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Zone Media has entered a partnership with ad-tech tool VDO.AI. This collaboration will enable Zone Media to provide clients in India and Southeast Asia with video advertising solutions that drive highly effective results.

As an official partner of VDO.AI, Zone Media will gain exclusive access to their platform and innovative advertising tools. This partnership will further strengthen Zone Media's ability to deliver exceptional digital marketing campaigns and drive significant business growth for their clients. By combining VDO.AI's cutting-edge technology with Zone Media's extensive expertise in the digital marketing landscape, the partnership aims to revolutionize the way brands connect with their audiences through video advertising.
Arjit Sachdeva, Co-founder, VDO.AI, shared their perspective on this partnership: " We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Zone Media, With Zone Media's regional insights and VDO.AI's capabilities, we look forward to helping brands in India and Southeast Asia achieve their marketing goals through highly targeted and engaging video campaigns. Together, we aim to set new standards in the digital advertising landscape and provide brands with the tools they need to succeed."

"We are excited about joining hands with VDO.AI" said Sumit Gupta, CEO of Zone Media. "This collaboration allows us to provide our clients with industry-leading video advertising solutions that are tailored to their specific needs. VDO.AI's advanced creative solutions, coupled with our strategic digital marketing expertise, will enable us to deliver outstanding results and drive exceptional brand experiences for our clients in India and Southeast Asia."

Mrityunjay Kumar, President, Zone Media, said with Zone Media's deep understanding of the local market and VDO.AI's robust video advertising capabilities, brands in India and Southeast Asia can now benefit from highly targeted and engaging video campaigns that deliver maximum impact. The partnership promises to unlock new possibilities for businesses seeking to enhance their digital presence and accelerate growth.

In a bid to challenge Google's monopoly, PhonePe has launched “Indus AppStore” promising zero platform fees and no commission on in-app purchases. 

“Developers can commence the process of registering and uploading their applications with immediate effect,” the company officials announced in Bengaluru on Saturday.

They also said the app listings on the platform will be free for the first year, following which a "nominal" annual fee will be charged.

The Walmart-backed fintech firm PhonePe projects its app store as the first such 'made-in-India' platform. PhonePe acquired IndusOS in 2021 and has since been working on the app store. 

The Indus app store will offer support for third-party payment providers, compatibility with 12 Indian languages, and a streamlined login system centred around phone numbers.

It is noteworthy that Google charges a 15-30% commission on in-app purchases. 

Speaking of the launch, Akash Dongre, CPO & Co-Founder, Indus Appstore said, “India is poised to have over 1 billion smartphone users by 2026 offering us a massive opportunity to build a new-age, localized Android app store. Despite being such a large consumer market, app developers have always been forced to work with only one app store - Google Playstore - for distributing their apps. Indus Appstore hopes to provide app developers a credible alternative to the Google Playstore - one that is more localized and offers better app discovery and consumer engagement. We are excited to open up the Indus Appstore Developer Platform today, and invite all developers to list their app on the Made-in-India app store.”

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 world feed match coverage, which is supported by Disney Star, will see ICC TV produce an additional vertical video feed.

The ICC’s vertical feed will be a first-of-its-kind coverage for the sport across all 48 World Cup matches. The technological innovation will provide fans with an easier and more intuitive viewing experience on mobile phones, allowing them to consume content on the go in the most convenient handheld position.

For fans, this transformative approach to consuming ICC events will provide more access to World Cups than ever before. The vertical feed will provide a special experience with the addition of split screens in its coverage. With a focus on building more context to the on-field action, the split-screen feature will unlock an additional dimension for the viewers and provide a further sense of proximity to the action and their heroes.

The production will use a carefully curated array of dedicated vertically oriented cameras, whilst utilising the world feed cameras for split screens. The production will also feature match graphics and bespoke production enhancements to enhance the vertically oriented coverage.

The vertical video feed will also make use of traditional technical and editorial storytelling tools to further elevate the coverage. Key features like ball tracking, player tracking and field plot will be tailored to fit the vertical format. The coverage will also have a world-class commentary panel calling the action.

ICC Chief Commercial Officer, Anurag Dahiya said: “Cricket fans always look forward to the high-quality broadcast coverage of ICC events. With this in mind, the ICC TV team continuously strives to tailor our coverage to fan preferences. We are very excited to launch cricket’s first-ever vertical video production at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. This game-changing initiative promises to transform the fan viewing experience. It is an innovative approach to cricket coverage that will place fans at the centre of the action bringing them closer to the game than ever before and providing a world-class production to the biggest Cricket World Cup ever.”

Sanjog Gupta, Head – Sports, Disney Star said: “Consumers’ preferences and habits are evolving more rapidly than ever before, catalyzing the emergence of new user experiences. Disney Star has always played a pioneering role in taking cricket viewing experiences forward and is now proud to collaborate with the ICC to bring to sports fans for the first-time ever the ‘vertical feed’, on ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The ‘vertical feed’ aims to deliver to digital users, enhanced convenience, engagement and immersion, beyond the differentiated screen orientation. With its uniquely designed production style entailing cameras, graphics, direction, replays and other enhancements, it promises to change the way cricket is watched.”

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup kicks off on 5 October.

Veera, the ‘Made in India’ mobile-only internet browser, was launched on Thursday.

Currently in beta, Veera has been envisioned as a challenger browser for India by Arjun Ghose (previously an investor with VC firm Falcon Edge / Alpha Wave and McKinsey), Rahul Pagdipati (Chairman of the Board Zebpay & Board Member at Brave browser), Aditya Julka (serial entrepreneur Founder of Paddle8, entrepreneur-in-residence at Harvard Business School) and Kanu Gupta (founding leadership of Goldman Sachs in India, serial investor).

Veera has been funded by a slew of blue-chip investors, including Ayon Capital, COG Network, 6th Man Ventures, Folius Ventures and iSeed Ventures, as well as marquee angels such as Aalap Mahadevia (Briarwood Capital), Kabir Narang (B-Capital), Nikhil Mohta (Carlyle, ICICI Ventures), Kevin Hu (Brevam Howard), Saneel Srini (Moralis Capital), Ashwin Ramachandran, Viram Shah (Vested), and Dr. Devaiah Pagidipati (Freedom health, Physician Partners, Anion Health).

Arjun Ghose, Founder, Veera, said, "Our mission was to craft a faster, safer, and private browsing sanctuary for Indian internet users. We embarked on this journey to build an internet experience that resonates with India's uniqueness. With the average user spending approximately 7.3 hours per day online Veera's impact as the window to the internet for a billion Indians is undeniably significant. But, let me assure you this is just the beginning; there are a whole bunch of features in the pipeline that we are super excited about and will launch shortly."

Shah Rukh Khan is on a roll these days, and not just because of the massive success of his last two outings to the cinema. While his AI- powered Cadbury ad earlier this year generated much attention and many plaudits (including a Cannes Lion for Cadbury and agency Ogilvy Mumbai), ITC Sunfeast and media partner IPG just announced a new campaign which will allow consumers to ‘co-star’ with India’s King using the power of, you guess it, Generative AI.

And while Khan may be the shiniest example, he’s not the only star shining a light on how brands can use AI to deliver personalized experiences to customers like never before. From Virat Kohli and ViVo to Ayushmann Khurrana and Wakefit, brands and celebrities are turning to the technology like never before, just in time for the festive season.

Sanjeev Jasani, COO, Cheil India, says, “After brands like Cadbury led the way, advertisers have become more confident and have started experimenting with Generative AI to create personalized video ads. This technology allows brands to efficiently generate multiple variations of video content, catering to diverse customer preferences. It's a cost-effective way to scale up personalization during high-demand periods and goes a long way in delivering a great experience as well.”

Anupreet Singh, Chief Revenue Officer at Gan.ai, a video personalization company that leverages the power of generative AI to provide its ever-growing roster of clients is even more emphatic. “In one sentence, I would say that any brand that does not use video personalization during this festive season will face a very hard time in having any kind of brand recall. And the reason why I say that is because the number of brands that are trying to do that this season are a lot. If a brand is sending a text message or a generic video, in the larger scheme of the total number of messages that you will get, you'll never remember that something like that happened. So, I think the acceleration of the use of AI in this festive season will be massive.”

Gan.ai’s list of clients reads like a who’s who of both Indian and global brands, as more companies turn to the technology, but because of the efficiencies of AI in cost as well as quality, Singh says the technology is being embraced widely.

“Companies are now joining the fold because they are seeing direct ROI out of it and a lot of these big brands are using us to build their top-of-mind awareness to cut through the noise and create a campaign that really stands out. Also, a lot of upcoming brands are looking at it as a performance marketing hack. Brands like Alliance Group are using us for their communications across the board. And even several start-ups and smaller brands are turning to us,” says Singh.

Vivek Kumar Anand, Chief Business Officer, DViO Digital, says that as brands seek to capture the attention and emotions of their audiences during the festive season, utilising AI allows them to stand out, remain relevant, and create memorable experiences. “The landscape of festive advertising is evolving, with AI playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of how brands communicate and engage with their audiences. Advertisers are teaming up with Generative AI to craft festive adverts that feel just for you. It's about adding that personal touch, making visuals stand out, and ensuring everything's set for the festive rush.”

He adds, “Here at DViO, we fully embrace AI, refining our new tool with insights from past projects. And we're not the only ones; big tech names are pouring resources into AI, underscoring its massive importance in the market.”

Amitt Sharma, Founder and CEO, VDO.AI, says that advertisers are tapping into the tremendous potential of Generative AI to transform their festive ad campaigns by allowing the creation of dynamic, personalised and engaging CTV/OTT advertisements at scale.

“In fact, we've been experiencing a surge in requests from brands seeking to collaborate on customized AI campaigns with us for Q4. This trend underscores the ever-growing appetite for innovative AI-driven solutions that can elevate brands' engagement with their audiences and drive meaningful results,” says Sharma.

Atrayee Chakraborty, Knowledge and Strategy Partner, Lodestar UM, says that Generative AI adoption in advertising is experiencing rapid growth. According to a recent study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a remarkable 40% of advertisers intend to incorporate generative AI into their marketing campaigns within the next year. “This marks a substantial increase from a mere 10% in 2021, underscoring the technology's expanding influence in the industry.”

“This technology capitalizes on a wealth of data, including past purchase history, browsing behaviours, and social media interactions, to craft personalized content that encompasses everything from scripts to storyboards and visually engaging elements. Brands are capitalizing on Generative AI to realize a host of benefits, from scaling up personalization efforts, to tailoring content to individual preferences at a previously unimaginable scale,” says Chakraborty.

However, Jasani cautions that brands should exercise caution in the area of data privacy and take all necessary permissions before implementing these ideas. “The technology is fairly simple but the beauty is in what idea you wrap around it. Even though technologies like Generative AI are fast catching on, I still believe that in our business of communication, you will need an idea to make it stand out and do its job. That’s why the business of ideas can never be replaced by AI but will only be enhanced by it.”

Sharma agrees, noting that brands need to be watchful of the potential pitfall of excessive reliance on technology, which could result in a disconnect from their audience. “Striking the right balance involves prioritizing interactive and audience-centric advertising strategies. These strategies may encompass localized and IP-address enabled ad delivery, incorporating elements of gamification, and incorporating remote-based integrated polls. These measures serve to engage viewers while remaining sensitive to the evolving needs and preferences of the audience.”