MAM
India Affiliate Summit edition 10 concludes on a high note
Mumbai: The tenth edition of the India Affiliate Summit (IAS), organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) was concluded on 8 November. The two-day summit brought together leading marketers, industry experts, and innovators, creating a dynamic forum to explore the latest trends and strategies in performance marketing. The conference featured an expansive expo floor, engaging agenda of keynotes, masterclasses, panel discussions, and networking sessions, providing invaluable insights into the future of the industry.
The summit commenced with an insightful keynote session by vCommission CEO Parul Bhargava, on ‘Future Trends: Shifting Paradigms of Affiliate Partnerships’. She highlighted the transformative shifts underway in affiliate marketing and the need for brands to adapt to these evolving dynamics. She stated, “Our industry is at a pivotal juncture where embracing change is not only essential but urgent. On the advertiser side, the pillars of transparency, compliance, clean media, and long-term engagement have become fundamental. For affiliates, the focus lies in achieving stability and campaign sustainability.”
A highlight of the event was the panel discussion on ‘Winning Touchpoints: Less Clicks, More Sales’, featuring insights from Adani Group joint president and chief digital officer Nitin Sethi. Sethi emphasised the importance of precision, personalization through analytics, micro-conversations, mobile voice search, and A/B testing frameworks in today’s competitive market. “In today’s landscape, out of every 100 consumers, about 90 tend to bounce back on the first page. At each stage of the funnel, drop-off rates close to 70-80 percent are common. Even with significant investment to bring in 1,000 customers, conversion rates average only 10-15 percent, which is the industry’s best,” he said.
NP Digital founder Neil Patel, in a fireside chat on AI, opined, “When you think about your KPIs and business goals, start by asking how AI can help you achieve them. Many marketers run ads, but when AI is used alongside human creativity, it creates a powerful combination. AI can analyze data in real time, helping optimize content and ad strategies on the go. Personally, AI has been instrumental in scaling my content. The next big trend I see coming to social media is live selling it’s already huge in China but hasn’t yet taken off globally. I believe it’s going to generate significant revenue in the near future.”
India Today CMO Vivek Malhotra while moderating the panel discussion on ‘The Modern Data Stack: Revolutionising Customer Insights and Marketing Agility’, remarked, “In the past 12 months alone, we have collectively gathered more customer consent than in many previous years combined. I believe the key to unlocking future opportunities lies within this consent, empowering us to build more personalized and impactful customer experiences.”
Indian Express Digital CEO Sanjay Sindhwani commented, “In the media industry, if we look back five years, data largely rested with intermediaries, and we didn’t focus on it as much. Over the last five years, however, we’ve witnessed a tremendous shift. Media now has massive reach and relevance to advertisers, who increasingly seek more definitive, targeted insights. As subscriptions grow, the intersection of technology and marketing becomes even more critical in shaping this data-driven landscape.”
HDFC Bank SVP Deepak Oram said, “The modern data stack today essentially unifies a brand’s data, encompassing behavioural insights and predictive information. What many tend to overlook, however, is the importance of third-party data and the concept of data reflexes. While it’s relatively easy to hire data engineers in the industry, what’s truly lacking are data reflexes, the ability to quickly and effectively respond to data insights for real-time decision-making.”
In a panel discussion on ‘Bridging Online and Offline: The Impact of Programmatic Advertising on Consumer Behaviour’, Uniqlo India head of marketing Nidhi Rastogi said, ‘We strategically leverage data from our e-commerce platform to gain insights on order origins, guiding our decisions on store locations and optimizing our product assortment for each market. This data-driven approach is integral to our expansion and product mix strategies. Additionally, programmatic advertising has been highly effective in precisely reaching our target audiences.
More than 50 stalwarts from the digital marketing ecosystem addressed over 15 engrossing sessions over two days. Over 6500 industry professionals and around 50 exhibitors participated in the summit. Some of the major partners supporting IAS 2024 are vCommission, Valueleaf, Flickstree, Optiminastic, and Seventynine Digital.
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.
