MAM
TACO BELL BREAKS THE BORING WITH CHICKSTAR WRAP AND #ITSTHENEW
MUMBAI: The #foodie millennial generation in India has been flocking to Taco Bell stores in India all year to relish new twists to their favourite food, such as the Naked Chicken Taco and the Crispy Potaco. For its third product launch in India, Taco Bell went bigger and bolder; and leveled up the customer’s food experience from the standardized fast food burgers, sandwiches and wraps.
Taco Bell announced the launch of its latest product innovation ‘Chickstar Wrap’, a unique form of star shaped tortilla, filled with crispy chicken, delicious veggies and signature sauces from the house of Taco Bell. This new product innovation has already proved to be a hit with anyone who enjoys a good burger or sandwich.
The Chickstar Wrap is unique right from its shape to the taste to the ingredients, that it deserved a launch campaign that was unlike any other food type. The brand has joined their consumer base in facing the unshakeable personal small-talk question of “Aur bata, what’s new?”.
The campaign was conceptualized by Taco Bell’s agency on record Ogilvy Delhi.
Expressing his excitement on the new product launch, Ankush Tuli, Managing Director, Taco Bell – Asia Pacific, shared “As we continue to grow in number of restaurants and fan base, we stay committed to bringing new innovations to the Indian food scene. We are now excited to introduce a Taco Bell twist on the traditional chicken burger through the ‘Chickstar Wrap’. Following the successful launches of Naked Chicken Tacos and Crispy Potaco, we are confident that Chickstar Wrap will not only introduce consumers to new and bold flavors, but will also encourage the consumers to try never before seen formats in the out-of-home food category.”
Gaurav Burman, Director of Burman Hospitality said “2018 has been an exciting year for Burman Hospitality – we have successfully launched some unique and admired products and have opened new stores across Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh and Mysore. Together with Taco Bell, we are bullish on continuing this expansion and leading our category with new ideas, innovative products and immersive food experiences in 2019.”
Sidharth Shukla, Vice President & Head of Digital, Ogilvy Delhi elaborates on the campaign, “Our insight was based on the fact that for our target audience trying out experiences is essential. It comes out of a ‘want’ to discover new things and equally from a realization that there is nevertheless a certain rut which has seeped into day to day life. An embodiment of these feelings, we felt, was reflected in the numerous “What’s up?” or “Aur Bata” questions that we receive as we go about our day – The Chickstar Wrap here is the symbolic answer, counter and comeback to this question – putting a new spin from both a format and a taste perspective to a food item which has largely remained unchanged since we have known it. The
film remains true to the Taco Bell style that we are now so familiar with – slices of life, witty, young, all of which add to making it very relatable to the audience we wish to engage with.”
The campaign is titled #ItsTheNew and is launched with a digital film that brings alive the need to welcome and experiment the new – by veering away from mundaneness in life. Taking a crack at one of the most customary questions ‘Aur Bata, What’s New’ – the film nudges the audience with ‘Chickstar Wrap’ as an answer to the question. The 55 seconds film opens in an office setup, where the protagonist is seen weary and bored with the monotony of life. Lacking exhilaration, the protagonist often slips into an internal monologue wherein he finds himself exasperating on the sameness of life – starting from the same age-old burgers, to SMS forwards, to fake smiles and everything around him. The film concludes with the protagonist and his colleague relishing and indulging in the ‘Chickstar Wrap’ – for it is the new in life and ends with the tagline #ItsTheNew. You can watch the digital film here.
AD Agencies
Omnicom Q4: Posts big revenue gains amid restructuring
Company trims underperforming units and launches $5B share buyback to reward investors.
MUMBAI: Omnicom has decided that in the world of global advertising, it is better to be a big fish in an even bigger pond. The marketing powerhouse, which recently swallowed its rival IPG, has kicked off 2026 by showing the market that it is not just buying growth – it is engineering it. In a series of bold strategic manoeuvres, the group has doubled its projected cost-savings target to a whopping $1.5 billion over the next three years.
The fourth-quarter results for 2025, released on 18 February 2026, paint a picture of a company in the midst of a massive structural makeover. Reported revenue for the quarter shot up 27.9 per cent to $5,528.8 million, a figure heavily bolstered by the first full month of IPG’s operations under the Omnicom umbrella. For the full year, revenue reached $17,271.9 million, marking a 10.1 per cent increase as the company integrated heavyweights like Acxiom Real iD and Flywheel Commerce Cloud into its next generation Omni platform.
However, bigger does not always mean tidier. The group reported a Gaap net loss of $941.1 million for the final quarter, or $4.02 per diluted share. This was primarily due to a massive $1.1 billion bill for severance and real estate repositioning, alongside a $543.4 million loss on the sale of non-strategic businesses. When these one-off integration headaches are stripped away, the underlying performance looks far more robust, with adjusted net income reaching $607.7 million and earnings per share of $2.59, comfortably ahead of the prior year’s $2.41.
The group is also trimming the fat elsewhere. Management has identified underperforming and non-strategic units representing approximately $2.5 billion in revenue for exit or sale. Meanwhile, smaller majority-owned markets bringing in $700 million are being moved to minority positions. This portfolio pruning is designed to focus the New Omnicom on higher-growth areas like media, creative content, and data-driven consulting.
Investors, it seems, are being kept sweet with a significant return of capital. The board has approved a fresh $5 billion share repurchase program, initiating an immediate $2.5 billion accelerated buyback. This comes on top of $549.6 million paid out in common dividends during the year.
Performance across the sectors was a mixed bag but generally positive in the heavy-hitting divisions. Media and advertising revenue surged 34.4 per cent in the fourth quarter to $3,322.6 million, while public relations grew 12.4 per cent to $500.8 million. On the flip side, branding and retail commerce saw a 7.0 per cent dip. Regionally, the US remains the engine room, with revenue jumping 51.9 per cent to $2,869.1 million in the quarter, while the UK saw a respectable 18.8 per cent rise to $533.2 million.
With a total debt of $9.1 billion following the IPG acquisition, the group is leaning on its cash-generative nature to keep its investment-grade credit rating intact. Free cash flow for the year stood at $2,226.1 million, up from $1,964.7 million in 2024. As the company moves into 2026, the focus is firmly on the Connected Capability model, essentially ensuring that its global army of talent is pulling in the same direction, and more importantly, within a much leaner budget.
