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
Domino’s Q1 profit falls 6.6 per cent, announces $1 billion buyback
Sales rise 3.4 per cent as pizza giant balances growth and shareholder returns
NEW YORK: Domino’s reported a mixed start to 2026, with first-quarter net income slipping even as global sales and store expansion held steady. The company also announced a fresh $1 billion share buyback, underlining its continued focus on shareholder returns.
Global retail sales rose 3.4 per cent on a constant-currency basis to $4.74 billion. The US remained a key growth engine, with same-store sales inching up 0.9 per cent, supported by a 1.5 per cent rise at company-owned outlets.
International markets, however, painted a more uneven picture. While Domino’s added 161 net new stores overseas during the quarter, international same-store sales declined 0.4 per cent. Overall revenues still climbed 3.5 per cent to $1.15 billion, driven by higher supply chain revenues and a 2.6 per cent increase in food basket pricing for franchisees.
On the profitability front, net income fell 6.6 per cent to $139.8 million, compared to $149.7 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share dropped to $4.13 from $4.33. The decline was largely attributed to a $30 million unfavourable swing in unrealised gains linked to its investment in DPC Dash Ltd.
Despite this, operational performance showed resilience. Income from operations rose 9.6 per cent to $230.4 million, supported in part by a $7.8 million pre-tax gain from the sale of a corporate aircraft.
Domino’s footprint continued to expand, with the company ending the quarter at 22,322 stores across more than 90 markets. In the US, digital orders remained dominant, accounting for over 85 per cent of retail sales in 2025.
The company also maintained its dividend payout, declaring $1.99 per share, payable on 30 June 2026. After repurchasing $75.1 million worth of stock during the quarter, the new authorisation lifts the total available for buybacks to $1.29 billion.
Domino’s chief executive officer Russell Weiner said the company’s scale and store-level economics position it well to capture further market share in 2026, even as competition intensifies.
As Domino’s leans into expansion and capital returns, the latest results show a business managing short-term pressures while keeping its long-term growth strategy firmly in play.
