MAM
Max to spend Rs 100 mn on marketing IPL
MUMBAI: Max, the official broadcast partner of the Indian Premier League, has unveiled its 360-degree pan-India marketing campaign themed ‘Aisa Mauka Aur Kahan Milega’ to celebrate the ‘mauka’ (opportunity) which IPL brings for millions of cricket fans in every walk of life.
Max has upped its marketing budget by 20 per cent from the previous year and is expected to spend around Rs 100 million, say sources.
The campaign has a series of four short films. Each of these films has a light hearted humorous theme and describes what IPL provides to different people. The final film shows how a town in India gears up to watch the IPL.
“The theme that we have taken for the IPL this year is ‘Aisa Mauka Aur Kahan Milega’ because the IPL has always been about opportunity. What we have done is we have taken a more humanistic, consumer and viewer kind of approach,” Max Senior VP Marketing and Communications Gaurav Sheth told Indiantelevision.com.
Sheth said a lot of consumer research has gone into designing the campaign, “Every year we do a lot of consumer research which is both quantitative and qualitative like how is the brand IPL doing and what viewers think of it. The insights derived from the research played a key role in creating each of the films. A case in point is that of a grandmother who said how the IPL was an opportunity for her to see her entire family come together.”
Stretching across a period of six-weeks till the launch of the tournament, the campaign will have a rollout across mass media including print, radio, Internet, outdoor, mobile, BTL and out of home apart from the commercials on television.
“The focus area is television channels across genres like news, general entertainment, music, and regional. There will be a lot of front page print ads as we draw closer to the event. There will be a major outdoor blitz before the IPL,” Sheth added.
The marketing has also been designed keeping in mind the flavour of the local markets. The company is also looking at the digital medium in a big way and is currently engaged in talks with Internet and mobile operators who can provide customised ideas to engage with users.
Max‘s creative agency JWT created the campaign while Keroscene Films is the production company.
JWT VP and senior creative director Priya Pardiwalla said, “For this edition of the DLF IPL, we have created a campaign that‘s very real and based on strong human insights. Whether it‘s Phuphaji, the friends’ film or India accumulating outside a TV showroom, the campaign reflects true life experiences.”
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
