Category: Advertising

The rise of non-influencers

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As the founder of a beauty brand, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating closely with individuals from editorial backgrounds and influencers to promote my products.

However, I’ve recently noticed an intriguing trend on social media — the emergence of a new type of influencer.

These individuals don’t fit the traditional mould of “expert” with an editorial background or “celebrity.” Instead, they are everyday people, just like you and me, who have boldly chosen to pivot in their careers, driven by a passion for their chosen niche.

Armed with nothing more than their smartphone cameras and a favourite social media platform, they’re making a significant impact.

I had the opportunity to speak with three such influencers, each from different realms—food, fashion, and lifestyle.

These areas have traditionally been influencer-heavy, yet their experiences with this career transformation shed light on what this shift means for both brands and consumers.

Take Manisha Malik, a fashion educator and influencer today with over 269,000 followers on Instagram. “Creating content wasn’t on my radar,” she admits, “but then the lockdown happened, and I found myself with a new creative outlet.”

This story embodies the essence of consumer influencers — everyday people sharing their passion with the world. They’re not just promoting products; they’re educating and inspiring their audience.

Genuine And Relatable 

Nipun Kapur Sohal, a skincare influencer with over 867,000 followers on Instagram, highlights this shift. “I see myself as an educator first,” she says.

“The influence comes naturally when you create content that’s honest and informative,” Revant Himatsingka, with over 2 million followers on Instagram, says. “I don’t always like the word ‘influencer’ because sometimes it devalues what you’re doing. I earlier wrote a book about nutrition and at that time I was called an author; now I am using social media, so I am called an influencer. I think the term ‘influencer’ makes people not take you as seriously…I am using social media because it’s the most popular medium.”

 Studies show that trust in recommendations from friends and family (earned media) outweighs traditional advertising. Consumer influencers build that trust by being relatable and genuine.

 One day, while scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled upon Manisha Malik’s reels.

What captivated me was not just her sense of style but her unique approach to fashion. It wasn’t about chasing glamour but celebrating the beauty in everyday sights and the people around us. This authenticity struck a chord with me, and evidently, with many others.

It’s this genuineness that builds a bridge of trust with the audience, much stronger than any traditional or even modern advertising could hope to achieve.

Manisha’s content, for example, focuses on Indian heritage fashion and Bollywood styling. This niche expertise allows her to connect with a specific audience on a personal level. Consumer influencers go beyond product placement; they spark conversations and challenge traditional views.

“By offering a fresh perspective, I’m hoping to shake up those stereotypes and show that fashion is so much more than just aesthetics. It’s a form of expression, creativity, and cultural heritage that connects us all,” Manisha explains. “It’s a story waiting to be told.”

Directly To The Camera

Like Manisha, I was drawn to Nipun’s social media content. Her down-to-earth confidence as she spoke directly to the camera resonated with me, prompting me to follow her for her refreshing approach.

It’s worth noting that I reached out to Nipun when she was crowdsourcing names for female-run brands to review; she agreed to review my products after purchasing them herself.

What truly struck a chord was her dedication to supporting small, women-owned businesses. In an industry often focused on image and expensive brands, Nipun used her platform to empower other women and give them a voice.

Consumer influencers are driven by a genuine love for their subject matter, not just profit.

This passion shines through in their engaging and educational content. “Keeping it real is key,” says Manisha. “People can spot a fake a mile away.”

Building trust is crucial for long-term success, and consumer influencers achieve this through authenticity. Nipun Kapur emphasises this point further saying; “I am an educator; the influence is a byproduct of that.”

“Influencers, dermatologists, and celebrities are hyper-focused on selling. I have never pushed a product sale, yet brands tell me that units have gone out of stock on my recommendations.

Here again, the idea is to create the most aware and educated customer. The strategy is content to commerce, not really ‘click the link in my bio’ or ‘go to my Amazon storefront,” she adds. 

Nipun maintains she hasn’t done any paid collaborations to date because she creates content as a part-time influencer and maintains a full-time job.

“This enables my content to be unabashedly honest and consumer POV friendly,” she adds. Revant Himatsingka also offers a unique perspective: “Most influencers or celebrities ask you to consume a particular product because they get a cut out of it; however, I am the opposite of that. I ask people not to consume something, so in that sense, I am different,” they say.

Consumer influencers can also be a powerful force for good.

As Manisha highlights, “I make some dedicated, non-sponsored videos to educate viewers on distinguishing authentic crafts from cheap imitations, like Lucknowi Chikankari and Banarasi saris. And I feature homegrown brands exclusively in some of my shopping vlogs, which are completely non-sponsored as well.”

Sustainability And Ethical Practices

Their influence can promote sustainability and ethical practices. “I am very grateful that due to my efforts, two major companies like Bournvita and Maggi Ketchup reduced sugar content in their products.

Whether Maggi Ketchup reduced sugar due to my efforts or not is yet to be confirmed, but they reduced it sometime after my video. Millions and millions of parents have started reading labels for the first time for other products they are giving to their children.

Now they are thinking twice; that is a very big win. Many companies have changed claims on their packaging to become more authentic. More importantly, new startups or existing giants will think 100 times before cheating the customer,” says Revant.

 The future of digital marketing, especially for small businesses and new brands, is bright with the rise of consumer influencers and accessible tools that help them reach directly to consumers.

It’s like restructuring a perception-driven industry around inclusivity, not exclusivity. Their authenticity, expertise, and passion are shaping a more engaging and informative online community for fashion, food, beauty and more.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Dark Patterns regulation guidelines — how it brings dishonest online market practices to light

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Dark patterns refer to deceptive user interface designs employed by online services such as websites or applications to influence users to make decisions they otherwise might not. These misleading tactics are pervasive, extending from popular news websites to your favourite food delivery application. In response to the aforesaid issue, the Department of Consumer Affairs introduced Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns under Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (“Guidelines”). 

Their primary objective is to curb dishonest practices and promote transparency in the online marketplace. This marks a significant and commendable stride, considering that the Indian legal framework had been largely silent on dark patterns until now. The Guidelines define dark patterns as “any practices or deceptive design patterns using UI/UX (user interface/user experience) interactions on any platform; designed to mislead or trick users into doing something they originally did not intend or want to do; by subverting or impairing the consumer autonomy, decision making or choice; amounting to a misleading advertisement or unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights.”

These Guidelines apply to (i) all platforms offering goods or services in India; (ii) to advertisers; and (iii) to sellers; and prohibit engagement in dark patterns by any person, including platforms. Dark patterns are influenced by human thinking and are designed deliberately to get you to click somewhere where you don’t want to or get you to agree to something you don’t want to. Under the Guidelines, 13 (thirteen) deceptive patterns have been outlined as banned. The most common patterns include:

1. False Urgency: This dark pattern refers to an act of misleading a user into believing that there is a false sense of urgency or scarcity to persuade them to act quickly and make a purchase, e.g. showing false popularity of a product or service to influence a user’s decision. A lot of times, when users are adding products to their cart, there is an instant pop-up stating, “only a few items are left”, when in fact the product remains in stock even after weeks (sometimes even at reduced prices!).
2. Basket Sneaking: This dark pattern is the act of automatically adding extra items like products, services, charitable contributions or donations during the checkout process on a platform without the user’s consent, resulting in an unintended increase in the total amount payable by the user. The most common example being the Rs. 1/- donation, which is automatically added during checking out and does not usually meet the eyes of the customers (given that the addition made to the cart is almost negligible).
3. Forced Action: This dark pattern refers to compelling a user to purchase extra items, subscribe to unrelated services, or share personal information just to access or buy the initially desired product or service. A very common example of ‘Forced Action’, is that of gated websites. There are numerous websites/applications which allow the users to access the information/data only after signing up. These are a means to collect personal data for targeted advertisements, et al. 
4. Subscription traps: Also known as a “Roach Motel”, this pattern makes it difficult or impossible for users to cancel a subscription, such as by requiring them to call a customer service number or navigate through a complex maze of menus. There are several applications, which do not show the option of closing or de-activating the account in a straight-forward manner. In a market where every user is not tech savvy or has the patience of going through several steps to de-activate his/her account, the accounts of such users remain active, thereby granting perpetual access to their personal data.

Punishment for engaging in Dark Patterns

Post induction of Guidelines, the Consumer Protection Act has inculcated an Annexure, namely Annexure 1, whereby penalties and punishments are prescribed for Dark Pattern practices reported till date. The said Guidelines are newly inducted and hence, are only indicative in nature and do not envisage an exhaustive list of all the Dark Pattern practices which may be devised by online aggregators and advertisers in the future.

Under the current regime, any non-compliance exposes Dark Pattern users to punishments, such as imprisonment for up to 6 months or a fine of up to ₹20 lakh, or both. This is in addition to the pre-existing punishments prescribed under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 for false, deceptive and misleading advertisements floated around by Dark Pattern which are punishable with imprisonment up to 2 years and a fine of up to ₹ 10 lakh. The stringency of the said punishments increases many folds for Dark Pattern users who are identified as repeat offenders.

Anticipating the insurgency of new Dark Pattern practices in the future, the said guidelines are expected to mitigate such future  practices by empowering consumers, civil society, and market players to report new instances of Dark Patterns, through an institutionalised and automated feedback mechanism, to the Department of Consumer Affairs. The Department, post evaluation, may notify and include the same in Annexure 1 of the said guidelines. This approach endeavours to encourage industry self-regulation with necessary proctoring by the Department of Consumer Affairs and ultimately aims to boost online consumer protection.

The internet is flooded with content aimed at grabbing attention, but there’s a distinction between trustworthy content and manipulative tactics like subscription traps. Legislation like the Information Technology Rules of 2011 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 prioritises obtaining informed consent before collecting sensitive personal data. 

To mitigate such unwarranted collection of data legislations, like the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 are enacted which specifically mandate the requirement of a user’s informed consent before their sensitive personal data is collected.

Similarly, the newly enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 places importance on obtaining explicit consent from the Data Principal before processing such data. Implicit or opt-out consent which lacks a clear, positive, and affirmative action is not considered valid under these regulations. 

The Global trend towards prioritising a user’s free and informed consent is evident in data protection laws worldwide. For instance, in the US, the California Consumer Privacy Rights Act, 2020, and the California Consumer Privacy Act, 2018 and in the EU, legislations such as the General Data Protection Act, the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive recognize dark patterns and discourage their usage by rendering consent obtained through them invalid, which in turn, provides safeguards against such manipulative tactics online.

Notably, the French Data Protection Act resulted in a €8 million fine on Apple for implementing the ‘personalised ads’ setting as the default without prior consent thereby making it challenging to change the setting through multiple steps. Another such instance of dark patterns is observed on the online platform of an e-Commerce Giant which makes it challenging for a user to disband its account once created, thus creating a vicious trap. 

In conclusion, despite the enactment of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act in 2023, there is still a notable gap in safeguarding against Dark Patterns. The Act does not directly address the interfaces or designs utilised by Dark Patterns operators, who often manipulate user experience under the pretext of creative freedom. Consequently, such designs evade classification under deceptive advertising or personal data piracy, highlighting the need for further regulatory measures.

—The authors; Juhi Khanna, is Senior Associate in the Corporate and Commercial practice, and Manbhar Mittal and Aman Jhawar, are associates in the Dispute Resolution & ADR practice, at law firm Gravitas Legal.   

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

SC action on Patanjali Ayurved — why it was the right medicine against misleading claims

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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It is human to blow one’s own trumpet.  By that yardstick, exaggeration is integral to advertising. Therefore, while the best toothpaste or moisturiser claim by all the brands in these product categories for example is kosher, the claim of best cure for an ailment needs to be tested on the touchstone of scientific evidence as it impinges on one’s health. 

It is not only the gullible ones that are taken in by such claims but also the highly educated given the fact that when a member of a family falls sick, all the members suspend disbelief and even start looking for miracles. 

Also Read: Supreme Court reproaches central govt for its inaction against Patanjali Ayurved’s ‘misleading ads’

In other words, the standards for puffery or exaggeration (used in advertisements) aren’t the same for medicines and other products. And mind you Baba Ramdev is a celebrity in the field of Yoga and Ayurveda. A celebrity is enjoined with greater responsibilities while endorsing a brand. Be that as it may.

And when the medicine advertiser simultaneously runs down his rivals especially from another stream of medicine, the gullible and not-so gullible patients are all the more confounded. This is precisely what has been happening with Patanjali arguably the market leader in Ayurveda.

Thus, the Supreme Court has issued on February 27, a contempt notice to Patanjali  Ayurveda and its managing director Acharya Balkrishna for disregarding its order against misleading advertisements. The court has also prohibited Patanjali from promoting its medical products until further notice. During the hearing on the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) plea regarding misinformation against Allopathy, the top court criticised Patanjali conglomerate for being incorrigible and not heeding its earlier warnings.  

Competition law all over the world frowns upon disparagement of rival brands unless such disparagement is done with clinical and scientific evidence.  Indeed, this is what comparative advertising is all about. 

In 2010, the Rin ad openly named its rival — ‘Tide se kahin behtar safedi de Rin’ (Rin gives better whiteness than Tide), without getting into specific, feature-to-feature comparison.  Tide could have gone to Court accusing Rin of disparagement but Rin’s defence could have been laboratory reports. 

Earlier, HCL photocopiers took on Modi Xerox openly by making a comparative analysis. Truth be told, comparative advertising is any day better than the mushy celebrity advertising as it enlightens the wannabe buyers about the features of two or more brands. The Supreme Court would not have pulled up Patanjali had it gone to town with comparative advertising listing out feature by feature the superiority of its medicines vis-à-vis Allopathy’s (Modern Medicine) backed by scientific evidence that would stand expert scrutiny. Be that as it may.

But IMA felt aggrieved because Patanjali neither had the records to prove its own Ayurvedic medicines efficacy nor evidence to prove that Allopathy medicines for the same ailments were inferior or harmful though the common view is Allopathy medicines leave side effect whereas Ayurvedic medicines do not produce any side effect at all. 

One however cannot go by hearsays in the matter of life and death.  Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computers, paid with his life when he left his advancing cancer unattended by Allopathic doctors, chiefly oncologists, and reposed faith on a Himalayan Baba in Kullu.  Even diehard adherents of alternative medicines like Ayurveda and Unani rush to Allopathy when in extremis.  There are several types of specific treatments, including radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, among others, are available to an oncologist to treat cancer and he chooses the option depending upon what stage the cancer is, and, now-a-days, even the precise medicine according to the genetic nature of the person.   

This however doesn’t mean Ayurveda is quackery, a western view to guard the turf of pharmaceutical MNCs. There are many Ayurvedic preparations that are good in whetting appetite and controlling indigestion. Herbal oils have been found useful in alleviating muscle pain. Balms using eucalyptus oil are time-tested in relieving headache. But the larger point is that the claims of medicines should be based on proven evidence and science.  

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Interview: ‘What’s good for India is good for HUL,’ says CEO Rohit Jawa

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Hindustan Unilever (HUL) Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Rohit Jawa shares insights on marketing, how digitsation is the big growth driver for India, and many more transformational trends taking place at the FMCG firm in a conversation with CNBC-TV18 Managing Editor Shereen Bhan.

Here are the edited excerpts:

Q: When you were in college, what was your big aspiration and big dream?

When I joined my MBA course and went through various cross functions, I fell in love with marketing and used to revel in all of the consumer behaviour cases, the Unique Selling Proposition of Rosser Reeves, and beautiful Volkswagen advertisements. I always wanted to work for a marketing company and no doubt in 1988 that HUL was the best marketing company. It was my dream to join, and I did.

Q: What does the HUL of tomorrow mean to you in terms of the growth engines that will drive it?

I can tell you that India is where perhaps one of these great Tiger economies, or China, was 10–15 years ago. We are poised to break through. And I see that; I smell it in the entrepreneurial energy in the market, I smell it in the consumers’ aspirations, and I feel these are dramatically transforming India, which we need to recognise as a company. One is India’s getting more prosperous; the top mass affluent, or middle class and above, have doubled in the last five years and will double again from something like 40 odd million to 90 odd million households. We’re talking about the size of the US in terms of consuming population.

Second, the big driver of growth is digitisation. It has democratised India. I know ONDC is going to democratise digi-commerce. But the India tech stack has changed unlike any other country in the world, including China. What we’re seeing here is pioneering; it is transformational. It’s changing how we do business. And it’s also changing consumers’ aspirations. Whether you’re in a village, in the deep rural east of India, or you’re in the city of Mumbai, you can watch the same sort of media and have the same aspirations. That’s creating a lot of demand to upgrade and to aspire. We have got to recognise that this is a vast country—1.4 billion people—and we have to be responsible towards our communities and the environment. There is no better company than HUL because our mission is that what’s good for India is good for HUL.

Q: Given the fact that we’re now anticipating an even higher jump as far as per capita is concerned, what will that realistically lead to when we talk about premiumisation?

We are an India with a 1.4 billion market. Our per capita consumption of FMCG, even in the categories we play, is only $50 odd. If you compare that with Indonesia, that’s four times as much, and China six times. There’s a huge runway for growth. And when we look at every category we play in, we see that we are about 10–15 odd years behind these mega markets. In some categories, the journey could be a little faster or slower, but what I’m saying is that in the next decade, we could see some categories doubling, tripling, or quadrupling.

A couple of places where I believe this is still happening at a fast pace are beauty care and packaged foods, where I think the pace of transformation will be even faster. And what we’re doing about that is building a portfolio to serve all demand spaces. Choosing the segments we want to play in as HUL, where we are good, and where we can bring Unilever’s leveraged brands and investing capabilities. I think that’s really what we’ll have to do as we evolve from where we are today to the 100th year of HUL.

Q: With digital beauty brands and that entire aspect, how much of this is largely going to be driven by organic growth? How much of it is going to be driven by inorganic growth? What looks exciting to you in terms of the kind of D2C explosion that we are seeing?

We are the skincare or beauty care market leader, both in colours and in skincare. We already have a four-time relative market share; it’s a very margin-accretive category. But as the market evolves, as consumers increase their regime and use more than one stage in usage, the market premiumises and we start to see new demand spaces that go beyond brightening tone management, anti-ageing to hydration, sun care, and so on. We know that we have to play the full portfolio. How consumers buy beauty care is also different; there will be some consumers who will buy it more as part of their daily routine with our Glow & Lovely brand or with Ponds, but many consumers are looking to influencers on social media to buy on platforms like Nykaa and other such e-commerce platforms. They are purely digital; they are about experience.

As far as digital brands are concerned, they are digital in the sense that they are digital-first and not digital-only. So, they have to go beyond D2C platforms to marketplaces. And then they have to go to bookstores and pharmacies offline, and we know that game; we were there. We have already hacked the playbook, so to speak. We have built through our premium beauty business unit a couple of brands that have already crossed the ₹100 crore ARR mark.

Some of our brands, like Lakme, are already very digital. They have a large share of e-commerce. It’s getting transformed, it’s getting premiumised and it’s looking cool and very attractive. We have very good innovations there. So that brand is an old brand, but not a dated brand. It is a contemporary, fresh brand that offers the best of beauty at a very good price to consumers.

Q: What’s the big lesson and the learning as you now foray into this digital-first space?

While the fundamentals are the same, the way marketing is done has dramatically transformed. And this is an example of how it’s transformed. In the last two to three years, we have built and run the premium beauty business unit. We have an agile innovation lab where we can scan ideas, use machine AI to build concepts, have them simulated, checked for the highest level of opportunity, crafted through our R&D labs in small batches, test them out with consumers, find the product market fit, start getting consumers, acquire them, scale them, get to a level where we feel okay now that this is being loved, and before you know, you have a few hundred crore worth of business.

Q: How much has the needle moved in terms of digital and AI adoption? And externally, from a customer-facing perspective, what do you believe that could lead to over the next five years, for instance?

The way we see digitisation is, it’s going to do one of three things: drive growth, reduce costs, and improve our capabilities. We have been on a journey to reimagine HUL for several years now. And we see them basically in three different parts. There’s the operations or supply chain, where digitisation has a big role to play. It’s in the area of our customers, so how we go to market—Shikhar is an example, which is our B2B app. And then, of course, our consumers, and I just talked about how we are, for instance, creating products but also selling products through digital commerce and all of the data signals that we get from there.

To give you a few examples, for instance, on the supply chain, we have many use cases that we believe are creating huge value. For instance, we can do digital twins of our factories. Sitting in this complex, we can already model how to improve the productivity of our plants across the country.

When it comes to customers, and if you look at our GT business or traditional trade, we go to 2.7 million stores, of which 1.3 million, including some in rural areas, have signed up on our app. A million of those order every month.

E-commerce and digital commerce are already the fastest-growing channels for us. And we are gaining competitiveness there. And that’s going to be a place that we want to lean on because that is going to grow and will more than double from what it is today as a contribution to our business easily in the next five to 10 years.

Q: So, e-commerce contribution doubles in the next five or 10 years? It is a fairly wide range there.

I would say five would be my hope and ambition. And we’re investing based on that.

Q: What is the percentage of sales that you are spending as far as tech is concerned? And do you believe that that number is going to significantly increase going forward?

We are investing more than a third in our digital media. And that’s going to go up even further. Because consumers are spending more time on digital, that means that we have more data, we can target better, and our media spending can become even more efficient. And we are investing in leadership and capability, even on the top team, to make sure that our entire advertising and marketing investment is highly optimised through data.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Storyboard18 | Artificial Intelligence takes the spotlight at Consumer Electronics Show 2024

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas recently showcased the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially with the rising interest in generative AI. This year’s event, the world’s largest technology show, saw major companies such as L’Oréal, Hyundai, Sony, Honda, Intel, Walmart, and Snap unveiling their AI-powered products and services.

Personal computer manufacturers also shared their plans for the development of AI PCs. While the focus was primarily on technology, the event also attracted brand custodians and key decision-makers from the advertising industry.

Storyboard’s Shibani Gharat reported from the ground, providing insights into the AI innovations presented by various companies. One notable interview was with Florian Adamski, the Global CEO of Omnicom Media Group, shedding light on the role of AI in advertising and media.

Also Read | Storyboard18 | In conversation with Sketchers, Tata Motors, and Prestige Group

Among the highlights of CES was Dolby’s commitment to delivering experiences that go beyond traditional auto and video experiences. John Colling, Senior VP-Entertainment at Dolby, emphasised the growing consumer desire for immersive entertainment. Dolby aims to push the boundaries and elevate the quality of audio and visual experiences.

Also Read | Storyboard18 | Tata Power accelerates transition to clean energy with bold initiatives

For more details, watch the accompanying video

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Artificial intelligence to be a catalyst for increased ad revenues: Martin Sorrell

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In the ever-evolving landscape of advertising, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force. Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, believes that AI is a catalyst for increased ad revenues, primarily due to its influence on visualization and copywriting.

Moreover, AI’s capacity for hyper-personalization is highlighted by Sorrell. He said as AI algorithms become more sophisticated, advertisers can create highly personalized content tailored to individual preferences thereby enhancing the effectiveness of advertising.

Sorrell foresees a significant shift in the landscape of media planning and buying, with AI and algorithms challenging traditional human-driven approaches. He suggests that the industry’s workforce, which currently comprises 2,50,000 individuals, may experience a reduction in demand due to AI’s ability to deliver more effective outputs than human judgment.

AI’s impact goes beyond ad production and media planning; Sorrell identifies general efficiency and the democratization of knowledge as two additional areas of transformation.

Linear TV, according to Sorrell, is facing substantial pressure, with a continuation of the downtrend in ad revenues. Sorrell predicts that digital ad revenues will continue to strengthen, reaching 70% by 2025 and solidifying its position as the dominant force in the advertising market.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow