MAM
J Walter Thompson globally rebranded as JWT
MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson has ceased to exist. As of 28 February, 2005, after 140 years, the advertising agency, fourth largest in the world and No. 1 in India, has emerged with a fresh, contemporary face that is consistent around the globe. With its new identity, JWT, the agency has marked the beginning of a new period in its growth and in the history of advertising.
The rebranding of the agency is but one aspect of the paradigm shift in the way the agency proposes to conduct its business, evaluate its success, and reach out to customers on the client’s behalf, a company release states.
Says JWT India CEO Colvyn Harris, “This change goes far beyond a name or a logo change. It is about how we have chosen to respond to the communications challenge that our business is facing – if we fail to engage the customer, he has the option and the ability to altogether switch us off. Hence the shift in our focus from the past where the emphasis was on account management – our historical strength – to creative strategy and award-worthy work, producing ideas that stay with the customers beyond the duration of the message. The new mandate that will drive every aspect of JWT’s work will be the need to tell engaging stories in engaging ways, so that our messages cease to be interruptions to what people are interested in and instead become what people are interested in.”
With a focus on creating insights and ideas that claim a disproportionate share of the customer’s time, the new JWT will have a distinct orientation to continue its strong heritage of leading the market as a pioneer. A stringent set of creative standards will be implemented to assess work across the network. The 10 creative standards will range from “world beating” to “damaging”, and this will help the agency separate high quality from intolerable work and everything in between. JWT’s new ‘health check’ is a quarterly reporting system that will consider an office’s work, people, client relationships and reputation, in addition to the bottom-line. This new system of performance evaluation will help the agency identify its strongest and weakest links, so that it is able to adopt measures that are necessary to get the underperformers back on track and ensure that every office is worthy of doing business under the JWT brand name.
The release states, the new JWT will mean a new name, a new way of doing business, a new worldwide creative director, a new emphasis on time and a new real-time research style. This will translate into a historic shift from the era of imposition to an era of participation.
In India, across its offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Kolkata, the new identity was unveiled through a series of activities ranging from staffers aboard a yacht bidding a mid-sea farewell to Commodore J Walter Thompson – long time mascot of the agency – to holding a colourful carnival-style parade, to re-entering India through the Gateway of India. Many offices symbolically burnt or buried the old signage and even underwent a baptism ritual conducted by the oldest
Brands
Prataap Snacks posts Rs 1.14 crore Q4 profit, EBITDA up 319 per cent
Yellow Diamond maker posts turnaround with Rs 1.14 crore profit, 10 per cent dividend proposed
NEW DELHI: Prataap Snacks Limited has staged a sharp turnaround in the fourth quarter of FY26, reporting a 319 per cent surge in operating EBITDA and a return to profitability after a challenging previous year.
The Indore-based company, known for brands such as Yellow Diamond and Avadh, posted income from operations of Rs 420.18 crore for Q4 FY26, marking a 5 per cent year-on-year rise. Operating EBITDA climbed to Rs 20.59 crore, while margins stood at 4.9 per cent.
Most notably, the company reported a profit after tax of Rs 1.14 crore for the quarter, reversing a loss of Rs 11.94 crore in the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share improved to Rs 0.48 from a negative Rs 5.00 earlier, signalling a steady recovery in performance.
For the full financial year, consolidated income rose 1 per cent to Rs 1,724.65 crore. Annual operating EBITDA grew 68 per cent to Rs 81.81 crore, while the company posted a net profit of Rs 9.72 crore, compared to a loss of Rs 34.27 crore in FY25.
Reflecting this improved performance, the board has recommended a dividend of 10 per cent, equivalent to Rs 0.50 per share on a face value of Rs 5.
Prataap Snacks Limited managing director Amit Kumat said the recovery was driven by sharper execution and data-led decision-making, including the use of Sales Force Automation analytics. The company also expanded its distribution network to over 5,000 distributors and strengthened its presence on quick commerce platforms.
Looking ahead, the company expects double-digit revenue growth in FY27, though it remains cautious about inflationary pressures on key inputs such as packaging materials and edible oil. Management plans to offset these through tighter cost controls and calibrated pricing strategies.
With profitability back on track and operations stabilising, Prataap Snacks appears to be regaining its footing in an increasingly competitive packaged foods market.
