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Linkedin is the most preferred channel on social media for Indians
MUMBAI: While most Indian companies (82 per cent) have registered a presence on at least one of the four social media channels that were surveyed, the activity is largely focused around consumer communication for their products and services.
Linkedin seems to be the most preferred channel on social media with 72 per cent of the companies surveyed having a dedicated page on Linkedin.
As part of its foray in the digital media business, Ketchum Sampark has done a study of 200 Indian corporates and nearly 150 brands in the Indian marketplace to track their digital footprint as well as user engagements. The study covers corporates from across 20 different industries including aviation, BFSI, consulting, Diversified Large Indian Corporates, Healthcare and Pharmaceutical, oil and energy, Software Services and FMCG. The brands covered in the survey are from across 14 categories including apparel, automobile, media and entertainment, personal care and retail.
Though Facebook is the largest social media platform in India with over 38 million followers, it lags behind LinkedIn with only 55 per cent of Indian corporates registering a presence on it. Using video and multimedia to create engagement with consumers, investors, potential employees and other audiences is still not an avenue explored by Indian corporates with barely 6 per cent being very active on YouTube.
More than 50 per cent of corporates despite opening up a channel or registering a page on social media are Inactive. Some Inactive corporates also tend to use the presence on a channel opportunistically during launches and other significant company initiatives.
The agency feels that with the explosion in social media users this will change in 2012. Out of the 150 brands surveyed, 23 per cent did not have any presence on social media platforms while 30 per cent had a presence on only one channel. Only 22 per cent of brands were present on all three social media platforms.
Unlike corporates, Facebook is the clear favourite for brands with 75 per cent of these brands registering a presence on it. YouTube and Twitter followed with 42 per cent and 28 per cent respectively. Also 79 per cent of brands with a presence on Twitter were Very Active / Active on the platform as compared to 69 per cent on YouTube and 63 per cent on Facebook.
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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.
