How ACT Fibernet committed a brand suicide!

December seems to have become a month that is jinxed to the Chennai city but no matter what the people of Chennai has always emerged out as brave survivors. The cyclone nicknamed Vardha was a big blow to the city’s infrastructure, especially to the telecom & broadcast networks. The storm destroyed most of the telecom network irrespective of the brands, while some of them were steadily prepared for such a calamity, most managed to recover in a day or two after learning a lesson; most but one arrogant brand that crossed the limits of all arrogance - ACT Fibernet. The move to disconnect all customer support lines both on call & sms was a brand suicidal. To make the matter worst they foolishly send out false commitments on emails & SMS assuring customers an ERT (Expected Repair Time) of 24 - 48 hours regularly. Ofcourse most of the consumers still crying foul after 11 days since the unfortunate storm. This whole episode showcases 2 major learnings - ACT Fibernet failed in a clear disaster management planning - They were so foolish & naive no to be prepared for such an eventuality which definitely accounted for their loss in the form of infrastructure damage but also costed their commercial subscribers some serious business damages with no internet connectivity. ACT Fibernet committed a Brand Suicidal by cutting off customer service lines - Yes! as the complaint flow started to grow steadily as the storm subsided they were arrogant enough to disconnect all the communication lines & let their subscribers cry foul on over the internet & social media networks.   During a crisis like this, a...

Digital media to tap 27% of $538 bn global ad spending: report

The spend on digital media is set to grow on account of greater use of mobile, social media and online video, a new report said Carat, a global media network which is part of media and digital media marketing communication firm Dentsu Aegis Network, said in the report that digital media is expected to account for 27% of the total advertising spending in 2016 and is likely to touch 29.3% in 2017. The markets where digital media has become the primary medium for ad spend too is growing. The new entrants to the list of 12 markets are Hong Kong and Estonia. The US, Germany, Taiwan and Austria are predicted to join this list in 2018. “The strength of digital media continues to be the dominant element in the growth of the global advertising expenditure whilst TV spend remains as the foundations of our industry. As advertising becomes more data-driven and complex, it’s crucial to move rapidly to navigate and meet the needs of the digital economy and this is reflected in the innovative capabilities and approach we provide to our clients,” said Jerry Buhlmann, chief executive of Dentsu Aegis Network. Growth prospects for the Indian advertising market will continue to remain high due to the India T20 Cricket World Cup and the state elections, with estimated growth of 12.0% in 2016 and 13.9% growth in 2017, the report said. Unlike other BRIC markets such as Brazil, Russia and China, advertising expenditure in India continues to accelerate. Television advertising revenues are expected to grow by 12.3% in 2016, supported by strong spending from e-commerce companies and consumer product brands....

Facebook’s Just Announced New Tools - What it means to you?

While some companies are already taking advantage of the latest features rolled out this week at Facebook’s annual developer conference F8, they won’t necessarily be game changing for most entrepreneurs. One new tool, Bots for Messenger, promises to provide users automated subscription content, everything from weather updates to parcel tracking. Ecommerce platform Shopify announced this week that it will already be incorporating the new feature, working with Facebook to offer live customer service, automatic order confirmations and shipping updates all within Messenger. Shopify’s senior product manager Brandon Chu said of the move in a statement: “Our decision to integrate with Messenger and build commerce bots is designed to help merchants develop deeper relationships with their customers and give them an opportunity to reinforce their brand’s personality.” While there is something to be said for wanting to utilize these features to develop closer ties with customers, author and investor Carol Roth says that there might be some bugs to work out before they can truly be effective. “While it has a lot of interesting potential, I do think one of the big assets and differentiating factors for small business is their ability to personalize their interactions with customers, so I would suggest using this new feature with caution,” she told. “I also imagine that these bots will have issues in the beginning, so perhaps waiting before jumping on this new feature might be warranted.” Another new feature that Facebook is touting is the Facebook Live API that will allow content publishers and developers to build out their own live broadcasting experiences. Recently, Facebook Live made headlines with aBuzzfeed livestream that...

Digital media industry to touch Rs. 200-b by 2020: E&Y

The digital media industry in India has arrived. E&Y, the global consultancy major, has forecast that the industry would set to touch the Rs. 200-billion mark by 2020, with the digital advertisement spend growing at 23-28 per cent. The number of smartphones would touch the 520-million mark by then, giving people access to the web. “By 2017, the country will have more than 350 million smartphones from 167 million in 2015. Low-cost phones and roll out of 3G and 4G broadband infrastructure would drive access to the web. This, in turn, would drive digital media consumption,” E&Y has said in its latest report Future of Digital Content Consumption in India. The Report was released here on Tuesday at the FICCI’s Media and Entertainment Business Conclave. The report has identified eight major trends in the digital media industry that are going to accelerate the growth. The trends include proliferation of smartphones, content, consumption by people in rural areas, digital gaming and regional e-celebrities. The report, however, asked the media and entertainment companies to do much more than just reacting to the trends. “They need to be able to see emerging trends that will dictate the future of content and how they will impact established business models for ad-supported, subscription and pay-per-use content monetisation,” it said. The companies and other stakeholders must develop much richer relationships with audiences. They will have to invest in technologies that will enable them to analyse audience data. Broadband penetration E&Y has said there would be a significant increase in broadband penetration. “It will go up to 40 per cent from 14 per cent. This will...

Facebook’s free Internet app banned by India’s new net neutrality rule

Facebook’s attempt to provide free access to a selection of websites in developing countries was dealt a blow today when India’s telecom regulator banned arrangements that charge different amounts for access to different parts of the Internet. The move effectively prevents “zero-rating” schemes in which certain Web services count against data caps while others do not. Facebook is partnering with mobile operators in various countries to offer “Free Basics,” saying that the app provides “access to basic websites for free—like news, job postings, health and education information, and communication tools like Facebook.” Any developer can try to get a website included, but Facebook imposes restrictions, including one that prevents high-bandwidth services like VoIP, video, and file transfers. In addition to Facebook, Free Basics includes AccuWeather, BBC News, Dictionary.com, ESPN, and other sites. Critics say Free Basics violates net neutrality principles by prioritizing certain content, making it less likely that people will use websites not included in the app. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had temporarily banned Free Basics and today followed up with a new rule that prevents service providers from charging “discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content.” A discriminatory tariff under this rule includes free data applied only to certain websites. The rule applies to telecom operators rather than Facebook, but it would prevent Facebook from partnering with mobile operators to offer apps that don’t count against mobile data caps. Operators who violate the rule can be fined. One exception to the rule allows free access to emergency services. Because most residents of India are not yet connected to the Internet, mobile operators should not be allowed to “shape the users’ Internet...