IDS 2024 Concludes With GoI Secretaries and Over 60 Founders Sharing Invaluable Insights

The 18th edition of the India Digital Summit (IDS) concluded on February 28, 2024, in Mumbai bringing together on one platform some of the best minds related to India’s digital ecosystem over two days. IDS 2024 was organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), the Ministry of Tourism, UIDAI, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Government eMarketplace, In-Space and Skill India Digital. The Summit is Co-Powered By Peak XV and WhistleFEED, and Brough to You by META.

Pressing issues of the digital domain were addressed 360 degrees in a plethora of sessions including keynotes, fireside chats, panel discussions and roundtables. Three Government of India Secretaries, and more than 60 founders addressed the Summit. 

Speaking in a panel discussion on ‘Decoding Desi DNA: The Science and Soul of Building Brand for the Indic Audience’, Narin Shetty, Group President – Revenue, Valueleaf  said, "In India, each region has its unique preferences and emotions, so it becomes crucial for brands to delve into the nuances of local culture. To truly make a lasting connection with their audience, brands must break free from generic content and instead embrace a localized approach that celebrates the beauty of diverse cultures. The days of relying on traditional English content and creatives are over. By incorporating local influencers and regional content, brands can reach maximum ROI and create meaningful relationships with their audience that will last a lifetime. By understanding the true value of metrics like CTR and CPC, brands can unlock powerful insights that help them improve their marketing efforts and drive greater engagement and conversions." 

On the second day of IDS 2024, Chandrashekhar Naik, Senior Vice President, Valueleaf Group deep dived into the topic ‘Creating a seamless gaming marketing strategy’ along with other panellists. He said, "Crafting the perfect pitch that resonates with the marketing goals of the advertisers is no easy feat. But with the right approach and strategy, it is achievable. It's imperative for brands to thoroughly comprehend how they wish to be perceived and portrayed by their intended audience. After all, a strong brand image is the foundation of a successful business! OEM marketing is a successful strategy, as it covers 70% of India’s smartphone makers allowing brands to pre-install their games and provide a seamless gaming experience to users. Appography is a promising strategy that can help capture users, increase engagement, and improve immersive experiences. To maximize ROI, brands should target users who are already in the gaming space, acquire traffic from a highly-intended user base, and offer them alternative gaming experiences."

Yashwant Deshmukh, Founder Promoter DATAEYE ASIA, who addressed a session at IDS 2024 on February 28, said, “The Indian economy is described as an elephant. But understanding the Indian market or Indian consumers remains a game of Blind man's elephant. The Digital consumption in India is not just growing at a phenomenal rate, but also throwing fresh challenges to understand this media consumption maze. The proposed new Indian Socio Economic Classification (ISEC) is best placed to decode this puzzle and Data Eye Asia is ready with research to find the missing pieces.”

Among the key speakers who addressed the Summit were, Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY; Shri Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, MIB; Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India; Shri Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary to Honourable Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra; Harsh Jain, Chairman, IAMAI and CEO & Co-Founder, Dream Sports; Rajesh Magow, Vice-chairman, IAMAI, and Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, MakeMyTrip; Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express; Anil Kapoor, Actor & Producer; Anupam Mittal, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Shaadi.com; Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Director, Producer, Writer, Earthsky Pictures LLP; Avnish Bajaj, Founder & Managing Director, Matrix Partners India; Dr. Bijna Kotak Dasani, MBE, FRSA, Managing Director, ArthAum Group; Bharat Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Jagran New Media; Dinesh Agarwal, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, IndiaMART; Goldie Behl, Director, Rose Audio Visuals; Hitesh Oberoi, Co-Promoter, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Naukri; Murugavel Janakiraman, Chief Executive Officer, BharatMatrimony; Prateek Maheshwari, Co-Founder, Physics Wallah; Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Peak XV and Surge, and Rohit Jain President, Lionsgate Play Asia. 

Instituted under IDS are two of India’s most prestigious digital awards: the India Digital Awards and the Digital Responsibility Awards. These awards honour outstanding achievements in the digital world across various categories, recognizing the best and brightest in the industry. Winners of both were announced at the Summit.

The 14th edition of the India Digital Awards ceremony was held on February 28, 2028. The awards were given away in 10 broad categories, with 58 categories, recognizing, 360 degrees, the brightest and the best, individuals as well as enterprises, in India’s digital ecosystem. The jury of the India Digital Awards (IDA) has adjudicated Sameer Nigam, CEO, PhonePe to be the Digital Person of the Year. The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) was awarded for being the Digital Start-up of the Year. For a complete list of the 14th IDA categories and winners please visit: https://ida.iamaiawards.in/?#home

From this year IAMAI also introduced a major bouquet of awards, the Digital Responsibility Awards (DRA), which primarily aims to address the issue of digital divide prevalent in India in various forms by encouraging digital enterprises and entrepreneurs to walk the extra mile in this regard. DRA recognise and celebrate companies who have displayed exceptional initiatives to bridge the digital disparities through various activities. The DRA has nine categories. Below are the names of the DRA categories with the winners, which were announced at a gala ceremony on February 27 at the IDS: 

Other IDS partners include Aaj Tak, Affle, Agrahyah Technologies, Air India Express, AiSensy, Albatross Media, Asianet News, Atmegame, Australia Trade & Investment Commission, Bharat BillPay, BillDesk, Builder.ai, Careers360, Chalo, Dataeye Asia, DigiBoxx, Ethinos, Fi Money, HERE India, indixital, Infinity Learn, Infobip, Interactive Avenues, ixigo, Jagran New Media, JOJO, Lionsgate, Liqvd Asia, MakeMyTrip, MapmyIndia, Markscan, Neokred, PhonePe, PhysicsWallah, PivotRoots - A Havas Company, Razorpay, Shiprocket, Sinch, Times Internet, Transport Corporation of India, True Balance, ValueFirst, and Zupee.