Brands
Create a sonic identity which reflects brand emotion: BrandMusiq’s Raja
MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter’s Young Turks Forum hosted Rajeev Raja, Founder & Soundsmith, BrandMusiq at the fourth session of the Advertising and The 5 Senses series, presented by MTV India.
The ‘Advertising and The 5 Senses’ series highlights the importance of using all our five senses in advertising, as opposed to only visual (sight “print advertising”) or audio (sound “Radio”). The series presents sessions by industry experts with a background in each of the 5 senses – Taste, Sound, Sight, Smell and Touch so the audience could learn about the nuances of these senses as they relate to communication and together add immense value.
As part of session on ‘Sound’ Rajeev Raja delivered an insightful lecture to demonstrate the power of sound in advertising. Creator of the concept of MOGO or ‘musical logo’, Raja shared examples of how sound has the ability to evoke images, emotions and even trigger memories and therefore stressed on the need to create a sonic identity which reflects the emotion of the brand.
Speaking about the event, Rajeev Raja commented, “I enjoyed demonstrating the whole design of sound. Designing sound for a brand is something that is going to be absolutely evoked by the time they graduate and come out. Thanks to International Advertising Association I got this opportunity to spend some time with young kids and it was truly fantastic.”
The previous events under the series included a session consisting of a conversation between Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and Roshni Bajaj. Sanjeev Kapoor spoke about the importance of all five senses coming together to make the food experience wholesome. Amit Sarda, MD, Soulflower hosted the second session describing the role played by olfactory senses in aromatizing and augmenting experiences. Gaelle Carbonneil, Brand Manager, Clinique highlighted the role of sight and brand aesthetics in advertising.
The International Advertising Association is the world’s only globally-focused integrated advertising trade association with membership representing Advertising agencies and the Media. The IAA comprises Corporate Members, Organizational Members, Educational Affiliates, as well as 56 Chapters with individual members and young professionals from 76 countries including the top 10 economies in the world. lAA is over 75 years’ old and is headquartered in New York.
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.
