Congress vs. BJP: Digital ads edition

Top of the Morning

Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint, your weekday newscast that brings you five major stories from the world of business. It's Thursday, May 2, 2024. My name is Nelson John. Let's get started:

Indian markets fell slightly on Wednesday. Nifty was down by 0.17 percent, while Sensex lowered by 0.25 percent.

Following the announcement that it would split its businesses up, Godrej Industries gained more than 6 percent during yesterday's trading session. The 127-year-old conglomerate could yield multiple opportunities, even in a field where Godrej already has a commanding presence. Till now, Godrej and Boyce owned the group's land assets, while Godrej Properties developed the same land. But as part of the demerger, the former entity plans to hold on to the lucrative business, reports Varun Sood. They will only be able to do this after 6 years and not under the Godrej brand name, as per the competition commission rules. A move like this has massive consequences for corporate India, and we're just uncovering the ramifications.

The Congress and the BJP are fighting it out in the voting booths. But even prior to that, there's another platform where they are vying for your attention: social media. Both parties are using features offered by Meta and Google to target specific audiences. Meta in particular is helping these parties to micro-target their advertisements to the intended audiences, write our partners at howindialives.com. They analyse ad spends of up to 50 crore rupees, and break it down across their strategies, form factor, and spending on particular platforms.

What's common between Byju's, BharatPe, Zilingo, Housing.com, and GoMechanic? There were notable concerns around the governance practices of these startups. Unethical behaviour and mis-reporting numbers from founders led to the downfall of many of the aforementioned startups. As Tina Edwin writes, these concerns have given rise to a corporate governance charter. If a startup adheres to these norms, investors are more likely to find it attractive to invest in. While these practices aren't binding on non-listed companies, founders would do well to pay heed to help establish an open and fair work environment for their employees and investors.

Good Glamm Group started out as a company that sold skincare items. It then went on an acquisition spree: first, e-commerce, and then, digital content publications. But Good Glamm's shopping cart wasn't restricted to India: they also expanded their presence in the US. But closer home, their Indian partners weren't paid their dues. A slew of top-level exits, layoffs, and a confusing focus has led Good Glamm Group to a confusing business strategy, write Ranjani Raghavan and Suneera Tandon. As an impending IPO looms, will the company be able to chart out a sustainable path moving forward?

It's been terribly hot these days. No matter which part of the country you're in, this year's summer feels worse than its predecessors. Many regions are currently undergoing heatwave conditions. This also has an effect on food inflation: prices of vegetables and mangoes are already quite high. While currently, farmers aren't actively planting, the storage and transport of the previous rabi season's crops is under stress due to the hot climate. Easily perishable items like tomatoes have turned dearer by 62 percent. Dairy products too are feeling the brunt of the heat, writes N. Madhavan in today's primer.

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Show notes:

Godrej group could see birth of another property developer

Inside the digital ads blueprint of BJP and Congress

Mint Explainer: Why good corporate-governance practices are crucial for startups

The mystery of Good Glamm’s global gambit

Red hot prices and other effects of the heatwave