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Tag: Asia-Pacific

  • Social media platforms, online video to consolidate advertising dominance in 2020

    Social media platforms, online video to consolidate advertising dominance in 2020

    MUMBAI: A considerate portion of marketers in Asia Pacific (29 per cent)don’t have the right balance and synergies between digital and offline media, while the majority (84 per cent) still struggle with cross-channel measurement. That’s according to the latest annual state of marketing study, Getting Media Right: Marketing in Motion, released today by Kantar.

    2020 is set to see a significant rise in digital ad spend, as marketers in the region look to optimise their media mix. 80 per cent of marketers plan to increase their investment in online video advertising over the next 12 months, while 68 per cent plan to increase spend on social media networks and 57 per cent plan to increase spend on podcasts. This is in sharp contrast to print media, where72 per cent of marketers say they will decrease spend in magazines, while 60 per cent will reduce their investment in newspaper advertising.

    Despite the projected growth in online advertising, digital measurement remains a challenge for marketers, with blind spots such as ‘walled gardens’ impacting the ability to understand cross-channel performance. This leaves many advertisers in the dark about the performance of their brand across channels.

    Now in its sixth year, Getting Media Right examines the current state of marketing in a fast-moving connected world, and is based on in-depth survey feedback from nearly 500 senior marketers globally spanning advertiser brands, media publishers and agencies globally. It reveals an industry that continues to diversify its usage of different media contexts, yet requires better understanding of how ideas, content and media channels work together to achieve their goals of driving short-term sales and long-term brand growth.

    Key findings from the study include:

    The short-term vs. long-term dilemma comes to a head. Almost all marketers in the region (89 per cent)now recognise the importance of balancing short-term sales with long-term brand building. However, still only 61 per cent of marketers are using both short and long-term measurement; 32 per cent still rely solely on short-term sales results.

    Marketers globally still struggle with integrated campaigns, but APAC marketers are having more success. 88 per cent of marketers say they have integrated their marketing organisations, compared to 75 per cent of global marketers.

    Programmatic targeting continues to grow. Four in five marketers in APAC (78 per cent) currently use programmatic targeting for their campaigns – and that is expected to reach 87 per cent in 2020. But still one in five marketers(21 per cent) aren’t confident they’re successfully targeting the right audiences.

    Cookieless advertising could leave marketers in the dark. More than a third of marketers (36 per cent) haven’t begun preparations for a cookieless world, leaving many concerned about how such change will impact the industry.

    Nearly two-thirds of marketers (61 per cent) agree that developing custom content is imperative, but when it comes to understanding how context impacts creative executions, there’s still a gap. More insight is required into how specific content needs to be tailored to specific contexts to improve message receptivity.

    “While the rapid growth in digital ad spend comes as no surprise, this new research indicates that marketers still have a long way to go to when it comes to cross-channel measurement and proving ROI,” said Jane Ostler, Global Head of Media Effectiveness, Kantar. “The next 12 months will see huge changes for the industry, with the rise of newer channels, such as podcasts and advanced TV, and the move away from cookies set to transform the way advertisers target and measure campaigns. Marketers should aim for the best of both worlds: they need to create a framework to monitor impact on business and brand metrics. That means harmonising measurement tools, building an infrastructure that enables measurement across the diverse marketing mix, and creating meaningful insights to improve performance across all channels.”

    Pablo Gomez, Chief Digital Officer for the region, said: “The results go to show just how dynamic and complex APAC is as a region. Marketers here are faced with the challenge of rapidly increasing their digital investment, whilst at the same time, ensuring there is integration with offline media.

    He continues: “Measurement also remains one of the biggest issues for the region, especially online-offline cross measurement which is critical in a region dominated by TV and mobile. It’s clear that marketers need more focused data, with insights that give them the direction they need to better integrate and optimize their campaigns. This will also allow them to customise content better and improve the entire experience for their audiences.”

    Kantar executive director, South Asia, insights division Sandeep Ranade said, “This research indicates that many marketers today focus on short-term measurement though they recognise the importance of balancing short-term sales vs long-term brand building. Integrated campaigns are the way forward, however, there is still a lot that needs to be done here. Marketers need to be more cognizant of specific contexts while developing content. This will help them future proof their digital measurement approaches in the rapidly growing and changing digital scenario”  

  • Mindshare announces senior management appointments

    Mindshare announces senior management appointments

    MUMBAI: Mindshare has announced two major leadership appointments to its leadership structure in Asia Pacific.  

    The first is the elevation of Prashant Modi to Asia Pacific COO. Modi, who was previously chief commercial officer for Mindshare in Asia Pacific, will take on the broader responsibility of managing the Singapore hub and working with Mindshare Asia Pacific CEO Amrita Randhawa on future-proofing the overall company structure and offering. 

    Modi has been with the agency and GroupM for over 16 years working across both GroupM and Mindshare in its India and regional office in Singapore. Modi is widely credited within the agency as a key reason for the company’s consistent delivery across the region. 

    Randhawa said, “There are few people who care about our people and our company as much as Prashant. He is the beating heart of Mindshare and one of our absolutely finest minds. I am delighted that this role is going to give him the canvas he deserves to make an even bigger impact on our organisation and on our people.”

    Speaking on his elevation, Modi said, “16 years with Mindshare and it still is a dream place to work with great colleagues and clients. Mindshare has always provided a very open atmosphere to fuel personal growth and I am looking forward to continuing to contribute to our achievements and growing our business further.” 

    The second appointment is that of Rohan Lightfoot as chief growth officer of Mindshare Asia Pacific. His role is focused on developing high growth opportunities for new and existing clients with an emphasis on new products, innovation and digitization. Lightfoot has over 20 years’ experience, across the region based out of Singapore and in China, US and UK. Most recently he was with Isobar working on clients such as Pernod Ricard, Adidas, Yum!, Unilever and Coca Cola.

    Speaking on Lightfoot’s appointment Randhawa said, “Rohan’s been on my must-hire list for years! He is uniquely placed having spent solid time in China, having a blend of creative, media and digital craft experience as well as working on some of the region’s biggest accounts. He understands the changes that the agency needs to deliver in order to continue to be a valued partner for our clients.”

    Speaking on the move to Mindshare Lightfoot said, “I am so excited to be taking on this new role. It’s a perfect fit for my experiences and passions in my career. The breadth and depth of capability at Mindshare is staggering. The challenge of keeping the world’s leading media agency always ahead was impossible to turn down. I’m already loving being part of the team that Amrita is building.”

  • TiVo Renews Personalized Content Discovery Platform Agreement with Foxtel

    TiVo Renews Personalized Content Discovery Platform Agreement with Foxtel

    SINGAPORE: TiVo Corporation (NASDAQ: TIVO), a global leader in entertainment technology and audience insights, today announced that Foxtel, Australia’s leading subscription-TV platform, has renewed its license to TiVo’s Search and Recommendation services and will have access to TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform. As a long-term Search and Recommendation customer, the renewal will provide Foxtel’s subscribers in Australia with the latest TiVo innovations to help power entertainment experiences.

    “We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with TiVo, in order to ensure we have the most advanced content discovery technology at our subscribers’ fingertips across a multitude of devices,” said Michael Ivanchenko, Foxtel’s director of Product Design & Development. “Foxtel has a legacy of driving innovation across the Australian television landscape TiVo’s solutions are a strong contributor in  helping us to stay at the forefront of bringing the latest entertainment services to our viewers.”

    “Foxtel’s continued investment and trust in TiVo’s personalised discovery capabilities demonstrates our innovation leadership and differentiation in such a competitive landscape,” said Samuel Sweet, senior vice president, Sales EMEA and APAC, TiVo. “We are proud to continue working with Foxtel, one of the most progressive and dynamic media companies in Asia Pacific, to enable viewers to benefit from a personalized discovery experience, dramatically improving the viewer experience and increasing engagement.”

    TiVo’s Personalized Content Discovery platform is revolutionizing the way video service providers deliver content to viewers, and ultimately the way consumers find something they want to watch across devices. Guided by the belief that consumers should not have to work to find relevant content, TiVo’s multi-dimensional approach delivers highly relevant search results, customized recommendations carousels and increased convenience with natural voice recognition and insights for an enhanced viewing experience. 

  • BBC LAUNCHES HUGE NEW INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DISINFORMATION INITIATIVE

    BBC LAUNCHES HUGE NEW INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DISINFORMATION INITIATIVE

    mumbai: The BBC will be launching the Beyond Fake News project on 12th November with the release of findings from original BBC research into how and why disinformation is shared. Around the globe, disinformation has been seen to cause social and political harm, with people having less trust in the news, or in some cases being subjected to violence or death as a result. The BBC’s Beyond Fake News project aims to fight back with a major focus on global media literacy, panel debates in India and Kenya, hackathons exploring tech solutions and a special season of programming across the BBC’s networks in Africa, India, Asia Pacific, Europe, the USA and Central America. The research to be released publicly on 12th November comes after users gave the BBC unprecedented access to their encrypted messaging apps in India, Kenya, and Nigeria.

    The Beyond Fake News media literacy programme has already begun delivering workshops in India and Kenya. It draws on the BBC’s pioneering work to tackle disinformation in the UK, where digital literacy workshops have also been delivered to schools across the country.   

    Jamie Angus, Director of the BBC World Service Group, says: “In 2018 I pledged that the BBC World Service Group  would move beyond just talking about the global ‘fake news’ threat, and take concrete steps to address it. Poor standards of global media literacy, and the ease with which malicious content can spread unchecked on digital platforms mean there’s never been a greater need for trustworthy news providers to take proactive steps. We have put our money where our mouth is and invested in real action on the ground in India and in Africa. From funding in-depth research into sharing behaviours online, to rolling out media literacy workshops globally, and by pledging to bring BBC Reality Check to some of the world’s most important upcoming elections, this year we’re carving our path as a leading global voice for spotting the problems, and setting out ambitious solutions.”

    The Beyond Fake News Season

    Fake or real, truth or lie, transparent or deliberately misleading – how can you tell the difference? And what can you do about it to help build trust?  These are the problems the BBC explores in the Beyond Fake News season. This season will include Fake Me, a documentary revealing how far young people will go in pursuit of social media perfection, as well as the in-depth story of what happened when WhatsApp turned one Indian village into a lynch mob. There will also be reports on Russia’s disinformation campaign, how Facebook is being exploited in the Philippines to spread false information, and a debate with the world’s big four tech firms on what role they play in stemming the spread of ‘fake news’.  The season brings stories from across the world on TV, radio and online drawing on the expertise of the BBC’s international network of journalists.

    Programmes & Documentaries

    Global: From Delhi, 12th – 15th November

    Matthew Amroliwala takes BBC World News’ Global on the road through India, exploring what happens in a world where fake news goes viral, and trust is the victim. He’ll be talking to tech giants, politicians, school children and Bollywood actors.

    BBC World News

    Beyond Fake News – Tech Giants, 12th & 17th, 18th November

    The tech giants Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and Google are brought together to discuss the fake news crisis and the roles their platforms play in the problem, and the solution. Matthew Amroliwala hosts.

    BBC World News

    The She Word: Fake Me, 10th November 

    From Insta-face to jeeps and bling to full-on faking it, millennials in Africa are living on “likes” as the social media world expands, sometimes going to extreme lengths to clock up the clicks. Using the Instagram look, the content, the followers and the tech to transform her online profile, we challenge one Kenyan student, a 21 year old social media ‘virgin’, to go from private to public, and see if she can fake it – in just five days.

    BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News, BBC World Service TV, BBC.com

    BBC Click: Kosovo’s Fake News Factories, 10th November

    Eighteen months ago Kosovo's fake news factories were running at full steam – fuelled by the country's excellent connectivity and its young tech-savvy population with few other job opportunities. Since then, Facebook has been aggressively targeting such operations. We go back to see how successful this crackdown has been and how the fake news game has changed.

    BBC World News

    Features

    “Deepfake” video manipulation, 14th November 

    When you’re not always seeing what you think you are – Matthew Amroliwala picks up new languages the easy way, but not without a little help from “Deepfake” software programmes that turn fiction into reality, making ‘fake video’. This technology could present opportunity for but also dangers – BBC Click look into this for BBC World News.

    BBC World News – preview available on request

    Explainer: Why a Fake News story spreads, 12th November 

    How does fake news get onto your feed? Zoe Kleinman explores how fake news goes viral, the role of social network algorithms in its spread and how automated bots push false stories to millions. How easily are legitimate publishers tricked into repeating false news, and why are we the public so willing to share stories we see on social media?

    BBC World News, BBC.com

    Special Reports

    India/Asia Pacific

    An interactive data project mapping the violence fuelled by false rumours in India

    From the BBC India team in Delhi, we have scraped hundreds of newspapers to compile data on violence and lynchings driven by social media and messaging apps in India.

    BBC.com

    What happened when WhatsApp turned one Indian village into a lynch mob, 12th November  

    The story of Nilotpal and Abhishek. Mini-documentary on two men lynched after rumours on WhatsApp suggested they were child abductors.

    BBC World News, BBC.com

    The people behind the spread of fake news in India, 12th November
    The BBC’s Vineet Khare meets some of the people behind the Facebook pages and websites accused of spreading fake news across India.

    BBC World News, BBC World Service TV

    Thailand’s victims of fake news “law”, 13th November

    Four years after the military coup, Thailand may return to democracy with an election next year. But political activity is still limited and critics are being increasingly threatened with cyber security laws that often use the "fake news" crutch and carry prison sentences. For the BBC's Beyond Fake News season, our South Asia correspondent Jonathan Head meets people who are facing legal threats for speaking out against the military government.

    BBC World News, BBC World Service Radio, BBC.com

    Fake news and the Philippines, 12th November

    Howard Johnson travels to the remote archipelago of Batanes to understand how supporters of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos have been exploiting Facebook to spread fake news and help his family stage a political comeback.

    BBC World News, BBC.com

    Africa

    Somalia: Media freedom under attack, 12th November 

    Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist and media outlets are being closed down for publishing information, or what their critics call ‘fake news.’ As part of our Beyond Fake News season, Fergal Keane reports on the fallout.

    BBC World Service Radio, BBC World News, BBC World Service TV, BBC.com, UK networks

    BBC Africa Eye – new investigation, 13th November

    BBC Africa Eye will broadcast its latest investigation.

    On BBC Africa TV, BBC.com

    Russia/Europe

    Debunking Russia’s ‘information noise’ operations, 12th November

    A lab in Tbilisi has been using untested lethal drugs to experiment on Georgian citizens, the Russian Defence Ministry announced last month. But the claims were false – aimed at distracting attention away from Moscow's involvement in the Skripal poisoning and embarrassing revelations about a failed Russian cyber-attack on the global chemical weapons watchdog (OPCW) in the Hague. Steve Rosenberg visits the lab for our Beyond Fake News season, and looks at how Russia uses fake news to spread disinformation.

    BBC World News, BBC World Service Radio, BBC.com & domestic BBC outlets

    Middle East

    How a fake news law is being used to crack down on dissent in Egypt, 14th November

    Five months ago, Egyptian actress Amal Fathy logged on to Facebook and posted a video alleging that she had been assaulted by Cairo police officers. Two days later she was in jail, accused of “spreading false news”. Fathy, who was later sentenced to two years in prison, is the latest in a growing list of Egyptian dissidents prosecuted under the government’s new fake news laws. Sally Nabil looks at the effect of the crackdown and how US rhetoric around fake news is being abused as a powerful tool of repression abroad.

    BBC World News, BBC.com

    USA/Americas

    Mexico lynchings report, 12th November

    Two innocent men are pulled from a jail house by a mob and burned in the street after WhatsApp rumours warning of child abductors – a report on how fake news can grip a small town where violent crime goes unpunished.

    BBC World News, BBC World Service Radio, BBC Mundo, BBC.com

    Also showing as part of the season:

    “Operation Infektion”, 11th November

    Operation Infektion, by the New York Times, is an enthralling history of fake news, or what the KGB used to call, “active measures.” With testimony from former Russian spies and US officials, the film deconstructs some of the most successful “fake news” operations of recent times, from the 1980s lie that Aids was created by the CIA, to the so called pizzagate conspiracy during the last Presidential election. This is disinformation warfare laid bare.

    BBC World News

    From Our Own Correspondent, 12th November

    From Our Own Correspondent will be bringing its mix of stories, insight and analysis to Delhi for a special edition of the programme presented by Anu Anand. Reporters in the region will reflect on what’s real and what’s not.  

    BBC World Service Radio

    BBC World Questions: Delhi, 14th November

    BBC World Questions will host a debate in Delhi allowing the public audience the chance to put their questions directly to a panel of politicians and opinion formers. With support from the British Council, the programme visits a different city around the world each month, and provides a public forum for open debate and an opportunity to explore claim and counter claim in front of an audience.  

    BBC World Service Radio

    Why Factor:  The Fact Checkers, 12th November

    Sandra Kanthal will speak with fact checkers from Turkey, the Philippines and Brazil to find out what motivates them to combat fake news, especially in countries where speaking truth to power comes with considerable risk.   How do they do this difficult job, and why are they so determined to improve the skills all of us can use to call out false claims? 

    BBC World Service Radio

  • Facebook appoints Hotstar’s Ajit Mohan as India MD & VP in major coup

    Facebook appoints Hotstar’s Ajit Mohan as India MD & VP in major coup

    MUMBAI: The social media giant Facebook finally ends its hunt to find a head for India operations. Facebook has appointed Ajit Mohan as Managing Director and Vice-President of Facebook India. He will join Facebook early next year.
    In this newly created role of Managing Director for India, a VP-level role, one of the most important responsibilities for this person will be aligning teams and driving Facebook’s overall strategy in India. This is a new structure for Facebook India of having a senior leader reporting into Menlo Park and not Asia Pacific.
    “India is one of the largest and most strategically important countries for Facebook. As we think about what it will take to achieve our mission of bringing people together and building community, we know that investment in India is critical. Ajit’s depth of experience will help us to continue to have a positive impact in India across communities, organizations, businesses and with policy makers”, Facebook Inc vice-president of business and marketing partnerships said David Fischer.
    “I am delighted to take on the mantle of shaping Facebook’s charter in India. It is a unique opportunity to shape the agenda of a company that has brought the world closer together in one of the most exciting markets in the world. I look forward to championing India in Facebook and working with stakeholders across the spectrum to help build deep and meaningful communities across the country” Ajit Mohan commented.
    He joins Facebook from Hotstar, the streaming platform launched by Star India, where he was Chief Executive Officer. He launched and built Hotstar into India’s leading premium video streaming platform. Ajit is an alumnus of McKinsey and Company’s New York office where he worked with media companies around the globe as well as served as a Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, where he focused on India’s rapid urbanization. He is a graduate of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

  • India to be APAC’s fourth largest online video subscription opportunity by 2023: MPA

    India to be APAC’s fourth largest online video subscription opportunity by 2023: MPA

    MUMBAI: The latest report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) predicts that by 2023, India will be Asia Pacific’s fourth-largest online video subscription opportunity after China, Australia and Japan.

    The Asia Pacific Online Video & Broadband Distribution report goes on to say that Asia Pacific’s online video revenue, comprising net ad spend and subscription fees, is expected to grow at 18 per cent CAGR, up from $21 billion in 2018 to $48 billion by 2023.

    The growth of online video subscription has been impressive in China, with fees rising from less than $850 million in 2015 to a projected $5 billion in 2018. The growth of online video subscription fees has also been strong and increasingly scalable in Australia and Japan, while meaningful opportunities are opening up in India, driven by the growth of payment infrastructure as well as investment in sports rights, local movies and series. Online video sub fees in Southeast Asia (including Hong Kong) are relatively low, at a projected $267 million in 2018. This could grow to $724 mil by 2023, driven by greater momentum in Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines.

    China will account for the lion’s share of industry value, with more than 60 per cent of Asia Pacific online video revenue and more than 75 per cent of direct-to-consumer SVOD subs by 2023. After China, the largest markets by revenue in 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India, Korea and Taiwan. 

    MPA executive director Vivek Couto said,“Online video monetisation is starting to scale, supported by rising investment in premium entertainment and sports as well as the growth of broadband and digital payments. Strong digital ecosystems are emerging, especially in China while telcos are also becoming important aggregators of video services in markets such as Australia, India and Southeast Asia. Advertising is a major revenue stream for online video across the region, while subscription is also key, especially in Australia, China and Japan, and growing from a low base in India, Southeast Asia, Korea and Taiwan. Different payment models are emerging across China, India and Southeast Asia incorporating, including TVOD and shorter time commitments, freemium tiers, bundles and loyalty programs tied to a broader mix of digital services.”

    Net online video ad spend in Asia Pacific will grow from $13 billion in 2018 to $30 billion by 2023. Ex-China, this opportunity equates to more than $11 billion by 2023, versus $5 billion in 2018. YouTube and to some extent Facebook will remain dominant, with 73 per cent of online video ad spend ex-China by 2023, versus 78 per cent in 2018. The biggest online video ad markets after China by 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India and Korea. Local players will gain share with India leading the way, although Southeast Asia will lag behind.

    Online video content costs across Asia Pacific grew by 27 per cent in 2017 to reach $13 billion, with China contributing 85 per cent. Asia Pacific online video content costs will grow from $16.6 billion in 2018 to $31.5 billion by 2023, a 14 per cent CAGR, according to MPA. Ex-China, OTT video content costs will grow from $2.7 billion to $5.9 billion over 2018-23, a 16.5 per cent CAGR, with Australia, India and Japan driving momentum, followed by Korea.

    Advances in broadband will provide a significant boost to online video consumption, reach and monetisation. Mobile broadband will continue to grow, including the first flowering of 5G in North Asia and Australia post-2020, alongside a slow but steady transition to next-generation fixed broadband. Mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific ex-China will reach 80 per cent per capita by 2023 versus 57 per cent in 2018, with some of the biggest growth coming from India, Indonesia and Thailand. With China included, average mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow from 74 per cent to 94 per cent per capita over the 2018-23 period. Average fixed broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow steadily from 50 per cent to 54 per cent of households over 2018-23, with the focus increasingly on upgrading networks using fibre and next-generation cable technologies.

    High level of online piracy leads the list of barriers to the growth. Apart from China, many local players are also struggling to scale in fragmented marketplaces. The top three SVOD players in a market typically have 50 per cent or more of online video subscription revenues, according to MPA analysis, leaving scope for future consolidation.

    Couto added: “We are in the early innings of an industry evolution which will require high levels of investment and strong balance sheets. For standalone players, there is no clear path to significant free cash generation in any market over the medium term, while integrated digital giants and large-scale TV players are subsidising losses for their online video services, although operational breakeven is likely in the near-to-medium term for local platforms in Australia, China, India and Japan.”

  • Criteo Reseller program Launched to accelerate commerce growth in the asia-pacific region

    Criteo Reseller program Launched to accelerate commerce growth in the asia-pacific region

    Today at Criteo Exec Connect 2018, Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO), the leading commerce marketing technology company, announced the launch and general availability of the Criteo Reseller Program. Developed with the needs of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in mind, the program allows online marketplaces[1] to resell, Criteo’s best-in-class solution, Criteo Dynamic Retargeting, to merchants or affiliates[2] on their platforms.

    Regional eCommerce sales are expected to exceed US$3 trillion and account for more than 25 percent of total regional retail sales by 2021[3]. Across the APAC region, close to 6 in 10 shoppers purchase products on online marketplaces[4]. The program has therefore been designed to help online marketplaces and their merchants maximize their share of this APAC growth opportunity, while delivering seamless and relevant retail experiences to shoppers across all devices and channels.

    “In virtually every APAC country, an online marketplace tops the list of eCommerce sites or apps most used by local shoppers. For merchants, participation in an online marketplace has become the most obvious pathway to success,” said Yvonne Chang, Executive Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Criteo. “Through the Criteo Reseller Program, merchants can now take advantage of Criteo Dynamic Retargeting, within marketplace environments, to re-engage shoppers online. They can control and adjust their ad spends to better connect shoppers with products they need and love – this will boost revenue for themselves, the marketplaces and the economies they are a part of. The program will drive further commerce growth in each country and across the region.”

    With access to Criteo’s machine learning technology and open commerce marketing ecosystem, a merchant can now serve personalized product offerings and recommendations to reach, engage and convert shoppers on a larger scale. An online marketplace that empowers increased reach and sales for its merchants will enjoy revenue and higher Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) growth, while reinforcing itself as a valuable sales channel.

    The Criteo Reseller Program offers online marketplaces an Application Programming Interface (API) that simplifies campaign management. The technology allows merchants to manage and adjust their own ad spends and Cost-Per-Click (CPC) prices to boost sales under the marketplace’s dynamic retargeting campaign. As a result, online marketplaces do not need to manage ad spends and budgets on behalf of merchants. The marketplace manages the technical integration, with no further technical development required from merchants themselves.

    Yahoo! Shopping Japan was an early adopter of the Criteo Reseller Program in early-2016. Within a relatively short period of time, more than 1,800 merchants on the online marketplace saw the value of using dynamic retargeting campaigns to drive traffic to their product pages, thereby increasing Yahoo!’s online marketplace sales by 69 percent.

    Criteo Dynamic Retargeting uses machine learning technology to comprehensively understand shopper behavior across devices, browsers and apps. After accurately predicting an individual’s propensity to buy specific products, the technology customizes product recommendations and the ad’s visual design in real-time, driving engagement and compelling the individual to complete a purchase. Criteo’s direct relationships with thousands of premium publishers delivers scale and ensures the best dynamic ad placements across all online channels, so shoppers can be reached and engaged wherever they are online.

    “The Criteo Reseller Program paves the way for commerce businesses to define their own growth and future. The program was developed to enhance the power of Criteo Dynamic Retargeting for online marketplaces, merchants and affiliates,” said Patrick Wyatt, Senior Vice President, Product Management, Criteo. “By staying ahead of emerging industry needs and offering industry-leading Criteo Dynamic Retargeting technology through this new program, we are committed to fulfilling our vision of building the highest-performing and open commerce marketing ecosystem.”

    At Criteo Exec Connect 2018, the company’s first-ever regional thought leadership and education summit for commerce businesses and digital marketers, the leadership team shared the company’s Commerce Marketing Ecosystem vision, Innovation Roadmap for APAC, as well as Commerce and Online Marketplace Outlook 2018. The Outlook provides valuable insights on voice shopping, data collaboration, connecting online and offline sales, and the impact of the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), among other trends that are expected to shape the industry in the year ahead.

    The summit, hosted by Criteo in Da Nang, Vietnam, from 1 to 3 February 2018, was attended by 40 major APAC commerce players, including Lazada, Expedia, The ICONIC, Flipkart and Nykaa.

  • Smart city initiatives in APAC to improve quality of life: DAN & MIT

    Smart city initiatives in APAC to improve quality of life: DAN & MIT

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network has launched a new white paper examining the progress of Asia Pacific’s smart cities, including local deep-dives into eight key markets in the region. In its third year, this series on Asia Pacific’s digital disruption aims to deliver thought leadership to arm Dentsu Aegis Network and its agency brands’ clients and partners with the insight they need to succeed in the digital economy.

    In collaboration with MIT Technology Review, the report argues that increasingly, smart city initiatives in Asia Pacific are being developed and driven to improve quality of life for the region’s citizens and consumers, to manage cities’ growth sustainably, and to maintain their global competitiveness.

    The paper titled “Connectivity and QoL : How digital consumer habits and ubiquitous technology are driving smart city development in Asia Pacific” – consolidates extensive in-market research and nearly two-dozen in-depth interviews with key industry players from India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Australia.

    Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific CEO Nick Waters said, “Asia Pacific has enjoyed robust economic expansion in recent years, with cities at the heart of this growth. With development comes challenges, but cities in the region are transforming these challenges into opportunities with the help of technology and innovation. Smart cities in Asia Pacific are quickly becoming pilot markets for the digital economy.

    “The white paper helps us understand what drives the development of smart cities in Asia Pacific, how businesses can leverage them to develop digital economy solutions and how we can contribute to make these cities more viable, livable and sustainable,” Nick added.

     The report found two key factors that distinguish Asia Pacific’s smart city efforts from other regions around the globe. Governments and businesses are more willing to invest in experimental models that exploit new technologies, business models, and urban planning design. For example, the development of new ‘greenfield’ smart cities from scratch such as South Korea’s Songdo International Business District, Japan’s Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town, Hong Kong’s Smart City @ Kowloon East, and others.

    Asia Pacific also has a unique approach in its efforts to engage private sector players in developing smart cities. More collaboration has emerged between the government and the region’s leading technology firms – China’s Alibaba, India’s Reliance Communications, Japan’s Panasonic, and others – to deliver smart city projects.

    MIT Technology Review CEO and Publisher Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau explains, “While no two Asia Pacific markets have the exact same mix of smart city strategies or assets, we have found that nearly all such projects attempt to use smart cities to serve two goals simultaneously: address immediate infrastructure or service delivery challenges while ‘future-proofing’ their economies against threats looming on the horizon.”

    The paper also outlines six common themes of Asia Pacific’s successful smart city initiatives, including: leveraging cloud technology; creating ‘open’ and accessible ecosystems, and through this harnessing the power of startup ecosystems; consumer-driven application development; mixing ‘greenfield’ and ‘brownfield’ smart city experiments; IoT and sensor-based platforms; and cashless economies.

    Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin said, “India is currently moving towards massive urbanisation. Consequently, its need for building smart cities is immediate when compared to many other countries. Home to one of the most populated and diverse demographics in the world, India witnesses the migration of 20-30 people every minute from rural regions to urban cities. Yes, India is a complex country and therefore, its infrastructural challenges are huge but so are the opportunities. We have a large consumer base, we are well-connected and mobile-enabled. And these elements will act as huge enablers to create our smart cities and introduce economic transformation.”

  • Httpool partners with Twitter to expand ads

    Httpool partners with Twitter to expand ads

    MUMBAI: Httpool, an international cross channel ad network with a presence in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia, and Twitter have come together.

    Httpool has been appointed as Twitter’s official ad sales partner for India from 1 October, 2017. This will expand the advertising support for marketers in India.

    Brands and advertising agencies across the country can now work closely with an experienced Httpool India team and leverage Twitter Ad solutions to amplify their marketing objectives.

    IMS Internet Media Services (IMS), a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television, recently acquired a 51 per cent stake in Httpool.

    The new partnership of Twitter and Httpool in India was a natural transition given the scale of their global partnership across 22 markets in Europe. Httpool team in India is expected to provide service to Twitter’s existing and new clients by collaborating with Httpool’s global offices and centers of excellence on best practices and brand strategy.

    Twitter head of reseller partnerships – Asia Pacific Chandan Deep said: “India is an important market for Twitter as a platform. We are committed to investing in revenue growth in this market.”

    Three out of every five people on Twitter follow at least one brand. And 80 per cent people on Twitter are also active on mobile, giving advertisers the perfect opportunity to catch people on the go.

    Httpool India MD – APAC Sunny Nagpal says: “Twitter is unique because of its real-time, conversational nature. This alliance will help advertisers grow their communities, tell their story, increase loyalty and ultimately increase referrals and sales.

  • Indian pay-TV expanding by 10.6 pc, 77 pc to be digitised, ARPUs to rise by ’22: MPA

    Indian pay-TV expanding by 10.6 pc, 77 pc to be digitised, ARPUs to rise by ’22: MPA

    MUMBAI: Pay-TV players in Asia-Pacific region are girding up their loins to integrate online video into their service bouquets and recalibrate owing to broadband growth while concentrating and scaling up their investment on premium content as they stare at competition

    Indian pay-TV revenue, according to the new Media Partners Asia (MPA) report, is set to expand by 10.6 per cent this year. The annual ‘Asia Pacific Pay-TV Distribution 2017’ report covering 17 markets includes analysis of 80 pay-TV and broadband operators with KPIs and P&L.

    Pay-TV industry revenues in India are on track to pass the US$-10 billion mark this year, MPA states. Industry revenues are set to expand by 10.6 per cent this year, picking up the pace again after a 6.3 per cent growth rate in 2016.

    Cable, the dominant platform in Indian pay-TV with 59 per cent of subscription revenue and 67 per cent of subscribers, will expand by 7.0 per cent this year to exceed US$ 3.6 billion, according to MPA forecasts. Revenues for DTH satellite meanwhile will grow by 13.6 per cent to reach approximately US$ 2.6 billion. Pay-TV advertising, meanwhile, is set to contribute just over US $3.8 billion.

    Media Partners Asia president – India Mihir Shah said: “India’s pay-TV market has been shaken and stirred by macro-economic developments, from demonetisation to tax reform, as well as structural shifts in the marketplace, notably TV ratings for rural areas as well as proposals for a new tariff regime from the regulator. That said, the market continues to offer scale and opportunities for monetisation. India’s pay-TV industry will add five million net new customers this year, lifting the base to 155 million homes. By 2022, this base will have grown to 173 million homes.”

    “Although average revenue per user or ARPU is relatively low at US$ 3.4, this will rise to US$ 3.8 by 2022,” Shah added.

    “Digitalisation offers a major opportunity, not only to incumbent cable and DTH operators, but also to new platforms such as DD FreeDish. By the end of this year, there will still be 44 million analogue cable homes in India that need to be upgraded to digital networks. We expect 77 per cent of India’s pay-TV base to be digitalised by 2022. On-ground enforcement of the government’s cable digitalisation programme, together with more foreign direct investment as well as healthy primary and secondary capital markets, will also help drive digital subscriber growth.”

    India’s pay-TV market is poised to be the fastest growing in Asia Pacific over the next five years, as revenues increase by a 7.1 per cent annual growth rate between 2017 and 2022, according to MPA forecasts. Analysts projected pay-TV industry revenues in India to pass the US$ 14-billion mark in 2022.

    Revenue from pay-TV advertising will grow by a 10.5 per cent annual growth rate over this time-frame, increasing its share of the pay-TV pie from 38 per cent in 2017 to 45 per cent in 2022. Pay-TV subscription revenue will grow by a 4.8 per cent annual growth rate, with its share of the pie set to fall from 62 per cent in 2017 to 55 per cent in 2022.

    India is the second largest pay-TV market in Asia-Pacific, after China, which is expected to generate US$ 21.0 billion in revenue this year, according to MPA. Japan, a US$ 6.5 billion pay-TV market, is third. Korea sits in the fourth place, at US$ 5.5 billion, while Australia lies fifth at US$ 2.8 billion.