MAM
Leo Burnett India goes hyperlocal, launches LB Regional to help brands maximise reach
Mumbai: Publicis Groupe owned Leo Burnett India has announced the launch of LB regional-a specialised division that aims to help brands maximise their reach with national audiences by understanding region-wise insights. LB regional will help brands create localised content to build relevance with national audiences.
Often, marketing campaigns miss cultural nuances and appropriate generalised stereotypes of different communities. Leo Burnett Regional aims to break this cycle and help brands create region-appropriate content by bringing in experts from each region, making content more relatable and relevant. The specialised division currently focuses on five key languages-Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Bengali-and has a team of creatives and writers who are experts in each of them.
“To succeed in today’s times, brands need to win in regions, not just nationally,” said Leo Burnett South Asia CEO and BBH India chairman Dheeraj Sinha, speaking about the launch of the division. “Often, brands have opportunities or problems that are typical of certain regions. We have to deploy region-up thinking, using insights from that region’s context, to be able to solve these. Also, there is a growing demand for local, vernacular, Indianised content, which, if done right, presents a big opportunity for brands to grow their audiences.”
“With this in mind, we have created this division which helps brands think and create regional-level solutions. We have already created local level interventions for some brands and have seen great results in going region-up rather than national-down in our thinking and creation,” he added.
The strategy and thinking is backed by an in-depth quantitative survey undertaken by Leo Burnett India, spanning across ten states (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Kerala, and Delhi), with 2,805 respondents across different age groups (18-30, 31-45, and 45+ age groups). The survey covers attitudes and sentiments across seven categories: food, mobility, finance, life motivations and relationships, health, and fashion.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â 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.
