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  • Majid Yazdani appointed as VP of Byju’s Lab

    Majid Yazdani appointed as VP of Byju’s Lab

    Mumbai: Ed-tech major Byju’s has announced the appointment of Majid Yazdani as vice president of Byju’s Lab to propel and further shape the future of education at the company. Based in the UK, he will lead a team of researcher scientists to help him innovate powerful learning experiences for students.

    “Working on personalisation and other AI applications to the education sector, Yazdani will be responsible for incubating new ideas and delivering breakthrough solutions across Byju’s ecosystem of learning products at Byju’s Lab,” the company shared in a statement on Monday.

    “We are excited about having Majid on board and scaling up Byju’s Lab by harnessing the global pool of highly skilled technical talent,” Byju’s chief innovation and learning officer Dev Roy said on the appointment. “At Byju’s, we are entirely student-centric at our core. By assembling a robust team of high-caliber specialists, Byju’s aspires to make technology accessible and approachable. This will allow us to push limits, create value, and create more impactful learning programmes for students globally.”

    Yazdani has over 15 years of experience in technology and AI, having graduated from Sharif University of Technology in 2008 with a BSc in computer engineering. He previously worked as a staff scientist at Linkedin and at the Idiap Research Institute in Switzerland. He joined Facebook AI (Meta AI) in 2018. He also holds three patents and has 24 research papers in the fields of natural language processing and artificial intelligence.

    “Technology in education is not just about automation, but also about harnessing it in the best way possible to empower students into becoming lifelong learners,” remarked Majid Yazdani. “Education has the power to change the world, and I’m pleased to be joining the Byju’s family and embarking on an exciting new path to delivering tech-driven learning to make quality education accessible, equitable, and contextual for every student.”

    Byju’s Lab was launched in 2021 with the aim to be an incubator of new ideas, provide cutting-edge technologies and deliver breakthrough solutions across Byju’s ecosystem of learning products. As a global company, the company is attempting to tap further into the global talent pool by actively recruiting a wide range of applicants in the United Kingdom, the United States, and India, said the statement.

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  • GUEST COLUMN: AI-powered influencer marketing redefining the landscape in 2022

    GUEST COLUMN: AI-powered influencer marketing redefining the landscape in 2022

    Mumbai: From Facebook recasting itself into a metaverse to marketers executing new lines of thought for sailing through yet another year amidst the pandemic, 2021 was indeed a roller coaster year for the digital marketing industry. However, one phenomenon which flourished all through was influencer marketing.

    The thriving influencer marketing arena in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent till 2025 to reach a size of Rs 2,200 crore (Source: GroupM INCA’s India Influencer Marketing Report). Globally, the industry is set to increase by approximately $13.8 billion by 2022 end (Source: 2021 State of Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report). What’s more, the induction of AI into influencer marketing is going to completely change the dynamics of decisions & ROI from it.

    With a plethora of types of influencer relationships and ongoing campaigns, supervising it the right way will be pertinent to a brand’s success.

    Data and analytics are now at the centerstage with marketers focusing on when and where to run campaigns, what kind of influencers, and how many influencers to engage with. By measuring the impact and performance of influencer campaigns, Data-driven influencer marketing is not only helping marketers calculate the ROI, further optimise the campaigns but is also helping them identify new opportunities and shortlist key influencers for future collaborations- while keeping a close eye on consumer preferences.

    As tools, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP) are redefining the way brands conceptualise and execute influencer marketing by integrating quantitative and qualitative metrics in a relevant way. Such AI-driven influencer marketing campaigns will improve quality audience check and success measurements. Let’s deep dive into this…

    The right Influencer: In the recent influencer campaign meetings ‘The right influencer’ term is being used by brands on a continuous basis and they need a more detailed understanding of the selection. This process is going to be governed by AI technology by the end of this year since it’s all based on the data & if we are able to process those calculations in microseconds instead of minutes then this hunt will certainly get more interesting.

    With a few common filters we can easily narrow down the list but if we actually want to go in-depth for any decent-sized campaign, it consumes a lot of time and effort which can be easily tackled with AI-based tools. AI-based influencer marketing systems are steadily being leveraged to analyze the minutest of data from an influencer’s social media profile including every content piece posted by them.

    Marketers are looking to partner with those influencers whose online persona and style resonates with their brand’s image- to ensure that those influencers’ audiences are more likely to engage with their brand. AI-powered influencer marketing is helping brands analyse the performance of multiple influencers across various social media platforms irrespective of the language being used. Such scalability will further expand this year as marketers analyse diverse metrics including the reach and engagement metrics of individual posts.

    The Game of Fake Audience: While it can become really tricky to analyse the authenticity of the audience manually, AI is changing this game altogether. With the right algorithmic factors and by considering the step-by-step evolution of ML in this process, brands and agencies can make the right decision without too much time allocation.

    Reporting: ML & AI can assist marketers by generating very insightful analysis. The industry stakeholders are seeking to understand the reach and impact of influencer campaigns on multiple levels, even when the campaign is not huge in scale. AI will definitely help in exploring the influencer marketing insights on a level that the market hasn’t explored before and hence add many layers to what brands and agencies are doing so far.

    2022 will be a game-changing year when it comes to AI’s influence in the world of influencer marketing. It will play a crucial role in tracking sentiment to shortlisting influencers of all sizes and influencing brands in the way they define their goals and prioritise authenticity. The growing market of D2C brands in India is steadily increasing their budgets and now also want to control their data and creator relationships with the help of AI tools. 2022 will further raise the excitement with new influencer marketing trends unfolding for D2C brands, e-commerce companies, digital marketing, and advertising agencies.

    This year will see an escalation of influencer marketing growth as digital marketers will combine innovative strategies with data-driven marketing. 

    (About the Authors: Shreyansh Bhandari is the Lyxel&Flamingo co-founder and COO; Veda Bashishtha is the LYRKL co-founder and CEO)

  • Meta expands Facebook Reels to over 150 countries globally

    Meta expands Facebook Reels to over 150 countries globally

    Mumbai: Meta has announced the availability of Facebook Reels for iOS and Android to more than 150 countries across the globe. The company is also introducing better ways to help creators to earn money, new creative tools and more places to watch and create Facebook Reels. 

    “Watching video is half of time spent on Facebook and Instagram, and Reels is our fastest growing content format by far. We’re focused on making Reels the best way for creators to get discovered, connect with their audience and earn money. We also want to make it fun and easy for people to find and share relevant and entertaining content,” said Meta in a statement.

    Facebook Reels will be available in Feed, Groups and Watch. When viewing a reel, users can follow the creator directly from the video, like and comment on it or share it with friends. Meta is exploring ways to make it easier for creators to share Reels to both their Facebook and Instagram audiences, such as crossposting. 

    With this move, the company is creating a variety of opportunities for creators to earn money for their reels. The Reels Play bonus program, part of its $ one billion creator investment, pays eligible creators up to $35,000 a month based on the views of their qualifying reels. These bonuses have helped creators fund their reels creation and better understand what types of content works on Facebook. In the coming months, the bonus program will be extended to more countries.

    Building on deep experience in helping creators earn meaningful income from its monetisation products like in-stream ads and Stars, Meta is also building direct monetisation options for Facebook Reels through ad revenue share and fan support.

    “We’re expanding tests of Facebook Reels Overlay Ads to all creators in the US, Canada and Mexico, and to more countries in the coming weeks. We’re starting with two formats: banner ads that appear as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of a Facebook Reel, and sticker ads: a static image ad that can be placed by a creator anywhere within their reel. These non-interruptive ads enable creators to earn a portion of the ad revenue,” said the statement.

    Any creator in the US, Canada and Mexico who is part of the in-stream ads program is automatically eligible to monetise their publicly-shared reels with ads. By mid-March, these tests will expand to creators in nearly all countries where in-stream ads are available.

    Meta will also begin testing Stars on Facebook Reels in the coming weeks, so that people can buy and send them while watching reels to support creators. Both overlay ads and Stars are designed so that as more people view and engage with Reels on Facebook, creator payouts can grow.

    Brand suitability controls, including Publisher Lists, Blocklists, Inventory Filters and Delivery Reports for Banner and Sticker Ads in Facebook will be launched shortly. Reels in every region they are available, give advertisers more control over how their ads appear in places they don’t consider suitable for their brand or campaign. The company has been testing full-screen and immersive ads in between Facebook Reels since last October, and will roll them out to more places around the world over the coming months. Just like with organic content on Facebook, people can comment, like, view, save, share and skip them.

    In addition to the features announced last year, creators around the world will be able to access: 

    ·Remix: Create their own reel alongside an existing, publicly-shared reel on Facebook.

    ·60-second Reels: Make reels up to 60 seconds long.

    ·Drafts: Create a reel and choose to “Save As Draft” below the Save button. 

    ·Video Clipping: In the coming months, video clipping tools that will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats will be rolled out. 

    Over the coming weeks, following updates will be introduced to make it easier to create and discover reels in new places:

    ·Reels in Stories: Share public reels to Stories on Facebook, making it easy to share favourite reels with friends and giving creators more visibility and reach. Creators will also be able to create reels from existing public stories.

    ·Reels in Watch: Watch reels directly within the Watch tab. Tools to help create reels in the Watch tab are in the offing 

    ·Top of Feed: New Reels label at the top of feed to easily create and watch reels in just a few clicks.  

    ·Suggested Reels in Feed: Available in select countries, it will suggest reels that users may like in their Feed from people they do not already follow.

    Since launching in the US last September, Facebook Reels has seen creators like Kurt Tocci (and his cat, Zeus) share original comedic skits, author and Bulletin writer Andrea Gibson offer a reading of their published poetry, Nigerian-American couple Ling and Lamb try new foods, and dancer and creator Niana Guerrero do trending dances, like the #ZooChallenge.

  • Unilever’s Gaurav Jeet Singh joins Facebook India

    Unilever’s Gaurav Jeet Singh joins Facebook India

    Mumbai: Unilever’s executive Gaurav Jeet Singh has moved on from the FMCG major to join Facebook India as director-partnerships. At Unilever, Singh served as general manager, media- South Asia.

    “I am moving on to a new adventure after 13+ years at Unilever- years spent across sales, marketing and media. I am told that it is difficult to replicate the excitement of the first day of a new start- I have been lucky to have had many days in the last fourteen years that beat the day one at Unilever. And, that was a very high base to beat,” Singh said in a LinkedIn post shared on Friday.

    Singh is an experienced consumer marketing business leader with over 24 years of experience in building brands and businesses. He led large teams across various roles at Unilever and has experience in setting up and scaling businesses and teams from scratch. Prior to the current role, he was marketing manager- Pureit, responsible for the category P&L at Unilever.

    “Product launches, business restructuring, on-boarding an acquisition, new brands, big brands, small brands, consumer durable brand, Direct to Consumer,  TV audience measurement, shaping the media ecosystem, media led business growth models, managing large teams, managing small teams, managing managers, managing execution teams, winning Cannes, South Asia Marketer of the year, Content Day, Top 100 Marketing Leaders in India, managing agency teams, managing teams across countries, partnerships across print, broadcast and digital, Start-up Foundry, Twitter trolled and much more. What an exciting expedition!” Singh further said, bidding adieu to Unilever.

  • Govt blocks several social media handles circulating fake/inciting content

    Govt blocks several social media handles circulating fake/inciting content

    Mumbai: The government has blocked several social media handles for allegedly circulating “fake and inciting” content, said minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

    “Taskforce on safe and trusted internet at @GoI_MeitY at work. Handles that tried to push fake/inciting content on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, have been blocked,” tweeted Chandrasekhar on Saturday. 

    The minister said owners of such accounts are also being identified as per law, and the action taken by the platforms will also be scrutinised. According to media reports, the government has suspended as many as 73 Twitter handles, and four YouTube video posts.

    Last year in February, the government had notified Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT rules 2021) which came into effect on 26 May. The stringent rules were designed to make social media platforms accountable to end-users, and take down any offensive content following a complaint, and assist in investigations.

    The rules also recommend a three-tier mechanism for the regulation of all online media portals and publishers, over-the-top (OTT) platforms, and social media intermediaries. According to them, each significant social media company with over 50 lakh users is required to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies, and a resident grievance officer. All three should be resident Indians and their details be put on the company’s website.

  • HUL leads top advertiser tally in week 48: Barc

    HUL leads top advertiser tally in week 48: Barc

    Mumbai: Hindustan Lever Ltd (HUL) was the most prolific advertiser once again in week 48 (27 November to 3 December) according to the data released Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc). The FMCG major delivered ad volumes of 4347.97 (‘000s). Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd was at number two with 2537.84. At 1125.73, Ponds India stood in the third position.

    Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd, Cadbury’s India Ltd, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Procter & Gamble, and Colgate Palmolive India Ltd were in the fourth to eighth positions respectively. Facebook Inc was the new entrant at the ninth spot. Life Insurance Corp of India stood last.

    Harpic Power Plus 10X Max Clean continued to lead the brands’ list with ad volumes of 461.72. Horlicks, Clinic Plus Shampoo, and Dettol Antiseptic Liquid were at number two to four, respectively. Amazon Prime Video at the fifth spot was the only exception in the FMCG-dominated list.

    They were followed by CloseUp Ever Fresh, Brooke Bond Bru Instant, Lizol, Surf Excel Easy Wash, and Pepsodent Germi Check.

  • Meta launches first brand campaign after rebranding from Facebook

    Meta launches first brand campaign after rebranding from Facebook

    Mumbai: Social media giant, Meta, formerly known as Facebook has launched its first brand campaign post the rebranding. The first advertisement from the organisation shows a classic painting that celebrates the possibilities of the metaverse and gives out the message, “Step into a world of imagination with Meta and the endless possibilities as 2D becomes 3D.”

    The video shows a bunch of youngsters looking at some classic 2D paintings, even as one of the paintings depicting a tiger preying on a buffalo seems to come alive in 3D. The campaign showcases the possibilities of virtual experiences through Meta and the metaverse’s ambitious goals.

    Founder Mark Zuckerberg shared the campaign’s launch on his social media handles with the words, “This is going to be fun.”

     

     
     
     

     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
     

     
     

    A post shared by Meta (@wearemeta)

     

    This comes almost a week after Zuckerberg announced the company was rebranding its name to Meta Platforms Inc or simply Meta amid declining popularity and mounting controversies.

    As the battle in this space heats up along with the rebranding, Zuckerberg is betting big on what he believes to be the future of the internet and what he thinks will be a part of the digital economy.

    Zuckerberg had shared another post some days earlier, highlighting the endless possibilities the metaverse would unlock: “It’s been fun to imagine the types of experiences the metaverse will unlock, like giving everyone the ability to fence with Olympic gold medalist Lee Kiefer.” The caption was accompanied with a showing him indulging in a virtual battle with the champion fencer along with a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer “Spoiler alert: she will win every time.”

    https://www.facebook.com/zuck/videos/327135132552066/?app=fbl

    Earlier this week, the social networking giant also announced it will discontinue its automatic facial recognition feature for photos and videos after a decade citing concerns. The Mark Zuckerberg-owned company said it will also delete the face scan data of over one billion users. This feature, notably, has raised a lot of privacy concerns in the past.

  • Eros Now to launch film festival on Facebook Watch this Diwali

    Eros Now to launch film festival on Facebook Watch this Diwali

    Mumbai: Eros Now is launching a month-long Bollywood film festival on Facebook Watch this Diwali. As part of the collaboration, the OTT platform will stream a film every day from its library of over 12,000 Indian films on Eros Now’s Facebook page from 3 November to 2 December. The films will be powered by Mzaalo, a blockchain-based video streaming application in the gamified video and entertainment ecosystem. 

    The list includes popular titles from the 90s and 2000s such as “Tere Naam,” “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,” “Devdas,” “Cocktail,” “Love Aajkal,” “Shubh Mangal Savdhan,” “Raanjhanaa,” “Manmarziyaa,” “Vicky Donor,” “Hathi Mere Sathi,” and more.

    Commenting on the campaign, Eros Now senior vice president – marketing Ramakrishnan Laxman said, “Our data science-led research indicates that Bollywood movies have a strong repeat watch value, and during festival season, this repeat viewing increases many folds. With people preferring to stream long-form content on their devices nowadays, this partnership with Facebook allows us to extend the joy of watching the old and new gems of Bollywood this Diwali to billions of social media savvy audiences.”

    “Our focus in India with Facebook Watch has been reflective of the diverse consumer tastes in the country. With movies and cinema being extremely popular with our community, we are excited to partner with Eros Now to enable fans to watch their favourite Bollywood movies on Facebook Watch. We hope this experience will enable people to share, connect and entertain themselves with content they like on Facebook,” added Meta director – media partnerships Paras Sharma.

    Eros Now has a 10 million-strong community of fans on Facebook, and this collaboration between the two companies is expected to provide them with an interactive viewing experience.

    “This industry-first initiative is a great example of democratising the best of Bollywood content. Our association with Eros opens new avenues of user–brand experiences to drive social entertainment commerce. We are certain that this unique festive partnership will pave a path for more engagement and result in further uptake of our content,” stated Mzaalo COO Vikram Tanna.

  • New Instagram feature to let users co-author same posts

    New Instagram feature to let users co-author same posts

    Mumbai: Social networking application Instagram is set to introduce a new ‘Collabs’ feature that will allow users to collaborate with others on feed posts and reels on the photo-sharing platform.

    This new feature allows two accounts to co-author a post or reel. The post or reel will appear jointly to each user’s followers and will share the same comment thread, as well as view and like counts.

    “We are launching Collabs, a new way to co-author feed posts and reels. Invite an account to be a collaborator. Both names will appear on header, share to both sets of followers, live on both profile grids, share views, likes and comments,” stated the Facebook-owned company in a tweet on Wednesday.

    Instagram said that collaborating is a huge part of how people connect on the social media platform. “With ‘Collabs,’ you can invite a collaborator to your feed post and reels and so they can share the content with their followers,” the company shared.