Power of Google and Facebook is derived from their access to data: Ananda Rao

In this interview with Adgully, Ananda Rao, Managing Director & Group CEO, Infomo Global, elaborates on how the company has enabled telecom carriers to compete with big players in digital marketing like Google and Facebook by designing its key modules to be housed inside the telecom carrier itself. The interview covers various topics, including Infomo’s transparent exchange, telco-anchored ID mapping solution, self-serve single gateway, programmatic in-housing capabilities, expansion into different markets, and future plans for its digital advertising and marketing ecosystem. The representative also discusses Infomo’s priority of privacy and data protection in its products and services and the significance of the Indian market.

Could you tell us more about how Infomo was able to successfully enable telecom carriers to compete with giants like Google and Facebook in digital marketing using ‘telco-rich’ data?

This has been possible because of both the key modules of our IP stack, the customer data platform and the demand side platform. We have designed it in such a way that it can actually be housed inside the telecom carrier itself. So, no data ever leaves the telecom carrier, and all the analysis of the data and everything else is done inside the telecom carrier, and the data has also come into the telecom carrier demand side platform. Therefore, we are able to take the telco data and enable advertisers.

How does Infomo’s transparent exchange work, and how has it impacted programmatic trading?

First and foremost, we actually enable both advertisers and publishers access the real-time bidding data and we provide both of them ML-based algorithms to do dynamic bids and dynamic flooring.

Could you explain Infomo’s ‘telco-anchored’ ID mapping solution and how it has improved digital marketing?

We believe that our solution is an elegant alternative for third-party companies. The primary role of a third-party cookie is to manage identity. By providing each subscriber with a telco-based ID that can be tracked across different publishers, we create a persistent ID that can be used by advertisers, brands, and agencies to build their own customer data platforms (CDPs). This way, we eliminate the need for third-party cookies and provide a more secure and reliable alternative.

How has Infomo’s self-serve single gateway helped SMEs optimise their media buying across diverse channels?

What happens is that search and social are the only two channels for the SME sector; they are not using the open internet, which is the cheapest. But the challenge is that you need to have good data, especially in the small SME world. The focus is more on performance, not on branding; you need to have real good data to focus, so we can actually leverage the telco insights. We can assist in the reach that we provide, which is also a guaranteed reach for the right kind of people.

We offer SMEs a range of solutions such as automated media buying and campaign optimisation based on key performance indicators (KPIs). For instance, a real estate company may request a reduction in the cost per lead from $2,200 to $1,700, and we may bring it down even further to $1100 through automated campaign management. Such solutions enable SMEs to run effective and efficient campaigns based on their specific KPIs.

Can you elaborate on Infomo’s programmatic in-housing capabilities and how they have been received by major publishers?

The publisher world is still waking up to it. Except in Indonesia, all the quarters of the five large publishers have embraced us. What has actually happened there is that you got the second largest telco and four of the five largest publishers in one ecosystem, showing the power that we can actually offer that ecosystem can offer the advertisers.

How has Infomo’s expansion into different markets, through subsidiaries and JV arrangements, affected the company’s growth and success?

We went live with Vodafone on October 17, 2022, which was about five months ago. Today, we are talking with 10-plus telecom carriers across 23-plus countries. By the end of this same calendar year, we will have deep data and access to about 1.25 billion mobile subscribers. Putting that in a global perspective, the globe has got 8.5 billion we will have 15% of that market share.

What sets Infomo apart from other AdTech companies in the market? Can you throw some light on the latest trends in the segment?

The AdTech market can be understood as a system similar to either Google, Facebook, or Amazon. This market, also known as commerce media, is relatively new. Google has two main components: search and the open internet. Facebook, on the other hand, operates as a walled garden. All the long-lasting and reputable companies in the world fall into one of these markets as provider components. Our company is taking all of the technology involved in this market and compressing it to provide it for telecom carriers.

Can you talk about any future plans or developments for Infomo’s digital advertising and marketing ecosystem?

When we have the ability to analyse data in the way we do, there are many benefits. For instance, if an automotive manufacturer has their own CRM system, a telco can help enhance that system by utilizing the same IDs of people. This process helps promote what is referred to as data democratisation. The power of companies like Google and Facebook is derived from their access to data, but if everyone has access to the right data, their dominance will decrease.

How does Infomo prioritise privacy and data protection in its products and services?

All operations occur within the telco, ensuring that no personalised information is shared. No data is transmitted via the telco. Instead, ID maps are used, with multiple layers of mapping. The user interacts with the publisher and gives explicit permission for cookies to be used for monitoring. Our exchange solution then takes this permission and instructs our demand side platform to deliver the ad. This process involves the telco, publisher, user, and our exchange, with the user’s explicit consent being a crucial factor.

How do you view the Indian market and what are your upcoming plans?

The Indian market is experiencing significant growth. It’s widely known that price points in India are low, making it an affordable source of data. However, the volume of data available is quite large, making it an attractive market to test things at scale. This is why we decided to focus on India as a market, especially with Vodafone’s 248 million subscribers. Testing something at this scale makes it easier to roll out in other markets. Our goal is to expand our reach to 600 million subscribers by adding another telco. Additionally, we’re also focusing on the OTT sector in India, which is a rapidly growing area. We plan to bring in blockchain and AI to further enhance our services, but there is still a fair amount of experimentation required. Our current focus is to expand our reach from 250 to 600 million subscribers, with either of the two telcos.

How does Infomo ensure transparency in its operations and decision-making processes?

Our partners consist of agencies, telcos, and publishers. We acquire data from the telco and media from the publisher. All parties involved are aware of this process and understand that a certain portion of the budget goes towards data acquisition (20-30 cents), while the majority of it (70 cents) goes towards commissions. This equation is straightforward because there are no unnecessary handshakes involved. The demand side platform (DSP) of the telco interacts with the advertiser, and the DSP of the publisher interacts with the advertiser, with no other parties involved in the process.

Tell us about the leadership hiring you are looking at?

We require different skill sets for our operations. Firstly, we need individuals who can effectively communicate our highly transformative solution to large agencies, demonstrating how it can reduce their costs by 30-40% and become a complete solution for media buying. Secondly, we need individuals with an entrepreneurial mindset who can guide agencies and brands through the campaign processes. Thirdly, we need leaders who can connect with publishers and the SME sector. India alone has 48 million SMEs, and if even the top 5% go completely digital, it presents a significant business opportunity. In every country we operate in, we have a country director who hires the right people for these roles. So, generally what happens is any country we go to, we have a country director who will hire the right kind of people to talk to publishers in the SME sector, agencies, and more.