While big Indian metros will remain a staple for marketers and increasing a rural footprint will be critical for volumes in the long run, there is a growth opportunity that is vastly under-rated by many marketers today, which could emerge as a key growth engine for the next 10 years.

The strong growth in FMCG sales value in 2010 has continued into the first half of 2011, but this is increasingly being driven by inflation as volume growth has slowed down.

The Cricket World Cup (CWC) was held this past spring, and much like the Super Bowl in the U.S., it is a must-do event for global advertisers. In addition to its popularity in England, cricket is popular in many parts of Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, India and Pakistan. It draws sponsors from a range of multinational and local companies, from the auto industry to fast moving consumer goods. And for good reason: it is estimated that 1 billion people in 180 territories tuned in to the tournament …

Increasing utility bills and rising costs are driving Russian shoppers to watch their grocery budgets more than ever. Fast-moving consumer goods retailers and manufacturers need to recalibrate strategies to adjust to a more price-conscious consumer.

With growing concerns about the economy, job prospects and rising costs, South African consumers lost confidence in the second quarter of 2011 to an index level of 86, according to Nielsen’s quarterly online Global Consumer Confidence Survey.

Today, most FMCG categories (80%) are growing faster in rural as compared to urban India. This growing importance of rural India will also mean that competitors (both regional players and categories with a strong regional franchise) will influence marketing plans.

After a year of solid economic growth, Filipino consumers entered 2011 on a high note: GDP in 2010 grew at the fastest rate in 34 years, unemployment declined and inflation rates were under control.

The first quarter of 2011 started off slowly, with nominal value rising 2.3 percent across Europe, a slight decrease from the fourth quarter of 2010.

Asia Pacific has seen rapid growth in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector over the past few years. Thailand has experienced solid growth – up 6.4 percent in 2010 compared to 2009 – but much of that growth came from increased volume, not value, thereby resulting in pinched margins for FMCG manufacturers.

It’s a new era in Indonesia: global capital markets have recovered significantly since the financial crisis of 2008, and in 2010 the GDP grew 6.1 percent and GDP per capita hit US$3,000, according to the IMF World Fact Book.