MAM
White Rivers Media gears up for the New Year by clocking 25 business accounts in Q4 2023
Mumbai: The last quarter of 2023 saw White Rivers Media do campaigns for Frooti, Dettol, Tata NourishCo, Astral, Crunchyroll India, boat, Pass Pass Pulse, Chingles, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Zoomcar, Radico Khaitan amongst others. The agency has seen its business grow on the back of generative AI activations, trend-setting influencer-brand integrations, and evocative digital films, delivering a diverse set of strategic and tactical campaigns for brands across categories.
This year also saw White Rivers Media launch WRM Digital Studios, an agile digital-first production arm. The studio brought to life Astral Foundation’s initiative to support Rajasthan’s eco-feminist Piplantri village, a drought-proof oasis that celebrates the birth of its daughters by planting saplings.
Another original production, the #DettolProtectsTomorrow digital film, encouraged the nurturing of childhood curiosity and learning, empowering today’s parents to let their children explore without fear of germs, with the protection of Dettol.
Swiggy Dineout captured hearts in the cluttered Indian festive season with the #TogetherWaliDiwali film. Reliance Jewels adorned their new collections with films that rekindled India’s love for traditional art. All were conceptualised and produced by WRM.WRM in collaboration with the curativity platform created from scratch the identity of ‘Say Never’, the brand-new caffeine-based energy drink from Tata NourishCo.
The agency is also entrusted with expanding Frooti’s online presence, while tailoring a bespoke short-video content strategy for Zoomcar. In addition, the agency landed big hits in the AI and CGI arena with compelling content envisioned and engineered for DS Group’s Pulse Candy, Zee5 Global, and Universal Pictures India amongst many others.
WRM also carved an all-new niche in the localisation of international internet sensations for India. They brought the multicultural international dance group The Quick Style to the country on multiple occasions, with their most viral piece of content coming from the boAt collaboration.
The agency also collaborated with boAt to bring global YouTube superstar IShowSpeed to India, who thoroughly enjoyed getting caught up in World Cup fever.
White Rivers Media co-founder & chief creative officer Mitesh Kothari said, “2023 has been a transformative year for us and for advertising as a whole. We made our aspiration of making WRM a nationwide tech-first creative powerhouse a reality. Given that generative AI is fundamentally altering global creative business models, I am grateful to all our clients who recognise our ability to ensure their brands set pace.”
Reinforcing their leadership status in the entertainment marketing ecosystem, WRM splashed a larger than life Gadar 2 mural on Mumbai’s tapestry for Zee Studios, crafted a unique Oppenheimer experience on WeTransfer for Universal Pictures India, and spearheaded digital promotions for some marquee shows from Sony LIV and Amazon miniTV.
Brands
Domino’s Q1 profit falls 6.6 per cent, announces $1 billion buyback
Sales rise 3.4 per cent as pizza giant balances growth and shareholder returns
NEW YORK: Domino’s reported a mixed start to 2026, with first-quarter net income slipping even as global sales and store expansion held steady. The company also announced a fresh $1 billion share buyback, underlining its continued focus on shareholder returns.
Global retail sales rose 3.4 per cent on a constant-currency basis to $4.74 billion. The US remained a key growth engine, with same-store sales inching up 0.9 per cent, supported by a 1.5 per cent rise at company-owned outlets.
International markets, however, painted a more uneven picture. While Domino’s added 161 net new stores overseas during the quarter, international same-store sales declined 0.4 per cent. Overall revenues still climbed 3.5 per cent to $1.15 billion, driven by higher supply chain revenues and a 2.6 per cent increase in food basket pricing for franchisees.
On the profitability front, net income fell 6.6 per cent to $139.8 million, compared to $149.7 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share dropped to $4.13 from $4.33. The decline was largely attributed to a $30 million unfavourable swing in unrealised gains linked to its investment in DPC Dash Ltd.
Despite this, operational performance showed resilience. Income from operations rose 9.6 per cent to $230.4 million, supported in part by a $7.8 million pre-tax gain from the sale of a corporate aircraft.
Domino’s footprint continued to expand, with the company ending the quarter at 22,322 stores across more than 90 markets. In the US, digital orders remained dominant, accounting for over 85 per cent of retail sales in 2025.
The company also maintained its dividend payout, declaring $1.99 per share, payable on 30 June 2026. After repurchasing $75.1 million worth of stock during the quarter, the new authorisation lifts the total available for buybacks to $1.29 billion.
Domino’s chief executive officer Russell Weiner said the company’s scale and store-level economics position it well to capture further market share in 2026, even as competition intensifies.
As Domino’s leans into expansion and capital returns, the latest results show a business managing short-term pressures while keeping its long-term growth strategy firmly in play.
