MxMIndia

Category: Digital

  • Much as he loves using it, Sanjeev Kotnala needs the payment platform needs an overhaul of its algorithms

    G Pay: The Good, Bad and Ugly…

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaEveryone has an option for digital payments. BharatPe, BHIM, UPI, PAYTM, GPay and many more mobile wallets. However, one of them becomes the default option. For me, it is Google Pay. GPay, in short. And, it may be true for others, but here I will speak of GPay and my love-hate relationship with it.

     

    The Good

    Okay, honestly, I have no major crib about GPay as the app works fine.

    It allows me the liberty to scan any QR code and payment, and it works seamlessly.

    GPay perfectly documents every transaction and ensures sharing them is smooth.

    Rarely is there a problem with server busy or faulted payments.

    I am a GPay fan and need no further motivation. Everything is just fine.

    I am building homes at Indi-homes – collecting energies to complete the levels- not really interested in the first 2 Lakh home builders to earn anywhere between INR 11 to INR 111.

    However, many friends and family members voiced these concerns about GPay; After sharing the Good part, I amplify their reactions below.

     

    The Bad

    However, I am irritated and frustrated with GPay.

    I suppose they have the best of the listening and tracking ways of how I live and what I do. At least they have the financial transactions and intelligent algorithm other brands use.

    Then, why does GPay in rewards keep me giving free membership and trial opportunities across brands? Okay! The trial is free for new users and subscribers. And Google would /should/could know I am a member of these services.

    It keeps changing its picture capture games, from Diwali Cards to IPL to others. And I never get all the cards. GPay algorithms that deal me the cards ensure I get many cards but never the complete deck, which will allow me to go for the jackpot. G-pay then wants me to trade cards with my friends to complete the deck. Does GPay think I work for it or have time and energy for referring or inviting friends on the platform?

    Most optimistic brands: GPay knows I am not interested, and I have not reacted for the last 20 times they have sent the free three-month membership. Optimistic GPay believes the 21st time I will change. So, with punctual clinical consistency, it regularly serves these reminder awards. And it then follows up with a notification that the useless, irrelevant, irritatingly frustrating awards option may expire.

    GPay asks me to refer new possible customers. It also goads me to pay INR 1 to people in my contact list on joining the G-pay Brand Wagon. GPay knows I have never done that, and GPay knows none of my friends has ever given me the INTR 1 welcome gift. It knows it is futile to ask me again and again. But, the brand is optimistic that I will change first than its so-called personalised approach based on incredible self-learning algorithms?

     

    The Ugly

    I know I am not the luckiest guy on earth. But my luck is not so bad that I keep getting served ‘Better luck next time’ cards by GPay. Adding insult to injury, I must scratch the cards to uncover the message at every milestone. Every milestone promises a cashback up to INR 1000, and I thought Upto meant at least INR 1 to start with. However, the only thing it does is to ruin my day by telling me ‘Better Luck Next Time’. Or: Your Bad Luck is Kharraab!

    In some 427 transactions of more than 3 lakh, I have won 233 cashback and some 50 ‘Better Luck Next Time’ cards. Don’t give me cash back- but don’t make me scratch a coupon to read this silly luck line.

     

    Net-Net

    I have become so comfortable with GPay that it’s the default option. However, from time to time, GPay sends me those messages and notifications, including ‘Better Luck Next Time”. Frankly, I am not interested, and it only ends up spoiling my whole consumer experience.

    So, time for the platform to use its tech muscles to differentiate between consumers waiting, willing and wanting the freebee and who wants the app for its primary function- just to pay- nothing else.

     

  • Titled 'Scam Se Bacho'

    Campaign by Payments on WhatsApp

    By Our Staff

     

    In order to create awareness and educate users on making safer online payments, WhatsApp has launched a user-safety campaign – titled ‘Scam Se Bacho’ via a ‘music video, conceptualised by BBDO India and directed by Shimit Amin.

     

    Talking about the music video, Manesh Mahatme, Director – Payments, WhatsApp India said: “While UPI continues to remain one of the safest, convenient and interoperable modes of making payments, India’s growing acceptance of online payments has also seen an increase in digital payment frauds. User safety is at the core of everything we do at WhatsApp and through this exciting and captivating music video, we want to educate and empower our users with all the information they need to safeguard themselves against any frauds while making digital payments. We hope that this initiative by WhatsApp will resonate with people and they can sing their way through safe and secure online payments.”

     

    Talking about the campaign, Avinash Pant, Director – Marketing at Meta India, added: “India’s growing acceptance of digital payments has also led to an increase in the need to make people aware on how to keep their payments safe. Through this campaign, which is built on several real world scenarios that people face in their everyday life, our endeavour is to educate and empower users with all the information they need to safeguard themselves against any frauds while making digital payments. This initiative reinforces Whatsapp’s commitment to the safety of our users while making payments as simple and convenient as sending a message.”

     

    Commenting on the creative treatment of the music video, Josy Paul, Chair and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India, said: “Our primary goal with this music video was to spread awareness and engage the audience sensitively on this subject. We decided to create entertainment that educates, rather than advertising. Our goal of reworking a fun nostalgic song like ‘Dekh ke Chalo’ was to use the power of music to convey a strong message that’ll help people relate to the moments that we collectively face in our lives. The song triggers memory structures that allow the audience to receive the message more easily. We hope it will echo with people to be more aware the next time they face similar situations and feel empowered to stay safe while making online payments on WhatsApp.”

     

     

  • A new digital campaign addresses need to 'take charge' of your finances

    Freecharge drives better financial planning

    By Our Staff

     

    Freecharge, the digital financial services platform, has launched a series of digital videos on the necessity of being financially independent.

     

    Commenting on the launch of the new campaign, Siddharth Mehta, CEO, Freecharge said, “Freecharge with its continuously expanding portfolio in digital financial services aims to instil confidence in users, when it comes to managing finances. A facilitator, equipping them with financial tools that work for them, help them prepare goal saving plans or handle exigencies, get easy access to credit, or make timely payment of dues. We hope this digital campaign hits the right chord with our consumers and pushes them to actually ‘take charge’ towards making rational financial decisions”.

     

    Added Shweta Singhal, CMO and Head of Growth at Freecharge: “Our new logo revealed with this campaign is in sync with the brand positioning – Freecharge helps you take charge of your finances, so you can live the way you want to. The campaign establishes Freecharge as challenger of status quo. Each of the films are designed to bring out the different features built within the Freecharge platform; be it goal based investing, or the tool to assess your financial fitness, or the easy access to credit to manage both small expenses and big ticket items, or the safe and fast payments”.

     

     

  • It's high time that research organisations provide M&E with a comprehensive overview, writes Indrani Sen

    TV Industry Needs a Better Household Establishment Survey

     

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    Indrani SenAs per the latest Performance Indicator Report (PIR) released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), subscription to the private DTH service continues to decline. A comparison between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 shows a collective loss of 1.6 million paid active subscribers to DTH. It seems the various marketing initiatives introduced by the private DTH operators in 2021 have failed to arrest the slow and steady decline of the subscribers.

     

    The same TRAI report shows that the cumulative active pay subscriber base of the top 13 cable and HITS platforms rose Marginally from 4.58 crore to 4.59 crore in Q12022, while the subscriptions to some other smaller MSOs declined. On the whole, it can be said that there is a stagnation in the subscriptions to cable TVs.

     

    The dark horse in the arena of DTH operators is the DD Free Dish. According to various reports available, increase in number of channels available through DD Free Dish between 2017 and 2021 as well as addition of better-quality channels has doubled its subscribers from 22 million in 2017 to 43 million in 2022. Different Government sources have been claiming that DD Free Dish is the largest Dish operator in India covering more than 25% of the TV viewing households. The growth of users of DD Free Dish presents a totally different picture from the slow decline seen in the private DTH subscriptions. However, we have no clue regarding who are the users of DD Free Dish or what is their demographic profile. We often assume that the use of DD Free Dish is prevalent in the lower income groups in small towns or rural areas, but the actual penetration of DD Free Dish may be quite different from our assumptions.

     

    We need to take into account three additional factors for a complete understanding of the source of TV viewing in India. First is the rapid growth of the OTT market in India; the second is the growth of smart TV sets and the third is the partnership of the telecom operators with the OTT players which are providing the TV viewers with alternative platforms for viewing TV content.

     

    According to the Ormax OTT Audience Report 2021, the Indian OTT space has 353 million users and 96 million active paid subscribers. Most of the TV content is available today through various OTT platforms promoted by the TV Channels. The growth of internet and introduction of smart TV sets have eliminated the need for separate subscriptions to the TV content through Dish operators or Cable TV operators. So, the decline in direct subscription to TV through DTH or cable TV needs to be reviewed along with the growth in OTT subscription and smart TV sets by households.

     

    Today, all telecom operators offer free access to more than one OTT platforms along with their pre-paid and post-paid services. A typical telco-OTT partnership is an ideal example of a symbiotic relationship which allows both parties to benefit. The strategy enables the telecom operator to ensures customer retention and adoption and the OTT players to enlarge the viewership of their content.

     

    However, when we try to get an overview of TV viewership in India, we find that we do not have a complete understanding of the source of TV viewing. It is high time that research organisations provide the Media & Entertainment Industry with a Household Establishment Survey which indicates the type of TV subscription along with the ownership of TV, so that the users of the data get a clarity on the total picture. We have come a long way from the time when such household establishment surveys used to provide information on B&W and colour TV sets. We now need to know about the platform used for viewing TV contents, the type of TV set owned by the households as well as the type of subscriptions made by the household. Both BARC and MRUC should plan for household establishment surveys accordingly.

     

  • Will be incharge of response management of the brand

    WATConsult bags ORM for OLX Autos

    By Our Staff

     

    WatConsult, the digital agency from Dentsu Creative India, has bagged the Online Reputation Management and Social Listening mandate for digital automotive solutions provider, Olx Autos. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be managed by the agency’s Mumbai office.

     

    Said Siddharth Agrawal, Country Head, Marketing, Olx Autos: “We are excited to have WatConsult on board as our partner for ORM and digital listening mandate. It is a very important element in further accelerating our brand journey & reputation. We look forward to elevating our customer service and the overall platform experience through this engagement.”

     

    Speaking on the collaboration, Heeru Dingra, CEO, Isobar India group added: “We are delighted to have OLX Autos on board. The brand has fared remarkably well in recent quarters, and social listening will be critical to its future success. Our team is well-equipped to provide the necessary skills; and we are very much looking forward to assisting them on this journey.”

     

    Said Sahil Shah, Managing Partner, WatConsult said: “This addition solidifies our already strong offering on auto clients. OLX Autos being a new-age digital-first brand, just resonates very well with our own go-to-market at many levels. I welcome OLX Autos to our esteemed list of clients and look forward to a great partnership with them.”

     

  • To handle the media mandate, including TV, print and digital

    Madison Media Ultra wins media AOR for 88Guru.com

    By Our Staff

     

    Madison Media Ultra, a unit of Madison World, has been appointed as the Agency of Record for the new education website 88Guru.com. The website is being launched by Singapore-based 88tuition Pte. Ltd. which is now set to launch in India under the brand name 88guru.com. Madison Media Ultra will handle the media mandate, including TV, print, and digital.

     

    Said Vinod Gupta, Director, 88Guru on associating with Madison: “We are excited to partner with the team at Madison as we attempt to transform the Ed-Tech industry. Madison’s expertise across the media spectrum, from traditional to new age, will be critical in our roll out. Lastly, the chemistry with the team has been excellent and we enjoy working with them.”

     

    Added Jolene Fernandes Solanki, COO, Madison Media Ultra: “We are excited to partner with 88Guru a Singapore based edtech company. Education has radically changed its business model as a result of the pandemic. We as a team are confident and excited to launch 88Guru in India and are sure it will exceed industry growth with its digital-first and outcome-driven approach.”

     

  • To focus on performance based marketing

    iProspect wins digital mandate for Monster.com

    By Our Staff

     

    iProspect, the digital-first end-to-end media agency from Dentsu India, has won the digital mandate for multiple countries of the leading online career and recruitment resource – Monster.com.

     

    Commenting on the win, Saurabh Srivastava, CMO, Monster.com, APAC & ME said: “Monster is bracing itself for a new growth journey as it evolves into an end-to-end talent management platform in the months to come. A household name for jobseekers across countries and a preferred talent discovery platform for recruiters, Monster continues to invest in innovative tech product offerings and services that are continuously improving the experience of its users across the web and mobile app. As we move ahead with our renewed aspiration of catering to the diverse requirements of an evolving job market, we are confident that partnering with the best of minds from the digital marketing space will help us create the much-needed brand resonance and equity with our existing and prospective users across emerging markets.”

     

    Added Vinod Thadani, CEO, iProspect and Chief Digital Growth Officer, Dentsu Media: “Monster is a great brand that has been in the market for many years and has established itself as a great engagement platform for users who are looking for jobs and progressing in their careers. At iProspect, we look forward to deploying our innovative and data-driven digital marketing solutions to deliver the right engagement for the brand with its digital audience.”

     

  • A new 24×7 gaming digital channel in September

    QYou Media to launch Q Gamex

    By Our Staff

     

    Following the recently launched digital channels, ‘The Q Kahaniyan’ and ‘The Q Comedistaan’, QYou entertainment network further gears up to announce the launch of ‘Q GAMEX’, a 24×7 gaming digital channel. The channel aims to target young gamers across connected TV and digital platforms.

     

    Krishna Menon
    Krishna Menon

    Speaking on the announcement of its upcoming gaming digital channel, Krishna Menon, Chief Operating Officer, QYou Media India, said: “At QYou Media India, our unique and socially connected content style is in alignment with what this audience is looking for. The Indian online gaming industry has steadily grown to become a leading market across the globe. With the launch of ‘Q GAMEX’, we aim to cater to the young gaming enthusiasts and become a leading provider of multi-genre channels to audiences who are rapidly adopting connected TV as a primary destination for entertainment purposes. We are delighted to add ‘Q GAMEX’ to our existing portfolio of brands and look forward to developing Q GAMEX as a pioneer in gaming content across digital platforms.”

     

    According to an analysis by KPMG, India is set to become one of the world’s leading markets in the gaming industry where it is expected to cross 450 million online gamers in 2023, second only to China. Growing steadily over the last five years, it is expected to treble in value and reach an overall value of $5 billion by 2025 driven by a rapidly growing younger population with higher disposable income. With the total number of online gamers growing from 360 million in 2020 to 390 million in 2021, analysts expect steep growth in the sector.

     

    Leveraging content from a wide array of top social influencers and digital content creators, QYou Media India so far has launched The Q, Q Marathi, The Q Kahaniyan and The Q Comedistaan. The upcoming digital channel Q GAMEX targets the rapidly growing community of online and mobile gamers and will mark the launch of QYOU Media India’s fifth channel.

     

  • New logo highlights Ekart's vision of "Powering India, Powering You"

    Ekart unveils new brand identity

    By Our Staff

     

    Ekart Logistics, logistics service providers and the supply chain arm of Flipkart, has unveiled its new brand logo. This comes after Ekart announced the externalisation of its service offerings earlier this year for small and large businesses across the country, to help improve their competitiveness while enabling them to focus on their core business.

     

    Commenting on this development, Mani Bhushan, Chief Business Officer at Ekart, said: “Ekart today is a pioneer in India’s e-commerce supply chain and logistics industry. Over the past several years, the business has evolved and transformed, keeping pace with the evolving digital economy and retail landscape in India. It has developed a tech-enabled pan-India supply chain supported by a large infrastructure footprint. Ekart’s new brand positioning reaffirms our commitment to help lakhs of small businesses, D2C companies, brands and platforms to achieve scale by reaching out to millions of customers across the country. The new brand logo also depicts our vision of becoming synonymous with the growth engines of commerce in India.”

     

     

  • Highlights from the 2nd Edition of India Gaming Conclave

    Gaming Industry to be spurred by 5G & Cloud Gaming

    By Our Staff

     

    With around 420 million active online gamers and a 500-million-strong digitally native population aged between 15-35 India is set to become one of the fastest growing markets globally. Eminent industry leaders and stakeholders convened to discuss the future roadmap of the gaming industry in India. The next phase of growth for gaming in India driven by accelerating adoption of 5G, Cloud Gaming, Gamification, and Mobile Gaming devices among others was outlined on the sidelines of the 2nd Edition of the India Gaming Conclave 2022, by Konnect Worldwide Business Media, today.

     

    The conclave outlined the industry’s vision for 2022 and beyond, with an eye on global and domestic trends, as well as India’s potential to disrupt the global industry in the near future. IGC 2022 witnessed participation from industry experts, innovators, gaming publishers, OEM’s, developers, gamers, influencers, and analysts, who welcomed the opportunity to share their insights, learnings, and expertise. The event themed ‘Getting Ready For The New Normal – The Gaming Industry In 2022 – What Next…’ was supported by industry partners including MediaTek, Gamezop, Techarc and All India Gaming Federation.

     

    Said Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India: “The India Gaming Conclave has been a wonderful experience aimed at setting the context for Indian gaming and creating the roadmap for the future of the explosive industry. As one of the fastest-growing sectors in India, gaming is a major focus area for MediaTek and our consistent collaboration with OEMs has birthed some of the most innovative gaming smartphones in the country. Looking forward, our R&D teams are working towards fostering newer advancements in MediaTek HyperEngine Gaming Technologies and we await the power of 5G to unlock the full potential of Indian gaming.”

     

    In-depth knowledge sessions included discussion on 5G, Cloud Gaming and Innovations in Smartphones and Devices – Drivers of Gaming Revolution in India; India Focussed Innovations in Gaming Infrastructure; Gamification – A Powerful Tool to Engage, Monetise & Grow Revenues; and Taking Gaming to the Next Level Thru Investments & Partnerships. Industry leaders present at the summit included MediaTek India, Gamezop, All India Gaming Federation, Gameloft, Winzo, Oppo, Newgen Gaming, Loco, POCO India, Apar Games,T-HUB, Xtendr, Lumikai among others.

     

    Added Gaurav Agarwal, Co-founder Gamezop: “The 2nd Edition of India Gaming Conclave was a melting pot of myriad standpoints from the Indian gaming fraternity. The organisers did a fantastic job in bringing together prolific panelists from across the gaming spectrum. There couldn’t have been a better forum to introduce our new product, Quizzop, to the industry. Gamezop and Quizzop are glad to have participated towards this year’s event in a small capacity, and we will look to do that again in the coming years. We are going back enriched with the discussions that panned out today, and are glad we got to meet old friends and new.”

     

  • As their exclusive digital storage partner

    Western Digital partners with Alia Bhatt film ‘Darlings’

    By Our Staff

     

    Western Digital, a hard disk drive manufacturer and data storage company, has partnered with the film ‘Darlings’ as their exclusive digital storage partner. The film stars Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Matthew, and is streaming on Netflix.

     

    Said Gaurav Verma, Producer and COO, Red Chillies Entertainment: “As content producers, we know how important it is to find a safe and convenient way to store all the content related to a film. With Western Digital’s SanDisk® and SanDisk Professional line of products on board, all our data storage needs were handled seamlessly, and we are glad to have partnered with them on Darlings.”

     

    Added Jaganathan Chelliah, Senior Director, Marketing, India Middle East and TIA, Western Digital: “Content consumers and creators alike want innovative storage solutions that are easy to use and are the right fit for their digital lifestyles. This DVC ties in with the film, Darlings, and highlights the increasing use of smartphones for content creation and the need for a device that can transfer the content easily and conveniently between different devices. This is something that SanDisk dual drives are perfect for.”

     

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by SanDisk India (@sandiskindia)

  • Targets women consumers in Tier 2 towns

    Flipkart’s Shopsy launches new TVC campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Shopsy, a subsidiary of e-commerce platform Flipkart, has launched its latest TVC campaign, ‘Aaj Shopsy Kiya Kya?’ with Sara Ali Khan. The campaign highlights Shopsy’s unique value proposition of affordability and availability spanning a wide selection of products depicted through its catchphrase ‘Har Din Aisa Sale Jaisa’. The campaign aims to reach women consumers specifically in Tier 2 and smaller towns.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President & Head – New Businesses, Flipkart, said: “At Shopsy, we are committed to offering a value-based and convenient shopping experience to our consumers by leveraging our deep understanding of their needs. As the campaign title ‘Aaj Shopsy Kiya Kiya?’ suggests, we are looking to develop a habit among consumers to visit Shopsy every day, offering them an opportunity to avail of the exciting deals and offers we have on the platform. A large number of buyers in the country await sale seasons to fulfil their shopping needs. To address this gap, we conceptualised our new campaign that reinforces Shopsy as a one-stop destination for consumers who are looking for a reliable and budget-friendly platform to shop from.”