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Tag: Experian

  • Mobile advertising network InMobi is all set to woo large enterprises with a new analytics service

    InMobi ‘pivots’ to take on online Ad giants like Google, Acxiom, Experian directly

    By Krithika Krishnamurthy & Peerzada Abrar

     

    Mobile advertising network InMobi is all set to woo large enterprises with a new analytics service that will mark a crucial shift in the business model of the eight-year old company that is looking to revive growth and investor interest.

     

    The move, termed as a “pivot”, will see InMobi ­ combine data from clients with insights on consumer behaviour that it has gathered ­ create new marketing strategies for enterprises. This will pitch the company into direct competition with global players such as Google, Acxiom and Harte Hanks.

     

    “The trials have already begun,” said a person with direct knowledge of the development. “This pivot will make In Mobi an early mover in this space.”

     

    Experts are of the view that for mobile advertising networks that are increasingly dependent on algorithms that churn out programmed output, looking beyond is proving to be crucial.

     

    “Companies like InMobi have to pivot because of the complex channels of data involved (online, offline, beacon, mobile),” said Michael J Becker, managing partner of mCordis, a consulting firm that advises companies on mobile trends and advertising strategies.

     

    InMobi has so far gathered data from third-party website and partners, and mostly competed with Google and Facebook. It will now not only push advertisements on smartphones but will run marketing campaigns through email and other channels. Manish Dugar, InMobi’s vicepresident for finance and legal, declined to term the new business model as a “pivot” saying “finding new initiatives and scaling them is a regular activity in our industry.” The company according to him follows an investment philosophy of 60:30:10. While the bulk of the money is used to run the existing business, a tenth of the money goes into trying out “moonshots” which are at an idea stage.The ideas that make it past this stage are then provided with investment to scale and commercialise the idea.

     

    “Big data analytics is one such initiative,” he said. The shift in business comes at a time when InMobi has been out in the market since last year to attract new funding of about $300 million (Rs 1,896 crore). According to people in the know, the company is seeking a valuation of $2 billion (Rs 12,640 crore) but not many investors have stepped up. SoftBank which invested $200 million (Rs 1,250 crore) in 2011 has since invested an additional’ . 30 crore so far.

     

    InMobi’s competitors are closely watching the new moves by the Bengaluru-based company.

     

    Mobile advertising company AdNear gathers both online and offline data, much like InMobi plans to do, and unlike InMobi, which is a third-party intermediary player, it works directly with brands.

     

    “It’s (InMobi) a good company, but it has grown too big to pivot at this stage,” said Anil Mathews, chief executive of AdNear, whose startup raised $19 million last October from Telstra Ventures and Global Brain.

     

    “The ad network business is dead. It’s gone long ago. The ‘network effect’ of an ad network doesn’t hold strength,” he said, referring to the emergence of exchanges that publishers and advertisers can plug into and bid for ads in real time. People with knowledge of the developments said InMobi’s CEO Naveen Tewari is trying to wooe investors with big-data analytics pitch.

     

    InMobi is also looking to raise funding through debt from foreign banks if it does not get the valuation it wants from the investors, according to a source with direct knowledge of InMobi’s funding plans. According to a senior executive, InMobi which has 900 employees has crossed revenue of over $200 million `1,264 crore). “We are com(.mitted to our business model which continues to deliver phenomenal results,” said Dugar, who said the company serves ads to 872 million monthly active unique (devices).

     

    The company announced that it turned profitable in the last quarter of 2014.

     

    Competitors however question the company’s ability to survive cut-throat competition from the likes of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Millennial Media, Twitter and Yahoo. “I agree they were early movers in mobile advertising and ran it very well, but the entire industry has become programmatic. They need a brute force to catch up,” said another top executive at a rival firm who did not wish to be quoted.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Experian CheetahMail, the world's largest permission-based email marketing platform, has expanded its portfolio of clients by signing up with Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme.com

    Experian Marketing Services bags Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme

    By A Correspondent

     

    Experian CheetahMail, the world’s largest permission-based email marketing platform, has expanded its portfolio of clients by signing up with Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme.com. Experian Marketing Services will partner with these prestigious brands to help them engage with their audience through advanced email marketing strategies. These new clients join an existing roster of brands such as Makemytrip, Lemon Tree Hotels and Flipkart, helping Experian CheetahMail strengthen its position in the Indian market.

     

    On securing these new signups Naveen Bachwani, Head of Experian Marketing Services, said, “Experian CheetahMail is pleased to partner with Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme.com, to help improve the RoI on their digital marketing programs by deploying sophisticated Email Marketing strategies on the foundation of an industry-leading permission-based platform.” “Every marketer’s need is to get the right message delivered to the right consumer at the right time. The Experian CheetahMail platform and its team of highly experienced professionals, enables customers to tailor their marketing strategies to suit their consumer preferences, define an appropriate segmentation approach and maximize Inbox deliverability with measurable results.”

     

    K Ramakrishnan, President, Cafe Coffee Day, said, “CheetahMail is an email marketing platform that has helped us communicate effectively with our customers. With a robust reporting platform and hands-on help from the team, I’m confident we will be able to tailor our communication much better.”

     

    Hemang Desai, COO of Apnapaisa, said, “CheetahMail brings to ApnaPaisa a product that delivers great flexibility, combined with some of the best practices of contemporary email marketing. Today, subscriber engagement not only impacts performance but also future deliverability. Hence, working with a partner who can track and report up-to-the-minute metrics, as also advise you with real, implementable solutions to improve these metrics, is invaluable. We are delighted with our partnership with Cheetahmail.”

     

    Sandeep Sharma, Co-Founder, COO & CTO of Yepme, added, “Experian is a very dynamic company and has put in efforts to understand our business. The solution is designed to better understand our customers and help in ROI improvement through targeted marketing. The team understands the challenges of our business model, and tries to provide help in operational aspects. I think Experian’s greatest strength is their people – they are not just trying to sell you a product, but are also able to look beyond to forge a long-term partnership.”

     

  • The local network: Experian analysis highlights which countries spend longest on Facebook

    India ranks 7th in Facebook timespend

    By A Correspondent

    An international study into the use of social networks by global information services company Experian reveals just how much time people living in different countries spend on Facebook. Singaporeans emerge from the study as those who spend the longest on the social network site, with an average of 38 minutes and 46 seconds per session, while people living in Brazil spend just under half that with an average of 18 minutes and 19 seconds per Facebook session.

    According to the analysis by Experian Hitwise, the average session time on Facebook in August 2011 across the eight countries varied significantly. The average time spent on Facebook in August 2011 per session was – Singapore, 38 mins 46 sec; New Zealand, 30 mins 31 sec; Australia, 26 mins 27 sec; UK, 25 mins 33 sec; US, 20 mins 46 sec; France, 21 mins 53 sec; India, 20 mins 21 sec; Brazil, 20 mins 21 sec.

    Understanding average time spent on Facebook, the world’s most widely used social network, illustrates the importance of brands needing to be on social networks, the study said. By knowing that an average social network user in Singapore, will for example, spend an average of 38 minutes on Facebook means that a brand can increase the likelihood of capturing an individual’s attention by running digital marketing campaigns through Facebook. Content and advertising which is compelling will ultimately lead to greater engagement in social networks and consequently greater sales, whether on the brand’s own website or indeed within Facebook.

    Mr Navin Chandani, Managing Director, Experian Marketing Services in India, commented, “The power of social networks like Facebook is that in some respects they don’t have any boundaries and make the world a much smaller place. Knowing the market share social networks have in each country and the level of usage is key to social networking success. However, our research shows that the way individuals use social media can and does change according to cultural and personal backgrounds – therefore ‘one size definitely doesn’t fit all’ when it comes to digital. For any international brands to be successful in their digital campaigns, they must understand the local, digital and personal nuances that exist.”

    Social networking is now one of the biggest online pastimes across the globe. In each country there are thousands of social networks, varying from 3,245 in Brazil to 9,000 in the UK. Despite being one of the most mature social markets, the UK has the lowest market share of visits going to social networks and forums (12.2 percent). Brazil has the highest percentage of Internet visits going to social sites (18.9 percent of Internet usage) with 43 percent of all social networking visits in Brazil going to Orkut, the most visited social network in Brazil.

    Mr Chandani said, “Understanding how long people spend on Facebook in different countries is vital for any brand on the social network. With Facebook still finding its feet in the emerging markets of India and Brazil, lower session times are to be expected – users won’t have as many friends or groups that they have signed up to. However that doesn’t mean brands should ignore Facebook in those countries – with market share for Facebook in India increasing by 88 percent year on year and 16 percent in Brazil year on year, its influence and dominance is only set to grow.”

    Further analysis of the data reveals how different industries attract website traffic as a direct result of social networks. Social network users in Brazil, India and Singapore rarely go on to visit retail websites after being on a social network highlighting that retailers in these markets have a significant opportunity to increase their presence on social networks, ultimately driving website traffic and sales. This contrasts with countries such as New Zealand, where nine per cent of retailers receive web traffic directly from social media.

    Entertainment topped the list of the sites visited after social networks in the nine countries polled by Experian, with well-known sites such as the BBC’s iPlayer and Sky Sports featuring prominently.

    Other key findings from the survey revealed:

    In Brazil the number one social network is Orkut.com with 43 percent market share. This has fallen year on year by 18 percent with Facebook experiencing an increase in market share August 2010 to August 2011 by 16 percent

    The country to experience the fastest growth in Facebook use over the past year is India, with the social network accounting for an increase in market share of 88 percent in August 2011 compared to August 2010.

    The US also experienced a market share increase from Facebook of 5 percent year on year.

    Approximately 1 in 4 Singaporeans (18 percent) jump from one social network directly to another, demonstrating their love of social networks.