MAM
Leo Burnett unveils new ad unit for Facebook at Cannes
MUMBAI: Leo Burnett has unveiled, a new interactive ad unit for Facebook at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Facebook’s Global Marketing Solutions’ VP Carolyn Everson revealed the new ad unit at Facebook’s ‘Social by Design’ seminar and explained the way brands and people can connect on Facebook using this unit.
The new Comment ad unit lets brands spark conversations among friends by posting a video, photo, link or status and allowing people to respond. Through Facebook’s platform, these conversations can engage brand’s fans and potential fans at scale.
Leo Burnett USA’s chief innovation officer Mark Renhaw said, “The collaboration between Facebook and Leo Burnett is particularly exciting. Through the creation of this ad unit we‘re helping Facebook and brands tap into people‘s desire and behavior to participate beyond brands‘ Facebook Pages. The Comment ad is a great example of word-of-mouth-marketing at scale. It‘s an organic way to get brands into the conversations that hundreds of millions of Facebook users are having every day.”
The comment ad unit starts off as a post in the form of a video, photo, link or status to the brand’s Facebook page and also appears as an ad unit. After which, Facebook users can start commenting or replying using the ad unit. The conversations can be surfaced as Sponsored Stories, which will engage around the conversations between brands and consumers.
Facebook’s global agency relations VP Blake Chandlee said, “We applaud Leo Burnett for providing brands with a new and unique way to spark conversations among people. With the most creative minds in the industry, agencies can and should be leading a new way of marketing that is personalised, social and engaging. We look forward to working with others to see future innovations that come from the agency community.”
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.
