MAM
How can AI help brands to understand what will visually work
MUMBAI: For a brand to survive and succeed, reaching out to the readers and the non-readers — young or old — is critical. There is a section of the consumers who may not want to read, but they could look up and notice — at least. And, enjoy — may be. ‘Visual’ seems to the new norm in the communication strategy of all advertisers and strategists.
Can artificial intelligence really help brands to understand what will visually work with which types of consumers to make which buying decisions? Logograb CEO Luca Boschin recommends use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to unlock the new visual age.
In his presentation, Boschin said that there is a social change in the way one shares and consumes content nowadays.
We have converted information into a commodity so that we could keep our businesses going and make them successful, said the Logograb CEO.
Gutenberg had invented the printing press. The purpose it served was manifold — from storytelling to reading. And, from books to reading on mobiles. However, in the last four years, there has been a massive change in how we read and where. Today, we are bombarded with content from multiple platforms. And, additionally, it’s a visual age.
Although there is a lot to see and read on multiple avenues, Boschin said, “Teen non-readers have tripled in numbers in the last two years as a result of visual-age. He said that 4000 million images are shared on social media every day.
63 per cent social media is made up by visual; about 83 per cent images on social media are talking about brands, that’s because consumers are communicating visually. Boschin concluded that the visual age has arrived and “visual is the new norm.”
Brands should make sure that they act on this trend and not ignore it.
Another speaker on the Day one at Zee Melt 2017 presented a session on ‘You are what you measure’. Google India apps and display product lead Neel Murty shared some interesting insights.
Murty said: “Sometimes we have the numbers but one thinks that we could do more. But, how could we define success? We can achieve more by thinking about the metrics that we are measuring with. He spoke about three major things that is setting goals and measuring success.
Measuring for success in the app world and pitfalls in measurement: Vodafone — Using universal app campaigns to drive downloads of their MyVodafone app, to improve customer experience and reduce customer service call volumes.
Result: 19 of overall app downloads across all marketing channels are driven by UAC (universal app campaigns), surpassing original target by 373%
On an average 20 per cent of users drive 70 per cent of business, and so one needs to focus on LTV instead of short term. Use metrics for long term instead of short term.
The last speaker for the session was Kantar Media APAC MD Nick Burfitt who spoke about TV to TV that is from television to total video. Today, there is a greater need than ever for clear standards of audience measurements. This data is critical input to understand media investment.
Brands
upGrad acquires Internshala in 90 per cent stock deal to own career funnel
Deal aims to scale Internshala’s revenue from Rs 45 crore to Rs 100 crore
MUMBAI: upGrad has acquired Internshala, the world’s largest internship and early-talent marketplace, in a bid to stitch education, skilling and employment into a single career pipeline.
The transaction, announced on 26 February, is structured as a 90 per cent stock-swap, with the financial terms undisclosed. The deal deepens upGrad’s push to control the full career lifecycle, from learning to hiring, at a time when India’s skilling economy is under pressure to deliver outcomes, not just credentials.
Founded in 2010, Internshala claims more than 34 million registered users and 450,000 employers, with roughly 3 million active applicants each year. Over 40 per cent of its users come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, and most of the platform’s traffic is organic. The company currently reports an annual revenue base of Rs 45 crore.
Under upGrad’s ownership, Internshala is expected to scale aggressively. The company aims to grow the platform’s revenue to Rs 100 crore and beyond, backed by increased investment in product development, AI-led talent matching and enterprise hiring solutions.
Internshala will continue to operate as an independent brand, led by its founder and CEO Sarvesh Agrawal, while tapping into upGrad’s technology stack, distribution and learning ecosystem.
“Education and employment in India have operated in silos for too long,” said upGrad head of corporate strategy and growth Chirag Samdaria. He said the acquisition strengthens the earliest and most consequential stage of the career journey, where intent is high and outcomes can be shaped.
Agrawal described the deal as a natural convergence of learning and opportunity, adding that the partnership would allow Internshala to skill millions of candidates and supply pre-trained talent to employers at scale.
Investec acted as exclusive financial adviser to Internshala.
The acquisition marks a strategic milestone for upGrad as it seeks to position itself not merely as an education provider, but as an end-to-end workforce development platform aligned with India’s evolving labour market.
