Digital
Surpassing the ‘like’ button – modern advertising goes beyond traditional social media
Mumbai: In the lead-up to Social Media Day, The Trade Desk sheds light on the fast-growing, yet often overlooked opportunity for today’s marketers.
Contrary to what many believe, of the 307 hours that an average consumer spends online per month, less than half of that is spent on social media, User Generated Content (UGC) platforms and live game streaming.
Media habits in India have changed. In the latest report by The Trade Desk, consumers in India are spending 52 per cent of their time on the open internet, beyond the traditional search, social media, and UGC platforms that marketers are so familiar with.
Meet the Open Internet
Even though social media and UGC platforms have gained large numbers of users over the past decade, the open internet has flourished equally with the advent of new media channels, such as over-the-top (OTT) and CTV (connected TV) video streaming and music streaming.
The open internet — comprising news and general websites, over-the-top (OTT) and connected TV (CTV), music streaming and online gaming — reaches almost 600 million consumers, which equates to nearly every internet user in India.
- 4 in 5 increased their usage of the open internet over the past year
- 3 in 4 expect to increase their usage of the open internet’s channels
Coupled with the rise of ad-supported models, the open internet presents a significant – yet, underleveraged – opportunity for marketers.
The Paradox: Digital advertising hasn’t fully caught up yet
While users are spending more time on the open internet, digital advertising in India has not capitalised on its rapid growth. Brands are investing less than one fifth of their marketing spend on the open internet.
Up to 85% of India’s digital ad spend still occurs on social media and other UGC platforms. One possible reason is the reluctance of marketers to move away from a tried and tested approach. The latest report affirms why some of the world’s most forward-thinking brands have embraced data-driven advertising on the open internet:
The open internet maximises user engagements
- Consumers are 19 per cent more likely to find ads on news/websites less intrusive, compared to social media
- Consumers are 22 per cent more likely to recall ads on OTT/CTV, compared to YouTube
Premium content on the open internet offers greater brand impact
- Consumers are 33 per cent more likely to view ads on OTT/CTV as more premium, compared to YouTube
- Consumers are 17 per cent more likely to purchase products advertisers on news/websites, compared to social media
The Future
The Trade Desk general manager India Tejinder Gill said, “As we move towards the next era of digital advertising, the open internet will take centre stage for consumers. The Trade Desk is here to bring the much-needed data-driven decisioning and transparency to India’s digital advertising ecosystem, offering marketers the opportunity to tap into the popularity of streaming TV, prepare for the imminent deprecation of cookies and the immense growth of the open internet.”
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
