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(Photo credit: Maxpixel) <ul><li><keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> has been spotted testing a ‘Hindi’ version of its user interface by a user on Twitter.</li><li>Screenshots show that, along with Instagram, the company might also roll out <keyword id="7021257" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindi-on-instagram">Hindi on Instagram</keyword> TV. </li><li>The move towards localisation, combined with the recent launch of Instagram Lite, may pose stiff competition for Snapchat and ShareChat.</li></ul>After Google, Instagram appears to be localising its platforms to accommodate Indian languages, prepping its user interface to support Hindi. A twitter user, Jane Manchun Wong, who spotted the development, shared screenshots of the trial version where most usernames showed up in Hindi while some were still in English. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="wongmjane" handlename="Jane Manchun Wong" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/986860185217093632/4Ru2zn9c_normal.jpg" favoritecount="57" retweetcount="14" status="Instagram is working on supporting Hindi as part of their growth efforts इंस्टाग्राम भारतीय बाजार में विस्तार के… https://t.co/jLqIuTrwOG" createdat="1541645934000" id="1060366021255516160"></div>



 And, it’s not just for Instagram but for Instagram TV (IGTV) as well, according to the posts. The development isn’t all that surprising since Facebook and WhatsApp — all under Facebook’s umbrella — already support multiple Indian languages. Not to mention that India is home to Instagram’s <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/578364/countries-with-most-instagram-users/">second largest</a> user base, after the United States. It’s unclear if the roll out will happen on Android or iOS. As of now, instances of Instagram in Hindi have only been spotted on <a href="https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/instagram/instagram-instagram/instagram-instagram-72-0-0-0-32-130595-release/">the ‘alpha’ version</a> of the app and phones that are running Android Oreo. It also remains to be seen how Instagram users’ feed in India will adjust to the new changes. Facebook’s algorithm, for example, already pulls in local content onto its feed. Localised competition Instagram’s new Hindi initiative, along with the Instagram Lite app, may make for a threatening combination against India’s local ShareChat platform, which has been booming because of accessibility in local Indian languages. Meanwhile, Instagram’s main competitor, Snapchat, recently <a href="https://thenextweb.com/in/2018/10/05/snapchat-appoints-india-executive/">appointed</a> their first executive in India to capitalise on the growing user base in the country. Even Amazon <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/amazon-india-launches-hindi-app-website-to-address-additional-100-mn-customers/videoshow/65690683.cms">launched</a> their Hindi portal in September, ahead of the festive seasons to increase their user base. The trend of localisation is emerging in India for two main reasons: the number of Hindi users is expected to <a href="https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/in/pdf/2017/04/Indian-languages-Defining-Indias-Internet.pdf">surpass</a> the number of English internet users in India by 2021, according to the KPMG report; India is also where the ‘<a href="https://www.blog.google/technology/next-billion-users/">next billion users</a>’ will reside as per Google’s strategy. The added support for Indian languages, or Hindi specifically, isn’t only about reaching people who can’t communicate in English but about reaching the most remote parts of the country where the advent of Internet penetration has brought in greater accessibility to online services.

Instagram may be introducing an Hindi user interface for Indian users in big localisation move

<ul><li>An average user spends as much as 1.2 hours a day scrolling through <keyword id="13284157" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="short-form-videos" source="Orion">short form videos</keyword>.</li><li>As many as 65-75% users of home grown short format video users are from Tier 2+ cities.</li><li>Users are also happy with these platforms as 58% surveyed say that they increased SFV usage in the last six months.</li><li>Content relevance across India's SFV platforms typically falls within the 80% range. </li></ul>Over 250 million Indians subscribe to short-form videos across Indian home-grown apps like <keyword id="2995316" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dailyhunt" source="Orion">DailyHunt</keyword>, <keyword id="6393600" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="josh" source="Orion">Josh</keyword>, Josh, <keyword id="8678883" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moj" source="Orion">Moj</keyword>, <keyword id="2368386" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roposo" source="Orion">Roposo</keyword> and more. This does not include popular international platforms like Instagram Reels or <keyword id="8993383" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="youtube-shorts" source="Orion">Youtube Shorts</keyword>. An average user spends as much as 1.2 hours a day scrolling through short-form videos, says a recent report by Redseer. Interestingly, as much as 65-75% of the users that are hooked onto these primarily user generated content (UGC) platforms, are from Tier 2+ cities. “A sizable user base of these (home grown) platforms reside in Tier 2+ and rural regions and over 100 million users of these platforms transact online,” Redseer said. The trigger for the growth of home grown apps in India, is the banning of TikTok that made them grow. “Over 58% of the survey respondents reported an increase in their SFV usage over the past six months, indicating significant user satisfaction with these platforms,” the report added. What’s keeping Bharat hooked on them? High-quality creator base, localised and regional content the report says adding that platforms too launched creator programs, fostered collaborations with celebrities, and attracted and onboarded local talent. There’s an avalanche of original content across genres, languages and more hitting these platforms. An analysis of real-time feed data (around 1,20,000 videos per year) indicates that the original content percentage has increased significantly with over 99% original content on every refresh during Jan-Aug 2023 compared to 92% original content in 2022, Redseer says. We know what Short you’ll like That’s only one part of the story. The other part is that algorithms are at play to keep people hooked on these platforms by suggesting the right kind of Short or Reel to the user that’s most keen on it. Content is fresh, not repetitive but the platform also knows which type of cat video to suggest, or the right joke that will land on the right person’s phone. “These platforms employ robust recommendation engines, ensuring a consistent stream of fresh content with each feed refresh,” the report adds. They tag the creators in, and use in-house machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to ensure accurate genre tagging. Content relevance across India's SFV platforms typically falls within the 80% range. It means if there is a video that’s being made in any corner of the world – your app will bring it to the screens.

One in six Indians spends 1.2 hours a day scrolling through Shorts, Reels & more such

<keyword id="6358777" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword>, Cybersecurity researchers have unearthed a large-scale ad phishing campaign that has compromised accounts of more than 6.15 <keyword id="10522038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lakh-facebook-users">lakh Facebook users</keyword> from at least 50 <keyword id="6407494" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="countries">countries</keyword>, by exploiting the <keyword id="421608" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pages">pages</keyword> of open source repository GitHub. The list of affected users is growing at a rapid pace of more than a 100 entries per minute, according to ThreatNix, a Nepal-based cybersecurity firm. The researchers first came across the phishing campaign through a sponsored <keyword id="6357839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook-post">Facebook post</keyword> that was offering 3GB mobile data from Nepal Telecom and redirecting to a phishing site hosted on GitHub pages. The page that posted the ad was using the profile picture and name of Nepal Telecom and was almost indistinguishable from the legitimate page. "We saw similar <keyword id="6354576" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> posts targeting Facebook users from Tunisia, Egypt, Philippines, Pakistan, Norway, Malaysia etc," the firm claimed in a statement this week. According to the firm, the ad phishing campaign is using localised Facebook posts and pages spoofing legitimate entities and targeted ads for specific countries. Links within these posts then redirected to a static Github page website that contained a login panel for Facebook. "All these static GitHub pages forwarded the phished credentials to two endpoints one to a Firestore database and another to a domain owned by the phishing group," the researchers noted. "We discovered almost 500 GitHub repositories containing phishing pages that are a part of the same phishing campaign". Facebook or GitHub was yet to comment on the ThreatNix report. ThreatNix said that it is working on taking down the phishing infrastructure by collaborating with relevant authorities "as such we are withholding the information related to the domains until then". While Facebook takes measures to make sure that such phishing pages are not approved for ads, in this case, the scammers were using Bitly link's which initially must have pointed to a benign page and once the ad was approved, was modified to point to the phishing domain, the researchers explained. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-tata-steel-vedanta-adani-green-tata-motors-maruti-mm-dhfl-v-mart-indian-bank-and-others/articleshow/80038635.cms">Top stocks to watch — Tata Steel, Vedanta, Adani Green, Tata Motors, Maruti, M&amp;M, DHFL, V-Mart, Indian Bank, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-the-list-of-upcoming-new-mobiles-in-january-2021-with-expected-price/articleshow/80039794.cms">Upcoming smartphones in India in January 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-is-testing-a-shortcut-feature-for-tiktok-and-instagram-videos/articleshow/80021865.cms">Google is testing a shortcut feature for TikTok and Instagram videos</a>

Over 6 million Facebook users hit by mega ad phishing campaign

<ul><li>Kantar has released the second edition of its global <keyword id="12006605" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ad-equity" source="Orion">Ad Equity</keyword> ranking of media channels and media brands.</li><li>As per the report, advertising across omnichannel retail finds success with consumers.</li></ul> Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company today releases <keyword id="12006604" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="media-reactions-2021" source="Orion">Media Reactions 2021</keyword>, the second edition of Kantar’s global Ad Equity ranking of media channels and media brands. Ad equity refers to the attitude’s consumers have towards the advertising experience within specific platforms and ad formats. Despite the prominence of digital platforms in daily life, consumers continue to be more positive about offline ad platforms such as cinema, sponsored events, magazine ads and point of sale (POS). The popularity of podcast adverts has risen. Positioned at #11 in the overall Ad Equity ranking, they have overtaken influencer content as the preferred digital ad medium. Podcast ads are perceived as both better quality and more relevant compared to 2020, but also more repetitive, unsurprising given the increase in ad spend on the platform. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">Consumer Global ad equity ranking – all media channels </td><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">Consumer Global ad equity ranking – online media channels </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">1) Cinema ads (-) </td><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">1) Podcast ads (+1) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">2) Sponsored events (-) </td><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">2) Influencer content (-1) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">3) Magazine ads (-) </td><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">3) Ecommerce ads (new!) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">4) POS ads (new!) </td><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">4) Ads on TV streaming services (-1) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">5) Newspaper ads (-) </td><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">5) Social media story ads (-) </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Across branded digital platforms, TikTok remains top of the global Ad Equity rankings. Although only ranked as the #1 overall platform in one market – Taiwan, TikTok is the leading global digital platform in the important US market and is first or second ranked of the global digital platforms in 9 of the 22 markets where it was measured. The inclusion of commerce platforms in this year’s ranking illustrates their increasing importance across the digital advertising landscape. Amazon ranks second globally among consumers, topping the list in 4 markets. Together with regional ecommerce giant Mercado Libre, which leads in Argentina, Amazon’s success showcases why ecommerce has entered the online media channel ad equity rankings in third place. Global ad equity for media brands: 2021 top-five ranking among consumers <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">1) TikTok (-) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">2) Amazon (new!) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">3) Instagram (-1) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">4) Google (-) </td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; border-width: 0.5pt; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(217, 217, 217) rgb(0, 0, 0); vertical-align: middle; padding: 0pt 5.75pt; overflow: hidden;">5) Twitter (-) </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Global vs Local: Media Reactions highlights the importance, and challenge, of market-specific media strategies. In 16 of the 23 markets surveyed the #1 ranked media brand was a local media brand or a localised version of global media brands. Ten of these 16 are news and magazine brands. This local success, together with differing attitudes to the ads on global digital media brands, makes balancing the benefits of scale of global media platforms with the promise of greater relevance from local media gems ever more important. The Innovator’s Dilemma: Media Reactions also highlights the challenge for brands in keeping their media mix reflective of the latest consumer media preferences as well as reflective of their own values and brand positioning. Marketers favour channels and platforms they believe provide both trustworthy and innovative advertising environments. Among the global brands, Instagram best manages this balancing act. YouTube, Google and Facebook are trusted platforms but are considered slightly less innovative. TikTok is not yet trusted by marketers as much as the more established platforms, but it has made enormous improvements in the past year. It remains comfortably the most innovative place for ads, and trust has doubled, so many more marketers are now positive about placing ads on the platform. Ad Spend Outlook: Media Reactions marketers’ survey provides insights into probable media growth areas for 2022. The vast majority of global marketers plan to increase spend on their favoured ad formats: online video, influencer content and social media ads. Many will reduce spend on print ads. YouTube, Instagram and TikTok are the platforms set to benefit most. Discussing the findings <keyword id="5197224" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Duncan-Southgate" source="Orion">Duncan Southgate</keyword> commented “The ad industry has been encouraged by the rapid recovery in 2021, as advertising has been used as one of the levers to fuel recovery in the wider economy. As we emerge into a new media landscape, brands need to understand which consumer and marketer attitudes have changed, and which have stayed the same. Which media brands have retained their appeal, and which have grown stronger? While the pandemic accelerated the growth of digital in every aspect of life, we have seen a robustness in consumers’ preference for offline advertising, and some strong local news brands in particular. Marketers need to ensure their strategies respect those preferences alongside the benefits of scale delivered by global digital platforms. TikTok has done an impressive job retaining its differentiated advertising proposition with consumers – even as its user base has almost doubled over the past year. We have also seen the re-emergence of retail as a critical ad platform, both online and physically. Advertising strategies that seamlessly align with omnichannel retail strategies provide a great opportunity for marketers to deliver more popular campaigns.” <keyword id="12006607" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sandeep-Ranade" source="Orion">Sandeep Ranade</keyword>, Head of Media- South Asia, Insights Division at Kantar added “Moving into 2022, we will see consumers adopting more and more digital channels and it will impact advertiser’s appetite for digital connection opportunities. Consumers do not differentiate between the way media is bought and hence it will no longer be offline vs online but a balance of reach vs receptivity and global vs local media partners to bridge the gap between what consumers prefer vs what advertisers perceive consumers prefer. We have also seen that Indian consumers generally have more pronounced views on advertising compared to the global audience.”

Despite the growth of digital, consumers are more positive about offline ad platforms like cinema, sponsored events, magazine ads: Kantar

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) With the Covid-19 pandemic causing significant changes in consumer behaviour, businesses need to embrace hyper-localisation, create virtual experiences and build messaging around new habits such as increased focus on health and hygiene, a report from Facebook India and Boston Consulting Group said on Wednesday. The report titled "Turn the Tide" shares actionable guidance for brands to build for the new consumer journeys in times of Covid-19 and beyond. The research revealed that only one in six companies emerged stronger in past crises. Those businesses which show the agility to reinvent their value propositions, go-to-market plans and business models to address these demand shifts are more likely to emerge as winner, suggests the report. The research showed that it is important to engage with consumers in their context and connect with them where they are. Micro-targeting can help brands get the first-mover advantage, it added. As people turn to virtual experiences for every facet of their life, it becomes important for brands to build for this new customer journey. More brands are already exploring Facebook and Instagram "Live" to connect with their followers and customers. Now brands are thinking about using social media platforms for new product launches too. "We have seen massive growth in use of our services since the outbreak of Covid-19. Going ahead, I think the role of the influencer will increase significantly in marketing or products," Sandeep Bhushan, Director and Head, Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook India, told IANS. As people, creators, and celebrities are on social media platforms in an unprecedented way, and brands have an opportunity to leverage this massive engagement to build stronger dialogues and deeper connect with users. The Facebook family of apps continue to be popular and valued in India with 328 million monthly, and 195 million daily users on Facebook, and 400 million on WhatsApp. In April, the social networking giant announced that for the first time ever, there are now more than 3 billion people actively using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger each month globally. That includes 2.6 billion people using Facebook alone, and more than 2.3 billion people using at least one of its services every day. "The 'Turn the Tide' report outlines the opportunities that businesses need to embrace in the context of new consumer journeys and category needs," Bhushan said. "In response to consumers embracing the digital medium, brands need to focus on solutions that are relevant for the new normal such as hyper-localization, creating virtual experiences, re-looking at the media-mix to build efficiency, or building messaging around new habits such as DIY and the increased focus on health and hygiene," he added. Facebook and Boston Consulting Group also said they will share vertical-specific insights to help businesses gain almost real-time insights, enabling them to "Turn the Tide" in the coming weeks. "We are experiencing unprecedented shifts in consumer attitudes and behaviours  80 per cent+ consumers will continue to practice social distancing and are bringing the outside inside, over 40 per cent of consumers are dialing up on health and wellness spends, e-commerce adoption has already advanced by 2-3 years - to name a few," said Nimisha Jain, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group. "These aren't just temporary surges, and many will last longer and become more defining traits," she added. The report especially calls-out the massive acceleration in digital led by social media, the emergence of micro-market opportunities, and a definite increase in spends on health, hygiene and wellness, and a rise in do-it-yourself (DIY) trends. --IANS gb/ma

Create virtual experiences to turn the tide: Facebook-BCG report

<ul><li>As Westlife Development Ltd's <keyword id="126895" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mcdonald" source="Orion">McDonald</keyword> celebrates its 25th anniversary in India this year, we speak to <keyword id="7251099" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-RP" source="Orion">Arvind RP</keyword>, Director - Marketing and Communications, <keyword id="602278" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="McDonalds-india" source="Orion">McDonald’s India</keyword> (West and South) about the brand's marketing milestones.</li><li>We discuss several phases of transformation that the brand has gone through over the years to become India’s one of the most trusted brands.</li></ul>McDonald’s, for 25 years, has remained synonymous with burgers in India. The golden arches entered the country in 1996 and was an undisputed leader in burgers until 2014, that’s when its rival Burger King set up its first store in Delhi. However, by then, McDonald’s had captured the lion’s share of the market. Surviving through many neck-to-neck burger rivalries, economic crises and pandemic, McDonald’s stands strong today. When the American fast-food giant first thought of entering the Indian market, it had to face a huge challenge. Across the world, Big Mac beefburger was McDonald’s signature product and India was known as a vegetarian market back then. So, the starting point for McDonald's India was to position itself as Indian, represent family values and culture and position itself as comfortable and easy while retaining its global values. McDonald’s gracefully Indianised its global menu and Indians couldn’t get enough of its burgers, which is a quintessential American fast food. <div type="Video" msid="87852925" hostid="261" title="How to win over a challenging market as India: Inside McDonald’s success story" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=87852925"></div> Sharing how the company laid its foundation into the country, Arvind RP, Director - Marketing and Communications, McDonald’s India (West and South) said, “McDonald's is a very interesting case study. It has gone through several phases in its 25 years in India. Phase one was all about building the foundation through localisation or as we call it, the democratization of the burger. We introduced the McAloo Tikki and many such locally relevant burgers for the Indian market. We also introduced many new practices to win over consumer trust such as using separate veg kitchen and non veg kitchen.” After introducing its famous McAloo Tikki and the Chicken Maharaja Mac, McDonald’s next step was to win consumer trust and it went all out with its marketing activities to woo them. Another way to win over Indians was by offering low prices and beat street food, so it introduced its Happy Price menu starting from Rs 20 back then. McDonald’s made it a point to highlight its ‘value for money’ range in its marketing campaign and that’s when its iconic tagline ‘I’m lovin’ it’ was born too. <div type="Youtube" id="ErnTTK7zOeU" title="Very funny Indian ad for Mcdonalds-Doctor" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ErnTTK7zOeU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> “It was time to create a strong brand-connect with consumers for a brand that was unknown in India before that. So, we launched several campaigns, the one campaign that comes to mind is ‘McDonald's mein hai kuch baat’. Those were the early days of laying the foundation for the brand in India. The second phase was more about making it affordable for the masses. McDonald's is a democratic and a mass brand and we also felt that at some point in time, it was important to lay a broader appeal. And that's when we can came up with many campaigns around happy price combos. One such campaign was <a href="https://www.behance.net/gallery/2039247/McDonalds-Happy-Price-Menu">Aapke zamane mein, baap ke zamane ka daam</a> (prices from your father's era, in your era). It was a really stellar campaign with a broad-based appeal.” <div type="Youtube" id="gk5ZiuFhwxI" title="McDonalds India Ad-1997" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gk5ZiuFhwxI/mqdefault.jpg"></div> After localising the menu and introducing affordable offers, McDonald’s started focusing on establishing itself as a FoodTech platform. As per Arvind, it was one of the first companies in India to offer home delivery services. “Our early campaigns focused on making the brand more affordable and then it was accelerating to kind of a food tech image. We scaled up on McDelivery. We also launched McCafe around that time, which added a whole new dimension and a whole new vision,” said Arvind. <div type="Youtube" id="HKXeMCL5b2Q" title="McDonald's McDelivery | McDelivery Online | McDonald's India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HKXeMCL5b2Q/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Cut to the pandemic which brought with it a time when all marketing playbooks felt redundant. Even India’s oldest brands were struggling to survive during the initial phases of the lockdown. As the government eased lockdown, the QSR industry left no stone unturned in doubling down on their ‘doorstep and contactless delivery’ proposition. McDonald’s also revamped its marketing strategy; from focusing on creating happy memories, affordability and home-delivery before the pandemic, it started assuring its consumers about its safety practices and focused on empathy after the pandemic. Arvind said, “In the post-pandemic phase, the brand has gone to the next level, we have really amped up on our omni-channel convenience. Delivery is a very important lever for the business today. Over the last two years, we went to the consumer with our golden guarantee campaign. And that went a long way in reassuring consumers in the context of the pandemic, telling them food is safe to eat and also talking about stringent quality standards and safety standards the brand has always had, which elevated during the pandemic. Also, in the post pandemic era, it's important for brands to be empathetic, not to be tone deaf to what's going out there, and tweak their marketing messaging, marketing mix, to kind of be more relevant to today's context.” <div type="Youtube" id="5Qzw-yqjkxw" title="Safety and Hygiene | McDonald's Golden Guarantee | McDonald's" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5Qzw-yqjkxw/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Today, home delivery contributes around 40-45% to McDonald’s business and its drive-through services were first to recover post-lockdown. So, the brand started positioning itself as a convenient omni-channel service. Sharing how convenience has taken the center stage today in its communication, Arvind said, “We were the first QSR brand to launch McDelivery in India, and we have been consistently at it to kind of grow it. Pre-pandemic, about 20-25% of the business was delivery and now 40-45% of the business comes from delivery. In fact, our overall convenience channels, which is our delivery, our drive through, our on the go is upwards of 50-60%. So in essence, McDonald's has kind of transformed itself over the years into an omni channel, convenient brand and that's quite important for consumers of today.” To celebrate these milestones and commemorate its 25 years of existence in our country, McDonald’s has launched a new campaign called ‘25ActsofHappy,’ a gourmet range of burgers and healthy beverages. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Explaining the thought behind its 25th anniversary campaign, Arvind said, “All kinds of consumers have had wonderful memories of the brand built over the last many years. And our 25 years is all about those happy memories. What we are saying is, we will do 25 acts of happiness over the next one year. And the first such Act has happened, which is all about building memories at McDonald's and bringing them alive. The next such act will happen later in November. So through these 25 acts over the next one year, we want to celebrate the brand and the fandom that McDonald's has among the consumer.” Capturing newly-entered territories If Arvind is to be believed, Mcdonald’s is just getting started! In its next phase of growth, the QSR giant aims to expand its presence further into the country and capture the coffee and fried chicken market. According to Edelweiss Securities report, India’s quick-service restaurant (QSR) market is expected to clock a compound annual growth rate of 23% between 2021 to fiscal year 2025. As per Technopak, India’s food services market was estimated at ₹4,236 billion in FY20. “We plan to open about 25-30 stores every year and are broadly open to emerging retail opportunities. Apart from metros like Mumbai and Bengaluru, even the smaller towns are doing very well. As an example, our drive throughs in some of the smaller towns were the first to recover post pandemic and they went up to over 50% of their original pre-pandemic sales. Our new products like McSpicy fried chicken are higher in demand in smaller towns, especially in the South,” said Arvind. Talking about the next phase of growth, Arvind added, “Future McDonald's would be something that plays across multiple dimensions. The first dimension would be categories, where we build leadership in burger, chicken and coffee. The second dimension would be across different dayparts. We are uniquely positioned as a brand to play across breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and post dinner. And we have got burgers and beverages that are relevant across these day parts and that's such an important differentiator for the brand.” With its glocal approach and affordable options, McDonald's has quietly made inroads into desi households in these last 25 years and has built a brand connect that is here to stay.

How to win over a challenging market as India: Inside McDonald’s success story

<ul><li><keyword id="1004414" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Social-media-apps">Social media apps</keyword> kept us together, even from miles apart, in 2020. </li><li>It will continue to play an important role in our lives in 2021 and beyond. </li><li>So, from our trends series today, we look back at 2020 and bring you some of the biggest <keyword id="1965440" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Social-media-trends">social media trends</keyword> for the year 2021. </li></ul>Ever wondered how difficult 2020 would have been without technology and social media apps? We would have spent hours playing the snake game on Nokia, stared at the ceiling roof and probably played Dumb Charades with our neighbours. Social media apps made surviving 2020 a little easier for us. While distance apart, it kept us together with our loved ones. We experimented with virtual dining, watched movies together over Zoom calls with our friends and even attended virtual birthday parties. If it wasn’t for YouTube, we have no idea how we would have looked up recipes. Brands also followed the consumers and relied on social media apps to lure them and stay connected. Social media has never been more powerful as a marketing tool as it is today. According to Socialbakers, brands dramatically increased their investment on social media advertising in 2020. At its peak in Q4, worldwide ad spend increased by 50.3% compared to the holiday peak in Q4 2019. Video posts on Twitter jumped by 26.7% in Q4. Video accounted for 17.9% of all posts on Instagram, and 18.1% of all posts on Facebook, in Q4 2020. In terms of format, Facebook Live was by far the most engaging type of post on that platform in Q4 2020. Statista predicts that one of the main trends within Social Media Advertising is monetization of social networks and messenger apps. The integration of shopping and payment solutions into social networks combined with exact localisation will increase user engagement, conversions, and performance of advanced targeting. Besides the growth potential in the field of social networks, an integration or proliferation of advertising spaces within messenger apps such as WhatsApp or Instagram will rapidly increase the revenue potential of current market key players like Facebook. So, as we move forward in 2021, what kind of role will social media play in our lives and what would be some of the marketing trends that would continue to penetrate in 2021? Here are some key trends, according to experts, to look forward to: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Kanika Mittal, Business Head, Twitter India:" text="Kanika Mittal, Business Head, Twitter India:">Kanika Mittal, Business Head, <keyword id="749437" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter-India">Twitter India</keyword>:</cmsannotation> In 2020, with more people than ever on the Internet, Twitter saw the emergence of many new conversations and trends. We saw a number of interests gain popularity including hobbies like gaming, fitness, cooking, animal-Twitter, etc. These new conversations have uncovered opportunities for brands to take consumer engagement a step ahead by connecting around these themes that are fresh and relevant. We've worked with brands, and witnessed them be more open to experimentation and innovation in order to reach consumers where they are -- their homes and their timelines. We've also seen several businesses stand up and make a statement in these tough times. Bold and thoughtful innovation has emerged as a prevalent trend this year, and we foresee that continuing in the coming year too as businesses test and learn to adapt to these waves of change. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Durgesh Kaushik, Head - Market Development, Snap inc, India:" text="Durgesh Kaushik, Head - Market Development, Snap inc, India:">Durgesh Kaushik, Head - Market Development, Snap inc, India: </cmsannotation> A trend we’ve seen accelerate in 2020 is the importance of visual communication and how platforms like ours can help empower it. Globally, we saw an average of 4 billion snaps created every day in the first quarter of the year. Our Friendship Report showed that 91% of Indians - regardless of age - felt like digital communication helped them maintain their friendships during isolation. For example, we normally gather together to celebrate festivals, but were unable to do that this year. Through AR on <keyword id="6358096" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="snapchat">Snapchat</keyword>, we’ve helped Indians across the country celebrate over 20 cultural moments with friends. We believe Snapchat is a complement to real friendships and are grateful to be able to serve our community at such a moment in time. As we have continued to invest in our camera and augmented reality platforms, we have been able to see the power and potential of this technology when it is accessible to everyone. From our Lensathon in partnership with Skillenza where 70% of submittants said they had no prior AR or 3D design skills, to a university student who created a Lens which went viral in India and across Southeast Asia, garnering billions of views on Snapchat. AR provides a unique opportunity to build the creative digital skills that we believe - and already see - are vital to the new digital economy.” <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Azhar Iqubal, Founder and CEO, Public App and InShorts:" text="Azhar Iqubal, Founder and CEO, Public App and InShorts:">Azhar Iqubal, Founder and CEO, Public App and InShorts:</cmsannotation> 2020 was a high decibel year unlike any for our sector. On one hand, social media apps saw an unprecedented surge in user base, fuelled by the lockdown. On the other, our sector received backlash for circulation of unverified content. The government has done a commendable job by introducing guidelines to curb misinformation and create an enabling environment for homegrown apps to thrive responsibly. The digital content consumption habits formed during the lockdown will continue to drive growth for the sector in the new year, and I foresee fresh infusion of funds and talent to sustain this progress. At the same time, there will a far greater responsibility on us to prove that social media apps can serve as credible sources of information in addition to connecting users and communities. We have recently raised funding for the Public app and hired over 300 employees in 2020 to bolster our expansion plans in the coming year. We will continue investing in people and technologies like AI and ML for content monitoring and personalization as per user interest. We plan to hire an additional 300 employees and will start monetizing the app to make it self-sustaining. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Kyle Fernandes, CEO &amp; Co-Founder of MemeChat:" text="Kyle Fernandes, CEO &amp; Co-Founder of MemeChat:">Kyle Fernandes, CEO &amp; Co-Founder of MemeChat: </cmsannotation> 2020 was a unique year where digital-first companies were offered a chance to make a real impact. At MemeChat we saw tremendous growth with our user base multiplying in just a few months. It has been an eventful year where we have made decisive steps towards our long-term plan of working towards expanding our user-base while working on more innovative technologies. In 2021, we are hoping to keep pushing on our growth accelerator. We will see more participation by users in terms of viewership and meme creation. As a means of marketing and advertising, we will see memes going mainstream. 2021 will be the year meme marketing will come of age as more and more brands use it for their promotional activities.

Social Media Platforms: The trends to watch out for in 2021

<ul><li>If an industry can flourish during a global pandemic and one of the worst economic crises we had to face, it can survive through any challenges that come in its way.</li><li>Digital media has proven time and again how integral it is to the advertising industry’s survival and growth.</li><li>However, every year brings with it a set of challenges different from the previous one. So, in our second year-ender, we look at digital marketing, its growth trajectory and look at what lies ahead.</li><li>Experts are optimistic that 2022 will be a game-changer that will help them redefine a lot of rules in advertising, with smarter marketing techniques.</li></ul>The digital marketing industry in India not only managed to weather the pandemic’s impact but also flourished gracefully in 2020. It accelerated at an unbelievable speed, exceeding all predictions and expectations. Brands were quick to adapt, pivoting aggressively from traditional mediums to invest in digital. Digital media became one of the most effective mediums to reach out to people locked inside their houses and stuck to their phone and tablet screens. This trend of increased smartphone consumption is only expected to amplify as more people, especially in Tier II and III cities, engage more digitally and make purchase decisions through websites, apps, social media platforms. Apps have undoubtedly become the most popular destination for consumers and marketers are capitalizing on this trend to engage with them. As per GroupM’s TYNY report, global digital advertising should account for 64.4% of total advertising in 2021, up from 60.5% in 2020 and 52.1% in 2019. Zenith also estimates that global adspend will reach $705 billion in 2021, up from $634 billion in 2019, and will rise to $873 billion by 2024. Digital marketing in India is also at the cusp of a massive revolution as brands explore options beyond <keyword id="640850" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media-marketing" source="Orion">social media marketing</keyword> within the digital ecosystem and look to expand their presence across regional markets. RedSeer predicts that India’s digital ad expenditure will grow 10 times over the next decade and will likely account for 70-85% of the total ad market, which currently stands at 33%. It is expected to touch $25-35 billion by 2030 from $3 billion in 2020. So, without a doubt, digital marketing is the future of advertising and the only way brands can grow is by harnessing various digital tools. From buying medicine to groceries or shopping for a wedding, many consumers who would otherwise prefer to browse and purchase in person, have moved to online shopping due to the limitations that the pandemic threw at them. This quick change in consumer behaviour, accelerated by the pandemic, gave a push to e-commerce, performance marketing, augmented reality, mobile marketing, digital animation, video content, voice search, audio advertising and influencer marketing. In this last year, Instagram has also moved beyond just a discovery platform and influencer-led commerce has arrived earlier than expected. According to WARC, Instagram grew to become the largest social media platform globally in 2021 after overtaking the core Facebook platform for the first time. Instagram is forecast to grow to control over a third of the global social media market in 2023. Apart from social commerce, Instagram’s parent company’s Metaverse was the hot topic and trailblazer of 2021. In 2022, more brands will prepare for the next phase of the internet, include Metaverse in their marketing strategy and experiment with AR and VR. As we enter a new year and it brings a new set of challenges, different from the previous one, we speak to digital marketing experts, discuss the industry’s growth trajectory and look at what lies ahead. Here’s what experts had to say about digital marketing’s future in India: Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director, Zirca Digital Solutions: The dominant trend that seems imminent and set to grow is the cross media measurement. The customer connect is critical given the significant shift in consumption patterns. Understanding the impact of the mediums and planning connect basis that is an inevitability. This would require customer segmentation by cohorts, enablement of linking these cohorts between brand and publisher (any medium) and tracking response and measuring attribution using data integration at a CRM level. The entire system is data and tech driven supported by psychometric tools for the purpose of cohort creation and mapping. All in real time. Single source panel is the need of the hour. And there are multiple measurement organisations working together on this. More importantly it’s critical that a brand understands trading needs to be made more efficient by enabling customer segmentation in real time that can be activated using programmatic means, also in real time. The data pool and nodes will take some time to build as in any data led ML, and eventually it’s data science and creativity at work to engage prospects. Harshil Karia, Co-founder and Managing Director, Schbang: I think two big trends will dominate marketing: 1) More and more brands using a combination of technology to enrich what they do at last mile conversion, data management, and using the marketing data as signals to business and sales teams more effectively. Expect more martech being deployed. And expect more people to learn martech and it's capabilities and the ability to learn and unlearn the same. 2) The use of automation will start to affect creativity. One ad can be delivered in a 100 ways using video Ai and voice. One copy can be written in many ways customised to context. The writers to can work well with an Ai and make it their friend will do well. An Ai works as well as the instructional data it recieves. The factor that will help drive this is increased demands from CEOs to integrate the marketing function into large scale business processes and have the vision to see the value it can unlock - a push but also some patience. The automation allows marketing to now affect at scale far more parts of the organisation than they already have. Marketers and creators will do well to be curious and have a learn it all attitude while knowing and deepening their craft on copy and design." Prashant Puri, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, AdLift: We’re entering the organic first age where prioritizing organic search becomes paramount. We see content playing a vital role here, be it optimizing for voice search or improving user experience via engaging content across all brand touchpoint. We estimate influencer marketing spends to catapult to $150 to $225 in 2022 with brands doubling down on influencer led marketing campaigns across nano, micro and macro influencers - capturing 7 to 9% of overall digital marketing spends in India. Chandni Shah, Founder and COO, Kinnect: The one trend I see dominating 2022 is Social Commerce. The e-commerce industry experienced accelerated growth with the pandemic, and social commerce emerged as the 'flavour of the year'. Social media platforms too joined the bandwagon and introduced features and tools to enhance the consumer journey - from product discovery to purchasing them on/through the platform itself. Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 contributed significantly to the new era of online social retail. In 2020, Facebook introduced Instagram shops, integrating e-commerce and the world's most popular social media platform. In the Covid-19 pandemic, the worldwide social commerce market is anticipated to increase at a whopping <a href="https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5140143/social-commerce-global-market-trajectory-and?utm_source=GNOM&amp;utm_medium=PressRelease&amp;utm_code=rm7g2f&amp;utm_campaign=1434938+-+Global+Social+Commerce+Market+Worth+%24604.5+Billion+by+2027+-+COVID-19+Updated&amp;utm_exec=joca220prd" target="_blank">31.4</a>%. By 2021, social commerce will continue to expand as consumers stick to digital habits, whilst e-commerce and conventional retailers adjust to the post-Covid-19 reality. Combining e-commerce with social media can be highly valuable; it allows consumers to look for brands via social media platforms and search for products they wouldn't usually look for on an e-commerce website. Brand hunt, influencers, and mobile payments are examples of social commerce in action. Thanks to AI, marketers can now gather real-time data on consumers and transform it into actionable insights. The upcoming year will see more users turn into buyers and make purchases through social commerce. Brands that haven't explored the opportunity yet will be quick to jump onto this trend. To sum this up, the shorter the buyers' journey will be, the lesser chance of them abandoning products in their cart. Hareesh Tibrewala Joint CEO of Mirum India: Covid has taught us that every business, big or small, B2B or B2C, irrespective of the category -- needs to have a way of reaching out to the consumers online, be able to showcase ones products and services, collect payment and make delivery. We will see e-commerce driving investments in the area of technology, content creation and media. We will see continued expansion of market places as well as emergence of D2C brands. Within ecommerce we will see movement towards voice-based ordering as well as conversational commerce Harsh Shah, EVP, Business- North and West, Dentsu Webchutney: 2022 is going to be the year of alternate digital realities. Yes, the metaverse! That moment in time where our digital life seamlessly co-exists with our physical life. That year, where our virtual possessions are of as much worth as our real-life possessions. Bank accounts and crypto wallets. Art works and NFTs. One of the key outlooks for brands should be to see how they can use 2022 to prep themselves to be not only present in the metaverse but also for immersive storytelling. With growing interest in the concept and it being part of popular culture, will accelerate adoption. It will outgrow the internet in adoption. Also, with 5G hitting the market, it can act as a great platform to drive that initial burst of growth. Shradha Agarwal, COO and Strategy Head- Grapes: In my opinion, AI will play a crucial role in the digital marketing ecosphere. We have witnessed that from data collection to geo-fencing, AI has been helping businesses grow extensively. The technology comes with such a great combination that it has been used widely in certain aspects such as content creation, chatbots and search engines. Sectors like retail, e-commerce, banking, healthcare, gaming and others are already backed upon on artificial intelligence as it helps them recognize consumer behaviour, search patterns and it also helps businesses understand how customers find their products and services. In the coming time, we would see many others sectors trying their hands on the tool marketers want good sales and better ROI through their marketing strategy. Therefore, AI applications can predict what customers are likely to buy in the future based on their past purchases and browsing history. With this approach, it becomes easier for them to target their users. Also, AI use is becoming of utmost importance for those companies whose business depends on smartphones and drive sales through social media. Hence, AI as a market will grow exponentially. Raman Mittal, CMO and Co-Founder, TO THE NEW: I believe the dominant trend of 2022 will be Contextual Targeting. Contextual targeting isn’t something new, but for a while it was in the shadows because it’s performance was lower than Behavioral Targeting that used cookies. But in this cookie-less world, the modes of serving personalized ads to the audience have shrunk and marketers are moving back to contextual targeting. Whether it is category, keyword, or semantic contextual targeting, it will be exciting to see future developments in this arena. Mohit Gyanchandani, Head, media planning and growth, DCMN India: For several years, the marketing industry has witnessed an ongoing contest between performance and brand marketing in terms of budget, resources and impact. But in 2022, we predict that the old dichotomy between the two will become increasingly blurred. This is in part due to the impact of COVID on businesses. After a volatile 18 months, many organisations are re-evaluating their goals and moulding themselves to survive and thrive in this new economy. Above all, companies know that to succeed, they need to build brand salience. We’re already seeing that for many of our clients, it’s not simply about brand versus performance anymore: the two need to work in tandem. That means bringing both sides of marketing even closer together and building fully integrated, 360 degree campaigns that power growth and build brand recognition across online and offline channels. Marketers will also start looking at results more holistically. Instead of just looking at one specific channel and its impact on direct KPIs, they will look at results through a broader lens: for example, the impact that a TV campaign might have on digital channels like search or retargeting. This doesn’t mean that pure performance-driven campaigns are going away completely. The best approach for a brand will always depend on the company’s stage of growth and their overall marketing goals. But for companies looking to scale, taking a fully integrated approach will be key to achieving cut-through in an increasingly competitive industry." Ankur Gattani, VP - Growth and Marketing, WebEngage around MarTech: Majority of Indian organizations have been using a mix bag of first-party (1P) and third-party (3P) data for marketing and advertising. However, the usage and impact of 1P data are expected to amplify in 2022 in a big way. This trend will dominantly be driven by the legal framework that will prohibit the usage of 3P data and force the adoption for 1P. Organisations like Amazon and Netflix have spoilt the customers with their personalisation mechanisms. What this means is that customers expect personalisation from the websites and apps that they visit. Marketeers will have to make optimal use of data and analytics to bring that level of experience for their customers. Reports suggest that over 80% of marketeers see benefits in leveraging consumer data for marketing. At WebEngage, we work 100% on 1P customer data and we believe this trend will not only help our clients engage with consumers in a meaningful manner but also improve their business ROI. Shivani Kamdar - Associate Creative Director, SoCheers: 2020 &amp; 2021 showed us how content is still the centrepiece of every marketing communication and how brands went the extra mile to establish a better connection with their audience. The coming year is going to be no different, in fact "Localisation of Content" is the need of the hour. A marketing technique for product promotion leveraging the local culture of the target areas by studying their preference, likes, dislikes. The customer begins to relate with the content at a subconscious level which in turn not only helps aid their purchase decision but in the long run, also helps forge a better recall for the brand. One of the key factors that will help drive this trend home is ground research - an intense focus on understanding the consumer intent by renewing SEO efforts. The other is the medium of communication. Building the right story is not enough; finding the most compelling way to sell it will do just the right thing. Will that copy be more relatable as a video or will adding audio to this help enhance the user experience? Consumers are craving interactive, consumable, entertaining content be it on mobile or across social channels; question is, will you give it to them? Dia Kirpalani, VP, Head of Strategy, Blink Digital: As we move into 2022 and beyond, we believe that both marketers and consumers will increasingly seek a clearly demonstrable line to value. To achieve this, marketers will need to harness the ability of end-to-end measurement, with an eye on their north star metric. India is moving online more than ever. With everything from shoppable content on social media, to conversational commerce bringing India's smaller towns further into the fold, this measurement is progressively important to assess where and how to communicate. Meanwhile, consumers will seek value and authenticity from their brands. Brands that win consumers' hearts will meet consumers where they are with content that has real relevance, whether they access it through voice, video or vernacular. Brands will need to also provide consumers an exceedingly easy content consumption or shopping experience through hiccup-free, friendly interfaces. Importantly, content will also need to authentically reflect evolving consumer values, and this will help determine what brands should communicate. For brands looking to scale up further, this combination of multiple elements is what will ultimately drive value. Rahul Nanwani, Co-founder &amp; CEO of ImageKit: It is predicted that globally, 82% of consumer web traffic in 2022 would be from videos. With India’s video market set to touch $18 billion by 2026, it will soon play a dominant role in digital marketing as well. Short-form videos have already attracted the attention of many Indians and the market is predicted to reach 650 million users by 2025. Thus, if brands need to reach a wider audience in the coming year, they need to utilize tools that will maximize their outreach through videos. Video optimization and media management tools help improve internal collaboration for teams creating the videos and then ensure that those high-quality videos can load quickly on a user's device. With several advancements being made in this field, brands will be able to provide better customer experiences and ensure their messaging reaches them through videos.

Metaverse, social commerce and personalisation in a cookie-less world: Here’s how digital marketers are preparing for the future

<ul><li>Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are already being called before the Indian government ahead of general elections in the country. </li><li>But they may be in more hot water with a local think tank sending a letter to the Indian government to look into Facebook — and other tech companies — lobbying efforts.</li><li>This development comes after the Guardian revealed documents exposing Facebook’s “global lobbying operation.”</li></ul>Not only are social networking companies <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-twitter-questioned-by-indian-government-ahead-of-elections-2019/articleshow/68183865.cms">being questioned</a> by the Indian Parliamentary Committee to safeguard against the upcoming general elections in the country but it appears they may face pressure to be brought under the regulatory lens for lobbying as well. The Center for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) has <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/think-tank-asks-panel-to-probe-facebook-s-lobbying-practices-in-india-119030400982_1.html">filed a letter</a> with the Indian Parliament’s standing committee to look into the influence that social media networks have on the government. The letter signed by the former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue, KN Govindacharya, and CASC’s advocate states that a social media company’s financial statements may be called into question to estimate its turnover from India operations.”as well as the amount spent on lobbying to delay the data protection law”. This comes after The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/02/facebook-global-lobbying-campaign-against-data-privacy-laws-investment">revealed a report</a> about Facebook’s “secretive global lobbying operation” on Saturday — citing a list of countries that included India. Social networking companies versus India Facebook, Twitter Instagram and Whatsapp are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">already</a> under the Indian government’s scanner for deterring foreign influence or political bias on their platforms. Twitter was recently called into question for being biased against right wing Twitterati. Facebook’s track record is already in question due to the Cambridge Analytica <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/exclusive-eu-warns-that-facebooks-cambridge-analytica-crisis-is-the-tip-of-an-iceberg-of-data-scandals/articleshow/64270966.cms">scandal</a> and the role it played in the 2016 US Presidential election. Whatsapp, bought out by Facebook in 2014, is still <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-india-needs-from-whatsapp-might-not-be-so-easily-attainable/articleshow/65497255.cms">battling it out </a>over end-to-end encryption with the Indian government after forwarded messages — accused of spreading misinformation — caused a series of lynchings in the country. Instagram, also owned by Facebook, has managed to stay out of mainstream trouble so far but there have been <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/on-instagram-in-india-its-sex-for-sale/articleshow/67968645.cms">reports</a> of the platform turning into a safe haven for sexual solicitation. That may not be political influence or foreign manipulation, but it does call the social networking site’s screening into questions. The letter by the CASC questioned data localisation laws have not been implemented despite the numerous examples of data breaches. While Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey, didn’t show up for the Parliamentary meeting in front of the Indian government — he did sent Colin Crowell, Twitter’s Vice President and Global Policy Head. After the meeting, the company was issued a 10-day deadline to respond to the panel’s questions. Facebook is scheduled to appear before the same committee tomorrow but Mark Zuckerberg, the company CEO or Sheryl Sandberg, its COO will be able to make it to India. Instead, Joel Kaplan, Vice President and Head of Global Public Policy at Facebook, will be present at the meeting instead. Concerns have heightened since one of the memos disclosed by The Guardian exposed how Facebook encouraged Enda Kenny, the former Irish Prime Minister, to use his influence on the Data Protection Directive during Ireland’s presidency of the European Union — as it was a “threat to jobs, innovation and economic growth in Europe.” The Indian government hasn’t issued a response yet but it appears social networking sites may face pressure to be brought under the regulatory lens for lobbying as well. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-twitter-questioned-by-indian-government-ahead-of-elections-2019/articleshow/68183865.cms">After Twitter, Facebook will face questions from the Indian Parliament</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">Here's how global tech giants are tackling 'fake news' ahead of elections in the world's largest democracy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-india-users-behind-growth-despite-hacking-data-breaches/articleshow/67770559.cms">Indians can't get enough of Facebook despite all controversies</a>

Social networking sites may have more to answer for ahead of the elections in India

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MuzmatchShahzad Younas and Ryan Brodie of Muzmatch.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Muzmatch is the first global matchmaking app for Muslims.</li><li>It was founded by 34-year-old Shahzad Younas, a former Morgan Stanley banker, and 25-year-old iOS engineer Ryan Brodie.</li><li>The app says it is close to hitting one million users, and claims 200,000 people have got married after meeting on Muzmatch.</li><li>Younas and Brodie told Business Insider they have declined attractive aquisition offers as they aim to become "the biggest app for Muslims worldwide."</li></ul>With pun-filled taglines like "Halal, is it me you're looking for?" and "You had me at halal," <a href="https://muzmatch.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2qiyzJXh3wIVgrTtCh3HoQmuEAAYASAAEgJNy_D_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Muzmatch</a> may seem like just another quirky dating app - but there's much more to it than that.Muzmatch is targeted at finding marriage partners for Muslims around the world - and it claims to be close to hitting one million users globally.Operating in nearly every country (though it's most popular in the UK, US, and Canada), the location-based app shows users the most relevant people near them based on a "sophisticated algorithm" which considers a number of different factors based on the information they provide in their profiles.Muzmatch was the brainchild of 34-year-old Shahzad Younas, a former Morgan Stanley banker who told Business Insider he left his job in June 2014 to learn how to build apps after he had the idea for the company."I thought, 'Why is nobody doing an app for the Muslim market?'" he told Business Insider. "We didn't have anything, we were still on websites."As a Muslim himself, he said he understood "the market, the audience, and the problem" - something other companies had a lack of expertise in."For Muslims, marriage is such a big part of your life," he explained. "We don't really date, we marry."He added that the Muslim market was generally "at least five years behind the mainstream market and dating apps" with mainly web-focused platforms - so he decided to make Muzmatch mobile-only.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/onda-app-private-members-clubs-luca-del-bono-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This new app gives access to hundreds of private members' clubs around the world for $120 a month</a>In April 2015, initially using nearly $200,000 of his own savings from his nine-year banking career, he launched the first version of the app from home, and grew it to 50,000 users around the world in less than a year."They just heard about it going to mosques, hanging out, literally spreading the word by any means," he said. "I thought, 'There's clearly a demand here,' but it was just me doing all of it."Luckily, he came across iOS engineer Ryan Brodie, 22 at the time and now 25, on LinkedIn in April 2016."He's kind of like me, an engineer, can code, and had some startups himself, so it was perfect," Younas said. "We literally had a three-hour phone call where we ripped the whole thing apart... and then Ryan wanted to come on board."Brodie, who had successfully started and sold two companies in the events and consumer tech space, said even as a non-Muslim he immediately saw the opportunity for Muzmatch - and it was an added bonus that both men knew how to build and improve apps.Starting from scratch, the pair revamped and relaunched the company in August 2016. By halfway through 2018, they had 500,000 registered users."Even in 2019 it's very hard and expensive to build an app, but the unique thing we had is, while we might not have had a huge amount of money at the time, we knew how to make the product," Brodie told Business Insider.<h2>Blurred photos, nicknames, and chaperones</h2>It's free to sign up on Muzmatch, initially using just your date of birth and gender. You can then start swiping through people near you.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MuzmatchMuzmatch.</div></div></div>"To get initial users on board, we appreciate they might not want to fill out 30 different fields," Brodie said, adding that once you make your first match, you're then asked to give more information for your profile, such as your sect and ethnicity.One profile, for example, might state: "Modest dress, sometimes prays."When users get a match, they get a prompt to get a conversation going.They can also choose to go "premium" for £20 a month in return for extra features, such as unlimited swipes (there's a daily cap for free users), more advanced search filters and preferences, the ability to reset or change past swipes, and being at the front of the queue for users aroung you.It might sound straightforward, but there are a number of things that make Muzmatch different than its competitors.Firstly, users have the option of blurring their photos or using a nickname."If [you choose to do this and] you match someone, they still can't see your photos [or name], and it's up to you when you reveal them," Brodie said.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-eligible-singles-in-london-happn-dating-app-2017-4?r=UK&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">These are the 18 most-wanted singles in London, according to the dating app Happn</a>Younas added that after profile signup, the app also prompts users to "keep things Halal.""For us, it's a lighthearted way to remind users of what's expected, he said. "We're not a casual app, it's not a photo 'yes, no.' There's so much more to it."The whole point of our app is we want serious people looking for marriage, serious about a relationship, so people invest a lot of time and energy into the whole process."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MuzmatchMuzmatch.</div></div></div>The duo added that this type of "oath" is starting to be introduced to other mainsteam apps, like OK Cupid.Muzmatch also claims to be the only one in the world with a chaperone feature, which allows a friend or relative to be present in a chat."There's an Islamic principle where when a guy and a girl are getting to know eachother there should be a third party present," Younas explained. "For [some users] it's important - if it didn't have that feature, they wouldn't use it."Brodie added that a dedicated team manually approve each profile to confirm users are who they say they are, and users also have the option to provide "positive feedback" on another user after they match and have a conversation, with enough positive praise resulting in profile badges."We want users to feel comfortable, but equally we need people to feel that, actually, this is a more serious place, it's not just for messing around," Brodie added.<h2>"Halal, is it me you're looking for?"</h2>This is a message that's clear not only on the app, but also through Muzmatch's marketing campaigns.In October 2018, it launched ads on the London underground with catchy phrases like "Halal, is it me you're looking for?"It launched a second campaign in January with similarly tongue-in-cheek taglines.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MuzmatchThe latest campaign from Muzmatch.</div></div></div>Younas said the company wanted to put out a positive message that was also humorous."It's a side that, especially for the Muslim segment, doesn't get portrayed that often," he said. "Sadly it's nearly always negative. [We wanted] to do things a bit differently, freshen things up a bit."He added that the reaction to the ads has been "overwhelmingly positive," with plenty of attention on Twitter and Instagram."Obviously there were a few EDL [English Defense League, a far-right, Islamophobic organisation] types who basically don't like any sort of Muslim reference," he added. "We had a bit of that, but that was 1% of the feedback we had."<h2>Support from Silicon Valley</h2>And the strategy certainly seems to be paying off.In the summer of 2017, Muzmatch was accepted into Silicon Valley-based accelerator Y Combinator, who have backed the likes of Airbnb, Dropbox, and Reddit and provide a network of resources and support for startups - as well as investment."They invest $120,000 for 7% of the company," Younas explained. "13,000 companies apply, 800 are flown out to San Francisco for an interview, and 100 are accepted. It's harder to get into than Harvard."He added that Muzmatch was the first Muslim-centric startup to ever be backed by Y Combinator.Also in summer 2017, the duo <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/muzmatch#section-overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised just under $2 million in seed investment.</a>They confirmed to Business Insider that they've even turned down attractive acquisition offers because they believe in the future of the business.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Sky NewsBrodie and Younas on Sky News, October 2018.</div></div></div>Part of this is because the duo believe they have a sustainable business model."People doubted we could monetise this market at all, but the model we have works," Brodie said.Younas added: "Even though most users don't end up upgrading, because of the scale we're at, the people who do more than cover our costs and make sure we can invest in the platform."<h2>'Muslims don't date'</h2>However, he also believes the interest in Muzmatch is due to the fact no other company has been able to cater to this market before."Probably more so with other faiths, people are more open to marrying outside of the faith, but generally for Muslims people stick to their faith," he said."You've got things like JSwipe for Jewish people, Christian Mingle for Christians, but for [Muslims] we have to remember that generally people don't date. They use the app to find someone to have a few initial chats with and have coffee a couple of times, and then they get the family involved."He added traditionally, Muslim parents would call women called "aunties" who would charge thousands to match up their son or daughter with someone in the community. However, now young Muslims are meeting people and having conversations themselves."In places like India [the aunties] take a percentage of the wedding, so it's crazy, they make a lot of money. [We have made] it so much more affordable for people, and [are] empowering the person doing the search. Nobody knows apart from them the kind of person they'll get on with."He added: "People are getting younger and younger when they're finding Muzmatch. They're getting the experience of meeting people, talking to people, having that social interaction."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MuzmatchShahzad Younas and Ryan Brodie of Muzmatch.</div></div></div><h2>Reaching the world's 1.8 billion Muslims</h2>Now, Younas and Brodie are cofounders in the business, which they're looking to grow right away with at least 10 new hires."We've grown to the stage where we're going to hit one million members very soon, mostly by word of mouth," Younas said, adding that the company is growing even faster than digital mobile-only bank Monzo, which reports to have 20,000 new sign-ups a week."Now we're looking at how do we get to five million, 10, 20? For us, there are 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. We reckon 300 to 400 million of those are single and eligible in terms of our app - that's a massive user base."In order to do that, the company has recently conducted a project localising the app in different places around the world. It's now live in 14 different languages, including Arabic and Turkish."The core mission is to be the biggest app for Muslims worldwide," Brodie added. "We want to be a standout brand for Muslims around the world."Younas added that so far, the company knows of 20,000 people who have got married after meeting on Muzmatch."We have something called Wedding Bell, where every time someone leaves the app it sends us a Slack alert with the comment they put in [about why they left]. People who met on Muzmatch say [things like] 'thank you, Muzmatch' and 'met someone, got married.' It's nonstop. We get about 100 a day."The company also regularly features "success stories" on <a href="https://muzmatch.com/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its blog.</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MuzmatchRasheed (left) and Ayah (right) are just one of many couples who have met on Muzmatch and shared their story with the company.</div></div></div><h2>'Our users aren't on Tinder and the other apps'</h2>For those still not convinced the likes of Muzmatch can compete with giants like Tinder, Bumble, and Happn, Younas said: "The key thing with Muzmatch is we're not a Tinder competitor."Our users aren't on Tinder and the other apps - they don't serve their need. From the off, this is not a hookup app. The Muslims who do want to hook up aren't essentially our customers."However, since starting the app, Younas believes he's already seen a shift in how Muslims are approaching dating."Three generations ago, your parents would decide who your partner was going to be and that would be that, you'd go along with it," he said. "With the second generation, your parents would still be involved, talk to the families, but they'd show you people and you'd meet them and both have the decision."Now, we have parents coming to us saying 'We don't know anyone, families aren't as connected as they used to be, can you help us find someone for our son or daughter?' and we say 'no - get them to sign up.' In a sense, the son or daughter are now saying 'I want to find someone on my own terms.'"Attitudes are changing so quickly. Through technology, this is how people are finding partners." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marie-kondo-on-organizing-your-home-2016-1">Japanese lifestyle guru Marie Kondo explains how to organize your home once and never again</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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