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InWAP, PreWAP ads open opportunities for brand advertisers
NEW DELHI: iVdopia (www.ivdopia.com), the largest video and rich media mobile advertising network, today launched the world’s first HTML5 video and rich media ad formats for the mobile web: InWAP and PreWAP ads.
For the first time in mobile advertising in India, brand advertisers will have access to the vast number of audiences that access the Internet from their mobile web browser via Smartphones and feature phones.
With this achievement, iVdopia extends its entire suite of HTML5 innovations and now offers the complete mobile video advertising solution: ads served in apps and within WAP.
Until now, advertisers have been restricted to advertising on WAP sites using only static banners and textual links, which lack the ability to create strong user engagement and interactivity.
Bringing its expertise in mobile video advertisingwith HTML5 technology, iVdopia allows advertisers to engage users on WAP sites with dynamic video and interactive rich media ads, including InWAP ad formats –ads that play within the webpage – and PreWAP ad formats –ads that auto-play when a webpage is loaded onto mobile screens.
“We gauged a huge potential in India with the growing number of users present on the mobile web, primarily in Tier I & II cities,” said Vdopia India Vice President Debadutta Upadhyaya. “So far, advertising on the mobile web has been more direct response than user engagement focused.”
Mobile advertising (including SMS & display ads) is estimated to be an approximately Rs 1.5 billion market and the WAP platform comprises nearly 9 per cent of MVAS revenues. With a growing subscriber base and the increasing availability of GPRS-enabled mobile handsets, the market certainly has a large potential.
“InWAP and PreWAP ads will revolutionize advertising on the mobile web,” said Vdopia chief business officer Saurabh Bhatia. “For the first time, we have a rich, HTML5 filled, mobile web experience to bring to users across devices and platforms. Combined with the scalability that WAP offers to reach millions of more users than those targeted on apps alone.”
The InWAP and PreWAP video ad formats will be served using iVdopia’s HTML5 video ad platform, V5 and will include a variety of animated effects from Future5, its HTML5 ad-authoring tool. InWAP and PreWAP video ads can be combined with the Talk2Me™ landing page, to offer customised engagements for users to share on social media sites, email, view multiple videos, or interact with the brand’s mobile website. All this takes place within the phone’s browser, and the user can opt out anytime from the ad and continue browsing the WAP site.
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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.
