Brands
Adidas kicks off game-changing campaign to back athletes with encouragement
MUMBAI: Adidas has launched a bold new chapter in its global brand campaign, reaffirming its commitment to reducing negative pressure in sport and championing the power of encouragement. Featuring India’s cricketing elite, the campaign aims to foster a culture where support, not criticism, fuels an athlete’s journey.
New global research has laid bare a troubling reality—four in five athletes endure unhelpful sideline behaviour, often leading them to abandon their sport altogether. Adidas is stepping in with a clear message: positivity matters. The campaign, ‘You Got This’, underscores the transformative power of encouragement in sports, proving that a well-timed word of support can turn self-doubt into confidence.
Set to launch ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the campaign film stars India’s cricketing stalwarts—Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, and Virat Kohli. Adding an emotional punch, the film features a reimagined version of I’m Sticking With You by The Velvet Underground, produced by James Blake, capturing the essence of unwavering support from the sidelines.
Beyond the film, Adidas is introducing its sideline essentials, a toolkit offering practical guidance on how coaches, parents, supporters, and teammates can encourage athletes and help them thrive. This initiative stems from Adidas’ global study on the sideline effect, which examines the impact of both positive and negative sideline behaviours on athletes’ performance and mental well-being.
Adidas India GM Neelendra Singh reinforced the brand’s commitment to athlete support, stating, “At Adidas, we have always stood by our athletes, both on and off the field. Recognising that pressure is an inherent part of sport, our ‘You Got This’ campaign aims to inspire positive influence on every pitch, track, and court. A simple gesture of encouragement can transform self-doubt into confidence.”
The campaign will roll out across multiple media platforms worldwide, amplified further through retail activations that drive home Adidas’ mission: to make sports a space where encouragement outshines negativity. Because, in the end, a little bit of belief—especially from the sidelines—can change the game.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
