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Tag: Google search

  • Sundar Pichai talks Google and Alphabet financial performance with analysts for Q4 meet

    Sundar Pichai talks Google and Alphabet financial performance with analysts for Q4 meet

    MUMBAI: Alphabet & Google CEO  Sundar Pichai addressed investors and analysts, highlighting a strong performance in Q4, largely attributed to the company’s advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and a unique full-stack approach.

    “Q4 showcased our rapid progress in computing capabilities and efficiencies,” Pichai said. He noted significant improvements in product utilisation, consumer engagement, and revenue growth as a result of innovations in AI, including the launch of AI Overviews in over 100 countries and Circle to Search on more than 200 million android devices.

    Notably, Pichai announced that Google cloud and YouTube reached a combined annual revenue run rate of $110 billion at the close of 2024, exceeding their target of $100 billion.

    Focusing on AI, Pichai outlined three key areas of innovation: leading AI infrastructure, world-class research, and product integration. The company has invested in eleven new cloud regions and seven subsea cable projects aimed at enhancing global connectivity. Pichai revealed the launch of the Gemini 2.0 AI model, designed to improve user interactions and drive a more multifaceted search experience.

    In addition, YouTube continues to thrive, maintaining its position as the leading platform for streaming watchtime in the US with over 45 million viewers engaging with election-related content on a single day. The recent integration of podcasts has proved successful, further solidifying its dominant market position.

    Moving to financials, Alphabet’s revenue surged to $350 billion in 2024, a 14 per cent increase year-on-year. Expenditures increased, primarily due to content acquisition costs associated with YouTube and depreciation related to technical investments. Despite rising costs, operating income rose 31 per cent to $31 billion.

    With an optimistic outlook, Pichai stated, “We are well-positioned for continued growth in 2025,” as plans to enhance AI capabilities and expand cloud services take shape. 

    Following Pichai, Philipp Schindler, SVP  and CBO, highlighted the strong performance across Google services, with revenues reaching $84 billion, driven by a significant increase in advertising revenue. 

    Anat Ashkenazi, SVP and CFO, reaffirmed the positive momentum, indicating that the company is prepared for ongoing growth amid anticipated challenges. 

    The market did not believe their posturing totally as Alphabet shares crashed by seven per cent on Wednesday. Investors reacted badly to Pichai’s  plans to spend $75 billion on capital expenditures over  2025 and $16-18 billion in the first quarter  as it builds out its AI offerings and races against megacap rivals to build out data centers and new infrastructure. 

  • Smarties India 2023 honours winners shaping the future of marketing

    Smarties India 2023 honours winners shaping the future of marketing

    Mumbai: The 12th edition of MMA Smarties India Awards 2023, one of the most prestigious events in the marketing industry, concluded with great acclaim, recognizing outstanding achievements in the realm of modern marketing. The awards ceremony, which took place on October 5th, 2023 at Taj Santacruz, Mumbai brought together the finest minds and innovators in the field of marketing.

    Smarties India – jury chair & Raymond CEO Sunil Kataria commented, “The 12th edition of SMARTIES™ India 2023 Awards has been an extraordinary celebration of marketing innovation and excellence. This year’s shortlisted nominees showcased the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, with campaigns that have redefined the boundaries of innovation and left an indelible mark on our industry. SMARTIES continues to push the envelope by introducing fresh categories and celebrating campaigns that not only drive business impact but also excel in various aspects of modern marketing. As we celebrate the winners at the gala event, I’m inspired by the ingenuity and creativity that have been showcased, and I look forward to how these campaigns will shape the future of marketing excellence in India.”

    The evening’s most prestigious accolade, the ‘Brand of the Year,’ was deservedly conferred upon Google Search, a testament to their unmatched innovation and substantial impact. Equally deserving, the ‘Advertiser of the Year’ title found its rightful place in the hands of Mondelez India Foods Private Limited, honouring their outstanding contributions and industry leadership.

    Further industry recognition saw Cadbury Silk and Google Search awarded as ‘Grand Prix/Best in Show’; Glance awarded as ‘Enabling Technology Company of the Year,’, alongside notable wins in categories such as ‘Media Agency of the Year’ and ‘Creative Agency of the Year’, by Wavemaker India and Leo Burnett India respectively.

    Amazon Ads was celebrated as the ‘Publisher of the Year’ while the esteemed ‘Most Resilient Brand of the Year’ title was claimed by Lay’s, Pepsico India and Leo Burnett India. Notably, the newly introduced categories also saw Schbang and WPP India excel, with wins in ‘Digital Agency of the Year’ and ‘Holding Agency Company of the Year’ respectively, firmly establishing their positions as trailblazers in their respective domains.

    In an impressive showcase of marketing excellence, a diverse array of brands emerged triumphant at the SMARTIES India 2023 Awards. The category of Personalisation, often regarded as the vanguard of modern marketing, bore witness to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards being secured by Luminous Power Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Wavemaker; Mondelez India Foods Pvt. Ltd. and Wavemaker and Mondelez India Foods Pvt. Ltd. and Wavemaker respectively. This impressive feat further solidifies their reputation as pioneers in this dynamic field.

    Smarties India – jury chair & Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd CEO & managing director Prabha Narasimhan added, “SMARTIES™ India 2023 Awards continue to celebrate creativity, innovation and the strategic acumen behind impactful marketing campaigns. I’m excited to see how these campaigns will continue to inspire and shape the future of marketing excellence in India.”

    All SMARTIES winners are listed and ranked in the MMA Business Impact Index, which uses a proprietary methodology developed in partnership with WARC to recognize the best of the best in the Advertising and Marketing industry. It is the first and only global modern marketing index that identifies, ranks and awards top agencies, advertisers, brands and solution providers driving significant business impact.

    The MMA Smarties India Awards 2023 spotlighted the categories that garnered the highest number of entries, namely Creator/Influencer/Celebrity Marketing, Data Insights/Contextual Marketing, and Brand Experience within the dynamic realm of modern marketing. The awards were presented in various categories, each showcasing remarkable achievements and ground-breaking strategies that have reshaped the industry.

    Smarties India – jury and MMA India county head & board member Moneka Khurana, expressed her excitement about the 12th edition of SMARTIES™ India 2023 Awards by saying, “The SMARTIES India Awards have consistently showcased the ever-evolving landscape of marketing in India. As we embrace digital transformation and witness innovative approaches in marketing, it’s inspiring to see the diverse and impactful campaigns that have made it to the shortlist this year. These campaigns reflect the spirit of innovation that drives our industry forward and sets the bar higher for future marketers. I’m thrilled to be a part of this celebration of excellence, and I can’t wait to see which campaigns emerge as the champions of innovation in marketing.”

    Out of 150 shortlisted entries, representing diverse sectors such as FMCG, OTT, retail, BFSI, technology, and more, a total of 94 metals were handed over at the gala. The winners will also be given digital awards or NFTs which they can claim or prove their contribution to the award and campaign with the information available on the blockchain at any time. The NFT holder will also be eligible to avail of gratifications and access to exclusive assets from MMA Global like events, case studies, seminars, workshops, and more.

    Smarties India – jury & MMA board member and managing director APAC- Rohit Dadwal commented, “The SMARTIES™ India 2023 Awards once again underline the pivotal role of modern marketing in shaping the future of our industry. It’s truly inspiring to witness how brands are continuously pushing the boundaries of creativity and harnessing the power of technology to drive innovation and engagement.”

    In a ground-breaking move, SMARTIES™ India 2023 introduced the inaugural edition of “Smarties Unplugged.”- a unique pre-gala event that brought together marketing thought leaders who shared innovative and creative work designed to benefit tomorrow’s marketers and cater to the changing mindset of consumers.

    Kick-starting the event with a warm welcome by Khurana with Tanya Saihgal as the host. The event featured several informative sessions. In the first segment, top SMARTIES India shortlisters engaged in a gamified conversation on Creativity, Content and partnerships and the second part explored Channels, Data and analytics, with nominees discussing marketing strategies in an insightful and enjoyable manner, facilitated by Saurabh Parmar. Saurabh Parmar, an eminent figure in the marketing landscape, hosted two insightful sessions at “Smarties Unplugged.” Key sessions included “Intelligent Effectiveness: Measuring the ROI of AI on Optimization & Personalization” by Dadwal. Soundsmith of BrandMusiq founder Rajeev Raja delved into “#TheFutureIsSound” and the role of sonic identities in today’s digital world. The event culminated in “Marketing Excellence Unplugged – Navigating New-Age Trends & Tech,” featuring industry leaders like Vikram Pandey, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett India Devika Sharma, VP and GM – India, InMobi; Sidharth Singh, Lead – Countline & Gifting Marketing, Mondelez India and Rohit Dadwal, MMA Board Member and Managing Director APAC, MMA APAC and other speakers, providing actionable insights for adapting and innovating in the dynamic marketing landscape.

     

  • Aaj Tak was the most-searched keyword during counting hours

    Aaj Tak was the most-searched keyword during counting hours

    Mumbai: Aaj Tak was the most searched keyword across Google during counting hours on 10 March, the brodcaster said in a statement released on Tuesday.

    The nation was anticipating the election results from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur.

    As per Google trends, Aaj Tak had the highest search rank more than the political parties that were contesting the elections. With an impressive search volume of one million+, Aaj Tak was trending in the top ten searches (as per Google trends on 10 March). The keyword Aaj Tak was searched for, even more than the political parties including the likes of BJP, Congress, and AAP or SP running for the chief minister’s office.

    People searched specifically for election-centric news by typing in the keyword ‘Aaj Tak’ apart from keying AajTak news, Aaj Tak Live, Aaj Tak News Live on google. The Hindi news brand was even more searched than political bigwigs such as Yogi Adithyanath, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal, and even prime minister Narendra Modi.

  • Zee TV introduces first-of-its-kind voting via Google for ‘DID’

    Zee TV introduces first-of-its-kind voting via Google for ‘DID’

    NEW DELHI: Zee TV has introduced a first-of-its-kind voting through Google search for its reality show Dance India Dance (DID).

    The new voting will be introduced for DID Season 5 wherein viewers will be able to vote for their favourite reality TV contestant through a ‘Google Search.’

     
    With the idea to make voting easy, technology-friendly and progressive, the channel has introduced a search-based mechanism that will simplify the voting process of DID Season 5. Viewers will have to log on to www.google.co.in and search for DID5 to vote for their favourite contestant on the voting panel right below the search bar. 
     

    Each Google account is permitted 20 votes per week to either one or many contestants. 
     

    The mechanism was activated on 19 September will be on from 9 pm on Saturday till Tuesday 8 am every week.

     
    Zee TV marketing head Sorbojeet Chatterjee said, “With rapid penetration of smartphones and the growing digital audience, we are always trying to raise the bar in terms of engagement and DID Dream Team and Google Voting is testimony of Zee TV being ahead of the curve. With each successive season of DID, the objective has been to simplify the voting process for our consumers. The innovation on a global platform like Google will not only encourage wider participation but also give them an enhanced brand experience. We are pleased to associate with the extremely committed team of Google for the cutting-edge thought and a quick turnaround for the same.”

     
    Google Asia Pacific head of social marketing James Rothwell added, “We’ve partnered with Zee TV to launch Google Search Voting platform in India through the show Dance India Dance and you can vote for free, for your favourite contestants on Google from your phone, tablet, or desktop.”
     

    From the past two months, the top 15 contestants have been battling it out to prove their mettle and dance their way into the masters’ hearts. Now down to its Top 11 contestants, it is time for the audiences to support their favourite contestants in their journey to achieve the ‘Sunehri Taqdeer Ki Topi’ by voting for them. Viewers can also vote through SMS, ZEE TV app and the official website www.zeetv.com/DID5.

    In the past too, the channel has pushed the envelope in the digital space, initiating concepts such as ‘Missed Call’ voting, incentivising voting by offering viewers a ‘Freecharge’ to their talk time, Twitter and Facebook voting for DID4, Zee Rishtey Awards and DID Super Moms respectively.