Brands
Most Jio recharges were digital & traditional spend was above average, says Vishal Sampat
MUMBAI: Reliance Jio’s launch in India caused a stir in the telecommunication industry. Since then, it’s been a fight between all the telecom players. When Jio launched with free call and text messages, and five times cheaper than others data, it disrupted the industry indeed.
To decode the journey of Brand Jio, its chief digital officer Vishal Sampat was in conversation with WATConsult CEO Rajiv Dingra at IAMAI 13th Marketing conclave in Mumbai. Speaking about the digital versus traditional marketing spend ratio, Sampat said, “A majority of recharges came from the digital channels and the traditional spend above telecom average.”
So, what is Brand Jio and what does it stand for? Jio stands for so much more than a telecom company, and it’s the world’s largest startup. “From the business perspective, we have been building a pipe that enables billions of Indians to be online, get access to information that they did not get at the right rate,” Sampat said.
“We are creating an ecosystem with our apps which not only allows consumers to come online, but experience so much more. We envision Jio as a way of life when it comes to people’s digital life,” he said.
About the biggest challenge as Brand Jio moving from a service which was largely free to now paid, Sampat said: “Even after stopping being service, we still had a majority of users and we still are a hundred million plus — with subscribers who paid us for Jio Summer Surprise and Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan. People are using our network constantly. Our data rates are the best in the industry. For paid Jio, consumers expect from us a certain level of customer experience. Despite the challenges, we successfully moved people from free to pay.”
One great thing which actually worked for the brand is King Khan, who is the brand ambassador.
“The market was dominated by three large players, and we planned to disrupt that market. From the marketing perspective, we had to be ready with various options — one of which was choosing the perfect brand ambassador. Shah Rukh Khan’s persona resonated with Jio,” Sampat said.
“With our best quality service and SRK’s help, we could clearly show to the world that there was an appetite for data. Then, we changed our strategy from the new launch campaign to a product-based campaign. I think product base campaign is the right way to go,” Sampat said.
Jio started building the brand on two points — one was the Net speed, and other was data. “You constantly challenged the market with these. They are challenging Jio with aggressive speed and downloads. Do you think you have to come up with a better promise,” Dingra asked.
Sampat said that speed and downloads were the most talked about aspects. “The fact is that the 90 per cent mobile broadband data is carried by Jio in India. A majority of people are using our sim for data. People who claim that they are the fastest network need to cross-check with TRAI. On the regulator’s website, a home-test in the last four months will reveal that Jio apps have been download faster than others. We are also the only pan-India 4G providers,” he added.
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.
