MAM
Marketers should see consumers as ‘persons’: Naouri
VARCA, GOA: The era calls for the death of intrusive brands. The need of the hour is ‘blends‘ – brands that blend into people‘s lives, experiences and across regions, said Publicis Groupe COO Jean-Yves Naouri.
Speaking at the Advertising Conclave at Goafest 2012 that kicked off here today, Naouri said marketers need to change the way they behave as consumers have the power to create and spread content.
“Even integrated communication is having a deeper meaning now. The industry should see consumers as persons. People are the new boss,” he said.
According to Naouri, the full circle has disappeared as purchase is no longer the end point and consumers become ‘people’. The ideas that impact the full circle are – pre-purchase, purchase (retail branding, shop display, in-shop advertising and merchandising), and post-purchase (CRM, data analysis).
He said that earlier one used to establish one-to-many conversation, but it has shifted to one-to-one conversation now. Today consumers decide “which brand” or “which message” they want to spread across.
Now through mediums like social media, one gets to know what general population thinks about the brand. Social media is becoming omnipresent. People develop content and spread it. They are the first ones to know reviews, he stressed.
“Acceleration in social network has brought a change in our business. Today, if Facebook were a country, it would have been the third largest in the world in terms of GDP. Social media is about building sustainable engagement. It helps in creating a lasting engagement,” Naouri said.
He added that one needs to target EQ and IQ in order to engage consumers better. “Social media demonstrated all types of emotions. We need to combine the two entities-rational and emotional.”
Naouri cited an example of Oasis which is the second largest soft drink brand in France. The brand is targeted to mothers and children. To move a step forward, when they thought of engaging youth, they conducted a campaign where they announced a game- Fruit of the year 2010. They had made few fruit characters and had asked the youth to play for their favourite fruit if they wanted it to win. The campaign, which was mainly online, had advertisements across mediums. Online medium was chosen because it’s something to which youth connects to most. The dummy characters had also walked on streets for the same. The game was also there on platforms like iPhones.
“The three month long competition had a great response. We had 1.5 million fans on Facebook, 1 million videos were viewed on YouTube, it was No 1 application in 24 hours and there were around 280 PR articles about the campaign.”
Brands, technology, data and people are all needed to cruise through the digital world.
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.
