MAM
Women more interested in TVCs than Superbowl : Survey
VIRGINIA: comScore Networks which claims to be the standard in Internet behavioural measurement, has reported an analysis of consumer behaviour associated with Super Bowl XXXVII. The analysis revealed that several marketers who invested in Super Bowl television advertising drew significantly higher audiences to their respective Web sites not only on game day, but also on the following Monday as consumers compared notes on favourite commercials and the brands that produced them.
The survey also revealed that women are particularly interested in the ads. Nearly one in six respondents to a US online survey conducted by comScore were more interested in the ads than the game, while about half were equally interested in both the game and the ads. Interestingly, women accounted for three of every four respondents who were more interested in the ads than the game.
Highlighting an opportunity for integrated cross-media promotion, approximately one-third of respondents reported using the Internet just before, after or during the game. Previous comScore analysis had reported that nearly 50 per cent of US at-home Internet users have a television and PC in the same room.
A number of television advertisers’ Web sites posted dramatic increases in the number of visitors within minutes of the actual television advertisement airing. For instance Warner Bros ran one ad for The Matrix sequels and one for Terminator 3. Traffic jumped to more than 300 per cent at their respective sites.
While a great many people visited Super Bowl advertiser Web sites during the game, the highest traffic levels to these sites occurred the Monday after, when Web users at home and work resumed their regular weekday surfing routines. This would appear to indicate that word of mouth advertising played a key role in increasing interest in the advertised products and services – and that the Internet played a key role in satisfying consumers’ needs.
When it came to favourite TVCs, survey respondents most often picked Budweiser’s football-playing Clydesdales and Bud Light’s beer drinking clown. Levi’s bison stampede and Pepsi Twist’s Ozzie Osbourne commercials were among respondents’ least favourite ads.
Brands
Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT secures Rs 100 crore seed funding round
Bessemer backs new venture betting on AI and India’s digital shift
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture OFF/BEAT, with Bessemer Venture Partners leading the round as it bets on a new wave of AI-led, consumer-first businesses in India.
The funding marks an early but significant push for OFF/BEAT, which is positioned to tap into a rapidly evolving market shaped by a digitally native generation and advances in artificial intelligence. The venture aims to build at the intersection of culture and technology, where brand identity and innovation increasingly go hand in hand.
Gupta, best known for co-founding boAt and scaling it into a Rs 3,000 crore-plus business, is now looking to apply those learnings to a new playbook. His focus this time is not just on building a consumer brand, but on leveraging AI and global networks to accelerate growth.
OFF/BEAT founder Aman Gupta said, “Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that is where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn says it all.”
The choice of investor reflects that ambition. Bessemer Venture Partners has backed global technology players such as Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn, bringing not just capital but strategic support and global reach.
Bessemer Venture Partners partner Anant Vidur Puri said, “We back founders who see around corners. Aman saw how a new India would come to think about aspiration, identity and quality, and built boAt as proof. He is now applying that same instinct to a market being reshaped by AI and by a generation with entirely new expectations.”
The investment comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is being reshaped by both consumer behaviour and technological disruption. Founders are increasingly expected to understand not just products, but the cultural shifts that drive adoption.
For OFF/BEAT, the journey is just beginning, but the signal is clear. In a market where attention is fleeting and expectations are rising, building something truly distinctive may be the only way to stay on beat.
