Tag: Demonetisation

TRAI: DAS-Bharatnet Digital India’s ‘Aadhaar’

NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman R S Sharma said that the country would gradually shift to a payment system using Aadhaar card instead of the various private pay systems or wallets.

He also mentioned that the implementation of Bharatnet will be faster and effective with PPP model, and further combined with Digital Cable Television System, India will reach a new level of digital connectivity.

At a seminar on “Demonetisation to Digital Remonetisation”, Sharma said that “Cost, Convenience, and Confidence are crucial factors for a successful Digital Payment System implementation in India.

In the meet organzed by FICCI, he said 1.1 billion people already have Aadhaar cards and the number was going up everyday.

Sharma said one of the nine pillars of TRAI in a report given early this year was to go cashless. This report which also refers to Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) was already being implemented by banks.

The regulator was now working on a system of Aadhaar KYC (Know Your Customer) whereby any consumer could directly be able to use his Aadhaar identification to make payments. Electronic KYC is also in place.

He said that TRAI had given a paper about Aadhaar authentication system to UIDAI as early as October 2010 and said this is vital.

This involved three elements: What I know (my finger print or Iris), what I have (Credit or Debit Cards) and What I am (Biometrics).

Aadhaar interoperability was also suggested in 2010. Thus, the software for going cashless is in place but has to be implemented as both software and infrastructure are in place.

It was important for the finance sector to get integrated into the telecom sector in this regard.

Answering a question, he said that the systems have to be made simple so that everyone is able to understand and implement them.

Sharma highlighted the pillars of Digital India and mentioned the need of an effective Digital Infrastructure, and how availability and affordability of digital solutions formulates the base of Digital Remonetisation. The TRAI chairman highlighted how JAM Trinity creates a robust system within India, which further creates a digital inclusion with Aadhaar users across India.

Sharma recommended that in order to create a well operational and sustainable digital and cashless economy, it is vital to eliminate convenience charge by the banks. He firmly suggested that interoperable or interlinked digital wallets can additionally support the digital payment systems of India.

The meet was part of an ICT policy dialogue with the agenda to discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie before the ICT sector, government and the regulators following the demonetisation move.

December 20, 2016
Future Group unveils ‘Free Shopping Weekend’

MUMBAI: Brand Factory over the years has created many successful promos. Despite being on sale 365 days of the year they wanted to break the stereotype of a typical Sale which happens during this period. The need of the hour was to create a big day/s for shopping, increase awareness and establish a property as unique and unprecedented. We were actually offering Free Shopping to customers apart from giving them a flat 60 per cent discount.

Future Group Brand Factory CMO Roch D’souza said, “While each offer from Brand Factory is in itself a big deal, we wanted to create a campaign that will be direct and yet communicate the bigness of the offer. As we offer 20-70 per cent discount throughout the year, this was the biggest deal that Brand Factory or any retailer has ever offered to consumers. We believe that the campaign will be an iconic property that shoppers will remember for a long time. As a brand we have made big promises and have always delivered on the promises. Our offers are transparent and the proposition is delivered at the stores. Even in the Free Shopping Weekend, we are returning more than 100 per cent to the customer.”

DDB Mudra Group EVP & business partner Karma Sanjay Panday added, “The films are based on the typical consumer behaviour of how consumers get excited about small discounts and offers while shopping online or at a retail store when they feel they have done something very smart by grabbing the best deals. The idea was to make them realize that they can actually get it free instead of looking for discounts or offers at Brand Factory ‘Free Shopping Weekend.’ We took this insight and weaved it into 2 interesting daily life situations, ‘Boss Ji Ka Chamcha’ and ‘Love Gifts’ where both the protagonists behave as if they have grabbed a smart discount/offer only to make them realize their folly later that they could have got all of it for free. Thus the campaign idea of ‘Mauka hai smart bano.’”

December 15, 2016
Future Group unveils ‘Free Shopping Weekend’

MUMBAI: Brand Factory over the years has created many successful promos. Despite being on sale 365 days of the year they wanted to break the stereotype of a typical Sale which happens during this period. The need of the hour was to create a big day/s for shopping, increase awareness and establish a property as unique and unprecedented. We were actually offering Free Shopping to customers apart from giving them a flat 60 per cent discount.

Future Group Brand Factory CMO Roch D’souza said, “While each offer from Brand Factory is in itself a big deal, we wanted to create a campaign that will be direct and yet communicate the bigness of the offer. As we offer 20-70 per cent discount throughout the year, this was the biggest deal that Brand Factory or any retailer has ever offered to consumers. We believe that the campaign will be an iconic property that shoppers will remember for a long time. As a brand we have made big promises and have always delivered on the promises. Our offers are transparent and the proposition is delivered at the stores. Even in the Free Shopping Weekend, we are returning more than 100 per cent to the customer.”

DDB Mudra Group EVP & business partner Karma Sanjay Panday added, “The films are based on the typical consumer behaviour of how consumers get excited about small discounts and offers while shopping online or at a retail store when they feel they have done something very smart by grabbing the best deals. The idea was to make them realize that they can actually get it free instead of looking for discounts or offers at Brand Factory ‘Free Shopping Weekend.’ We took this insight and weaved it into 2 interesting daily life situations, ‘Boss Ji Ka Chamcha’ and ‘Love Gifts’ where both the protagonists behave as if they have grabbed a smart discount/offer only to make them realize their folly later that they could have got all of it for free. Thus the campaign idea of ‘Mauka hai smart bano.’”

December 15, 2016
Bajaj Avenger tackles demonetisation in latest campaign

MUMBAI: Since the demonetisation drive that was announced about a month ago, everyone is busy and caught up trying to find their wealth, namely materialistic wealth, but there is wealth beyond the usual definition that is spread out all around us. The mountains, the streams, the autumn leaves and nature as a whole. This is what the latest Bajaj Avenger film captures.

Commenting on the need for the film, Bajaj Auto marketing VP Sumeet Narang said: “We, as a brand, understand Avenger riders really enjoy and cherish riding and value experiencing outdoors. They seek treasure on either mountain tops or some sunny beaches. When demonetization took the country by storm, we saw the subject of wealth accumulation from the riders’ perspective.” The film, conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, highlights the underlying message of #RideDontHide.

Commenting on the film, Mullen Lintas Mumbai EVP Ayyappan Raj said, “Bajaj Avenger has been engaging on social media with topical messaging for almost a year now – from IPL to Social Media Day to Brotherhood Day. And it has worked quite well for the brand. This time, there’s a POV that’s very true to the biker’s attitude/outlook and sincere to the brand belief. How does the Avenger rider look at wealth is the perspective that we’ve brought out in the current context. It’s already got a good response and has received positive comments & feedback.”

Highlighting the creative thought process behind the campaign, Mullen Lintas NCD Shriram Iyer said, “A rider’s wealth is the experiences he collects while riding. Riding brings us closer to the wealth of nature. The current conversation about black money allowed us a powerful context to make this point. Acknowledging the beauty of the world around us will.”

The video film has been launched on online platforms and has received a favourable response from the viewers in a very short span of time.

December 14, 2016
Bajaj Avenger tackles demonetisation in latest campaign

MUMBAI: Since the demonetisation drive that was announced about a month ago, everyone is busy and caught up trying to find their wealth, namely materialistic wealth, but there is wealth beyond the usual definition that is spread out all around us. The mountains, the streams, the autumn leaves and nature as a whole. This is what the latest Bajaj Avenger film captures.

Commenting on the need for the film, Bajaj Auto marketing VP Sumeet Narang said: “We, as a brand, understand Avenger riders really enjoy and cherish riding and value experiencing outdoors. They seek treasure on either mountain tops or some sunny beaches. When demonetization took the country by storm, we saw the subject of wealth accumulation from the riders’ perspective.” The film, conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, highlights the underlying message of #RideDontHide.

Commenting on the film, Mullen Lintas Mumbai EVP Ayyappan Raj said, “Bajaj Avenger has been engaging on social media with topical messaging for almost a year now – from IPL to Social Media Day to Brotherhood Day. And it has worked quite well for the brand. This time, there’s a POV that’s very true to the biker’s attitude/outlook and sincere to the brand belief. How does the Avenger rider look at wealth is the perspective that we’ve brought out in the current context. It’s already got a good response and has received positive comments & feedback.”

Highlighting the creative thought process behind the campaign, Mullen Lintas NCD Shriram Iyer said, “A rider’s wealth is the experiences he collects while riding. Riding brings us closer to the wealth of nature. The current conversation about black money allowed us a powerful context to make this point. Acknowledging the beauty of the world around us will.”

The video film has been launched on online platforms and has received a favourable response from the viewers in a very short span of time.

December 14, 2016
Telcos may migrate to ARPU-based model as 5-7 per cent hit feared

MUMBAI: Loss of revenue on account of competitive pressure catalysed by the extension of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio free services and demonetisation may cumulatively affect telcos by 5-7 per cent.

RJio recently announced an extension of its free services till 31 March, 2017. Speaking on the impact on the Indian telecom industry, ICRA Limited Associate Head – Corporate Ratings Harsh Jagnani, said: “At a time when the industry is already facing pressures on the operating metrics, owing to heightened competition, the extension of free services by RJio is expected to further push down the realisations in both the voice and the data segments. The impact is expected to be exacerbated by demonetisation of the higher denomination currency, which can lead to revenue loss of the telcos, especially in the pre-paid segment.”

RJio, which launched its services in September 2016 with free voice calling along with lifetime free roaming, provided free unlimited data and a bouquet of mobile applications free till 31 December, 2016, as part of the inaugural offer. Recently, the company announced an extension of its free services till 31 March, 2017.

The tariffs proposed, apart from being disruptive, are not looking at pricing voice and data separately, instead, it is seeing a subscriber holistically and offering bundled packages. The highlight is to develop a market with deep penetration and high consumption, especially for data, thereby targeting high average revenue per user (ARPU) subscribers.

Apart from attractive pricing, other factors which can help RJio build a sizeable subscriber base are – (a) a big bang launch with a novelty factor, (b) a fresh network which gives good service, (c) a strong device ecosystem, and (d) a wide bouquet of content. These can translate into rapid subscriber additions, which would intensify the competition in the sector and increase the subscriber acquisition/retention costs for other operators. Nevertheless, the extent of subscriber addition and service quality delivered by RJio, its pricing strategies in the longer term, and the response by other operators remain watch events for the industry.

ICRA is of the opinion that increasingly the industry would migrate from the revenue per minute (RPM) or the average revenue per megabyte (ARMB) approach to ARPU-based approach.

“At a time when the industry is reeling under a Rs. 4,25,000-crore debt, this extension of free services by RJio has added to the industry’s woes. Heightened competitive pressures would impact the performance of the telcos during the next two quarters i.e. Q3 and Q4 of FY2017. Revenue loss, owing to demonetisation and pressure on operating metrics due to competitive pressures, intensified by extension of free services by RJio, are expected to negatively impact the revenue of the industry by 5-7% during the next two quarters,” Jagnani reiterated.

December 8, 2016
Telcos may migrate to ARPU-based model as 5-7 per cent hit feared

MUMBAI: Loss of revenue on account of competitive pressure catalysed by the extension of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio free services and demonetisation may cumulatively affect telcos by 5-7 per cent.

RJio recently announced an extension of its free services till 31 March, 2017. Speaking on the impact on the Indian telecom industry, ICRA Limited Associate Head – Corporate Ratings Harsh Jagnani, said: “At a time when the industry is already facing pressures on the operating metrics, owing to heightened competition, the extension of free services by RJio is expected to further push down the realisations in both the voice and the data segments. The impact is expected to be exacerbated by demonetisation of the higher denomination currency, which can lead to revenue loss of the telcos, especially in the pre-paid segment.”

RJio, which launched its services in September 2016 with free voice calling along with lifetime free roaming, provided free unlimited data and a bouquet of mobile applications free till 31 December, 2016, as part of the inaugural offer. Recently, the company announced an extension of its free services till 31 March, 2017.

The tariffs proposed, apart from being disruptive, are not looking at pricing voice and data separately, instead, it is seeing a subscriber holistically and offering bundled packages. The highlight is to develop a market with deep penetration and high consumption, especially for data, thereby targeting high average revenue per user (ARPU) subscribers.

Apart from attractive pricing, other factors which can help RJio build a sizeable subscriber base are – (a) a big bang launch with a novelty factor, (b) a fresh network which gives good service, (c) a strong device ecosystem, and (d) a wide bouquet of content. These can translate into rapid subscriber additions, which would intensify the competition in the sector and increase the subscriber acquisition/retention costs for other operators. Nevertheless, the extent of subscriber addition and service quality delivered by RJio, its pricing strategies in the longer term, and the response by other operators remain watch events for the industry.

ICRA is of the opinion that increasingly the industry would migrate from the revenue per minute (RPM) or the average revenue per megabyte (ARMB) approach to ARPU-based approach.

“At a time when the industry is reeling under a Rs. 4,25,000-crore debt, this extension of free services by RJio has added to the industry’s woes. Heightened competitive pressures would impact the performance of the telcos during the next two quarters i.e. Q3 and Q4 of FY2017. Revenue loss, owing to demonetisation and pressure on operating metrics due to competitive pressures, intensified by extension of free services by RJio, are expected to negatively impact the revenue of the industry by 5-7% during the next two quarters,” Jagnani reiterated.

December 8, 2016
2016’s top hashtag trends

MUMBAI: From Brexit, to GST, to US elections and now demonetisation, 2016 has been an eventful year so far, and continues to throw googlys at us in the last few remaining days (Tamil Nadu CM’s death). No wonder the netizens were exceptionally chatty on Twitter this year.

The country’s trending moments became worldwide conversations on Twitter, be it PM Modi’s revolutionary demonetisation reform (Most Influential Moment of the Year), Delhi’s rising pollution problem, the debut of Global Citizen Festival in India, and the Bollywood glam at the Filmfare Awards.

PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, and Dipa Karmakar, India’s women athletes that won a million hearts on Twitter during the Olympics made #Rio2016 the Top Hashtag Trend of the Year on Twitter. Their medal victories and near-misses inspired women everywhere, and showcased a spirit of unwavering determination and grit.

Virat Kohli’s Tweet in support of Anushka Sharma was the Golden Tweet or the most Retweeted Tweet of 2016.

According to Twitter India, Twitter reflected and influenced Indian society that was united together in celebration, victory, protests, revolutionary reforms, crises, and significant cultural moments.

To commemorate that, the micro blogging site has released a list of highlights from Twitter’s 2016.

Hashtags are the anchors of any solid conversation; they enable users to discover and participate in what others are talking about for an issue they care about. With 7 of the top 10 hashtags this year related to the #Rio2016 Olympics and #WT20 cricket, sports dominated the trending Twitter conversations for the nation. The government’s flagship programme, #MakeInIndia is also one of the most popular Hashtag Trends of the year with its global appeal.

1. #Rio2016

All conversations surrounding this exciting sporting global moment converged on Twitter, as Indians Tweeted using the #Rio2016 hashtag. The hashtag united the country in this moment of national prominence and the Tweets reflected the pride, thrill and joy of Indians everywhere as Indian athletes won medals at the Olympics and received well-deserved cheers on the platform.

2. #IndvsPak

The two national teams enthralled fans with a cut-throat match in the group stage of the ICC WT20 tournament. The cricket mania took Twitter by storm as aficionados from either side of the border Tweeted fervently with #IndvsPak to join the conversation on the platform onMarch 19th.

3. #WT20

The apex international championship of Twenty20 cricket was religiously Tweeted about by the nation’s ardent cricket lovers. Fans rejoiced at every six and coped together with every wicket by using the #WT20 hashtag from March 15 – April 3.

4. #IndvsAus

India battled it out against the Aussies in the group stage of the WT20 tournament. Enthusiastic Indians Tweeted their support for the national team with the #IndvsAus hashtag and celebrated the national win when India beat Australia on March 27th.

5. #MakeInIndia

The Government of India uses Twitter to promote their flagship #MakeInIndia programme that encourages companies to manufacture their products in India. The Government shared updates on new deals, joint ventures and tech transfers using this hashtag around the world. Large corporations as well as SMBs across various verticals also Tweeted regarding developments related to this global #MakeInIndia initiative.

6. #IndvsWI

India vs West Indies was the penultimate knockout semi-final game in the WT20 tournament. #IndvsWI trended all day on March 31st and Tweets regarding the much anticipated match took over the Twitter timeline. West Indies won the match and millions of broken-hearted Indians still stood strong with Team India, in a display of true passion.

7. #IndvsBan

Indians around the world were united with #IndvsBan as fans Tweeted to fellow cricket lovers and joined the conversation on March 23rd. India clinched the thrilling WT20 match by defeating Bangladesh by 1 run and Twitter reflected the sentiments of this joyous moment.

8. #PVSindhu

India’s 1.2 billion people stood behind PV Sindhu (@Pvsindhu1) as she set out to compete against world #1 Carolina Mari in the Olympic Badminton Women’s Final. She became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics and Indians took to Twitter to congratulate her. #PVSindhu became an inspiring story for women empowerment as young women, mothers, and well-known women icons in India came together on Twitter to celebrate her victory.

9. #surgicalstrike

Debates and discussions ensued on Twitter after the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike against Pakistan on September 29th, following the Uri Attack. The nation stood divided in favour of or against this choice of action that led to a significant number of casualties of Indian soldiers.

10. #JNU

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped with sedition charges and arrested on February 13th for a speech he gave at an event held on campus to mark the third anniversary of terror convict Afzal Guru’s hanging. The#JNU hashtag took Twitter by storm as people debated over serious issues such as condemning freedom of speech that this arrest reflected.

December 6, 2016
2016’s top hashtag trends

MUMBAI: From Brexit, to GST, to US elections and now demonetisation, 2016 has been an eventful year so far, and continues to throw googlys at us in the last few remaining days (Tamil Nadu CM’s death). No wonder the netizens were exceptionally chatty on Twitter this year.

The country’s trending moments became worldwide conversations on Twitter, be it PM Modi’s revolutionary demonetisation reform (Most Influential Moment of the Year), Delhi’s rising pollution problem, the debut of Global Citizen Festival in India, and the Bollywood glam at the Filmfare Awards.

PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, and Dipa Karmakar, India’s women athletes that won a million hearts on Twitter during the Olympics made #Rio2016 the Top Hashtag Trend of the Year on Twitter. Their medal victories and near-misses inspired women everywhere, and showcased a spirit of unwavering determination and grit.

Virat Kohli’s Tweet in support of Anushka Sharma was the Golden Tweet or the most Retweeted Tweet of 2016.

According to Twitter India, Twitter reflected and influenced Indian society that was united together in celebration, victory, protests, revolutionary reforms, crises, and significant cultural moments.

To commemorate that, the micro blogging site has released a list of highlights from Twitter’s 2016.

Hashtags are the anchors of any solid conversation; they enable users to discover and participate in what others are talking about for an issue they care about. With 7 of the top 10 hashtags this year related to the #Rio2016 Olympics and #WT20 cricket, sports dominated the trending Twitter conversations for the nation. The government’s flagship programme, #MakeInIndia is also one of the most popular Hashtag Trends of the year with its global appeal.

1. #Rio2016

All conversations surrounding this exciting sporting global moment converged on Twitter, as Indians Tweeted using the #Rio2016 hashtag. The hashtag united the country in this moment of national prominence and the Tweets reflected the pride, thrill and joy of Indians everywhere as Indian athletes won medals at the Olympics and received well-deserved cheers on the platform.

2. #IndvsPak

The two national teams enthralled fans with a cut-throat match in the group stage of the ICC WT20 tournament. The cricket mania took Twitter by storm as aficionados from either side of the border Tweeted fervently with #IndvsPak to join the conversation on the platform onMarch 19th.

3. #WT20

The apex international championship of Twenty20 cricket was religiously Tweeted about by the nation’s ardent cricket lovers. Fans rejoiced at every six and coped together with every wicket by using the #WT20 hashtag from March 15 – April 3.

4. #IndvsAus

India battled it out against the Aussies in the group stage of the WT20 tournament. Enthusiastic Indians Tweeted their support for the national team with the #IndvsAus hashtag and celebrated the national win when India beat Australia on March 27th.

5. #MakeInIndia

The Government of India uses Twitter to promote their flagship #MakeInIndia programme that encourages companies to manufacture their products in India. The Government shared updates on new deals, joint ventures and tech transfers using this hashtag around the world. Large corporations as well as SMBs across various verticals also Tweeted regarding developments related to this global #MakeInIndia initiative.

6. #IndvsWI

India vs West Indies was the penultimate knockout semi-final game in the WT20 tournament. #IndvsWI trended all day on March 31st and Tweets regarding the much anticipated match took over the Twitter timeline. West Indies won the match and millions of broken-hearted Indians still stood strong with Team India, in a display of true passion.

7. #IndvsBan

Indians around the world were united with #IndvsBan as fans Tweeted to fellow cricket lovers and joined the conversation on March 23rd. India clinched the thrilling WT20 match by defeating Bangladesh by 1 run and Twitter reflected the sentiments of this joyous moment.

8. #PVSindhu

India’s 1.2 billion people stood behind PV Sindhu (@Pvsindhu1) as she set out to compete against world #1 Carolina Mari in the Olympic Badminton Women’s Final. She became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics and Indians took to Twitter to congratulate her. #PVSindhu became an inspiring story for women empowerment as young women, mothers, and well-known women icons in India came together on Twitter to celebrate her victory.

9. #surgicalstrike

Debates and discussions ensued on Twitter after the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike against Pakistan on September 29th, following the Uri Attack. The nation stood divided in favour of or against this choice of action that led to a significant number of casualties of Indian soldiers.

10. #JNU

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped with sedition charges and arrested on February 13th for a speech he gave at an event held on campus to mark the third anniversary of terror convict Afzal Guru’s hanging. The#JNU hashtag took Twitter by storm as people debated over serious issues such as condemning freedom of speech that this arrest reflected.

December 6, 2016
Demonetisation: Paytm & SBI most talked about on Twitter and Insta

MUMBAI: It’s been close to a month since PM Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of higher currency notes and the buzz around the topic hasn’t receded still. After all, several sections of the market remain affected by the scarcity of liquidity in the economy.

While the country debates on whether the move has been successful in curbing black money or not, one thing is for certain, it caught everyone’s attention.

Maxus Kaleidoscope has released data that reveals the location-wise mood of India from Twitter and Instagram.

The conversations were mapped between the 8 to the 24 of Nov 2016 by when we would get a clear picture of the how the initial euphoria of the demonetization panned out over time.

Location based Tweets and Instagram Posts oscillated largely between Action oriented and Calm Moods in the fortnight since the demonetization from an All India basis. Calm moods were dominant in the North Eastern states of Mizoram and Meghalaya as depicted in the map below.

Nearly 5 Lakh conversations on Twitter & Instagram made up the top 10 trending topics. Demonetization accounted for 6 of the top 10 trending topics since the announcement, of which the PM accounted for half of the trending topics. #IamwithModi and #Modi were the topics that made up for 19% of the conversations within the top 10 trends. Cricket shared a bit of the spotlight from demonetization thanks to the ongoing England-India test series.

Brands too shared some of the light light that demonetization drew. A total of 23 brands of were linked to the top 10 trending topics during the past fortnight. These brands factored in slightly over 30 per cent of the total conversations. PayTM leading the bunch (avg. 53% association) and SBI (avg. 16% association) carved out the larger part of the Brand Share of Conversation.

The top 5 metros reflected similar patterns of Moods where Action dominated the moods however there were some days especially like 17 Nov in Delhi when the expression of Calm gave way to Action. Additionally Tamil Nadu showed a blip towards Anxiety on the 18, 19 and 21 Nov 2016 when subsequent announcements of the demonetization easing by the government and news of the CM Jayalalithaa seemed to have driven up the specific mood.

According to Maxus Kaleidoscope’s mapped data over Twitter and Intagram, there is a sense of patient restraint in cities across India as the demonetization moves on into the 3rd week and nears the critical end of the month period when cash flows really come into play.

December 5, 2016