MAM
“Agencies are not rapidly reinventing to stay relevant to changing advertiser needs”: IAA
MUMBAI: The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) is all set for the big debate.
To be held on 16 February, the theme for the new season of IAA Debate is: ‘Agencies are not rapidly reinventing themselves to stay relevant to changing advertiser needs.’
Speaking for the motion (that is agencies are not reinventing themselves) will be Ashish Bhasin (of Dentsu Aegis) and Sameer Satpathy (of Marico). Those presenting the points against the motion (that is agencies are reinventing themselves) are Sam Balsara (of Madison) and Shireesh Joshi (of Godrej).
The debate will be moderated by CNBC – Storyboard editor Anant Rangaswami.
IAA India Chapter president and IAA Asia Pacific VP-development Srinivasan K Swamy said, “I am delighted to see some of the leading lights of Indian industry raise the stature of the IAA Debates even higher. The topic chosen has been in the minds of industry professionals and IAA decided to debate this in the open. I am sure many in the industry will be there to witness this.”
D B Corp chief – marketing & corporate sales officer Pradeep Dwivedi added, “At Dainik Bhaskar Group, we are delighted to partner with IAA in furthering the spirit of discovery and engagement with-in all the stakeholders in our industry. The Indian economy is on the cusp of a significant growth curve and the innovation in our ideas will determine our success as marketing & advertising thought leaders, and hence the need to have serious introspection on our need to reinvent at a rapid pace. We are hopeful that our earnest attempt at being a harbinger of this change will be received very well.”
The IAA Debates hosted so far have been in Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. The Debates have featured senior advertising, media and marketing professionals such as Prasoon Joshi, VikramSakhuja, Lloyd Mathias, Josy Paul, Pratap Bose, Deepika Warrier, Anupriya Acharya, Arun Anant, Arunabh Das Sharma, Partha Sinha, Monica Tata, Vikram Chandra, PunithaArumugam, Mahesh Murthy, Virginia Sharma, Ashok Lalla and ZerinRahman, Sadashiv Nayak, Atul Phadnis, Ronita Mitra, and Amitabh Pande amongst others speaking for and against the motion.
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.
