MAM
Digital advertising spend to see 35% growth in India
MUMBAI: India’s booming digital advertising market has “reached a tipping point” and is set for double-digit growth driven by global investment in the country and policy reforms under the new Narendra Modi administration, according to ad:tech head of EMEA & India James Drake-Brockman.
Led by mobile, social media and the emergence of new technologies, digital advertising spend in India is expected to increase by an impressive 35 per cent in 2015 and further growth is predicted as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ policy enhances India’s internet infrastructure.
As global industry leaders prepare to gather in Gurgaon for ad:tech New Delhi conference on 19-20 March, Brockman feels that India’s burgeoning advertising technology sector is experiencing unprecedented investment as advertisers switch on to the growing need to allocate digital resource. “A strong digital presence is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – those who don’t will struggle to keep up with the ever evolving relationship between brand and consumer,” he said.
Last year’s ad:tech New Delhi happened at a time when India had reached a tipping point of investment. Rather than attendees using the event to gather information and understand what is out there, they were coming to the event and treating it as a marketplace with serious budgets to invest.
“The surge in number of brands sending groups of marketers to the event in 2015 reflects this trend and demonstrates the fact that India’s marketing community is serious about digital,” added Brockman.
The ‘Digital India’ policy and the prospect of getting India’s 1.3 billion people online has compounded interest in the sector: “Advertisers realise that increased internet access combined with changing consumer behaviour and spending have created a unique window of opportunity. They realise that they need the right digital advertising tools to capitalise and are turning to technology companies here in India and overseas for solutions and partners,” said ad:tech New Delhi head of content and marketing Vinish Joshi.
“All of this is good news for the advertising technology industry, good news for the economy and good news for India,” added Joshi.
Featuring a ‘Digital Ahead’ theme, over 5,000 people are expected to attend ad:tech New Delhi where industry leaders speaking include Unilever VP media for Asia, Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Russia Rahul Welde, Group M chief digital officer Rob Norman and Flipkart head of fashion Mukesh Bansal.
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.
