This Mobile Ad Network Lets You Control What You See, Pays For Ad Viewing

Tired of the pesky calls and promotional SMS you seem to be getting all day long? Compelled to view display ads on your smartphone whether you like it or not? In a digital era which is rapidly going mobile, you can’t escape them altogether. But here is one mobile ad network that lets you decide what you see and pays you for it.

Meet Paisa Swipe, a seven-month-old start-up that has recently come up with an innovative Android app for connecting brands, content and consumers. That may not seem too great a concept as too many companies are already around. But unlike others, Paisa Swipe has some unique selling points that make it attractive. For one, it features lock screen ads and each time a user swipes an ad, a certain amount of money gets deposited into his/her Paisa Swipe account. You can earn even more if you get your friends to sign up. As the app description says, “It is the easiest money you will ever make.”

But there’s more to it. Instead of random ads, here you get to see curated content in which you are actually interested. And finally, you have full control over ad viewing and can easily move away without opening any of them.

The app is presently limited to Android phones (users can download it from Google Play) but the start-up plans to release iOS and Windows versions at the earliest. Paisa Swipe says that a similar app in South Korea called Cash Slide has been extremely successful. Like its Korean counterpart, it is only available domestically, but the company is looking to expand to other countries in the near future. Here is a snapshot that captures Paisa Swipe’s vision and viability.

Who runs Paisa Swipe: A global team of three with expertise in mobile business. Jian Tam is the CEO and has some good experience in digital marketing. Prior to Paisa Swipe, he had played a key role in setting up two other companies. Director Chris Marshall studied in London School of Economics and works in the wireless space. Earlier, he had led three companies and one of them (AePONA) was sold to Intel. Revanth Mittapalli is the India head with focus on digital marketing and four years of industry experience. The start-up has headquarters in Hyderabad and New York.

What inspired the venture: The three co-founders came up with the concept to help mobile-first Internet users discover interesting and relevant content. “While talking to our partners in India for another project, we suddenly realised how an entire generation of people across the world, hundreds of millions of them, are accessing the Internet via mobile devices and many of them are doing it for the first time,” recalls Revanth. The trio felt that a mobile-ready way to connect content, brands and consumers would be the key requirement of every business. That’s how Paisa Swipe was born – it is the mobile content discovery network for the mobile-first generation. The company was set up in May 2013 and its Android app became functional on October 15.

What’s the pitch: India’s No.1 mobile lock screen ad/content discovery network. It’s time to ditch that boring old lock screen for a smarter one. One that pays you! Paisa Swipe connects brands and advertisers directly to consumers across the world. The start-up enables consumers to find products, applications and daily deals they are interested in – controlled totally by them.

How it works: For upfront users, it is quite simple. Once the app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.paisaswipe.android) is installed on your mobile device (it has to be a touchscreen android device, with V 2.1 or higher), you need to log in and customise your profile by providing more information regarding your interest areas. Paisa Swipe then takes over the lock screen and every time you wake up your phone, you will see a customised and curated piece of ad content. The topic will vary depending on your interests – it can be a Bollywood/Hollywood trailer, news updates, fashion trends, entertainment bytes, real-time local deals and more.

If you like the content, simply ‘swipe’ to learn more and Paisa Swipe advertisers will reward you. As of now, each member gets up to 60 paise per day per ad display, and the upper limit for monthly earning is Rs 300. When you reach the ‘encashment’ point, you can use the amount to cash out at Freecharge.in, which offers recharge services for mobile, DTH and data cards. If you refer your friends to download the app, you may also win referral prizes. Moreover, you can get free prizes, buy products and get cashback on those, and give donation to charity with the money you earn from Paisa Swipe.

Claim to fame: The app is just a month old and the traction had been slow at first. But it seems to be picking up now. Last we checked, total downloads at Google Play stood at 11,000 and the rating was 4.3 out of 5. But according to Revanth, the app is currently seeing 1,000 downloads a day, has crossed 4 million ad impressions and is witnessing at least 100,000 ad impressions per day. The other ‘plus’ is users get curated ad content, depending on their interests. The ‘relevance’, the ‘control’ (one can choose not to ‘swipe’ the ads) and the ‘reward’ parts are the unique triggers that will further drive mobile marketing, says Revanth.

Show me the money: The start-up is currently bootstrapped and its monetisation happens through ad revenues. Paisa Swipe has already signed deals with a few companies such as Yepme.com, Snapdeal.com, YellowFashion.in and Mydala.com. “We are now working hard to get more local advertisers and big Indian brands on board,” says Revanth. “Once that is done and we gain significant traction in terms of downloads, we will approach investors. But that will take at least a year or so,” he adds. Growth will be faster when the app is available on other platforms (iOS and Windows), according to the co-founders. The company will also expand to five more countries in the next quarter in order to grow its user base.

Biggest challenge: Finding the right kind of consumer engagement to keep them viewing the advertisements. Mobile advertising is growing at fabulous pace – so keeping things interesting and relevant for a fast-growing user base is the biggest challenge for all mobile ad networks.