iWorld
Mzaalo partners with Jio to deliver digital entertainment to rural India
Mumbai: Gamified video and entertainment ecosystem Mazaalo has announced its strategic partnership with Jio. Through this partnership, Mzaalo’s content catalogue and rewards ecosystem will be available on Jio’s low-cost phones and will be freely accessible for millions of rural Indians most of whom are first-time internet users.
Mzaalo app will be native in the JioStore for all JioPhones powered by KaiOS. 150 million+ low-cost Jio phone users will have access to the app’s library of 12,000+ content pieces including Bollywood films, regional cinema, original series, and music videos. They will also have an opportunity to earn rewards across 600+ brand partners, said the statement.
“As internet penetration grows deeper across India, there is a growing demand for quality online video streaming content,” said Mzaalo COO Vikram Tanna. “The collaboration with Jio enables us to expand our digital footprint and democratise digital entertainment for the Indian hinterland.”
The Indian hinterland – the remote parts of the country comprise about 65 per cent of India’s population, nearly 900 million people. While mobile services have reached this population, it is not as widespread as it is in urban cities. This partnership between Mzaalo and Jio will provide a new opportunity for those who do not have access to the mobile phone economy.
In addition to this partnership, Mzaalo has also been chosen to join the Jio Developers Build for Bharat Growth Pad Program. As a member, Mzaalo and its community will receive special program benefits like first market access program, year-round technical support from Jio, an exclusive community of leaders for mentorship within Jio’s rich leadership ecosystem, JioAds credits, tools and services, training on Jio Developer Tools, and more.
iWorld
Meta introduces new AI tools to boost discovery-to-purchase journey
From shoppable Reels to generative video, platforms get smarter at turning attention into sales.
MUMBAI: Meta is turning “scroll and stop” into “scroll, stop, and shop” and it’s using AI to make the whole journey feel almost effortless. The company has announced several new tools and enhancements designed to help brands guide people from discovery to purchase more effectively, while delivering more relevant and personalised experiences across its platforms.
Creators can now add product links more broadly on Instagram Reels, turning their content into shoppable moments. Businesses in 22 countries, including India, will soon be able to share their product catalogues with creators, opening up a new sales channel for brands and fresh monetisation opportunities for creators.
The Creator Marketplace has also been upgraded with enhanced target audience filtering, integrated with Ads Manager. This helps businesses quickly find creators who are a strong match for their goals. Campaigns using Partnership Ads deliver, on average, 19 per cent lower CPAs, 13 per cent higher click-through rates, and 71 per cent higher median brand lift.
Meta is expanding Reels Trending Ads inventory with new content categories including TV & Movies, Travel, Business, Finance & Investments. According to Meta’s analysis of 59 studies, Reels Trending Ads delivered an incremental 6.6 percentage point Ad Recall lift compared to control groups.
AI-Powered Shopping Enhancements
- Product Set Optimisation is now in testing, allowing retail media networks to promote specific products with detailed reporting. Early results show 17 per cent lower median seller cost per purchase.
- Product Showcase is being expanded so marketers can upload one image or video and let Meta’s AI automatically add relevant products as a carousel when it improves performance.
Meta is expanding its generative AI capabilities with:
- UGC-style videos featuring avatars and voiceovers
- Easier voiceover translation and text overlay translation in a single streamlined flow
- New tools to automatically turn product catalogues into dynamic video ads for Reels
Early testing of the Advantage+ creative video generation tool showed a 10 per cent increase in CTR and 8 per cent increase in CVR on average. Campaigns using catalog product video saw 20 per cent more conversions per dollar, while Reels placements with catalog product video delivered 33 per cent higher incremental conversions.
Industry voices welcomed the updates. Vikas Chawla of Social Beat called Partnership Ads a “flywheel” for authentic content that converts. Niti Kumar of Spark Foundry and Sadhvi Dhawan of Blink Digital highlighted the power of Reels Trending Ads for cultural relevance and guaranteed share of voice. Ramasish Bhowmik of Adbuffs noted that Meta’s GenAI tools are giving teams a clear competitive edge.
In a world where attention is fleeting but shopping intent can spark in seconds, Meta is betting that smarter AI will help brands turn discovery into decisions faster than ever. The message is clear: the future of advertising isn’t just about reaching people, it’s about reaching them at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right product.
