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Tag: social media

  • No plans to impose censorship or regulate social media: Javadekar

    No plans to impose censorship or regulate social media: Javadekar

    NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that there were and are no plans to impose any censorship on social media or to regulate any programmes beamed through social media.

    The Minister told the Parliament that the Communication and Information Technology Ministry has given an assurance in this regard.

    Social media has become an important tool that is also being used by government departments to reach out to the people. Although he highlighted that section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 allows blocking of any videos or information affecting society in the interest of public order.

     

    Earlier in the month of May, Javadekar had urged all central Ministries to disseminate their policy initiatives through the Communication Hub under the existing New Media Wing of his Ministry.

     

    Firmly believing in prolific use of social media, the Minister wrote to his cabinet colleagues for utilising the hub as a one-stop place for social media outreach.

    In his letter, he said each Ministry or department may liaise with the New Media Wing which will cater to all its needs such as disseminating information through packaging and placing of content, wider reach through variety of tools and response management.

     

    He said the two-way interaction envisaged in this endeavour would provide a 360 degree communication approach to the government and hence, help in last man connectivity. 

    He said the directive was in adherence to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wanted to use the social media platforms extensively for transparency and better governance. 

  • We had a good second quarter: Mark Zuckerberg

    We had a good second quarter: Mark Zuckerberg

    MUMBAI: Social networking site, Facebook has had a good second quarter. The company declared its financial results for the quarter ended 30 June 2014 on 23 July. Its founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “We had a good second quarter. Our community has continued to grow, and we see a lot of opportunity ahead as we connect the rest of the world.”

     

    Operational highlights

     

     

    • Daily active users (DAUs) were 829 million on average for June 2014, an increase of 19 per cent year-over-year

     

    • Mobile DAUs were 654 million on average for June 2014, an increase of 39 per cent year-over-year

     

    • Monthly active users (MAUs) were 1.32 billion as of 30 June 2014, an increase of 14 per cent year-over-year

     

    • Mobile MAUs were 1.07 billion as of 30 June 2014, an increase of 31 per cent year-over-year

     

    Financial Highlights

     

    Revenue: Revenue for the second quarter of 2014 totaled $2.91 billion, an increase of 61 per cent, compared with $1.81 billion in the second quarter of 2013. Excluding the impact of year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates, revenue would have increased by 59 per cent. Revenue from advertising was $2.68 billion, a 67 per cent increase from the same quarter last year. Excluding the impact of year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates, revenue from advertising would have increased by 65 per cent. Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 62 per cent of advertising revenue for the second quarter of 2014, up from approximately 41 per cent of advertising revenue in the second quarter of 2013. Payments and other fees revenue was $234 million, a 9 per cent increase from the same quarter last year.

     

    Costs and expenses: GAAP costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2014 were $1.52 billion, an increase of 22 per cent from the second quarter of 2013. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP costs and expenses were $1.2 billion in the second quarter of 2014, up 18 per cent compared to $1.02 billion for the second quarter of 2013.

     

    Income from operations: For the second quarter of 2014, GAAP income from operations was $1.39 billion, up 147 per cent compared to $562 million in the second quarter of 2013. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP income from operations for the second quarter of 2014 was $1.71 billion, up 116 per cent compared to $794 million for the second quarter of 2013.

     

    Operating margin: GAAP operating margin was 48 per cent for the second quarter of 2014, compared to 31 per cent in the second quarter of 2013. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, non-GAAP operating margin was 59 per cent for the second quarter of 2014, compared to 44 per cent for the second quarter of 2013.

     

    Provision for income taxes: GAAP income tax expense for the second quarter of 2014 was $595 million, representing a 43 per cent effective tax rate. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses, the non-GAAP effective tax rate would have been approximately 36 per cent.

     

    Net income and EPS: For the second quarter of 2014, GAAP net income was $791 million, up 138 per cent compared to $333 million for the second quarter of 2013. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses and income tax adjustments, non-GAAP net income for the second quarter of 2014 was $1.09 billion, up 124 per cent compared to $488 million for the second quarter of 2013.

     

    GAAP diluted EPS was $0.30 in the second quarter of 2014, up 131% compared to $0.13 in the second quarter of 2013. Excluding share-based compensation and related payroll tax expenses and income tax adjustments, non-GAAP diluted EPS for the second quarter of 2014 was $0.42, up 121 per cent compared to $0.19 in the second quarter of 2013.

     

    Capital expenditures: Capital expenditures for the second quarter of 2014 were $469 million.

     

    Cash and marketable securities: Cash and marketable securities were $13.96 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2014.

     

    Free cash flow: Free cash flow for the second quarter of 2014 was $872 million.

     

    Click here to read the financial report

  • Social Media-the stadium for 2014 World Cup

    Social Media-the stadium for 2014 World Cup

    MUMBAI: Brazil had a reason to cheer this FIFA World Cup season. While it lost the big title, it was still the hub of all the excitement related to the football extravaganza. What is interesting to note is that social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter became another venue where the action unfolded with an audience comprising global fans.

     

    The entire span of the World Cup saw a total of 672 million tweets being sent out: the highest number, Twitter has announced so far related to any event.

     

    Of the 672 million tweets, a bulk of the conversation was during the live matches. The semi-final between Brazil and Germany saw fans sending out more than 35.6 million tweets —setting a new Twitter record for a single event.

     

    The other top four matches were Germany versus Argentina with 32.1 million tweets. Next was Brazil versus Chile which garnered 16.4 million tweets followed by the match between Netherlands and Argentina receiving 14.2 million tweets. Finally it was the Brazil versus Colombia game which got 12.4 million tweets.

     

    Three of the top five most-tweeted moments occurred during Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany on 8 July, while the other two moments came in during the final match. The top five moments that generated the biggest peaks of Twitter conversation, measured in tweets per minute (TPM), during the entire tournament was Germany defeating Argentina to win the World Cup final with 6,18,725 TPM. Next was Germany’s Sami Khedira scoring a goal assisted by Mesut Ozil during the semi-final versus Brazil which got 5,80,166 TPM. Germany’s Mario Gotze scoring the winning goal of the World Cup on 13 July generated 5,56,499 TPM. Germany’s Toni Kroos scoring his second goal in the semi final against Brazil was fourth in line with 5,08,601 TPM. Finally, Toni Kroos scoring his third goal during the same semi-final match against Brazil garnered 4,97,425 TPM.

     

    The top 10 mentioned players in India during the WC were Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, David Luiz, Robin Van Persie, Neymar Junior, Mesut Ozil, Pepe and Wayne Rooney.

     

    While Twitter was buzzing, Facebook wasn’t far behind. 350 million people joined the conversation during the entire span of the World Cup generating 3 billion interactions (posts, comments and likes).

     

    Brazil’s demolition by Germany spurred around 66 million people to create more than 200 million Facebook interactions in the semi final match. People thronged to the platform: 10.5 million people from the US in the final and host country Brazil with 10 million. Men in the age group of 18-24 posted on Facebook the most as compared to any other demographic. This was followed by men aged 24-34, women aged 18-24, women aged 24-34 and men aged 13-17.

     

    NeymarJr saw the most fan growth on his page since approximately 15 million fans ‘liked’ his page since the beginning of the World Cup.

     

    Meanwhile, to give  a perspective of the  fervor and excitement surrounding FIFA World Cup – Vdopia a leader in online and mobile video advertising recently released an info-graphic calling it ‘The ultimate multi-screen event’ after  examining the impact of online and mobile devices on fan interaction with the World Cup.

     

    The report found that fans across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and India were following the FIFA on multiscreens like TV followed by mobiles and then laptops. The most significant trend the report noted was a paradigm shift in consumer’s video consumption behaviour termed as “multi-screen intake” or “platform agnostic” intake. Simplified, it means a typical consumer who was watching the match, checked FIFA updates and shared highlights of his favourite match on his mobile, updating them on Facebook, looking up for some information on their tablet or just sending an email – all during the same time.

     

    Some of the finds mentioned that the mobile has become the second most preferred medium in APAC after television with 80 per cent of the respondents looking at television+smartphones. It also said that 2,50,000 Indian unique viewers visited football sites everyday via their mobile. It says that the social buzz volumes in India were the highest between 8:00 pm to 4:00 am.

     

    The report further mentions that India saw one of the highest ever online sports audiences in May with 6.5 million viewers who watched 59.7 million sports related videos in May 2014.  The report appropriately sums up that the 2014 FIFA World Cup has been regarded as the ‘most social event ever.’

  • There is no foundation funded journalism in India: Shekhar Gupta

    There is no foundation funded journalism in India: Shekhar Gupta

    MUMBAI:  Social media is the new hub for news breaks.  The role that the platform played during the recently concluded ‘election of the century’ set the tone for the future of journalism in the country.  And stressing on the same was India Today group editor in chief of news properties and vice –chairman Shekhar Gupta at a session on ‘Media and Governance’ at Indian Merchants Chamber.

     

    Gupta said that social media like Twitter will affect governance in India. Calling social media as the new form of journalism that is used to break many stories, he also cautioned that it spreads urban mythologies. He went on to add that  if a war like situation arises, leaders having mass following on Twitter will find it difficult to control a “Twitter storm” from the Twitterati.  Gupta also expects the new government to make phone calls to media owners and it is during this time the media will be tested he said.

     

    Speaking about the turnover of the Indian media industry he quoted  a press article which mentions that the total turnover of the Indian media industry including entertainment is less than that  of telecom giant Bharti Airtel.

     

    He pointed out that India’s demographics and an aggressive literate policy were fuelling the growth in Indian media. He compared the outburst of channels and publications in the media to the 1962 war where the Indian army had expanded suddenly. He also lamented about the fact that today’s TV journalist were inadequately trained in classrooms as well as newsrooms and as such the media is going down the value chain.

     

    At a time when serious discussions are taking place about media ownership with the latest one being Reliance Industries’ acquisition of Network18, Gupta said that the media has always been owned by the corporate and stated, “There is no foundation funded journalism in India”. He also said that large corporate companies are not in the business to milk money out of media organisations as for them the investment is too less.  Gupta said the only worry for him was “funny people” owning the media. He explained how a particular political family at the regional level controls the distribution of media in a north Indian state.

     

    Speaking about the ad revenue of news channels, he explained that FMCG advertisers like soaps, toothpastes and aerated drinks first go to general entertainment channels (GECs) like Star Plus, Colors or Sony where they get high viewership. The second option is sports channels which again have high viewership and last in line are news channels that have no choice left and have to offer ad slots at cheaper rates.

     

    Gupta was previously the editor in chief of Indian Express and a well known host on NDTV for his show Walk the Talk. When asked what will be his new role at India Today group, he said that his essential job was still the same although it was a different universe. “It is still what it was, except it is not a broadsheet daily. This group is diverse as it has 36 titles including magazines and channels like Headlines Today and Aaj Tak,” he said.

  • Sunita Sahay joins Prasar Bharati as media interlocutor

    Sunita Sahay joins Prasar Bharati as media interlocutor

    NEW DELHI: Sunita Sahay, a public relations expert, has joined Prasar Bharati as media interlocutor to help the pubcaster focus more on its social media wing.

     

    Sahay hails from a Mass Communication background and specialises in PR, advertising and journalism. She did her internship with SAIL and Mutual Communication, a Delhi-based PR firm.

     

    She has spent a decade dealing with various aspects of the media industry. She was a PR consultant with Fourth Estate and has also worked as a sub-editor and a reporter with ITech Services, a niche magazine covering IT services.

     

    She then took a sabbatical for a short tenure, after which she has been freelancing, initially as an analyst for Delhi-based NGO CFAR and later as a content writer for top e-commerce portals.

     

    She said: “I am convinced about social media being the best way to reach out to mass audience and get immediate response. It has already seen the by lanes of many villages and hopefully it will have an impact on the other parts of India very soon, just through the click of a few buttons on your phone, tablet or laptop!”

  • Ignitee Digital launches Social IQ

    Ignitee Digital launches Social IQ

    MUMBAI: Ignitee Digital, a To The New group company, has announced the launch of Social IQ, an integrated social CRM offering.

     

    The solution is designed to enable brands to harness the power of social media beyond advertising and derive tangible business performance.

     

    Ignitee Digital CEO Atul Hegde said, “The penetration of social media across all demographics of consumers has created a huge opportunity for brands and organisations to use social media for business. To The New developed Social IQ after much research and feedback and Ignitee Digital is well positioned to deliver this using our innovative SMACK services and proprietary technology platform.”

     

    Social IQ’s business framework offers an industry-leading bouquet of 25 end-to-end social CRM use cases ranging from strategy, engagement, response management, creative, content and analytics, underpinned through a strong layer of technology. Social IQ will leverage social platforms to empower various business functions including product innovation, sales & marketing and customer experiences, as brands seek to become more relevant to the social and mobile first consumer.

     

    To The New is bringing this solution across APAC markets through its group companies, Techsailor in Singapore and Ignitee Digital in India.

  • CNBC Awaaz hunts for a digital agency

    CNBC Awaaz hunts for a digital agency

    MUMBAI: Looks like news channels are not only focusing to revamp content but are also looking at revising their marketing strategies.

     

    CNBC Awaaz is currently in the process of scouting for a digital partner. Industry sources have confirmed that the multi agency pitch is underway in Delhi. The size of the account could not be understood at the time of filing the report. According to sources, the news channel is looking at refreshing its social media presence. Currently, the channel has around 67,928 likes on Facebook and over 20,600 followers on Twitter. It can be noted that the popular shows of the channel have separate profiles on social media. The channel internally too has an active social media team.

     

    In another development, Zee News has called for a creative pitch which is also underway in Delhi. The incumbent agency on Zee News’ account is Bang in the Middle. It is understood that the news channels want to bring on board boutique agencies because of tight budgets.

     

    It will be interesting to see how both channels smartly revise their marketing strategies to grab the attention of viewers across multiple screens in the coming days.

  • 9 takeaways from GoaFest 2014!

    9 takeaways from GoaFest 2014!

    GOA: Contrary to popular perception, GoaFest is not just about beer, beach and a break from deadlines.

     

    Barely my second year at the fest and energy levels seem to be hitting the roof, speculations of certain biggies giving the event a miss notwithstanding.

     

    As they say the show must go on and so it is that we’ve had our share of sundry speakers, some getting a standing ovation and others tickling our funny bone. On my part, I’ve put down nine observations as key takeaways from this edition of GoaFest.

     

    Clients love their agencies

     

    Yes, you read it right. Britannia’s ever energetic Anuradha Narsimhan made a candid observation yesterday. She said she loves her associates (agencies) who care for her brands. Agency types were obviously bubbling with joy when they heard this.

     

    Pepsico’s Deepika Warrier presented her ‘one’ philosophy saying the thought of being ‘one team’ had worked wonders in the relationship PepsiCo had with its agency partners. How often do you hear a client saying all this at a public forum? These thoughts put a smile on my face.

     

    It’s time for ‘social relevance’

     

    The marketing world may be talking about the power of social but is digital marketing only about being powerful on social? Wondered Preethi Mariappa of Razorfish Germany and said it was time for brands to give consumers memorable experiences on social.

     

    2014 will be the age of social relevance, according to Mariappa. She sounded a note of caution however that while there is much optimism about the social space changing marketing dynamics, it was left to be seen whether brands towed the line.

     

    Comedy sells best on social

     

    Unlike the impression I had that the fest would be all too serious, a few surprises threw me. When team All India Bakchod (AIB), India’s foremost comedy podcast creators took centre stage, I was sure that there would be some great points of view coming their way, no pun intended.

     

    The funnies shared their success story and said to create an impressive podcast, you needed to follow your heart, mind and punch in some great flow of ideas. I realised that in India, content needs to be crafted, keeping in mind cultural implications. As people open up their minds, content too will take newer shapes on social.

     

    Digital media in search of creativity 

     

    A common point that came up over the three days was that brands need to get out of their comfort zone. A good idea can come from anywhere; said MEC’s Melanie Varley. She said that brands should do something to make people talk about them. Though creativity is subjective, it is essential that brands put on their thinking cap to grab attention on social.

     

    Everyone likes storytellers

     

    Storytelling is an art that makes every conversation memorable. The digital case studies that were showcased by various local and international experts had one thing in common – shareability

     

    Content on digital is a hit only when people share it. Thus, brands need to be great storytellers even on digital.

     

    It’s all about digital

     

    Everyone is talking about digital. Everyone wants to be on digital. Time demands brands and agencies think digital! The ‘just a click away’ culture has changed many lives and businesses.

     

    You can be an inspiration at any age

     

    No one had expected two kids all suited to go up on stage and confidently share their business story. With a grin and passion in their eyes, Shravan and Sanjay won hearts and got a standing ovation with their story. They are the country’s youngest app developers. If there is such a thing as age is only a number, truly, these two are an inspiration for people of all ages.

     

    Impressive new entrants in the Abbys

     

    PR and Broadcaster – the newbies in GoaFest this year, got an overwhelming response. The Advertising Club and chairman of the Awards Governing Council president Pratap Bose mentioned that the 10 member jury for the PR category was excited to see some good pieces of work. PR locally doesn’t have a platform to showcase its work. The move to introduce these categories is a wise one.

     

    Cooperative competition

     

    As I am about to finish this piece, a fellow journalist comes and waves to me. A newsletter from competition which is right in front of me features one of my tweets about GoaFest. Another reporter from a rival publication calls out to me for a stroll along the beach. Did someone say competition? We’re here to learn and absorb from one another.

     

    Apart from the takeaways, here’s a big shout out to all the winners from indiantelevision.com! 

  • Ministries urged to come on social media through I&B Ministry’s Communication Hub

    Ministries urged to come on social media through I&B Ministry’s Communication Hub

    NEW DELHI: All Central Ministries have been requested by Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to disseminate their policy initiatives through the Communication Hub under the existing New Media Wing of his Ministry.

     

    Firmly believing in prolific use of social media, the Minister wrote to his Cabinet colleagues for utilising this Communication Hub as a one-stop place for social media outreach based on Hub and Spoke model. 
     

    In his letter, he said each Ministry or/Department may liaise with the New Media Wing which will cater to all its needs such as disseminating information through packaging and placing of content, wider reach through variety of tools and response management.

     

    He said the two-way interaction envisaged in this endeavour would provide a 360 degree communication approach to the government and hence help in last man connectivity. 

    He informed that the directive was in adherence to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who wanted to use the social media platforms extensively for transparency and better governance. 

  • On social be realistic, says Facebook’s Riley Peter

    On social be realistic, says Facebook’s Riley Peter

    GOA: Facebook has changed the nature of personal and business communication. While people are looking at connecting with other set of people on Facebook, brands too need to take a good note on how to create great connections with consumers.

     

    Facebook –APAC head of creative shop Riley Peter on Day 1 of GoaFest went ahead to talk about what creativity meant to the social media network giant. Today, as people have access to multi screens, creativity needs to shape up accordingly, believes Peter.

     

    It is time for brands to partner with social networking sites for creating impressive work. Social has the power to identify niche as well as the mass audiences. Brands can thereby analyse what idea works for it best. According to Peter, “Brands don’t have the right to be in your newsfeed.” He is of the opinion that it is time for brands to move away from just creating disruptive communication. At the end of the day a consumer when on social platform, needs to take away much more than product details and offers.

     

    Brand communications should never look like an intruding one. Today, consumers have infinite choices and also have a total control over it. The challenge for brands thereby increases. “Only smart creative ideas can bring that difference in a consumer’s outlook towards brands,” said Peter. He also thinks that brands should change their perception of getting more likes just for the sake of it. 

     

    Peter is of the opinion that India has a great potential to create remarkable creative work on social. Main reason being that today Facebook has over one billion users in India. The number in itself speaks. What Indian brands need to do is bring the art of storytelling on social as well.  Peter is highly impressed with what Indian brands are doing on main stream advertising. According to him, in India celebrity endorsements have created some successful brand campaigns. “It is time to be more realistic and rope them effectively on social too,” said Peter.

     

    The creative canvas on social has the power to give real experiences to consumers in the near future. Peter is highly optimistic about India and thinks in the coming years there will be great storytelling happening on social by brands!