MAM
12th IAA Olive Crown Awards: Kirloskar bags ‘Green Campaign of the Year’ award
Mumbai: Adland rolled out the green carpet at the 12th edition of the Olive Crown awards hosted by the India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) on 28 April in Mumbai. The awards acknowledged the remarkable work of those individuals and corporates who drove the message of sustainability or ‘green advertising.’
The awards were presented across 16 different categories, including the coveted title ‘Green Crusader of the Year’ award, which was presented to Sadhguru for his efforts to ‘Save Soil’ and his new endeavour of a 100-day long motorcycle journey to spread awareness about soil degradation.
‘Green Campaign of the Year’- gold was bagged by Kirloskar – Limitless for its ‘Mother Nature Says Hello’ campaign, while Reliance Industries won the ‘Green Brand of the Year’- gold for its ‘Stories of Sustainability.’
Chirag Rural Development Foundation & People for Animals Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre both bagged the gold in the category ‘Green NGO of the Year.’
Shreerang Charitable Trust took home a haul of six awards, followed by Centrick Marketing Solutions LLP who picked up three Olive Crowns.
‘Young Green Crusader of the Year’ was awarded to Harshvardhan Joshi, an Indian mountaineer who reached the summit of Mount Everest in May 2021 in the most sustainable way possible keeping his carbon footprint to a minimum.
The event was attended by senior marketing, media, and advertising professionals from across the country. Blue Star Ltd was the cooling partner; Vijayavani and Warner Bros Discovery were the associate partners, and Hungama Digital Media was the ‘green partner’ for the event.
An eminent jury comprising renowned professionals such as Havas Group chairman and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar, Wunderman Thompson regional creative director- South Asia Tista Sen, House of Awe co-founder Carlton D’silva, and Madison BMB CEO and chief creative officer Raj Nair shortlisted the winners through a rigorous process.
“The IAA Olive Crown Awards are more than just awards, they are a manifestation of all our thoughts with regards to Brand Earth,” said IAA – India Chapter president and Warner Bros Discovery – South Asia managing director Megha Tata. “They are a collected expression of what the marketing and communication industry can do so well. They are a way of showing the world that communication can be and is a true force for good and that is why we decided to support ‘Save Soil’. I really hope that the IAA India Chapter continues to take on one good cause every year and use the magic of the Marcom industry to amplify that cause.”
Addressing the gathering, the minister for environment and tourism of Maharashtra Aaditya Thackeray spoke about the government’s new efforts of adding 24 new conservation reserves in Maharashtra and 15000 hectares of wetland for protection. “In these times of climate emergencies, it’s no longer about the future generation, this is about us, this is about being selfish because each of us can make this a better planet, to have clean air, clean water and a world which is freer and safe without hazards,” he added.
As an Olive Crown Initiative, IAA along with AAFA is supporting the global ‘Save Soil’ movement launched by Sadhguru to address the relatively unknown but critically important issue of soil degradation.
Entries were invited for creative campaigns/ideas to spread awareness about this global problem. An eminent jury comprising, McCann Worldgroup India & Chairman McCann Asia Pacific CEO & CCO Prasoon Joshi; Mullenlowe Lintas group CCO and chairman Amer Jaleel, and Wunderman Thompson South Asia chief creative officer Senthil Kumar judged the entries received for the ‘Save Soil’ campaign.
The joint winners were: Rohan Joseph, Vallabh Yeolkar, and Raj Nair from Madison BMB and Masumi Shrimankar from Fulcro. A film based on the winning campaign created by Rohan Joseph, Vallabh Yeolkar and Raj Nair from Madison BMB has been produced by Zirca Digital Solutions and Pixel Party.
“The Olive Crown Awards have been an event, an honour, a recognition for over a decade with a lot of love to celebrate media, communications, marketing, and advertising to work towards sustainability,” said IAA Olive Crown Awards chairperson Pradeep Dwivedi. “It is rightly said that we have not received this planet from our ancestors, but we have merely borrowed it from the coming generation. It is a massive responsibility that we as an industry continue putting efforts towards sustainability.”
Check out the complete list of winners here.(EMBED: Winner doc)
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.
