MAM
IPG Mediabrands launches mobile marketing Ansible, to work out of three venues
MUMBAI: Ansible India, a global full service mobile marketing company of IPG Mediabrands, has been launched in India. The services of Ansible India will include mobile strategy, mobile media planning and buying, mobile marketing and analytics, creative, technology and enterprise solutions.
Anjali Hegde, the former chief executive of Reprise Media, the second digital agency of IPG Mediabrands, has been appointed CEO of Ansible India.
Ansible’s global footprint includes 18 offices across 11 counties globally, with each providing the mobile marketing options; extending from media, sites and apps into mobile commerce, mobile content, and broader technologies such as wearables, beacons, connected cars, augmented reality and virtual reality.
The company is also providing Ansible India’s clients an access to global publisher ratecards, exclusive technology partnerships, proprietary mobile media planning tools, and patented technologies such as HARK, which is the technology that powers “Kia Game On” tennis. This Ansible mobile app campaign that won “Best In Show” and three other awards at the 2014 Mobile Marketing Association APAC Awards and “Most Innovative App” and “Best Mobile Marketing” at the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The brand claims that the focus in India would be media++, whereby the agency would offer the complete gamut of execution and design capabilities.
Ansible global president Travis Johnson said: “Mobile is the most personal media channel – statistically it’s no more than a meter from you for 90% of your day. Indian consumers have high expectations and will quickly reject brands with poor mobile experiences. Ansible India is created to provide end-to-end mobile capabilities to optimise the entire user experience and ensure our clients are ahead of their competition. It’s not just about mobile media, it’s about optimizing the creative, mobile site, app and every element that will soon include wearables and in-car experiences. We are thrilled to enhance IPG Mediabrands India with this breadth of expertise”.
In India, Ansible would operate out of Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bengaluru offices of Interactive Avenues and is currently in the process of building the teams.
“We had been watching the mobile space with great interest. It was evident that in order to create great brand experiences on mobile, we need to have top class tech and development skills of scale. Today, Ansible is perfectly poised to provide the best of media and the best of technology solutions on mobile to brands in India”, added CEO Anjali Hegde.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
