Applications
Tata Docomo launches Vas for GSM customers
MUMBAI: Tata Teleservices’ telecom brand, Tata Docomo, has launched a location-based advertising service, ‘Offers Near Me’, for its GSM customers in Andhra Pradesh.
With this new offering, the company attempts to live up to its brand philosophy ‘phones are not just for talking’. It has partnered with Stay In Touch Mobile for this value-added service (Vas) offering and has piloted this project in Andhra Pradesh.
The new service will be rolled out nationally in a phased manner. It will allow Tata Docomo GSM customers to receive deals, offers and discount coupons from their favourite retailers like FMCG brands, apparel companies, malls, restaurants, cinemas, coffee shops and auto dealers. Value deals and discounts offered depend on the location the customer is travelling in and individual retailer offers. The service is free of charge.
Tata Teleservices Mobility- head non-voice Sunil Tandon said, “Tata Docomo is pleased to partner with Stay In Touch Mobile, which specialises in real-time location-based advertising service. We were very encouraged by the pilot results of ‘Offers Near Me’, and we are sure this will provide even greater value to our customers, enriching the mobile experience beyond just talking. It will not only keep customers abreast of the latest deals and discounts in their vicinity, but will also ensure greater savings by providing relevant offer details on their phones.
Customers have already seen great results from the preferential and location-based services launched earlier like Route Finder and Smart Pilot, and I am optimistic that ‘Offers Near Me’ will see a huge uptake in the Indian context.”
Stay in Touch Mobile CEO and co-founder Raj Karan added, “Offers Near Me is India’s early first location-based opt-in program that allows opt-in mobile consumers to receive relevant deals and discount coupons from their favorite retailers. Advertisers and retailers can also register with Stay In Touch Mobile and create targeted, geo-fenced campaigns to reach out to Tata Docomo subscribers with offers when they are at key locations—like airports, malls, at office or even at home.”
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.
