Brands
TAM AdEx: TV ads for consumer durables surge, print drops by six per cent in H1 2024
Mumbai: TAM AdEx’s latest report for Jan-Jun 2024 reveals significant growth in TV ad volumes for the consumer durables/home appliances category, showing a 2.9 times increase compared to the same period in 2022, and 11 per cent higher than H1 2023. In contrast, print ad space for the category continued its downward trend, falling by six per cent compared to the first half of 2023.
Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co led the category on TV, holding a 33 per cent share of ad volumes, while Usha International and Voltas joined as exclusive top advertisers in 2024. Print advertising saw TTK Prestige India and Stovekraft maintain their top spots with 41 per cent and 21 per cent share of ad space, respectively. The South Zone dominated print ads, accounting for 33 per cent of ad space, closely followed by the North Zone.
On Radio, ad volumes dropped 52 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, but Samsung India Electronics led with 28 per cent of ad volumes. Digital ad impressions grew by five per cent in H1 2024, with Samsung again topping the list at 25 per cent share of impressions. Programmatic advertising accounted for 81 per cent of digital impressions.
The report highlights that the consumer durables/home appliances category continues to prioritise TV advertising, with prime time being the preferred slot. The news and GEC (general entertainment channels) genres captured 65 per cent of ad volumes.
In the print sector, Hindi and English publications together contributed over 64 per cent of the ad space. The preference for promotional offers remains strong, comprising 81 per cent of total print ads, with multiple promotions being the most utilised form.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
