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Using social media is different from doing an online campaign
MUMBAI: Companies that advertise online should remember that there is a difference between using social media effectively and simply running an online campaign. The latter is temporary while the former is a 365-day 24-hour activity.
Companies also need to delegate more manpower and money to have a more evolved social media strategy.
This point was made at a session called Social Media Opportunity for Brands and Business at WatSummit, an event aimed at shedding light on digital media and trends being observed.
The speakers were Infosys head online marketing Sanjay Sahay, AgencyDig! co-founder Karl Gomes, MTV Networks director digital media Ali Hussein and comScore.com director Kedar Gavane.
Sahay said that companies need to think through their strategy when they use social media. It helps a company keep in touch with influencers. It means aligning your marketing and sales processes. Social media is an everyday activity rather than a campaign to campaign thing.
Hussein said that the digital division of Viacom is a separate unit. Various brands of Viacom have done well on Twitter and Facebook. Gavane said that social networking is the fastest growing segment in the online space. Facebook reaches 65 per cent of online Indian users, while YouTube reaches 50 per cent.
“Earlier brands used to dabble in social media. Now they are listening more to what consumers are saying. How they use this to convert it into business remains to be seen.”
Gomes said for companies digital has to be a way of thinking. “Tweets have to be responded to. What is being noticed is that companies often delete negative comments. Some brands only want to see the good and agencies must push clients to listen to consumers. Agencies should also push ideas and content to clients rather than simply push technology and mediums.”
At the same time it was pointed out that marketing teams tend to be small within a large MNC. The importance given to social media will depend on the boss. It was noted that sometimes the permutations involved are too many for marketing teams to get their social media strategy right.
Hussein noted that the company does not delete negative comments unless it is derogatory. “We let most things be. You cannot control a person‘s thought process”.
It was noted that people will be on social media and not brands. People can see through the rif raff. They probably know if an online chat with a film star is real or fake; they are getting smarter.
Brands will become consumers on social media. To succeed in the social media space brands need to have a personal identity.
Brands must also realise that they are an individual among several individuals in social media. The brand is not leading the conversation and it should not try to do so. At the same time if a social media platform is not part of the conversation, it could lose its edge which is what has happened with Orkut here.
In terms of a company dealing with a negative troll, it was noted that it is not just the responsibility of brands to deal with it. The users should also come in to handle the threat of social bullies.
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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.
