Author: Delshad Irani

Yum! Brands, Inc.’s worldwide digital sales approached $8 billion in the March quarter

First-quarter unit growth was robust with over 800 new unit openings, leading to 6% unit growth and positioning Yum Brands to surpass 60,000 restaurants this year, the company stated.

David Gibbs, CEO, said “Despite a difficult operating environment, we delivered 6% Core Operating Profit growth demonstrating the resilience of our business model.”

Amazon Q1 Results: Revenue from advertising services hit $11.8 billion in the first quarter

The World Trade Centre, which has served as Amazon India’s headquarters since the company’s inception, houses 18 of its 30 floors, accommodating around 5,300 employees.

“It was a good start to the year across the business, and you can see that in both our customer experience improvements and financial results,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon President and CEO.

Leading auto battery brand Amaron’s creative business on pitch: Exclusive

Amara Raja Batteries, maker of Amaron, officially rebranded itself as Amara Raja Energy and Mobility Limited (ARE&M) in 2023, marking the culmination of a two-year journey aimed at transitioning from a battery manufacturer to a comprehensive solutions provider in the Energy and mobility sector.

Battery major Amaron’s creative account is up for grabs, as per sources. The incumbent ad agency is Ogilvy, which has been associated with the brand for over two decades.

Maruti Suzuki starts pre-bookings for new Swift; Marketing head Partho Banerjee says it’s an “iconic brand”

Partho Banerjee said, “Its 29 lakh strong customer base and numerous awards and accolades are a testament to how the iconic Swift has gone from strength to strength."

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said, “The Swift has been an iconic brand for Maruti Suzuki, one that has evolved with changing times to redefine customer expectations.”

“No controversies, just all clean like their soaps,” says Harsh Goenka on Godrej family’s pact to split the conglomerate

Adi (pictured here) and brother Nadir will keep the listed entities while cousin Jamshyd gets the control of unlisted companies and the land bank, as per the pact shared with the stock exchanges on April 30. (Harsh Goenka image source: Moneycontrol)

Adi and Nadir Godrej will control listed companies while cousin Jamshyd gets the control of unlisted entities and the land bank. The agreement submitted to the exchanges addresses issues of Royalty, Brand Usage and Land Bank development.

Global advanced smartwatch market expected to see 15 percent annual growth in 2024

Major brands that will drive Wear OS volumes include Samsung, Google, OnePlus, OPPO and Xiaomi, according to Counterpoint. (Image: Alvan Nee via Unsplash)

The global HLOS* (or advanced) smartwatch market is expected to see a healthy annual growth in 2024. While Apple WatchOS dominates, the market is witnessing growing adoption of HarmonyOS and Google Wear OS platforms this year.

OpenAI to use Financial Times content to train AI models in latest media partnership

FT Group CEO John Ridding said the agreement recognises "the value of our award-winning journalism and will give us early insights into how content is surfaced through AI," adding that "this partnership will help to keep us at the forefront of developments in how people access and use information.”

While the financial terms of the agreement with Financial Times were not disclosed, this latest expansion of media partnerships follows similar deals by Microsoft-backed OpenAI over the past few months.

Axel Springer and Microsoft expand partnership across advertising, AI, content and Azure services 

Axel Springer is a media and technology company and active in more than 40 countries. The company has successfully transformed from a traditional print media company to Europe’s leading digital publisher. The company is headquartered in Berlin and employs more than 18,000 people worldwide.

Axel Springer SE and Microsoft Corp. will leverage each other’s strengths in digital publishing and technology to accelerate growth in the era of AI.

Gillette India sales up 10 percent for March quarter; ad and sales promotions expenses hit Rs 68.99 crore

The company's advertising and sales promotions expenses hit Rs 68.99 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2024, down from Rs 75.77 crore in the preceding quarter.

LV Vaidyanathan, Managing Director, Gillette India Ltd. shared, “We continue to deliver strong top line and share growth driven by our teams’ excellent execution of our integrated growth strategy.”