MAM
The cell phone user as consumer – an advertising perspective
It is not just the media companies who are eyeing the consumer through the mobile phone, it would seem.
Advertisers have long had their eye on the cell phone owner and found him receptive and willing to messages sent. Intellect, the Research and Technologies Unit of Lintas Media Services in association with Interactions, Lintas Media Services, conducted an extensive research that probes the psyche and the demographics of the SMS marketing 
consumers. The study, conducted in February 2004 covered the SEC A segment of Students and Working Executives/ Businessmen in the top 4 metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.
These are their findings –
The aim of the study was to provide the advertiser with a constructive understanding of his consumer’s thought process, experiences, expectations and acceptance of SMS as a medium of brand communication. The study says that a huge potential exists as far as communicating consumers via marketing is concerned and this is evident from the fact that only 14 per cent of the respondents have been exposed to advertising through SMS. An untouched 86 per cent have yet to experience a brand communication on their cell phones. Of the ones that have been exposed to such a communication, about 97 per cent have read the actual message before deleting it, a favourable 36 per cent also acted on the message after reading it. This depicts the readiness of the respondents to be a part of the entire communication process.
Probing their openness to the idea of accepting brand communication on their cell phones, the respondents portrayed a very positive picture. 66 per cent are willing to accept advertising through SMS on their cell phones, the study says.
The willingness is more amongst students and the younger age group i. e 15-24 years than that amongst working executives and those in the higher age group. Males are more willing to receive marketing SMS than females.
Avoidance of SMS (termed as deleting the SMS without reading it carefully) is much lower for this medium compared to the conventional media. 32 per cent are in the habit of reading every SMS that they receive; another 53 per cent hardly ever or only sometimes delete the SMS without reading carefully. In a scenario where television, print, cinema, etc all have high ad-avoidance, this is a very critical media.
One more noteworthy fact stays that apart from e-mail, SMS is the only medium that allows Permission Marketing. While students are open to receiving advertisements through SMS anytime there is a promotion; male working executives/ businessmen between the group 35-44 are open to receiving advertising through SMS but only with prior permission being given.
The timing and frequency of reaching a consumer is very important for any communication planning and the study has explored these areas. About 30 per cent are open to receiving advertisements through SMS anytime there’s a promotion. 34 per cent prefer being asked before they are sent advertisements through SMS while 34 per cent prefer it not very frequently.
While, 17 per cent are open to receiving advertisements through SMS more than three or four times a week, on the whole, 86 per cent are open to the idea of receiving brand marketing SMS once a month and more.
There is no specific pattern to the timing desired by the consumers. Anytime between morning to evening is acceptable. This is so since finally, the choice of opening the actual message lies with the consumer. Over 66 per cent feel that they do not have to see or answer an SMS immediately when it is received.
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Wireless – the new Smart Money Spinner
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Zscaler, Airtel launch India AI Cyber Research Centre
New hub to boost cyber resilience and trusted AI use
NEW DELHI: As India’s digital engine roars ahead, so do the risks riding shotgun. In response, Zscaler, Inc. and Bharti Airtel have joined hands to launch the AI and Cyber Threat Research Center – India, a national initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s cyber defences and accelerating responsible AI adoption.
The centre is designed as a multi stakeholder platform that brings together industry, government and academia. Its mission is clear: protect critical sectors such as telecom, banking and energy, shield everyday digital users, and future proof India’s fast expanding online ecosystem.
India has long been a major innovation hub for Zscaler, with a substantial portion of its cyber research talent based here. With this new centre, that footprint evolves into a national collaboration engine. The idea is simple but ambitious, build in India, for India, and help power the country’s journey towards a secure and digitally self reliant future.
The timing is telling. India is building digital systems at population scale, not just enterprise scale. That scale has widened the attack surface dramatically. At the same time, cyber criminals and nation state actors are deploying AI to scan, probe and exploit vulnerabilities in minutes.
Zscaler’s research arm, ThreatLabz India, reports millions of infiltration attempts every month. These include espionage campaigns linked to regional geopolitical tensions, 1.2 million intrusion attempts from 20,000 sources targeting 58 Indian digital entities, and a rise in zero day exploit attempts across multiple industries.
In such an environment, perimeter based security models are struggling to keep pace. The new centre aims to push a shift towards secure by design systems and Zero Trust architecture.
Its strategy rests on four pillars: protect through real time intelligence, remediate by working directly with government agencies, facilitate adoption of AI driven security and Zero Trust frameworks, and build a stronger cybersecurity talent pipeline through specialised certifications.
As founding members, Zscaler and Airtel will combine global threat intelligence with local network visibility. Zscaler will deploy a dedicated India focused research team and draw insights from its Zero Trust Exchange platform, which processes over 500 billion daily transactions worldwide. Airtel, meanwhile, will contribute deep visibility into IoT and mobile traffic, helping detect suspicious activity faster and coordinate response across the ecosystem.
Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal, said the partnership extends Airtel’s commitment to safeguarding customers and the nation’s digital fabric. He added that the collaboration would address challenges unique to the Indian market and encourage secure and confident digital engagement.
Zscaler chief executive, chairman and founder Jay Chaudhry, said India’s digital ambition cannot be secured with legacy firewalls and VPNs. He noted that a modern Zero Trust architecture is essential for a hyper connected world and that the new centre would harness the scale of Zscaler’s global security cloud while empowering a new generation of Indian cyber defenders.
Additional members from critical public and private sectors are expected to join the initiative in the coming months, expanding its scope and deepening collaboration.
In a world where threats travel at machine speed, India’s answer is to think faster, collaborate wider and build smarter.
