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Facebook recognises Isobar as preferred marketing developer in India
MUMBAI: Aegis Media’s full service digital agency Isobar India has been accepted by Facebook for its new global Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD) Programme.
Isobar has been selected along with three other markets in Asia Pacific. Isobar India, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan have all been recognised for their ongoing creation of ‘innovative’ solutions and apps for brands across the Facebook platform, the agency said.
Facebook has separated developer service providers into four possible badge qualifications: Pages, Ads, Apps, and Insights. The programme recognises companies who have built on the Facebook Platform since its launch, and those who are adept at understanding platform policy and development tools, and who have a long track record of providing Facebook-centric services to brands.
Isobar India Shamsuddin Jasani said, “We’re proud to have been accepted as a Facebook Preferred Developer and see it as recognition of the great work we’ve produced for our clients. Social media is central to our full-service offering, so we look forward to working more closely with Facebook to deliver even better solutions for our clients.”
Isobar has also been recognised as a Facebook preferred marketing developer in six other markets worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Norway and the United States.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
