Week at a glance: Google’s opt-out option; News players & IT Rules 2021; Print comeback

Is Google’s opt-out option for Android users really a better option for users?

In a move to further tighten its privacy policy, Google is now restricting apps from tracking users for personalised ads. Android apps will now find it tough to track users as Google will remove advertising IDs for users who have opted out of receiving personalised ads. Once users have opted out of personalised ads, the developers will lose access to advertising IDs and will see a string of zeros instead. 

New IT Rules 2021: Govt yet to respond to TV News, print players’ plea on exemption

With the 15-day extension given by the Government to send compliance report for the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Codes) Rules, 2021, coming to an end yesterday (June 10, 2021), the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has written to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) seeking more time to furnish the requisite information. 

Thought Leadership Series: Ambi Parameswaran & R. Sridhar in candid conversation

As part of our new initiative at Adgully, we are pleased to announce our THOUGHT LEADERHSIP SERIES. The series is designed to engage with some of the best leaders from the industry in the business of Marketing, Advertising and PR. The Series will provide several interesting insights and important takeaways for business leaders, start-ups, aspiring leaders-in-the-making that will help shape and build their careers. 

Print to degrow 20-25% in Apr'21-Mar'22, but huge comeback seen in last 2 Qs of FY22

Though faced with degrowth in terms of circulation, Print media has been resilient in the second wave of COVID-19 in the country. As per TAM AdEx data, Ad Space in Print soared by 4x in April 2021, even as COVID-19 cases were soaring across India. In fact, in Week 3 of April 2021, Ad Space in print surged by 6x, compared to Week 3 of April 2020. 

ARPU, Policy and Internet Speed holding back Indian esports: Experts

The esports audience in India has grown from 6 million in 2017 to 17 million in 2020. According to KPMG, this audience is expected to reach 130 million by 2025. Prize pools for esports tournaments have also grown by 25-30% YoY. 

The Hinglish factor in Advertising

Till the 80’s, most of mainline advertising in India was in impeccable British English – the copy, the accent of voice-over artists, the jingles, all had a strong colonial hangover and catered to primarily educated, urban Indians. The India-Bharat divide was never stronger in the brand messages. The ads were either in British English or chaste Hindi/ regional languages. 

Amul Vs PETA Case: Animal rights Vs Dairy farmers’ rights – storm in the milk can

Recently, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) bit off more than it could chew, when it pushed for Amul to switch to ‘vegan’ milk from dairy products. Amul’s Managing Director RS Sodhi minced no words while replying to PETA’s demand as he raised the question over the affordability of vegan milk and people’s willingness to consume synthetic food made from chemicals in laboratories. He also pointed out that the livelihood of 10 crore farmers was dependent on the dairy industry. 

How Facebook is helping content creators during the pandemic period

The content creator community has gained much more on the Facebook platform beyond the monetisation opportunities. According to Facebook, from 2019 to 2020, the number of content creators earning the equivalent of $10,000 per month grew 88%, while content creators earning $1,000 per month grew 94%. In March this year, Facebook introduced more avenues for content creators to diversify revenue on the platform. These included earning revenue from short-form video, opening monetisation to more content creators, and accelerating fan support. 

Facebook appoints Spoorthi Priya as grievance officer for India on website

Social media giant Facebook recently appointed Spoorthi Priya as its Grievance Officer for India on its website. As per Facebook's website, users can contact Spoorthi Priya - who is the Grievance Officer - through an e-mail ID. 

UEFA Euro 2020 poised to draw good traction, experts

After missing out on the 2020 play, stage is set for the UEFA Euro 2020, which kicks off on June 11, 2021, with the finals being held on July 11, 2021. Sony Pictures Sports Network is the official broadcaster of the tournament in India. The broadcaster will telecast the tournament in six languages – English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam – across SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 3, SONY SIX and the newly launched SONY TEN 4 channels as well as live stream the tournament on SonyLIV. 

We are targeting Rs 200 cr in ad revenues for UEFA Euro & Copa America: Rajesh Kaul

In conversation with Adgully, Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head - Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks, shares the network’s strategy for the telecast and promotion of the UEFA Euro 2020 and Copa América 2021 championships, advertiser interest in the football tournaments amid the global pandemic, further strengthening Sony’s foothold in the regional – especially the South – markets, launch of SONY TEN 4 channel, and more. 

We get the best engagement on Facebook & Instagram: Saurabh Agarwal, Kamdhenu Paints

In a freewheeling conversation with Adgully in our new column – MARKETING MINDS – Saurabh Agarwal, Director, Kamdhenu Paints, speaks about their media and marketing strategies, the traction gained on social media, bringing on board Preity G Zinta as the new brand ambassador, and more. 

“In these times, brands need to address customer needs by showing honesty & concern”

In conversation with Adgully as part of our new column – MARKETING MINDS – Pankaj Mishra, CEO, Apis India, narrates the growth story of Apis India, how the company has managed the dramatic digital shift during the pandemic, recalibrating their marketing strategies to embrace empathy and a more customer-centric focus, as well as meeting the emerging needs of the consumers in a more proactive way. 

BharatPe announces the acquisition of PAYBACK India

BharatPe, India’s leading financial services company for merchants, today announced the acquisition of PAYBACK India from American Express and ICICI Investments Strategic Fund, for an undisclosed amount. This is the first-ever acquisition by BharatPe and will make PAYBACK India, the country’s largest multi-brand loyalty program with 100 million+ members, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BharatPe. The acquisition of PAYBACK India is in line with BharatPe’s strategy to build a robust and engaged network of over 20 million small merchants by 2023. 

GroupM and Amazon Advertising India launch 'search advertising' playbook

GroupM along with Amazon Advertising India, today launched their first ever Search Advertising playbook ‘Decoding the shift in consumer behaviour to win on search’, a comprehensive report on search consumer journeys and how consumers are leveraging online platforms for not only buying products but also for holistic product research. 

Bharat Khatri quits Xaxis India after 7 years

Bharat Khatri, the Country Head of Xaxis India, has decided to move on from the media company which is Group M’s advanced programmatic arm, according to the media reports. He spent more than 7 years working with the company across multiple roles. Khatri joined Xaxis in 2014 as Client engagement manager and last served as Country Head, India. 

GroupM Appoints Madhvi Pahwa as Chief People Officer, South Asia

GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has appointed Madhvi Pahwa as its new Chief People Officer for South Asia. Pahwa, previously Chief People Officer Mindshare APAC, has been promoted into the role to lead the GroupM India talent team and develop GroupM’s talent proposition for the region. She will report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia. 

How technology is powering the PR business during pandemic times

In the last one year, the impact of technology has accelerated due to the pandemic and today, both brands and PR agencies are embracing technology as it is the need of the hour to get maximum results. Today, with AI and analytics PR will be able to access all of the benefits that data analysis can bring, including a better understanding of the digital world. Adgully’s weekly TwitterChat property turned the spotlight on ‘How PR agencies have embraced technology during the pandemic’. 

“InterMiles represents a valuable currency for everyday lifestyle needs of our members”

In conversation with Adgully, Ashish Dhruva, Senior Vice President – Marketing and Customer Engagement, InterMiles, explains how they have been constantly innovating and introducing new usage opportunities for members to earn more miles on every spend, gearing up for changes in consumer behaviour triggered by the global pandemic. 

Shweta Purandare launches ‘Tap-a-Gain’, a boutique consultancy service

Shweta Purandare has launched Tap-a-Gain, a boutique consultancy service. Tap-a-Gain will engage with advertisers, agencies, and small business owners to help them get their advertising communication “First time right” and compliant with advertising regulations. With a stellar career in renowned companies and rich experience as the Secretary General of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Purandare promises to offer niche service in the world of advertising. 

“Technology can’t replace key aspects of communicating a brand’s voice to the world”

In conversation with Adgully, Sadaf Khan, Head - Corporate Communications and Advocacy, HCL Corporation and Shiv Nadar Foundation, stresses on investing in meaningful relationships with journalists, creating compelling storytelling to break through the clutter, bringing in standardised metrics in the PR industry that everybody adheres to, and more. 

How OPPO is powering visual storytelling, one frame at a time

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Damyant Singh Khanoria, Chief Marketing Officer, OPPO India, elaborates on the ‘Life Unscene’ campaign, the objective and the creative ideation behind the campaign. Khanoria also speaks at length about leveraging photographers and videographers to endorse their products by exploring some unexplored treasures through the lens of OPPO Reno5 Pro 5G. 

The pandemic has brought consumer conversations to the forefront: Benjamin Soubies

In conversation with Adgully, Benjamin Soubies, Managing Director for Asia Pacific and Japan at Talkwalker, speaks about the highlights of the ‘State Conversation 2021’ report by Talkwalker, how conversational intelligence has leveraged beyond customer service and brand promotion, how consumers are engaging with brands via social media platforms and much more. 

We are a competency-focused, gender-fluid organisation: Anju Kurien

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Anju Kurien, Talent Director at Omnicom Media Group, speaks about how her organisation has been navigating through the pandemic period and working towards seamless engagement with all their employees across all their offices.