Webdunia increases mass penetration with 5 more languages

Webdunia, which has been available in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil so far, has added Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada and Punjabi to its language portfolio. The news portal plans to make the Internet even more user-friendly for those who are comfortable in their own mother tongues.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Jun 25, 2007 11:27 AM  | 4 min read
Webdunia increases mass penetration with 5 more languages

In 1999, Webdunia was the first Hindi portal in the world, and by the end of 2000 the portal was available in four languages – Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil. The portal has now been revamped and since June 4, it is additionally available in Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada and Punjabi.

Speaking about the achievements of the portal, Jaideep Karnik, Head-Content and Localisation, Webdunia, said, “During the seven years, from 2000 to 2007, we were working on localising our content. With the use of Unicode we have been able to offer nine languages, and thus have a better penetration among the masses.”

Karnik, who has been associated with Webdunia since its inception, explains how the biggest challenge was about language. “We realised that people in smaller towns and villages had access to Internet, but were not able to use it satisfactorily and to its optimum because it was in English. Only a small percentage of people can read, write and are comfortable with English. A vast majority of Indians prefer their own mother tongues.” Interestingly, Microsoft had already encoded 30 languages by the time they started work for Hindi language in 2000.

Karnik is of the view that although Webdunia has taken a quantum leap in making the Internet user-friendly for those who are comfortable in languages other than English, there is still a lot to be done in the Internet domain in India for language users.

Webdunia’s channels like those on Bollywood, lifestyle, religion, science, IT, career, astrology, literature, etc, have made a significant presence among its users. Live cricket commentary, tickers and Webdunia poll are some of the other highlights of the portal.

The news content on each of the language sites is made to be specific to the area in which that particular language is prominent. Thereby, localisation takes place for every region, according to the language. Karnik further said that NRIs, who had become loyalists, now did the work of stringers in contributing any relevant news to the portal.

When asked about the idea of convergence in media, Karnik replied, “We have also integrated mobile and the Internet. We have a shortcode of 3434, whereby various kinds of information can be availed on mobile phones. But the problems surface when the handsets are not language compliant. Only the Nokia N-series is able to facilitate varied language usage, and only some service providers are able to provide the content. But then again, our core target audience is in the tier II and III towns of India. So there is a definite disconnect in the economies that govern such new technological developments.”

“The other areas that we are hoping to make key developments in are blogs and e-cards, as well as improving the features, in terms of technology. Blogs are available in very few languages and we want more people to have access to them and contribute to them. Similarly, we have seen that the NRI community loves to receive cards in their own languages. The essence of being in touch with the roots is what we want to tap, and e-cards in varied languages is what we want to develop, which would have regional and cultural flavours,” Karnik elaborated.

“When we had just four languages, we received 65 million page views per month. When we revamped the site to incorporate additional five languages on June 4, we got a tremendous response. We have received feedback from our users that although they are not savvy with English, they are hooked onto the Internet because of us. This indeed is a great compliment and reinforcement that our efforts are being appreciated,” said Karnik.

He further said that the vision of Webdunia for the next five to 10 years was to improve the technical features and content. “We hope to expand to other Indian languages and offer all those features that other English portals provide as also make our content more localised.”

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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

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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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'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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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 by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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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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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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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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