Rupee, crude slide may give FMCG companies the leeway to launch products

Nielsen's forecast for the FMCG market is it will grow by around 12-13 per cent in the three months ended December 2018

The southward journey of crude and currency is expected to give fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies the leeway to launch products.

The flurry of launches, say experts, will grow as input cost pressures reduce thanks to lower volatility in crude and the rupee-dollar rate.

Already, brand-building and advertising work by FMCGs has increased, visible in the latest list of top ten advertisers released by the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC). The list, for the week ending November 23, consists only of FMCGs with Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Reckitt Benckiser and ITC in the top three (see chart). 

The week before (ending November