MAM
MSN, Vodafone to launch PC-to-mobile instant messaging
MUMBAI: MSN and Vodafone are planning to launch a first-of-its-kind seamless instant messaging (IM) service between PCs and mobile phones.
Customers will be able to see the “presence” of their contacts and exchange instant messages between MSN Messenger on a PC and Vodafone Messenger on mobile phones and vice versa.
By offering customers a seamless PC-to-mobile messaging option with instant messaging, MSN and Vodafone will expand communication choices, delivering an enhanced messaging offering for MSN and Vodafone customers who want to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues.
The service will be based on the familiar mobile commercial model of “Calling Party Pays.” As they do today, Vodafone customers will prepay or pay for the service through their monthly bill, while MSN Messenger customers will be able to pay through packages available in connection with MSN Messenger.
The service will bring together customers of MSN Messenger (165 million customers) and Vodafone (155 million customers) as messaging continues to grow in popularity on PCs and mobile phones.
Building on and complementing the messaging success of SMS, instant messaging between PCs and mobile phones enables new service benefits to customers such as immediacy, the ability to tell whether a contact is available to receive a message (presence) and the ability to see the text of whole conversations.
“MSN and Vodafone are working to enhance messaging between mobile phones and PCs, ultimately delivering a richer experience to customers. By enabling our customers to see each other’s presence on both PC and mobile devices, we are expanding our customers’ ability to make smart communication choices and connect instantly
via IM to the people they care about most,” said MSN Communication Services corporate vice president and Member Platform group at Microsoft Corp Blake Irving.
“We have brought together two of the world’s largest messaging communities with a first of its kind for both industries — a seamless PC-to-mobile instant messaging service. Vodafone customers will now be able to use IM and its additional service benefits to stay in touch with mobile and PC friends and family. IM is a growing part of the increasingly important mobile messaging market. By bringing our collective customers together, we’ll deliver more options for staying in touch when messaging. Our agreement will grow IM and SMS, meaning additional revenue for Vodafone,” said Vodafone chief marketing officer Peter Bamford.
MSN and Vodafone plan to launch the enhanced messaging service in several European countries before the end of the year.
AD Agencies
This year next year ’26: Content-driven advertising is in steady decline, says WPP Media COO
One of several market trends outlined in WPP Media’s 2026 advertising outlook
MUMBAI: India’s advertising market is set to cross Rs 2 trillion in 2026, expanding 9.7 per cent year-on-year, as commerce-led and AI-powered formats accelerate a structural shift away from traditional content-driven advertising, according to WPP Media South Asia chief operating officer Ashwin Padmanabhan.
Speaking on the industry outlook, Padmanabhan opined India exited 2025 with advertising spends of around Rs 1.84 trillion, reflecting 9.2 per cent growth over the previous year. The market is forecast to expand a further 9.7 per cent in 2026, adding nearly Rs 17,800 crore in incremental advertising expenditure and taking total spends beyond Rs 2 trillion for the first time.
Advertising in India currently accounts for roughly 0.5 per cent of GDP, a level materially below mature markets such as the UK (about 1.5 per cent), the US (around 1.4 per cent) and China (approximately 1.1 per cent).
Padmanabhan argued this gap highlights the long runway for growth, particularly as India’s per capita GDP, now estimated at roughly $2,800, moves closer to the $4,000 threshold, historically associated with a sharp rise in advertising intensity.
Traditional media sees slower growth
By contrast, growth in traditional content-driven formats is expected to moderate. Television advertising, including linear TV and digital extensions such as connected TV, is forecast to grow 3.1 per cent in 2026. Print advertising, defined to include newspapers, magazines and their digital platforms, is expected to expand 4.4 per cent, reflecting relative stability after several years of decline. Audio advertising is projected to grow a modest 1.5 per cent.
As a result, content-driven advertising, which accounted for more than 90 per cent of total ad spends in 2010, is forecast to decline to about 70 per cent of the total market by 2026, down from roughly 72 per cent in 2025. This shift underscores the growing preference for formats tied more directly to commerce and data-driven outcomes.
Digitalisation reshapes ADex mix
Digital formats are expected to account for 68.1 per cent of total advertising spends in India in 2026, up steadily but still below the global average of nearly 83 per cent. This figure includes not only pure-play digital advertising but also the digital extensions of television, print, audio and out-of-home media.
Within digital, the fastest growth is expected in commerce-led advertising, forecast to rise nearly 24 per cent year-on-year. These formats, closely linked to transactions and conversions, are increasingly favoured by advertisers seeking higher accountability and measurable returns.
Closely following is intelligence-led advertising, encompassing traditional search as well as emerging AI-enabled search and discovery, projected to grow 8.8 per cent. Padmanabhan likened the intensifying competition among AI platforms to the early days of telecom, noting how consumer attention is now being contested by players such as Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity.
Location-based advertising, including out-of-home, cinema, ambient media and their digital extensions, is forecast to grow 8.9 per cent, aided by improved measurement and increasing integration with mobile and commerce platforms.
Category drivers and sectoral trends
From a category perspective, Padmanabhan identified SMEs, technology, real estate, education and automotive as the primary growth engines. Together, these segments accounted for about 51 per cent of advertising volumes in 2025 and are forecast to grow at a robust 14 per cent in 2026.
Foundational sectors, including CPG, e-commerce, BFSI and retail, represented around 46 per cent of total ad spend in 2025 but are expected to grow at a slower 6 per cent pace next year. Durable services, which made up only 3 per cent of advertising volumes, are forecast to grow around 2 per cent.
Padmanabhan noted continued premiumisation within FMCG, aided by the rapid expansion of quick commerce, which has enabled faster go-to-market for higher-value products. Rural consumption trends remain closely tied to monsoon outcomes, while inflation in raw materials could influence pricing decisions across categories.
Auto, EVs and BFSI in focus
The automotive sector recorded a strong year, with vehicle registrations rising about 8 per cent, spanning personal vehicles, commercial vehicles and tractors, signalling resilience in both rural demand and overall economic activity. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption continues to rise, led by commercial vehicles and two-wheelers, which together account for the bulk of volumes. EVs represented about 4 per cent of personal vehicle sales and nearly 6 per cent of two-wheeler sales in 2025.
However, Padmanabhan cautioned that constraints related to rare-earth magnets, heavy earth materials and shortages of high-end semiconductors could affect the pace of EV and AI-enabled device adoption, potentially pushing up costs.
In BFSI, strong growth in personal loan portfolios, driven by spending on travel, consumer goods and mobile devices, has supported advertising demand. At the same time, declining savings and deposits could place pressure on banks’ lending capacity, posing a potential risk to medium-term growth.
Tier 2, Tier 3 markets and retail revival
E-commerce platforms saw their highest volumes during the 2025 festive season from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, signalling a shift beyond metro-centric growth. This trend is expected to persist, with deeper market penetration becoming critical for both e-commerce and quick commerce platforms.
Retail also staged a sharp revival in 2025 after more than three years of stagnation, supported by festive demand and new store launches. Padmanabhan said this momentum is likely to continue into 2026.
Overall, the Indian advertising market stands at an inflection point. Technology, commerce, and AI are reshaping how brands reach consumers, while ample headroom remains for growth as economic fundamentals strengthen.
