MAM
WinZO teams up with Ogilvy’s Piyush Pandey to boost brand presence
Mumbai: Homegrown social gaming platform WinZO is set to launch its multilingual brand campaign in close collaboration with Ogilvy chairman of Global Creative and executive chairman India Piyush Pandey. The campaign drives the brand’s core objective of delivering winning moments through a relatable social platform to over a billion Indians.
Through this campaign, WinZO aims to establish itself as the preferred destination for all interactive entertainment of Bharat.
The entire campaign theme and stories were conceptualised by Piyush Pandey. With this engagement, Pandey and Ogilvy will be bringing their plethora of experience to the new and rapidly growing industry of Gaming for the first time.
Commenting on the rationale behind the campaign, Piyush Pandey said, “It was great fun for me working on the WinZO campaign. Playing some game or the other is inbuilt in human nature. We’ve tried to get into real life and real ways of how each one of us, no matter what strata of society we come from, enjoy these moments. And from there comes the belief that WinZO gives you a lot of opportunities to play games that you thoroughly enjoy and get the kick of winning from. It’s been wonderful working on this campaign, and I hope our audiences enjoy watching the films.”
The campaign aims to capture the raw human emotions of competition, winning and associated delight that creates lasting social connections. These everyday conquests have been articulated and crafted into four humorous video stories by Ogilvy which will be launched as TVCs across digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram as well as other electronic modes such as TV, radio, OTT platforms, amongst others, to maximise the brand’s visibility among the billion plus audience of India.
Speaking about the new campaign, WinZO co-founder Saumya Singh Rathore said, “While the last decade belonged to e-commerce boost in India, this decade belongs to gaming and Interactive entertainment. India is at the epicentre of this rapidly growing trillion-dollar global gaming opportunity. As a leading player in the space, our partnership with Piyush and Ogilvy is symbolic of us recognizing and taking this responsibility of establishing gaming as a mainstream social activity. Piyush has not only helped build brands but also contributed in building large sectors through his campaigns over decades. We are excited to collaborate with him to achieve the same for the gaming industry and our brand.”
WinZO had launched the multi-media campaign #JeetneMeiKickHai last year which celebrated the ‘kick of winning’ in people’s daily lives and helped establish the brand’s relatability and recall value. The upcoming campaign, as an extension of the previous campaign, will expand on the theme of excitement experienced by individuals in social circles merely by small winning moments, bringing forth the spirit of the platform alive.
As a part of its brand development exercise, WinZO has also secured the principal sponsorships for two major Vivo Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) teams, Bengal Warriors and Gujarat Giants, as well as associate sponsorship for Patna Pirates. PKL is the second most followed sporting league in the country after the Indian Premier League.
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.
