Brands
On-demand TV shows add to Adda52 Rummy’s traditional marketing efforts
NEW DELHI: One of the most trusted and rewarding rummy apps in India, Adda52 Rummy, owned by Delta Corporation, has been very successful in engaging its growing user base with incredible mega-tournaments, quick rewards, and varied formats. The platform is expected to grow by 3.5x by 2025 according to an AIGF Study, and this can very well be attributed to its constant innovation and dedication to user experience.
In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, its head of marketing Ashish Bhakuni said that rummy has been a very popular game in India and is known not for gambling but instead is seen as a tool for socialising and entertainment. “We are trying to capitalise on that thought process only," he says.
As per Bhakuni, Adda52 Rummy is spending 50 per cent of its overall revenue in marketing the property to achieve its desired growth. Adda52.com, in fact, launched its first ever integrated campaign ‘Banao Dimag Ko Ameer’, last year, to showcase the uniqueness of the game and highlighting poker as a mind game that enhances one’s mental skills.
But how relevant is it for a digital game to advertise on traditional media?
Bhakuni replies, “Normally, users do not immediately transact to what they see. It is very important to be retained in the memory of the user for a better brand recall. Omnichannel marketing does it quite well."
Adda52 Rummy currently spends 30 per cent of its overall marketing budgets on media like television, print and OOH.
The strategy for TV is to tap the audience during prime time for the game, which is 7 pm to 1 am. “This is the time when people are active on their mobiles. We run tournaments every hour, starting at 7 pm every evening and create a hook to get people on our platform.”
Bhakuni believes placing the ads beyond the regular drama channels is helping it perform even better. “We are tapping a lot of on-demand content. We recently did very well during a show on Discovery channel. These channels and programmes aggregate audience as the viewership is very high. They offer us guaranteed and very targeted viewership,” he says.
The platform is now trying to deepen its roots in the South Indian states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, where the game is already very popular. It will be running a special campaign around Ugadi celebration, guaranteeing rewards every hour to its consumers.
Bhakuni highlights that the focus is going to be on utilising more data points to enhance user experience in the coming time.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
