iWorld
Google readying ‘Mobile Meter’ app that offers rewards for tracking mobile usage
MUMBAI: Google wants to dig a little deeper and monitor a user’s app usage as well. Reports reveal that the company is readying new mobile apps that compensate users if they allow their mobile behavior to be monitored. The project, known internally as “Mobile Meter,” utilises iOS and Android apps that intelligently monitor app usage and web browsing habits and send the data back to Google.
According to rumors doing rounds the Mobile Meter program will be totally voluntary. Participants will be required to give their consent (or opt in) before joining. Google isn’t the first to reward users to gather mobile trends either: Nielsen has been conducting research into mobile trends with an Android app.
Google already passively collects data to improve its apps and resources. The Google Maps app, for instance, regularly feeds back location metrics to enhance the service. The app will presumably enable the company to evaluate the different habits of Android and iOS users, gaining an important insight into Apple’s ecosystem. Talks are that Google will organise all of the information it collects to ensure the privacy of its panelists.
Google has confirmed development of the new apps, which it says are part of its Screenwise market research project that began rolling out last year. The Mobile Meter apps will replace an older method that allowed panelists to participate, helping Google measure media consumption across all screens but with more accurate results on mobile. Both the Android and iOS apps will be submitted to their relevant app stores in the near future, although only panelists will be able to actually use them. The company notes that while there isn’t an open call for volunteers right now, it recruits for panels on an ongoing basis and compensation varies based on the panels people participate in.
iWorld
Print perfect OTTplay bowls a culture driven campaign
From penguins to passion the brand turns India Pakistan into print powered moment marketing.
MUMBAI: When cricket fever meets front-page ink, sparks are bound to fly. And as the latest India–Pakistan clash gripped the nation, OTTplay decided not just to ride the wave but to print it in bold.
In a move that blends real-time agility with old-school authority, OTTplay rolled out a specially curated print campaign amplified by the century-old legacy of the Hindustan Times network. The strategy is simple but sharp: take the speed of pop culture, anchor it in the credibility of print, and make a sporting spectacle feel even larger than life.
The campaign kicked off during the T20 build-up with a creative inspired by the viral “Penguin” moment that flooded social media timelines. Instead of letting the meme melt away, OTTplay spun it into a witty cricket hook, tying internet chatter directly to the anticipation around the high-voltage fixture. It was playful, timely and unmistakably plugged into the cultural pulse.
Then came the dramatic “U-turn” in the narrative around the India–Pakistan match. OTTplay responded in near real time, crafting a clever print execution that mirrored the emotional swing fans experienced. In doing so, the brand demonstrated that even a medium often seen as static can move at the speed of culture when the thinking is sharp enough.
With Valentine’s Day in sight, the narrative pivoted once again. This time, OTTplay reframed the rivalry through the lens of love and passion, turning cricket’s most intense contest into a metaphor for romance, intensity and emotional investment. The result is a campaign that speaks not only to die-hard cricket followers but to anyone who understands that some rivalries are just another form of love.
OTTplay co-founder and CEO Avinash Mudaliar summed it up succinctly, saying that the India–Pakistan match “isn’t just a game, it’s an emotion,” and that the campaign is about tapping into that emotion in real time. By leveraging the reach and trust of Hindustan Times, he noted, OTTplay has brought moment marketing into a space often perceived as static, turning print into a high-impact storytelling vehicle that marries credibility with cultural immediacy.
The medium choice is as telling as the message. In an era dominated by scrolls and swipes, OTTplay’s use of a 100-year-old print platform signals a deliberate blend of tradition and trend. The creatives are not just ads; they are front-page conversations, designed to stop readers mid-sip and mid-scroll.
As anticipation builds around the marquee showdown, OTTplay’s message is clear: don’t just watch the moment unfold, stream it. As India’s leading OTT aggregator, the platform offers access to more than 30 OTT services, including JioHotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Lionsgate Play and Aha, positioning itself as the gateway to the big game and the bigger story around it.
In a season where every ball counts and every headline matters, OTTplay has managed to do both bowl fast in culture and land squarely on the front page.
