News Headline
Broad Jump study reveals consumer preferences online marketing
TEXAS: Pop ads are out, email is in. BroadJump, a broadband software player, has revealed new findings about US consumer attitudes toward a variety of online marketing and promotions.
BroadJump conducted the research, which tested banners, email, instant messages and pop-up ads, to help broadband service providers better understand which promotional vehicles are most effective in moving subscribers from awareness through purchase and fulfillment of value-added services.
The results indicate that new service offerings should be highly targetted and the choice of promotional vehicles carefully considered. The financial opportunity of doing this successfully is large with one-third of broadband subscribers making more than 11 purchases per year, and almost half spending more than $500 online per year. Broadband subscribers are more sophisticated than traditional online buyers and therefore represent a powerful buying community for service providers.
It is critical for service providers to adapt promotions around the preferences to which these subscribers will most favourably respond. This is particularly important given the market necessity to move beyond basic high-speed access by offering and fulfilling value-added services such as utilities, gaming, streaming video, online music and entertainment.
While broadband subscribers have expressed interest in value-added services, the research revealed they are resistant to most of the promotional vehicles used to market such services. And yet, according to a survey conducted by Mindwave Research of more than 1,000 broadband subscribers, 79 per cent of the respondents had a positive, or very positive feeling toward their service provider. Service providers have an advantage over other Internet-based companies since successfully developed and well recognised brands are more trusted. There are a variety of online promotional vehicles available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses depending on delivery, situation and usage level.
BroadJump’s research compared a variety of different vehicles and respondents’ feedback indicated the following:
1. Email is the most preferred method for receiving promotions. This format offers subscribers the most control — when (and if) to read, delete, ignore or respond to the content.
2. Pop-up ads are by far the most disliked and intrusive form of promotion. Few people have responded to or purchased anything directly resulting from a pop-up ad.
3. Banners are largely invisible to consumers and lost in the clutter.
4. Instant messages (IM) are perceived to be a personal communication tool, not a promotional vehicle. Therefore, users labeled it inappropriate for IM to be used for promotion.
Toast, messages that emanate from the system tray and disappear after a short period of time, is relatively unknown. As such, it is a novel and appealing way to communicate today because like email, users can decide when to review and when to ignore. Adapting programmes around online preferences is key since a trusted, regarded brand is fragile and misuse and intrusive targeting can damage it quickly. BroadJump facilitated these focus groups to provide data on specifically what will motivate, or deter, purchase decisions to help its service provider customers find a balance between establishing incremental revenues and maintaining brand.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
