 246 and 341, respectively.

The Companies have become India’s leading cement brands by constantly seeking to offer more than what its customers need and has been providing hassle-free and innovative building solutions. Ambuja Cement and ACC have always placed the customer at the center by setting industry benchmarks in offering low carbon, sustainable solutions.

Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO, Cement Business said, “We are thrilled to have been acknowledged as India's most trusted cement brands. This recognition reinforces our dedication to providing our customers with only the best products and services. It also motivates us to continue to innovate and improve our products to meet ever-evolving needs of the construction industry. We thank our customers for their unwavering trust and support, which has made this recognition possible. We are confident that with our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, we will continue to lead the way in the cement industry.”

TRA’s Brand Trust Report 2023 is based on comprehensive primary research conducted on the Brand Trust Matrix which comprises proprietary brand behaviors. The report provides valuable consumer insights to leading Indian and global organizations, enabling them to enhance their brand's scope and relevance in these rapidly changing times.