MAM
Kenneth Cole unveils ‘We All Have Aids’ PSAs
MUMBAI: American designer and humanitarian Kenneth Cole in conjunction with Know HIV/Aids the joint public education initiative of Viacom and the Kaiser Family Foundation unveiled the We All Have Aids campaign.
This brings together entertainment, political, social and scientific leaders in an effort to foster solidarity and to bring light to the devastating stigma associated with those living today with the Aids virus. The goal
is to encourage people to learn more, protect themselves, get tested and find treatment.
The effort includes a photograph with a message about stigma that will be seen and heard by hundreds of millions via newspaper, magazines, radio and outdoor public service advertisements (PSAs), along with a new dedicated website, a t-shirt initiative and public art installation in the US.
As part of the campaign’s collaboration with Know HIV/Aids, the outdoor PSAs are running across Viacom’s outdoor properties, including billboard, bus and bus shelter advertising faces in the nation’s largest markets.
Radio spots feature Richard Gere, Barry Manilow, Ben McKenzie, Liza Minnelli, Julianne Moore, Natasha Richardson and Mena Suvari, among others, who lend their voices and read the We All Have Aids tagline aloud. These spots will air on a number of Viacom’s 179 Infinity Broadcasting radio stations, a majority of which are located in the top 50 markets in the US.
In the print and outdoor ads, the tagline is written across a photograph taken by photographer Mark Seliger. Among those pictured are President Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Elton John, Alicia Keys, Will Smith, Sharon Stone and Dame Elizabeth Taylor. They are shown stepping into cement, representing their commitment to the global fight against Aids.
Cole says, “Our goal is to create the largest public service campaign in the history of the devastating HIV epidemic. After two decades, stigma still challenges efforts to prevent, treat and to ultimately cure HIV/AIDS. This coalition represents many of the world’s most accomplished, devoted and inspiring Aids activists. With help from these extraordinary role models we hope to foster solidarity so that the world can focus on improving HIV prevention and treatment programs, and support necessary AIDS research”.
Viacom executive VP Carl D. Folta says, “For the past three years, Know HIV/Aids has brought together the power of our media brands and Kaiser’s expertise to spark a dialogue about the devastating effects of Aids. Kenneth Cole, too, has been at the forefront of raising Aids awareness, and we believe the combined power of these shared visions will bring a new level of urgency to the epidemic proportions this disease has reached.”
The We All Have AIDS print ads are already scheduled to run in about 200 publications internationally, including Vogue, French Vogue, Vanity Fair, Bell’ Italia, Luna, InStyle, InStyle Spain, Time, People and Rolling Stone.
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.
