MAM
ASCIonline gets 15% complaints registrations via new mobile app
MUMBAI: The ASCIonline mobile app, in just two months of launch, has seen a boost in the number of complaints received. Complaints through the mobile app, now contribute to almost 15 per cent of the total number of complaints received by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
The app has surpassed 1000 downloads within just two months since its launch on 17 June, 2015.
ASCIonline mobile app facilitates convenient filing of complaints against misleading advertisements. The app has received a 4.0 /5 star rating by users and some positive feedback.
ASCI chairman Narendra Ambwani said, “ASCI’s priority for the year was improving its reach to provide a super-fast and convenient access for consumers to lodge complaints and to increase ASCI’s reach across India trickling down to smaller towns.”
While the web-based online complaint registration system has been functional for over three years, the mobile app has broken the “reach” barrier. With the dramatic and ever growing increase in smartphone penetration and its use for various transactions, the mobile app has been a great enabler for end consumers. Analysis of complaints received via mobile app is the real “proof of the pudding.”
“We have received complaints from more than 15 different states and cities like Darjeeling, Thiruwallur, Almora, Bikaner, Jalandhar, Hingoli etc. Not only that, consumers have complained against advertisements from a wide range of sectors such as education, FMCG, healthcare, telecom, e-commerce, durables, automotive, food and beverages, and across media beyond print and TV, such as website, radio, SMS, emailers, promotional materials, product packaging and app ads,” informed Ambwani.
For promoting the mobile app, ASCI coined the “SnapItandAppIt” tagline as the app allows one to take a picture of the objectionable ad and send it through the app to ASCI. Social media is being leveraged to create awareness. Prasar Bharati also took note of this mobile app and actively supported this by tweeting about the app. Even industry stalwarts and twitteratis like Google MD Rajan Anandan, RK Swamy BBDO MD SK Swamy, Intradia head catalyst Sanjeev Kotnala, Provacateur director Paritosh Joshi created a buzz, causing a ripple effect.
With ASCIonline app, the body has engaged thousands of ASCI ambassadors who are ASCI’s eyes and ears and would put a check on erring advertisers and push for “Responsible Advertising.”
Brands
Jubilant Foodworks to end Dunkin’ franchise in India
Pizza chain operator will not renew agreement when it expires at end of 2026.
MUMBAI: When the doughnuts stop turning and the coffee goes cold, even a global giant like Dunkin’ can find the Indian market a tough brew to crack. Jubilant Foodworks has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with Dunkin’ when the pact expires on 31 December 2026, according to a Reuters report. The operator, best known for running Domino’s outlets in India, said it would evaluate options for its existing Dunkin’ stores, including a potential sale or transfer of franchise rights, in consultation with the US-based brand.
The decision follows years of underperformance in a market where local tastes and intense competition have made it difficult for international coffee-and-doughnut formats to gain traction. Jubilant, which has increasingly focused on its core pizza business and newer bets like Popeyes, indicated that the exit would not materially affect its financial or operational position.
Dunkin’ accounted for just 0.61 per cent of Jubilant’s revenue in the fiscal year ending 2025 and recorded a loss of approximately Rs 191 million, according to a regulatory filing. The company operated 27 outlets as of December 2025, having shuttered seven stores over the preceding year.
The retreat comes even as Jubilant’s broader business shows signs of momentum. The company reported a 65 per cent rise in quarterly profit for the October to December period, reaching Rs 70.9 crore, up from Rs 42.91 crore a year earlier.
For Jubilant, the exit reflects a sharpening strategic focus. For Dunkin’, it marks another setback in a market that has proven resistant to imported café concepts without significant localisation.
In the cut-throat world of Indian quick-service restaurants, sometimes the sweetest deals are the ones you quietly walk away from leaving more room for the brands that truly rise to the occasion.
