Problem of plenty & privacy. Ad Clutter 

I work in digital media industry. My job is to sell digital media space.  More the ads and faster the industry grows, happier I am as a professional. Infact, that was was the introductory post on the blog. Link here 

However, as a user having to witness these ads (Read - these ads in plenty) is not a healthy experience!

Any given day, before landing on to the content page, I have to cruise through the Homepage takeovers

Once, I land on to the content page, there is no content to be seen!

Still, I take the effort to read the content and find the content relevant for me, promoted content (thanks to native advertising) is thrown at me. Native Ads have started to bother me already.

Not to forget that to scan through the content that I chose to read (after hunting for the content literally) is, at times, available on the slideshow format. I need to click on different slides to read the story completely. Such rat race to get more page views and hence more ad impressions that the user experience is lost.

Well, the story doesn't end here. And neither do the ads!

Look at the image 2 again. Resurgent Rajasthan on bottom right hand side of the screen grab is another marketing initiative that is pushed as a content to me. Scroll down the site further and you see more of similar promoted content.

Remember this is just the start of the endless pain. All the above images are taken from their home page. Imagine the pain and trouble one has to go through if she/he intends to spend half an hour reading up content online!

And this is just one site. 

I remember as an exercise to talk sense with one of my clients that was in condom and energy booster space, I was reading up about the industry, competition, user behaviour before the scheduled meeting. All the condom and energy booster brands stalked (read- retargeted) me online - on almost all the sites I was visiting including my mail boxes.  

Clearly, the cookies got stored. browsing history captured and my activities online became a part of the data dump. And I couldn't stop whining till the re-targeted ads stopped stalking me. 

Interesting 'Chatting apps' that you might get excited about!

In the clutter of chat, dating, networking apps, did you know many more niche apps exist? Each solving a different need:) Well, yeah! Read on.

1) Pooductive  - Did you know there is an app that let's you chat with the fellow poopers? Look up an app called Pooductive if you wish to chat with people who are on the toilet at the same time as you are - your friends or strangers, locally or globally. Yes you can maintain your anonymity and share tyour crazy thoughts and ideas with the world while pooping


2) Wakie - Alarm clock is old fashioned, try strangers' services instead to wake you up! Download  an app called Wakie and register yourself as either 'sleepy' (if you want to be woken up) or 'wakie' (if you want to do the waking up) without the fear of sharing your personal details with strangers as the calls are made anonymously. Site's automated roboto will act as a wakie for you in case no real wakie is available at the time you want to be woken up. Each randomly-assigned phone call lasts around 60 seconds, and content can range from a wake-up song to poems, music or simple conversation.




3) Honest -  Honest lets you post questions that you're too embarassed to ask your folks. Other users can weigh in their advice and guide you to handle your issues without having any prejudices or biasedness becaise of your caste, race, age or gender. Anonymity is promised. Created with an aim to help free flow of honest advice, this app lets people be open & truthful to help each other

Key Numbers - Indian Digital Industry

I work in the digital media industry and the fact that each number I am going to write below is growing by leaps and bounds gives me the confidence that I am in the right space. That is, this is where all the action is.


Internet Users

a)India's population - 1.285bn
b)Internet Users in India - 350 mn as on June'15 (Projected to reach 500mn by 2018, surpass TV in 5-10 years)
c) Internet penetration in India - b) divided by a) = approximately 27% (Low and has potential to grow)


Mobile Internet Users

d)Mobile Internet Users - 213 mn as on June'15 (Potential to cross 300mn by 2017)
e) Mobile Internet Users (Urban Areas) - 160mn
f) Mobile Internet Users (Rural Areas) - 53mn (growing @ 33%)
g) Mobile Internet Penetration - d) divided by a) = approximately 16.5%
h) Using internet on Mobile = d) divided by b) = 61%

Mobile Smartphone Market
Smartphone Users - 122mn (Projected to reach 369 mn by 2018)



Ad spends (India)

h)Total Ad spends = INR 34600 crores
i)Total Digital Ad spends = INR 3575 crores (March 2015)
j)Digital's share in total pie = Approximately 10% (projected to reach 16% by 2018. That is, future is bright since both the Total ad spend pie size and share of digital in this growing pie is increasing)


Global Standing in terms of Internet users

Total Internet Users across the world  -3bn. 43% of this world's total internet users is represented by top 3 nations.
1) China  leads with 668mn internet users, 86% use internet on mobile in China vs 61% using  internet on mobile in India. (61% taken from point h))
2) India, recently surpassed USA and stands at 350 mn as on June'15. Internet penetration is still low. Potential is huge
3) USA currently stands at 279mn

*Sources- IAMAI Reports, comscore reports.