MAM
Online ad market to reach Rs 3575 crore by March 2015: IAMAI-IMRB report
MUMBAI: As of June 2014, there were 243 million claimed internet users in India out of which 192 million are active internet users who access internet at least once a month. There has been a consistent growth in the number of internet users over the past few years. In urban cities, the penetration of active internet users is nearly 36 per cent whereas in rural villages the penetration is 6 per cent. There is a large part of the population that still needs to be included in ensuring a large-scale digital adoption in the country.
The latest finding of the ‘Digital Advertising in India’, a report jointly published by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International, reveals that the online advertising market in India is projected to reach Rs 3,575 crore by March 2015 with a y-o-y growth rate of 30 per cent.
The report finds that currently, search and display are the top two contributors to the total digital advertisement spends in India. Of the Rs 2,750 crore digital advertisement market, search ads constitute 38 per cent of the overall ad spends followed by display ads which contribute 29 per cent and social media contributing 13 per cent of overall digital advertisement spends. It is estimated that the proportion of spends on search advertisements will reduce and spends will increase on email, video and mobile advertisements.
By 2015, spends on video ads will grow by a CAGR of 56 per cent and contribute 12 per cent to the overall market share of digital advertisements. In FY ending in March 2014, the contribution of search spends reduced to 30 per cent of the overall digital advertisement spends i.e. contributing Rs 825 crore to the Rs 2,750 crore digital advertisement market.
According to the report, ad spends on mobile devices are growing at a CAGR of 43 per cent and social media is grew at a CAGR of 41 per cent y-o-y and touched Rs 385 crore and Rs 440 crore in March 2014. Spend on video grew at CAGR of 51 per cent and reached Rs 303 crore. Spends on email ads grew at a CAGR 16 per cent to reach Rs 88 crore.
Further, on industry wise spends, the report finds that e-commerce, telecom and FMCG & consumer durables are the top three verticals driving the digital advertisement spends in India.
Digital ad spend on mobile devices is 14 per cent whereas on desktop PCs, laptop computers, it is 86 per cent. Although traditional media still holds strong ground in the Indian ad space, digital advertising is catching up fast and is expected to overtake traditional media within the next 5 -10 years.
Brands
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to step down after 18 years in role
Board begins CEO search as Narayen prepares to move to chair role
SAN JOSE: After nearly two decades at the helm, Adobe’s long-serving chief executive Shantanu Narayen is preparing to pass the baton.
The company announced that Narayen will transition from his role as chief executive officer once a successor is appointed, ending an 18-year run that reshaped Adobe from a boxed software seller into a global cloud and AI powerhouse. He will remain chair of the board following the leadership transition.
Adobe’s board has formed a special committee to oversee the succession process, led by lead independent director Frank Calderoni. The committee will evaluate both internal and external candidates.
“Shantanu’s leadership has been instrumental in Adobe’s transformation and in positioning the company for the AI-driven era,” Calderoni said in a statement. “As we begin the next phase of succession planning, our focus is on identifying the right leader for the company’s next chapter while ensuring a smooth transition.”
In a note to employees, Narayen described the moment not as a farewell but as a pause for reflection after a long journey with the company.
“I love Adobe and the privilege of leading it has been the greatest honour of my career,” he wrote, adding that he will continue to work closely with the board over the coming months to ensure a seamless leadership change.
Tributes from the technology industry quickly followed the announcement. Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella congratulated Narayen on what he described as a “legendary run” at Adobe.
“Congrats Shantanu, on a legendary run at Adobe! You’ve built one of the most important software companies in the world, and expanded what’s possible for creators, entrepreneurs, and brands everywhere,” Nadella wrote on LinkedIn.
“What has always stood out to me is the empathy you’ve brought to the creative process and the example you’ve set as a leader. Grateful for your friendship, mentorship, and for all you’ve done for Adobe and for our industry.”
Narayen’s career at Adobe spans nearly three decades. He joined the company in 1998 as vice president and rose steadily through the ranks before becoming chief executive officer in December 2007.
During that time, he orchestrated one of the most significant reinventions in the software industry. In 2013, Adobe made the bold decision to abandon traditional boxed software sales and move its flagship creative tools such as Photoshop to a subscription-based Creative Cloud model. The shift initially rattled investors but ultimately transformed Adobe into a predictable recurring revenue business and a case study in digital reinvention.
Narayen also pushed Adobe beyond creative tools into the world of marketing technology and data-driven customer experience, spearheading acquisitions such as Omniture and Marketo. Those moves helped build Adobe’s digital experience division and broaden its reach far beyond designers and photographers.
The numbers tell the story of that transformation. When Narayen took over in 2007, Adobe generated roughly $3 billion in annual revenue. Today the company reports more than $25 billion. Over the same period, its workforce expanded from around 3,000 employees to more than 30,000.
In recent years, Narayen has steered Adobe into the generative AI era with the launch of Adobe Firefly, aiming to keep the company ahead in a rapidly evolving creative technology landscape.
Born in Hyderabad in 1963, Narayen studied electronics and communication engineering at Osmania University before moving to the United States for a master’s degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University. He later earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Widely regarded as one of Silicon Valley’s most steady and effective leaders, Narayen has earned multiple honours during his career, including India’s Padma Shri in 2019.
For Adobe, the upcoming leadership change marks the end of a defining chapter. For Narayen, however, the story is far from finished. As he told employees, the company’s next era of creativity, powered by AI and new digital workflows, is only just beginning.
