Applications
Internet key avenue for traveller choices: Survey
MUMBAI: Seven out every 10 users refer to the internet information on travel products and services. Moreover they value advertising as a useful source of travel ideas and find it more convenient making travel reservations online. All these and more are results Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions online travel survey which closed in on responses to about 7,000 people across MSN and Windows Live networks between 20 November 2006 and 9 April 2007 in 10 Asia Pacific countries including India. Microsoft online services group country manager Jaspreet Bindra said, “The explosion of Internet connectivity in Asia has had a dramatic effect on how people conduct day to day business, communicate with friends and family, and on how they plan for their holidays and make travel purchases. The results of this survey demonstrate the power of online advertising to reach consumers where they are making key purchase decisions.” The findings on travel planning reveal that leisure travellers in Asia plan their trips two months in advance, making reservations and purchases as much as five to six weeks ahead of a trip. In India, trips are planned six weeks in advance and purchases made four weeks ahead of a trip. “Innovative travel marketers from across the region are already tapping into the rich media opportunities available and by bringing the sights and sounds of the travel experience directly onto the desktop, advertisers can make that all important emotional connection,” said Windows Live and MSN India head of digital marketing revenue and strategic business head Rajnish. Of all survey respondents who plan their travels online, 73% in India do so from home at a time during when they are also checking email, chatting or sharing photos. The survey found that users in India enjoy sharing their travel experience online through photo albums, e-mail, instant messaging and blogs.
The survey also indicates that the internet is favoured by 81 per cent of all MSN and Windows Live users in India as a source for planning and researching upcoming leisure and business travel, outpacing traditional media such as magazines (29 per cent) and newspapers (40 per cent).
The survey also found out that online users are active purchasers and they spend a considerable amount doing so. Over the past year, air tickets (48 per cent) and hotel reservations (22 per cent) ranked as the most purchased items online for users in India.
As media consumption patterns continue to change in India, the importance of the Internet as a channel to reach travellers will continue to grow. According to the survey, eight out of every ten users in Asia is considering taking a holiday in the next 12 months.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
