Applications

Advertisers should focus on mobile consumer behaviour not technology

Published

13 years ago

October 10, 2012

MUMBAI: Out of the total ad spend in India only one per cent goes towards mobile which makes it a Rs. 2.5 billion market. For mobile ad revenues to grow by 30-40 per cent some things need to happen.

Firstly mobile should be part of an integrated media plan. This means that mobile ad networks should approach advertisers and their agencies to explain how it can add legs to a campaign. Also advertisers who use mobile should focus on emerging consumer behaviour and not on emerging mobile technology.

These were some key points made at a session of IAMAI‘s Mobile Marketing Conference today. The speakers were Aircel AGM – New Services, VAS Digital Marketing & Mobile Advertising Anurag Sachdeva, InMobi Country GM Sandeep Deshpande, MadHouse COO Vinod Thadani, Nielsen MD Prashant Singh and Vserv.mobi MD, CEO Dippak Khurana.

Deshpande said that one big thing to note is that by the first quarter of next year accessing net from the mobile will be more than accessing it from a laptop or a PC. That will have huge implications on brand interaction. In that sense India will follow China and Japan. He noted that a lot of simultaneous usage of TV and mobile happens when people are at home. So if an advertiser spends money on TV for reach and then uses mobile as well it will give a multiplier effect.

Asked about the difference between a PC and mobile he noted that at work laptop is used while during a break or on a commute the mobile is used. “The mobile is not about creating content for users. It is about consuming content. So if a brand wants a consumer to fill out a long form it might be better off trying another medium. The user context is different. What one can do with a mobile is different from what one can do with a PC.”

For him another difference is that online ad technologies were developed by publishers themselves like Yahoo!, Google. But on the mobile, ad networks came in to develop ad technologies. “InMobi has played a key role in developing technologies for mobile advertisers.”

Sachdeva said that 30 million smartphones devices are in use. The figure will reach 150 million by 2015. There are 20 million credit card users and so the concept of the mobile wallet will grow. “One must remember that the mobile is a medium in itself and a connecting tissue. It can add legs to a marketing campaign. Mobile is not just about display advertising.”

Asked about the role mobile operators would have in mobile advertising going forward, he said operators in India would not become dumb pipes. “Users demonstrate intent on devices which an operator captures. The mobile wallet will play an important role especially if there is no other means of payment. Location-based services are becoming important. At the same time it is important to not confuse advertisers with technical jargon like smartphones.”

Thadani said that consumer is the king. He changes his behaviour and mobile advertisers and networks have to map his/her behaviour. “An integrated media plan is key rather than just thinking about the mobile. Mobile advertising shouldn‘t be sold on its own. Advertisers and mobile ad networks need to see how mobile can add incremental reach to a media plan. The mobile part of a media plan can be customised for different brands.” He notes that 30-40 per cent ad growth is possible if one understands the merits of a mobile device.

Singh says that there is diversity in users. “You have tablet users. There are smartphone users which increases app usage. There are also rich feature phones. After that you have basic phones. At all levels the mobile phone is the most prized gadget. Brands that target SEC A can target smartphone users. The price drop for a smartphone will change the market three years from now.”

At the same time one needs to know what the consumer is doing. Metrics are needed in the mobile space. TV for instance has TRPs, GRPs. This is a short term challenge for the mobile. He also said that the targeting option for advertisers could be a device and then overlay that with content that apps use. Brand advertising is growing. Consumers can be engaged with rich media. An effective metric is cost per engaged user. How many people clicked, how many people went beyond a click and engaged with an ad can be seen.

Khurana said that there is a need to understand how mobile consumption is happening, “Marketers need to embrace the telecom ecosystem. The gap between telecom and media should be bridged. In India there are 12,000 mobile devices that browse the Internet. “A mobile phone allows you to browse. This is a user‘s most important gadget. It is important for advertisers to not worry about new operating systems coming in. It is more important to focus on innovative ways to reach consumers.”

Applications

Moltbook, the AI-only social network, sparks hype, doubt and fear

Published

2 weeks ago

February 3, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Moltbook, a Reddit-style social platform built exclusively for artificial intelligence agents, has emerged as the latest obsession in Silicon Valley, drawing intense attention for its explosive growth and surreal bot-driven interactions.

The platform hosts more than 100 communities where AI agents post, argue and joke about topics ranging from governance theory to esoteric “crayfish debugging” concepts. Within days of launch, Moltbook recorded tens of thousands of posts, nearly 200,000 comments and more than 1 million human visitors observing the activity.

Yet the numbers and the autonomy are under scrutiny, as per media reports. A security researcher has suggested as many as 500,000 accounts may trace back to a single address, raising doubts about Moltbook’s membership claims. Many posts could also be the result of humans instructing their AI tools to publish content, rather than bots acting independently.

The platform runs on agentic AI, powered by an open-source tool called OpenClaw, formerly known as Moltbot. Unlike chatbots such as ChatGPT or Gemini, these agents are designed to perform tasks on users’ devices, from sending messages to managing calendars, with minimal human input. Once authorised, they can interact freely on Moltbook.

Some tech figures have hailed the platform as a glimpse of a post-human internet. Head of crypto custody firm BitGo Bill Lees, called it evidence that “we’re in the singularity”.

Academics are less convinced. Petar Radanliev, an AI and cybersecurity expert at the University of Oxford, said the idea of agents acting independently was “misleading”, describing Moltbook instead as automated coordination within human-set constraints. Columbia Business School assistant professor David Holtz, dismissed the spectacle as “thousands of bots yelling into the void and repeating themselves”.

Beyond hype, security worries loom large. ESET global cybersecurity advisor Jake Moore, warned that granting AI agents access to emails, private messages and files risks prioritising efficiency over privacy. Andrew Rogoyski of the University of Surrey said high-level system access could lead to serious damage, from erased data to compromised company accounts.

Even OpenClaw’s founder Peter Steinberger, has felt the darker side of attention, with scammers hijacking his old social media handles after the platform’s rebrand.

For now, Moltbook remains a strange digital zoo: part experiment, part spectacle, where AI agents banter about philosophy, productivity and, occasionally, their fondness for their human operators.

Applications

Apple appoints Avtar Ram Singh as head of international marketing

Published

2 weeks ago

February 2, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

CALIFORNIA: Apple has handed a bigger global brief to a long-time insider. Avtar Ram Singh has taken over as head of international marketing for the App Store, Apple Arcade and the Apple Games app, deepening his remit across one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as head of international marketing, App Store, Apple Arcade and Games App at Apple,” Singh said while announcing the move.

The promotion crowns nearly seven years at Apple, where Singh has led services marketing across Southeast Asia and India and previously served as head of marketing for Southeast Asia content and services, business lead for Apple Podcasts in the region and interim marketing lead for the App Store internationally.

His new portfolio spans three pillars of Apple’s services push. The App Store, which Apple positions as a safe and trusted discovery platform, now attracts more than 850 million average weekly users globally. Since 2008, developers have earned over $550 billion on the platform.

Apple Arcade, the company’s gaming subscription service, offers unlimited access to a catalogue ranging from brain teasers to big-name franchises. The recent addition of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII Arcade Edition brings a AAA PC title to iPhone, iPad and Mac from 5 February.

Then there is the Apple Games app, unveiled at WWDC as a unified destination for games from the App Store and Arcade. It aggregates titles in one place, surfaces personalised recommendations, tracks events and achievements, and lets users compete with friends or connect controllers for a console-like experience.

Singh arrives with a hybrid background in strategy, data and creativity. His career spans digital and social media marketing, business intelligence, content, editorial and analytics across culturally diverse markets. He has worked on brands including P&G, Accor, Audi, UBS, Nikon, Samsung, Sony, Pizza Hut, HBO and Singapore Airlines-linked businesses such as Scoot.

Before Apple, Singh led strategy at Falcon Agency, focusing on performance marketing and ROI-driven digital frameworks. He earlier ran the social practice at Publicis Singapore, where he oversaw operations, business development and regional social strategy for multinational clients. His career also includes roles at Ogilvy-linked Circus Social, Rocket Internet ventures Lazada and Zalora, and research firm IDC in Bangkok, where he analysed technology markets and won early awards for collaboration and client retention.

At Apple, he has been close to several service launches and expansions, including Apple Fitness+ in Singapore, Apple Creator Studio, global podcast subscriptions and new App Store marketing tools.

The timing is notable. Apple’s services business has posted record years, and gaming is becoming a sharper battleground as platforms chase engagement and recurring revenue. Singh’s brief sits at the intersection of content, community and commerce.

In a market where attention is scarce and loyalty scarcer, Apple is betting that sharper storytelling and smarter marketing can keep users inside its ecosystem. Singh now holds the megaphone. The real test will be how loudly the world listens.

Applications

Cloud nine in the capital Bharathcloud plugs Delhi into its AI plans

Published

3 weeks ago

January 30, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: Bharathcloud is bringing its cloud closer to power. The Hyderabad-based sovereign AI cloud services provider has opened its Delhi office, marking its formal entry into North India and setting the stage for its next phase of growth.

The expansion comes as India’s digital transformation fuels rising demand for AI-ready cloud infrastructure, driven by wider adoption of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things and data-heavy applications. With the new office, Bharathcloud plans to onboard more than 100 employees in 2026, strengthening its workforce to support customers across government, enterprises, MSMEs and social sectors.

The Delhi presence is expected to sharpen the company’s engagement with organisations seeking secure, scalable and cost-efficient cloud platforms that comply with India’s data sovereignty requirements. It also positions Bharathcloud closer to policy, public sector and enterprise decision-makers in the region.

Founded in Hyderabad, Bharathcloud offers AI-ready cloud infrastructure including Kubernetes-as-a-Service, zero-trust security architecture and multi-level data protection frameworks. Its platform supports AI and ML workloads, blockchain application migration from hyperscalers and distributed data management, with an emphasis on reliability, low latency and operational continuity.

“With the Delhi expansion, we are positioning Bharathcloud to engage more closely with AI-driven enterprises and technology hubs in North India,” said Bharathcloud co-founder Rahul Takallapally. He added that the move would help nurture local cloud and AI talent while accelerating the adoption of secure and resilient AI infrastructure across sectors.

The company currently operates in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Chennai, employing over 200 people and serving more than 1,500 clients across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, IT and media. Aligned with national initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India, Bharathcloud continues to focus on building indigenous AI-cloud infrastructure to support data localisation and the country’s growing appetite for next-generation digital solutions.

With its Delhi office now live, the company is signalling a clear intent: to make sovereign, AI-ready cloud infrastructure not just an alternative, but a mainstream choice for India’s north as well as its tech capitals.