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Tag: Anuj Khanna Sohum

  • Affle gets regulatory clearance for rebranding to Affle 3i

    Affle gets regulatory clearance for rebranding to Affle 3i

    MUMBAI: Adtech and martech firm Affle has marked its third decade with a rechristening and a bold leap into AI-driven advertising. The rebranding to Affle 3i officially went into effect today with  approval from the registrar of companies,  ministry of corporate affairs. Earlier in April, an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders had given the management the go-ahead to rename the firm. Affle 3i informed the Bombay stock exchange (BSE)  about the official name change today.

    Earlier this week the company held a  glitzy summit at the BSE where it showcased its “Power of 3i” vision to investors and clients.  The “3i” pillars—innovation, impact, and intelligence—were the stars of the show. Affle 3i demonstrated OpticksAI, a system capable of delivering hyper-personalised, real-time consumer experiences, powered by advanced AI. It s also highlighted its AI integration across connected TV (CTV) advertising, aiming to democratise the platform and boost ROI.

    But the real showstopper was Affle’s live demonstration of 100 AI agents, showcasing what the company calls  “active and authentic intelligence.” This, it claims, builds on the company’s formidable intellectual property, including 15 Indian patents and two US patents related to AI-driven experiences, filed well before the generative AI craze.

    Affle 3i chairperson, managing director, & chief executive officer  Anuj Khanna Sohum said the company’s vision is to “invoke the power of 3i” for intelligence that goes beyond efficiency. The aim is to scale from targeted creatives to millions of dynamic, personalised experiences, driven by “authentic, actionable, and augmented intelligence.”

    Chief architect & technology officer Charles Yong added that digital advertising is ripe for generative AI adoption. Affle 3i’s AI agents, he claimed, will streamline workflows and meet the demand for real-time, personalised content.

    In a flourish, Affle 3i also snagged records from the Asia Book of Records and the India Book of Records for the first-ever “Live Intelligence in Action” presentation at the BSE, proving the ad tech firm is not just talking the talk, it is walking the AI-powered walk. This rebranding and AI push signals Affle 3i’s intent to dominate the future of digital advertising, and it is not pulling any punches.

  • Affle launches AI-driven ad tech solutions for SMEs, targeting connected TV growth

    Affle launches AI-driven ad tech solutions for SMEs, targeting connected TV growth

    MUMBAI: Affle India, celebrating its 20th anniversary at the Bombay Stock Exchange, has announced the launch of new AI-powered advertising technology solutions aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Founders Anuj Khanna Sohum and Anuj Kumar presented the company’s long-term strategy, focusing on innovation, impact, and intelligence, during the event.

    Key platforms introduced include OpticksAI for hyper-local creative generation and CTV AI, designed to facilitate ad campaigns for SMEs on connected television (CTV). The company also showcased 100 AI agents developed to enhance team productivity.

    “We are targeting a tenfold growth over the next decade, with a planned increase in manpower from 600 to 1,000,” stated Sohum.

    The CTV AI platform aims to provide SMEs with affordable access to television advertising within geographically defined areas. 

    “Shopkeepers and SME business owners can utilise these platforms to advertise on connected TVs,” explained Kumar. “Both platforms feature user-friendly interfaces.”

    Sohum elaborated, “Many small business owners desire television advertising at an accessible cost. Our CTV AI service enables them to achieve this at a significantly lower expense compared to traditional satellite and national television in a performance advertising format for bite sized ad campaigns.”

    Kumar highlighted the potential market growth, noting, “Currently, there are approximately 12,000 television advertisers out of a total of 250,000 advertisers across various mediums, indicating substantial growth potential.”

    Affle intends to deliver approximately a billion hyper local and hyper contextual  creatives annually through OpticksAI and onboard one million SMEs globally. “We are focusing on the vernacular vertical, addressing language and localisation needs for ad creation and delivery,” emphasised Sohum.

    The company is exploring various strategies to reach and onboard smaller advertisers, including the potential use of agents spread all over the country.

  • Affle reports robust performance for Q3 & 9M FY2024

    Affle reports robust performance for Q3 & 9M FY2024

    Mumbai: Affle (India) Ltd, a consumer intelligence driven global technology company,  today announced results for the third quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2023.

    Q3 FY2024 highlights (y-o-y):

    ▪ Revenue from operations of Rs. 498.7 crore, an increase of 32.6 per cent y-o-y  

    ▪ EBITDA at Rs. 96.7 crore, an increase of 20.3 per cent y-o-y  

    ▪ PAT at Rs. 76.8 crore, an increase of 11.4 per cent y-o-y

    Q3 FY2024 highlights (q-o-q):

    ▪ Revenue from operations up by 15.6 per cent q-o-q  

    ▪ EBITDA up by 10.9 per cent q-o-q

    ▪ PAT up by 15.0 per cent q-o-q

    9M FY2024 highlights (y-o-y):

    ▪ Revenue from operations of Rs. 1,336.6 crore, an increase of 24.0 per cent y-o-y  ▪ EBITDA at Rs. 262.0 crore, an increase of 18.4 per cent y-o-y  

    ▪ PAT at Rs. 209.8 crore, an increase of 15.1 per cent y-o-y

    Affle reported a robust performance for Q3 FY2024 with a consolidated revenue from operations of Rs 498.7 crore, an increase of 32.6 per cent y-o-y from revenue of Rs. 376.1 crore in Q3 last year and revenue up by 15.6 per cent q-o-q. EBITDA stood at Rs. 96.7 crore, up by 20.3 per cent y-o-y and 10.9 per cent q-o-q. EBITDA margin was at 19.4 per cent in Q3 FY2024. PAT stood at Rs. 76.8 crore, up by 11.4 per cent y-o-y and 15.0 per cent q-o-q.  

    For 9M FY2024, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs. 1,336.6 crore, an increase of 24.0 per cent y-o-y. EBITDA was at Rs. 262.0 crore, an increase of 18.4 per cent y-o-y and EBITDA margin stood at 19.6 per cent.  PAT increased by 15.1 per cent y-o-y to Rs. 209.8 crore.

    The CPCU business noted strong momentum to deliver 8.4 crore converted users in Q3 FY2024, an increase of 23.6 per cent y-o-y and taking the total converted users delivered in 9M FY2024 to 22.4 crore. The  CPCU revenue stood at Rs. 477.4 crore in Q3 FY2024, an increase of 38.2 per cent y-o-y and 19.2 per cent q-o-q. The top industry verticals for the company continued to be resilient, helping it register a robust growth anchored on the CPCU business model.

    Commenting on the results, Affle MD and CEO Anuj Khanna Sohum said:  

    “In Q3 FY2024, we have further raised our performance bar having achieved our highest quarterly revenue run-rate, highest EBITDA, PAT and consumer conversions till date. We continue to witness a robust market opportunity as advertisers steadily accelerate their digital spending, resulting in a  broad-based growth in our CPCU business, coming across our top industry verticals globally.  

    This quarter underscored the success of our realigned strategies & teams, consistent efforts to enhance platform & product capabilities, relentless focus on R&D and deeper ecosystem-level partnerships.

    Our commitment remains steadfast in paving the way towards advanced digital technologies through responsible integration of Gen AI across conversion-driven marketing. In line to this, we filed 15 new patents in India during the quarter. We continue to expand the breadth of our tech IP assets and are investing in Gen AI powered innovations to go beyond the mere adoption of AI for cost efficiencies, but rather fortify our competitive moat and drive long-term revenue growth.

    We remain focused on delivering greater strategic value for all our stakeholders and are excited  about the future possibilities to drive sustainable business impact with next-gen technologies.”

  • Affle reports robust performance for Q2 & H1 FY2024

    Affle reports robust performance for Q2 & H1 FY2024

    Mumbai: Affle (India) Ltd, a consumer intelligence driven global technology company, has announced results for the second quarter and half-year ended 30 September 2023.

    Q2 FY2024 Highlights (y-o-y):

    Revenue from Operations of Rs. 431.3 crore, an increase of 21.6% y-o-y  
    EBITDA at Rs. 87.2 crore, an increase of 20.6% y-o-y  
    PAT at Rs. 66.8 crore, an increase of 13.8% y-o-y

    H1 FY2024 Highlights (y-o-y):

    Revenue from Operations of Rs. 837.9 crore, an increase of 19.3% y-o-y  
    EBITDA at Rs. 165.3 crore, an increase of 17.3% y-o-y  
    PAT at Rs. 133.0 crore, an increase of 17.4% y-o-y

    Affle reported a robust performance for Q2 FY2024 with a consolidated revenue from operations of Rs  431.3 crore, an increase of 21.6% y-o-y from revenue of Rs 354.6 crore in Q2 last year. EBITDA stood at Rs 87.2 crore, an increase of 20.6% y-o-y. EBITDA margin was at 20.2% in Q2 FY2024. PAT increased by 13.8% y-o-y to Rs. 66.8 crore from Rs. 58.7 crore in Q2 last year. This growth was broad-based  coming from both CPCU business and non-CPCU business, across India & International markets.

    For H1 FY2024, consolidated revenue from operations stood at Rs 837.9 crore, an increase of 19.3% y o-y. EBITDA was at Rs 165.3 crore, an increase of 17.3% y-o-y and EBITDA margin stood at 19.7%. PAT  increased by 17.4% y-o-y to Rs 133.0 crores.

    The CPCU business noted strong momentum delivering 7.2 crore converted users in Q2 FY2024, an  increase of 11.4% y-o-y and taking the total converted users delivered in H1 FY2024 to 14.1 crore. The  CPCU Revenue stood at Rs 400.6 crore in Q2 FY2024, an increase of 21.6% y-o-y. The top industry  verticals for the company continued to be resilient, helping it register a robust growth anchored on  the CPCU business model.

    Commenting on the results, Affle CEO & MD Anuj Khanna Sohum said, “Affle’s growth has been broad-based coming from both existing and new customers, across India &  global emerging markets which continue to perform well despite the tough macro-economic  conditions globally. The resilient nature of our business helped us achieve highest quarterly revenue  run rate, highest EBITDA, consumer conversions and CPCU rate in Q2 FY2024.

    Our consistent growth trajectory is well supported by greater consumer adoption of connected  devices, unique ROI-linked CPCU business model, relentless focus on R&D and strong operational execution focused on 4Ps – People, Platforms, Productivity and Profitability.  

    We continue to augment our business by strengthening our technological edge and investing in  developing innovative solutions for our customers globally. As a testament, we recently released GenAI-powered multilingual capabilities on iOS Appstore that makes us early forerunners on advanced  use cases on the OEM ecosystem, aligned to our Affle2.0 growth strategy.

    Looking forward, we remain focused on fortifying our ecosystem-level partnerships with deeper  strategic realignment and are investing to further expand our tech IP, product propositions and our  on-ground presence across geographies to drive sustainable growth for all our stakeholders.”

  • Affle to acquire strategic stake in Bobble AI

    Affle to acquire strategic stake in Bobble AI

    NEW DELHI: Affle (India) Ltd today announced the signing of definitive agreements to acquire eight per cent ownership in Talent Unlimited Online Services Private Ltd (Bobble AI), India. The company also has an option to acquire incremental ownership on attainment of certain key performance targets within the next three years. Affle has secured exclusive global ad monetisation rights of tech products of Bobble AI for five years. Bobble AI is the conversation media platform offering indigenous social keyboard with 10+ patents filed and significant investments from Xiaomi and SAIF Partners.

    Bobble AI’s flagship offering – “Bobble Indic Keyboard” includes speech-to-text capabilities and is accessible in approximately 100 international languages including 23 Indian languages. It lets users personalise their communication while offering AI-based contextual recommendations and expressive endorsements with branded stickers and emojis. Bobble AI has partnered with Xiaomi to pre-embed its custom made “Mint Keyboard” as a default keyboard across multiple Xiaomi devices in India. Bobble AI has leveraged its strengths in both Indian and International languages and is partnering with multiple Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and financial services companies as distribution partners adding significantly to their customer engagement. 

    Affle chairman, MD and CEO Anuj Khanna Sohum said, “We are excited to announce our strategic investment in Bobble AI. A keyboard is the core of a user’s smart device experience and is one of the most used apps daily. We believe Bobble AI complements our vernacular strategy and significantly strengthens our partnership with OEMs where this keyboard is a default/pre-installed app. We remain committed to Affle2.0 growth strategy leveraging upon strategic consolidation opportunities to augment our market leadership position globally. We also continue to be a strong enabling platform for the indigenous apps ecosystem in India.”

    Bobble AI founder and CEO Ankit Prasad commented, “We are elated to have found partners in Affle as we enter into the next phase of growth and monetization. Affle’s investment reinforces our vision to build world’s largest Conversation Media Platform. Affle’s strong market position, differentiated business model and our deep AI-driven tech is setting us together on a long-term growth trajectory. As a founding team, me and Rahul would like to thank our team, users and partners for their continued support, and looking forward to exciting days ahead.”

    Existing investor of Bobble AI, SAIF Partners noted, “Bobble AI has grown rapidly in the past couple of years driven by Ankit and Rahul's leadership and focus on execution. We welcome Affle's strategic investment into the company, which will further strengthen Bobble's market position and create a leading and unique engagement model for both users and partners. We look forward to a strong growth path for Bobble AI.”

  • ‘Made for mobile’ campaign emphasises efficiency and performance management capabilities

    ‘Made for mobile’ campaign emphasises efficiency and performance management capabilities

    NEW DELHI:  ad2c mobile advertising and marketing agency, has launched a “made for mobile”, single view, campaign management platform ad2campaign to enable better campaign planning and execution on the mobile advertising ecosystem.

    This platform intelligently tracks, monitors and helps optimise campaigns to serve the evolving mobile advertising and marketing industry in India. The platform is mobile ready and all the dashboards are optimised for smartphones and tablets.

    Affle Group founder & chairman Anuj Khanna Sohum

    It is one of the first mobile centric brand side platforms allowing for a single view to monitor entire mobile campaigns. The platform provides tracking and attribution primarily for four types of campaigns: Branding Campaigns that are CPC or CPM led; App Install Campaigns that are CPI (cost per install) based; Lead Campaigns; and VAS Activation Campaigns.

    Each of these campaign types is customized to serve the requirements of a particular industry segment. For example, the App Install Campaign allows app developers, or .coms that are driving focus on mobile, to promote their apps by buying on a Cost-per-Install model across the entire mobile display ecosystem. It integrates over 11 ad networks and publishers including leading networks like Ripple, vServ, InMobi and Millennial Media. Similarly, the VAS Activation Campaign tracker is meant for Operators and Mobile VAS companies to manage not just cost, but also measure revenues on the same interface, thereby allowing for easy optimization and more effective use of their media spends.

    ad2campaign plugs important and critical gaps in the mobile ad ecosystem where measurability and accuracy are still challenges by keeping to its mobile first philosophy that relies on native technologies than heavy use of java scripts. It attributes all data points and results of these campaigns back to the source, which makes optimization easier for brands, and enables publishers/ networks to monetize better. The platform does all of the above on a real time basis giving clicks, installs, leads or activations as they happen. In keeping with the mobile first approach the analytics platform is accessible over tablets and mobile devices so you can monitor your campaigns on the go.

    ad2c cofounder & MD Madan Sanglikar

    Affle Group and ad2c founder and chairman Anuj Khanna Sohum said, “The excellence and effectiveness of any campaign management revolves around an accurate media buy and meticulous monitoring of the campaign KPIs. ad2c’s expertise and industry relevant experience ensures an accurate mapping of the target audience and the pre-determined objectives with targeting parameters and properties that can help deliver results. With established processes and systems to help manage these aspects, we will ensure that ad2c helps in achieving the outcome of the advertising campaign which is in sync with the expectations and aspirations of the brand. This campaign will bring an optimum degree of transparency to the way mobile media is managed, thus allowing the market to grow with the right fundamentals in place.”

    This solution enables ad2c to further bolster the value proposition of its service solutions with a critical technology layer that is a must in an industry moving fast towards programmatic buying. It presents a significant opportunity for brands to reach out to consumers in a creative, engaging, interactive, and measurable way, at all times ensuring that spends on mobile media are delivering in the best possible manner. The platform already services ad2c’s existing 30+ brands such as Samsung, Yahoo, Cadbury, adidas, Max Bupa, and Aircel to drive, measure, quantify, analyse and improve efficiency of their respective campaigns on the mobile medium. Each of these brands has seen a significant benefit either in terms of scale or efficiency for e.g. Yahoo saw a growth of over seven times in daily downloads while promoting its cricket app while Aircel improved its ROI for its content download campaigns by over 300 per cent simply by having a real time view of what was working and what wasn’t.

    ad2c, a joint venture between Affle Group and D2C Inc cofounder and MD Madan Sanglikar said, “The mobile advertising industry is yet to realize its full potential due to many factors such as lack of mobile-ready brand assets, understanding of the medium, complexity of the formats, etc. Mobile, is not a linear medium and the complex ecosystems of apps have made the evolution of standard rating / measurement metric very difficult. Considering the lack of any standard measurement metrics, performance becomes a key metric and with ad2campaign, now brands will know what’s working for them. As paid media is getting more & more programmatic, ad2campaign will enable it by allowing real time optimization. We will be able to plan and place campaigns across multiple publishers, ad networks, apps and ad exchanges, for any TG with much greater efficiencies. ad2campaign brings authenticity to campaign metrics, hence building confidence on the medium & enabling performance led deals. It also brings transparency to the way mobile media is managed, thus allowing the market to grow with the right fundamentals in place.”

    With these and many more benefits, ad2c will continue to bolster the platform with newer features keeping to a mobile first approach and endeavour to deliver a best in class solution for the mobile marketing ecosystem.

  • Affle Group launches $3.3 million M2X fund to boost mobile ads

    Affle Group launches $3.3 million M2X fund to boost mobile ads

    NEW DELHI: Affle Group, a leading smart media company, has announced the launch of M2X, a $3.3 million (Rs 20 crore) fund, in association with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

    M2X or Mobile 2x is set up to enable brands, publishers, agencies, app developers and entrepreneurs to create mobile assets, increase mobile ad spends and promote development of innovative technologies in emerging mobile markets with particular focus on India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

    M2X is an industry-first effort, spearheaded by Affle Group with support of MMA, to fuel the growth of the mobile marketing ecosystem in emerging markets. Qualifying companies will be able to submit their applications to M2X to gain access to funds under two broad categories: (i) dollar-for-dollar co-investment with advertisers, agencies and publishers for mobile asset creation and advertising campaigns that use mobile as a medium with Affle; and (ii) investment in start-ups or existing companies that are investing into technology innovation and IP creation in the field of mobile advertising.

    Affle Groupe chairman Anuj Khanna Sohum said, “We see huge untapped potential for mobile advertising in developing Asian markets. Some significant bottlenecks we see the industry facing in this part of the world include lack of quality mobile assets, limited or no investments in mobile advertising by some brands and limited investments in technology innovation. Affle’s M2X fund is a very unique sector-focused fund that will help grow the industry and help boost entrepreneurship in this domain. Through our dollar-for-dollar matching co-investment scheme, we plan to help qualified brands and publishers increase the value proposition and user traction of their mobile assets. Also through our entrepreneur acceleration program we are confident of providing a significant impetus to ad technology innovation in mobile-first markets.”

     “Half of world’s mobile population is located in Asia, and a substantial portion of this is in emerging markets and the race is on to connect with the next billion consumers. The launch of Affle’s M2X fund comes at an opportune time to mitigate any reticence on the part of advertisers and publishers to add mobile to their media mix, particularly where budgets have been cited as a reason. M2X will also enable faster go-to-market for companies in this region who are creating products and solutions for the mobile advertising space. M2X is a strategic industry-focused initiative that aims to encourage this community to place their bets on the power of mobile, while sharing in risk and therefore increasing return-on-investment,” said Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific MD Rohit Dadwal.

    As part of the MMA’s involvement in M2X, applications from existing members will be reviewed on a priority basis. In addition, non-members that meet the criteria for funding will automatically be eligible for co-funding towards regional MMA membership. Through the MMA, qualifying companies will benefit from access to international guidelines on global standards, measurement and best practise in mobile marketing and advertising.

    The launch of M2X is in line with Affle Group’s commitment and determination to lead the change and drive growth for the mobile ad industry. This mobile ad fund will aid and assist all major stakeholders as well as industry players to capitalize on the opportunities in this market.

  • ad2c sets up shop in Indonesia

    ad2c sets up shop in Indonesia

    MUMBAI: Full service mobile advertising and marketing agency ad2c has expanded its South East Asia operations with the launch of its Indonesia office.

    The joint venture between Singapore headquartered Affle Group and D2C INC of Japan was launched in India one year ago with the acquisition of mobile marketing agency MobiMasta.

    The launch of ad2c in Indonesia comes at a time when the region is experiencing a significant increase in the penetration of smart devices. The mobile phone has become a core device through which consumers receive information and stay connected. This presents a significant opportunity for brands to reach out to consumers but the key challenge is how to do so in a creative, engaging and interactive way.

    The marketing and advertising industry in Indonesia has been experiencing steady growth over the years that has extended from traditional avenues to online and social media platforms. Indonesia has a mobile penetration rate of 80 per cent and boasts the region‘s largest smartphone market. As it stands, 50 per cent of internet users in Indonesia access the web through their mobile devices and this figure is set to grow. With the increasing use of smart devices in Indonesia, the country‘s mobile advertising spend is expected to reach $100 million by 2015.

    ad2c India cofounder and managing director Madan Sanglikar said, “My team and I are delighted to have gotten off to a great start in Indonesia. There is a very high level of acceptance for our specialism amongst colleagues from the Indonesian marketing industry. We are committed to providing innovative, engaging, result oriented strategies to brand owners and our agency partners in the region. In addition to our marketing services, our unique campaign management platform, ad2campaign, will be very useful for brand owners. We will be able to plan and place campaigns across multiple publishers, ad networks, apps and ad exchanges, for any TG with much greater efficiencies.”

    Affle Group and ad2c founder and chairman Anuj Khanna Sohum said, “ad2c‘s launch in Indonesia opens a new chapter for Affle Group. Launching our second company in Indonesia is a sign of our deep commitment to this very exciting market. Mobile industry will play an important role in the economic and social development of the country, as has been witnessed in other developing markets. We will certainly play our part in bolstering the mobile economy in Indonesia.”

    D2C Inc CEO Takayuki Hoshuyama said, “We are delighted to see the growth registered by ad2c in its very first year and congratulate them for opening up their South East Asia operations. In Japan we have been through the cycle, which consumers and brands are experiencing in Indonesia and other SEA markets. From D2C Inc.‘s experience we feel super-specialist companies like ad2c can play an important role of a catalyst in improving experiences on mobile both for consumers and brands alike. It is wonderful for the industry and great for consumers.”