Ringing in the mobile convergence era
From a device to make and receive calls, mobile phones today have metamorphosed into the Dashavatars of convergence. exchange4media takes a look at how the mobile phone has evolved over time and what opportunities it provides to advertisers and marketers.

Mobile handsets have not only metamorphosed from the huge briefcase size devices of the 1980s to the ultra slim avatars, but have also moved beyond being mere devices to make and receive calls. With more and more features and technologies being added mobile handsets are on the way to be a single device serving the purpose of a phone, camera, MP3 player, GPS, game console, television and a lot more.
India has been the largest emerging mobile handset market in the last one year, surpassing China, and these ‘super gadgets’, called ‘converged mobile devices’, have already made inroads in the Indian market.
The Dream of Mobile Utopia
In 2007, the converged device market grew to 120 million units and this year, it is likely to cross 180 million units. 2007 also witnessed the emergence of music as a key driver across youth and young adults as a result of which we saw an influx of music and radio enabled handsets. But today, mobile phones have added more features and navigation is one of them. Navigation is not only an emerging feature in high-end phones, but also lends snob value to the phone.
Considering the fact that India has over 260 million mobile subscribers and just a little over 31 million PCs, mobile handsets will soon replace the personal computer. As per industry estimates, more than 20 per cent of Indian mobile phone subscribers use their mobile phones to access the Internet.
The Players
Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola are the frontrunners, along with a plethora of players like Samsung, LG and many more streaming all over the mobile handset market. Nokia, over the years, has been tasting success with its focused product range, competitive pricing and good distribution network. Sony’s brand identity of high memory phones and phones with unique imaging solutions has been built with aggressive advertising and marketing strategy, while Motorola has focused on building an Indian appeal and a strong Indian connection with products targeting the youth. Right from opening up experience stores to branded retail shops, handset makers are leaving no stone unturned.
Youths have been the main target for the converged mobile phones. Handset makers have been redefining ways to crack the youth segment, which is also the primary target for the replacement market as young people have a tendency to change their handsets often. This has seen companies launching new set of products every six months.
The Flip Side
However, multi-utility device users have been facing problems related to battery life and handsets getting hung frequently while working on multiple applications. As a result, often the most basic utility of making voice calls doesn’t get served. However, the high end features with the added fancy value of owning the slimmest handset often suppress such inconsequential problems, with users considering them as the flip side of technology.
The ‘2.0’ buzzword
In the last five years, Web 2.0 has been flourishing and millions are actively participating in and creating blogs, Vlogs, podcasts, and shared spaces. Mass multiplayer online role playing games are spreading fast. In India, Orkut, Facebook, YouTube and Myspace have caught on in a big way. In anticipation of 3G and the soon to be launched iPhone, we are at the threshold of the convergence of the Internet, IT communication and media, which will open up the well positioned categories of target audience for the marketers.
As Indians access the Internet more on their mobile phones and less on their laptops, more and more marketers will target them through their mobiles. Thus, the potential for reaching out to consumers through marketing on mobile devices is huge. Mobility will give marketers the ability to target one consumer at a time, while also targeting millions as a media vehicle. So, here begins the role of Marketing 2.0.
Marketing 2.0 includes everything – from viral marketing, contextual advertising to mobile marketing, blogs, RSS feeds to email marketing, search engine marketing (SEM /SEO), advergaming to rich media, and broadband content. Mobile marketing or mobile advertising is already seeing promising times ahead.
Convergent players like Mauj and contest2win are some of the leading M-VAS companies in India. The M-VAS module will be transforming the mobile phone into a more informational and transactional device. The Indian music industry and Bollywood has already started tapping the vast business potential of M-VAS. ‘Om Shanti Om’ was the first Bollywood movie to release its fully downloadable music on mobile handsets and digital media (including iTunes) across 23 countries.
Mobile as an aspirational tool projects the personality of an individual tremendously. With the unique strengths of immediacy and personal engagement, it is definitely redy to tap the huge potential for mobile advertising.
In countries like South Korea, Japan, and Norway, mobile phones have already replaced credit cards and door keys. In India, it is yet to manifest itself in such avatars. But then, are these the times of Dashavatar!
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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