66% of Active Job Seekers will Increase their Time Spent on Job Search: LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, today announced the findings of the seventh edition of the Workforce Confidence Index, a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce. Based on the survey responses of 1,303 professionals in India, findings from June 15-28 reveal India’s rising optimism towards job security as businesses slowly reopened last month.

The seventh edition of the Workforce Confidence Index shows a modest increase in India’s overall workforce confidence, which reflects in this fortnight’s composite score of +50 (up from +48 in June 1-14). This growing confidence comes at a time when the economy continues to reboot, thus sparking hiring prospects across varied industries such as ecommerce, IT services, insurance and gaming. In fact, the economic repercussions of the pandemic have also urged businesses to innovate their offerings to lead through change, thereby stimulating job creation across sectors. Backing this up, Arvind Mediratta, MD & CEO of Metro Cash & Carry India says, “There is going to be a lot of demand for new products and services which, maybe, we’re not even able to envisage right now.”

Active job seekers confident about career progression as economy reboots

The lifting of the lockdown in several states and the continued adversities caused by COVID-19 have instituted a new set of workforce demands, thus creating new economic opportunities across the country’s industrial landscape. This uptick in hiring has fuelled the confidence of active job seekers towards career progression as findings show that about 2 in 3 professionals will increase their time spent searching for (66%) and applying to (64%) jobs in the next 2 weeks. Findings also highlight the active job seekers’ clear intent to upskill today for a safer tomorrow as 68% say they will increase their time spent on online learning to harbor long-term job security and career progression.

Decision makers more confident about job security than junior workers

To understand how this optimism towards job security differs across seniority levels, the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index also captured responses from professionals with varied work experience levels. Findings state that decision makers appear to be more confident about their job security when compared to their junior workers. Only 1 in 4 senior professionals said they would increase their time spent on searching for jobs in comparison to almost half (45%) of the junior workforce. Further reinforcing the confidence of senior executives towards job security, findings showed that only 16% of Director+ professionals (decision makers) would increase the number of jobs they apply to, when compared to 48% of the junior workforce.

Commenting on this growing optimism, HR expert Prabir Jha explains why India’s rising hope towards job security comes with slight trepidation - “It must be understood that retaining a job in the present times is in itself a strong confidence booster. Many people are also willing to take up to 50% cut in their salaries for an assured job. This means that whoever retains a job today, clearly knows that his/her role matters to the organization even in the new reality.”

He also added, “More experienced workers may have savings to support them in the long run,” to explain why senior professionals are not as inclined towards increasing their time spent on searching for jobs.

Job-seekers can signal that they are #OpenToWork, with LinkedIn’s new feature

To help job seekers land a job in an uncertain environment, LinkedIn is providing free tools and resources for effective job search and placement. One such profile feature that was recently launched is #OpenToWork, which helps job seekers maximize their visibility on the LinkedIn platform. The feature, which frames the profile picture on LinkedIn, helps members signal to recruiters that they are immediately available to take up in-market opportunities. The feature also helps them specify the types of jobs they are interested in, and what their preferred start date and location is. So far, more than 30 million job seekers have used the #OpenToWork tool to find their next job on the platform.

Here are a few member stories that show how this tool is assisting them to connect with the right opportunities during such testing times -

●     Shilpisweta asked for advice, or opportunities from her network as she embarked on finding a new role in a LinkedIn post.

●     Yash moved back to India and decided to post on LinkedIn to find opportunities in the Social Media Management and Branded Content Strategy fields.

●     Vijay lost his job due to the COVID-19 situation and asked his LinkedIn network to refer him to new opportunities in a LinkedIn post.

●     Gopinath thanked his previous employer- Uber for the learnings in a LinkedIn post and asked his connections for leads to another exciting job opportunity.

Other free tools that help job seekers prepare for interviews and gain the right guidance include ‘Interview Prep’ and ‘Offer Help’. While ‘Offer Help’ makes it easier for our members to share that they are willing and able to extend a helping hand to their connections who are actively looking for opportunities, ‘Interview Prep’ offers free tools, including a new Microsoft-AI powered feature, to help members demonstrate their skills through effective interviewing and real-time feedback.

Dettol & PVR Cinemas Come Together to Enable ‘Safe and Hygienic’ Movie Viewing Experience

Dettol, the leading germ protection brand, today announced its partnership with PVR Cinemas, India’s largest and the most premium film exhibitor. The partnership will help create a safe, hygienic, and enjoyable movie viewing experience for its customers once the cinemas can open in accordance with government guidelines and permissions. Adhering to the ‘new normal’, the partnership program will enable & develop enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols for the guests across 175 properties operating in 70 cities across the country.

Research by Global monitor indicates that consumers have heightened hygiene concerns when venturing outside the comfort of their house, and trust in cleanliness standards will be critical to restarting any business operations. Therefore, it has become highly critical for industries to implement an effective system to ensure standardized hygiene practices to protect oneself and others from this pandemic.

Commenting on the partnership, Pankaj Duhan, Chief Marketing Officer, RB Health South Asia, said, “Even as the lockdown conditions get progressively eased, the Indian consumers concern on germs exposure and desire for protective measures remains very high. As India’s #1 trusted brand for germ protection, Dettol is pleased to partner with PVR for a safe return of the Indian families to a cutting-edge cinema viewing experience.  Our aim is to partner meaningfully together with PVR to provide best in class Dettol germ protection – proven Dettol products to be used in expert vetted protocols so that the consumer is reassured and confident of a safe and hygienic viewing experience.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas said, “We have spent the last few months brainstorming amongst ourselves and with the world leaders in our industry to come up with best and safest practices for our customers to return to the movies. Having left no stone unturned in ensuring their well-being across all levels, we are pleased to partner with Dettol to guarantee an even cleaner and safer viewing experience. We are positive that the people would enlist the same trust in us as they have in the past decades of our relationship with them.” 

PVR Cinemas will implement stringent hygiene protocols, social distancing and food safety measures, along with minimal human contact across all touchpoints.  All employees will be undergoing health screening daily and fortnightly; and will be wearing PPE gear, face masks, gloves and face shields for extra protection. Further, the entire premises undergo an EPA approved complete ULV sanitization process at regular intervals which helps in coating the surface with anti-microbial layers with electrostatic machines for up to thirty days.

Over 80 years, Dettol has been the trusted partner of health, for millions of mothers across the country, to protect their family by preventing illnesses and infections. In the ongoing battle to contain the spread of COVID-19, Dettol has been instrumental in driving behavior change and the adoption of recommended hygiene practice across India. As a hygiene leader and No. 1 germ protection brand, Dettol continues to drive the organizational purpose and fight in action- to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world.

Otipy to Acquire Women Resellers Through its Partnership with SHEROES

Otipy, one of India’s fastest growing social commerce ventures, in partnership with the largest women-centric social networking app, SHEROES, today announced a new initiative to empower thousands of women pan-India, by providing them an earning opportunity as Otipy partner resellers.

The partnership between Otipy and SHEROES will be based on a revenue-sharing model, with strong synergies between both the app based platforms.  The idea of the initiative being that women can take advantage of the current scenario to earn and become independent, while being in the comfort of their homes. By choosing to partner with Otipy and SHEROES, interested resellers could be just a step away from being self-reliant earners, without the need of any additional investment. Through just a few clicks, they can be empowered within their communities by selling and coordinating deliveries of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables to thousands of homes.

The initiative is looking to partner with more than 1,000 women in becoming Otipy resellers, in the Delhi-NCR region alone. For starters, resellers will be supporting farmers by taking up the mantle of delivering fresh farm produce in the Delhi-NCR region. The objective is to provide healthier alternatives to an increasingly health conscious society, which is yearning for safe, hygienic and eco-friendly produce as an alternative to the standard-fare products of questionable quality, that are usually available at a corner store. The hope is to create a healthier ecosystem, while simultaneously enabling women to make most of an opportunity to attain financial independence and recognition. Otipy, along with SHEROES, wishes to replicate this model across the country, as they intend to leverage the expansive SHEROES community to find enthusiastic women partners. 

Speaking about the partnership Varun Khurana, Founder, Otipy said “Otipy is thrilled to partner with SHEROES, as they have been at the forefront of creating tangible impact in society through the creation of a community exclusively for women, which allows them to explore expert opinions and work opportunities among other things. Otipy shares similar values with SHEROES and we hope that through this initiative, thousands of women will be provided financial avenues, while driving the larger purpose of healthier food consumption in the country.”

Sairee Chahal, Founder & CEO SHEROES said “One of our major goals has always been to facilitate the inclusion of women into the workforce and our partnership with Otipy only strengthens our resolve in reaching that ambition. It is our belief that Otipy’s opportunity has the potential to transform the prevalent thinking behind women-centric decision making and we are working towards creating success stories that have the power to reinforce the ecosystem for the empowerment of women.”

Otipy’s platform has been designed to meet the requirements of an average smartphone user, with a friendly app interface and simple payment gateways, while ensuring quick next-day delivery. Otipy and SHEREOS encourages users and community champions on the app to apply by logging in to their accounts and make use of the opportunity, and become partner resellers.     

Hyundai Organizes ‘Lamp On Challenge’ – A Unique Social Media Contest from July 16-31, 2020

Summary 

* Digital contest to encourage customers to promote car maintenance and safety

* Driven through HMIL Social Media Networking Handles

* Contest winners to be gratified with exciting rewards

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., country’s first smart mobility solutions provider and largest exporter since inception has organized a unique contest- ‘Lamp On Challenge’ on their social media handles for customers. The contest is aimed at educating customers about the importance of brake lights and its key role to prevent accidents. The contest commenced on 16th July and will go on till 31st July, 2020. 

Commenting on this novel contest, Mr. Tarun Garg, Director – Sales, Marketing & Service, said, “As a responsible and caring brand, Hyundai has been at the forefront of spreading awareness about the importance of car maintenance and safety to educate and encourage behavioral change in the masses.  Endeavors such as these are pertinent to create a large impact by sensitizing people on similar issues. The ‘Lamp On Challenge’ is a digital contest aimed at being a true eye-opener for the masses”.

The contest entails a three-step process that Hyundai customers need to follow, wherein a picture has to be taken showing a car rear with brake lamps ON, while covering the number plate with a finger heart. This picture has to be posted on their personal social media accounts by tagging @HyundaiIndia along with two friends using both #Hyundai and #LampOn_India. Lucky 100 entries qualifying the above criteria will be gratified with exciting prizes.

Customers can avail Hyundai service facilities via 360 Digital & Contact-less Service. From online service booking through Hyundai Care App, Vehicle status update via WhatsApp, Pick and Drop from home/office and online payment facility, a touch free service experience is ensured for the customers, wherever they are and whenever they want to. With its strong network of 1310 workshops, Hyundai has always been at the forefront in providing the best ownership experience to their customers. Hyundai has been ranked No.1 by JD Power in Customer Service Index (CSI) study for 3 years in a row.

Fujifilm India Organizes Virtual Workshop ‘Xperience’ with Commercial Photographer Zack Arias

Fujifilm India Private Limited, a pioneer in imaging technologies is organizing a Virtual Workshop ‘Xperience’ with Commercial photographer Zack Arias. The workshop will be hosted by Radhakrishnan Chakyat, Commercial Photographer and founder of Pixel Viilage YouTube Channel and go live on Fujifilm’s YouTube handle on 24 July at 7pm.

To inspire the passionate photographers at home, the company has invited Zack Arias to share his journey in photography and his amazing experiences with Fujifilm's range of cameras and lenses. Zack is an Atlanta-based editorial and commercial photographer who belongs to the growing circle of photographers enthused by the new camera. He started enjoying photography when he was about 15 years old and has been pursuing it as a career for over twenty years.

Zack started his journey with Fujifilm X100 camera and has been using it to travel the world.  With his excellent photography skills, he cherishes the Fujifilm range of cameras for their incredibly sharp lens, seamless performance, incredibly handy grip that it offers to all travelers. During the ‘Xperience’ webinar, Zack will be sharing his journey with Fujifilm and giving advice on how to choose the right gear for first-time buyers and professional photographers in the country.

Commenting on the webinar, Mr. Arun Babu, General Manager Electronic Imaging and Optical Devices Division, Fujifilm India Pvt Ltd, said, “As majority of the country's workforce is working from home, we at Fujifilm believe that it is essential to find leisure time during these challenging times. We have associated with renowned photographers such as Zack Arias and Radhakrishnan Chakyat to share insights, support our passionate customers through these educational sessions and help them dive deeper into photography and videography skills during their time at home.”

With this workshop, Fujifilm aims to teach various kinds of photography styles ranging from wedding, documentary, fashion and commercial photography to even shooting videos. Join the experts in discovering & sharing new techniques, smart tips, great fun and true passion.

Don't miss this opportunity! Mark your calendar to register yourself at https://fujifilmxindia.com/events/ffw51/  and login Fujifilm YouTube handle.

Inspiring Film Shot in Inspiring Circumstances for Mamaearth Post Lockdown in June 2020

On the 12th and 13th of June, Mamaearth completed its first marketing campaign shoot post the COVID-19 lockdown. One of the very few proper campaign shoots that have managed to take place since the lockdown, this shoot is a great example of how we are slowly coming back to normalcy, albeit with precautions. 

With the end of the lockdown, a new phase in the COVID-19 pandemic is upon us. The virus still lurks but restaurants and malls are reopening with safety precautions in place, people are venturing out of their homes with masks and hand sanitizers. This new phase has brought a sense of optimism in people and businesses alike. While businesses are opening up in different ways and in differing speeds, brands like Mamaearth are showing us the way forward in what will be the new normal for the marketing and advertising industry. 

With the launch of their new “Goodness Inside” campaign, Mamaearth has set an example of how brands can navigate this difficult environment and still produce purposeful content for their consumers. As soon as the lockdown ended, they went ahead with the shooting of the “Goodness Inside” film. Conceptualised by Korra Worldwide and shot by Flying Boots Production by Nitesh Gulaniya, the shoot was completed over a period of 2 days with a 40-member crew and multiple actors including a dog and a baby! The film has become an exemplary instance of how a full-fledged production can take place while complying with the Government regulations completely. 

Since its inception in 2016, Mamaearth has stood by the promise of honesty and goodness in everything they do. Through this campaign, they want to extend the thought of “goodness is a choice” and “goodness inside” to its millennial consumers. It is a digital and social media led campaign with the key message that goodness isn’t a superpower or a special gift. It is simply a choice that you make every day, just like the choices Mamaearth has made. Mamaearth products are made from the best of nature, and have no toxins, no harmful chemicals, no animal testing, no plastic impact.

The main video of 1-minute shows multiple situations where people can make good choices in their daily lives to make the world a little better. And with each little choice, we head towards a much better future. This video will be followed up by multiple smaller edits focusing on one situation and one category of products from the brand.

While there were certain challenges in terms of limited number of crew members and the requirement of a much bigger shoot space, that did not deter Mamaearth and the production house from shooting this inspirational film. All necessary precautions were taken to ensure the safety of those involved in the shooting. This included checking the travel history of everyone who entered the set and the use of PPE kits, gloves and masks. All the equipment was sanitized before it was brought to the set. The production house had employed 3 spot boys only for the job of sanitizing everything on the set after every 15-20 minutes! The crew members were requested to bring food from home and use their own cars or cabs that belonged to the production house and were sanitized every day. There was a doctor and an ambulance available on the location for any emergency medical assistance.

The launch of this film has proved that the current crisis is not a limitation but a new opportunity to work more efficiently. To pull out a film in a situation like this is as inspiring as the film itself! 

Link of the film shot- 

Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YROZybuYGUE

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/p/CCcma_nB2fD/?igshid=1e1mvpn6zxaoo

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/Mamaearthindia/videos/305801094159086/

How women are Making it Big in Business Via WhatsApp-Based Social Commerce?

By Varun Khurana, Founder, Otipy ( India’s fastest growing social commerce venture)

 

Social commerce is not a new concept in the country major chunk of social commerce existed only in the fashion, beauty, and retail industries. Today, social commerce is gaining popularity for one of the fundamental aspects of life – fresh food. Fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables have become the most in-demand products as people switch to healthier ways of living and are eager to know the source.  

 

A USD 200 Billion fresh produce category is now witnessing major disruption through social commerce. It is garnering the attention of consumer, entrepreneurs, and investors, . In fact, consumers are increasingly preferring their food sourced through social commerce for various reasons such as higher credibility, rational price and most importantly, fresher produce (delivered within a day straight from the farms sometime within 12 hrs). For women looking to be a part of the business environment without monetary investment, social commerce within the food category is the ideal solution. Let us take a look at how social commerce is playing a key role in helping women make it big in business.

 

The rise of social commerce

Increasing internet penetration and social media usage have paved the way for the rise of social commerce. A majority of the population today uses and is in fact hooked onto social media and brands are leveraging this aspect. With the rise in demand for fresh produce, women are joining hands with brands to become resellers within their community to make a mark for themselves in their community by leveraging social commerce. Currently, fresh produce is a supply-led model and social commerce is flipping it to demand-led model that further helps in solving the problem of middlemen and wastage (since there is no inventory). Apart from this, it helps resellers connect with their customers-base efficiently and offer real-time feedback to the farmers regarding the quality of the produce.

 

The emergence of women as dominant sellers

 For the first time, women are taking the center stage in spurring the adoption of e-commerce and helping the industry as well as themselves progress. The advent of technology, rapid digitization of businesses, and easy access have helped drive this change. For women sellers, a slew of features aided by cutting-edge technology such as voice chats/chatbots, real-time updates and feedback to the farmers, and most importantly, WhatsApp-based marketing is coming handy to open more doors to become micro-entrepreneurs.         

Additionally, women sellers also have a higher average order value, better retention and repeat orders, making them more suitable. In fact, not just urban cities, but women resellers hail from tier-II and tier-III catchment areas are hopping on the fresh produce social commerce bandwagon to fulfil their goals and achieve financial independence with almost no investment. A whopping 68% of women in most platforms sell from tier-II and tier-III cities.

 

Women sellers also help customers gain the trust factor for unbranded products since they usually tend to lean towards known/established brands. In return, social commerce platforms offer easy access for women to build an entrepreneurial empire of their own through community engagement without hindrances. Particularly in vernacular language-led social commerce platforms, women are dominating the space, even though the concept is still at a very nascent stage. They are learning the tricks of the trade and are keen on flourishing in the competitive business environment.

 

Social commerce is quickly becoming a multi-million-dollar market in India. However, the country has a largely unorganized market, particularly in tier-II, tier-III and tier-IV cities, especially for the fresh produce category with millions of farmers scattered across the country. Additionally, shopping for fresh produce is a social concept of sorts. Since the pandemic has forced us to adhere to social distancing norms, social commerce is flourishing and women are leading the way. With technological advancements, greater digitization and the availability of regional languages providing easy access and seamless experience, the rise of women entrepreneurs through social commerce is inevitable.  

Hero Motocorp Hands Over Unique First Responder Vehicles to Community Health Centres in Alwar

As part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives towards the COVID-19 relief efforts, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, today handed over two first-responder vehicles to authorities at the Community Health Centres in Neemrana and Mundawar, in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. 

These unique and utilitarian vehicles will be useful for reaching out to patients in rural and remote areas and comfortably moving them to the nearest hospitals.  First Responder has been custom-built as an accessory on the powerful Xtreme 200R motorcycles of Hero MotoCorp.

The First Responder has been equipped with a full stretcher with a foldable hood mounted on the side, essential medical equipment such as a detachable first-aid kit, oxygen cylinder, fire extinguisher and other safety features such as LED Flasher Lights, foldable beacon light, emergency wireless public announcement system and siren.

The two First Responders vehicles from Hero MotoCorp were handed over to Shri Manjeet Dharampal Choudhary, Member of the State Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan, Mundawar (Neemrana), Alwar.

They have been designed and developed through a collaborative initiative by the engineers at Hero’s Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur and the New Model Centre (NMC) at the Company’s manufacturing facility in Gurgaon.

Hero MotoCorp is in the process of manufacturing several more of these First Responders, which will be handed over to local health authorities in other parts of the country.

OYO Pays Ode to the Spirit of India with its Touching Digital Campaign - Fir Badhega India!

Spirit of India 

* Launches its digital campaign - Fir Badhega India across social media including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube & OTT

* OYO has also launched a digital film titled ‘Fir Badhega India’, thereby perfectly encapsulating the messaging of the campaign visually

As India takes a step towards normalcy, cities are slowly getting back in action, local markets are thriving once again, the friendly neighborhood chacha smiles wide as he lifts the shutter of his shop at the dawn of a new day, travellers are boarding flights and checking into hotels, amongst a lot more of movement. This is the true spirit of India as it opens up, this time, however, in a different way -- a safe way. Looking at the world from a consumer’s eyes, in this new normal, the biggest concern is safety and sanitisation as they step out of their homes.  Understanding this, today OYO has rolled out its month-long campaign - ‘Fir Badhega India’ to pay tribute to the spirit of 1.3 billion Indians, as they gear up to move forward with hope and undying resilience. Furthermore, the campaign aims to build trust towards OYO as it goes onto highlight OYO’s ‘Sanitised Stays’ initiative, under which the hotel chain has taken several precautionary measures to maintain the highest standard of hygiene, cleanliness, and minimal-touch standard operating procedures to welcome guests back safely.

The video captures the small nuances of the new-normal way of living in a subtle yet impactful manner.  ‘Fir Badhega India’ plays on the reality of today with the heartwarming Indian touch where strangers help one another and move forward together but this time, with utmost precaution. The film features an old shopkeeper or chaiwala (a representation of the countless small businesses that are now returning to work) who struggles to open the shutter of his little shop after months of lockdown.  Soon, a young passerby takes a minute out of his own schedule to help the old shopkeeper lift the shutter once again. They exchanged pleasantries and without wasting another second, the Good Samaritan rushes off to work. Throughout, the film showcases health and safety precautions practiced by both the protagonists. There are also glimpses of OYO’s minimal touch experiences observed by the young staff executive, including temperature checks on entering the hotel, opening the door using his shoulder, the use of protective equipment such as masks and gloves, placement of hand sanitisers at high touchpoints and mention of OYO’s 10-step room sanitisation process. 

The campaign has been conceptualised by OYO’s in-house brand team, produced by K Silent films and directed by Anand Karir. The music for this film has been composed by Hanif Shaikh and sung by a Kashmiri folk singer - Noor Mohammed accompanied by a Rubab, an Afghan musical instrument that he plays himself. The theme of the music is centered around welcoming brighter times ahead, beautifully interpreted by the folk singer as ‘spring arriving in the valley’. The film is currently LIVE across OYO’s digital platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and OTT platforms. OYO will release the campaign on all its organic and paid channels and make it visible to its partner and consumer network.

Commenting on the purpose of the campaign, Mayur Hola, Head of Global Brand - OYO Hotels & Homes said, “Living responsibly, maintaining adequate distance, offering safe, sanitised experiences is par for the course today. It is the responsibility of each individual and business. OYO and our hotel partners will make sure we offer exactly that for our guests.”

He adds, “Here’s the bigger picture for us, however, and the role we play in it. India is damned if it sits at home, doomed if it steps outside. In these circumstances, our priority has to be to help each other. We help thousands of our partners open up, deep clean and sanitise. They help thousands of allied businesses that supply and service them get back up and running. Add up the workforce that comes back to work in all of these businesses and you’re talking hundreds of thousands of people. Most importantly, we all come together to take care of our guests who need to get their life back on track. Our guests in turn help all of us and our employees by allowing us to host them. We wanted to be optimistic and not antiseptic in our messaging. We are all nirbhar (dependent) on each other to be atmanirbhar (independent). It is only then that India will rise again. Fir Badhega India!”

OYO has also introduced a ‘Sanitised Stays’ safety tag across all OYO booking platforms for properties that follow enhanced hygiene procedures, provides a minimal-touch experience and protective equipment across several countries, including India.

Link to the film - OYO Sanitised Stays - Fir Badhega India.

OTIPY - Social Commerce Venture by Crofarm Aims to On-Board 5000 Women from Delhi NCR by July 2020

OTIPY, the social commerce venture of India’s fastest-growing farm to retail agritech start-up Crofarm, has recently announced its plans to on-board 5000 women resellers in Delhi NCR. The platform aims to engage with these women by July 2020.Currently working with 500+ women resellers, the brand aims to further expand this number to 5000 by leveraging social media, awareness campaigns, and referrals. By joining the platform’s social commerce workforce, women would be able to earn up to INR 60,000 per month by supplying fresh fruits and vegetables in their community. Otipy resellers earn approximately 10% of their daily sales. To join the platform they can register themselves on the OTIPY website (https://otipy.com/partner.html) or their Facebook page.

OTIPY also offers basic training to newly onboarded resellers on their platform on How to grow their Otipy business; which includes the usage of the reseller partner app, social media promotion, customer care and deliveries. Considering the scalability and efficiency, the training is offered through video conferencing. The brand onboards and activates reseller partners within half hour.Speaking on the brand’s growth plans, Mr.  Varun Khurana, Founder, Otipy – a social commerce venture by Crofarm said, “A majority of our resellers 70% are women. Till now we have on boarded 500 women and we are determined to achieve our goal of onboarding 5000 women by the end of July. To ensure the safety and financial sanctity, we only onboard relevant resellers with valid KYC documents. We have also enabled a WhatsApp feature where women resellers can engage with their neighbourhood customers and understand them and their preferences. This will help them have a strong influence on the community and cater to the specific needs of the consumer. Furthermore, there is no investment required for them to start. We look forward to fulfilling our goal and serving the community better by bringing them fresh produce straight from the farm.”

OTIPY works on a social commerce model where the company delivers the products to the resellers who will then handle the last-mile deliveries within their neighbourhood and earn a healthy commission. Otipy currently serves over 50,000 active customers in the Delhi-NCR area and is targeting the large market with a scalable demand-led model. The fruits and vegetables are sourced from various regions across the country such as Haryana, UP, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. Crofarm also recently raised a funding of USD 1 million led by Smile Group.

About Otipy (Social commerce venture by Crofarm)

Otipy (Social commerce venture by Crofarm) is India’s fastest growing farm to fork agritech start-up. Otipy focuses on-demand harvesting as per predicted demand to keep minimum wastage through state-of-the-art technology used for procurement, distribution and delivery.  Otipy sources fresh produce from farmers across Haryana, UP, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

Muthoot Finance Launches ‘Sunheri Soch’ Radio Campaign By Amitabh Bachchan

Muthoot Finance, India’s No.1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand and India’s largest gold loan NBFC has entered into a unique partnership with RED FM, one of India’s largest and much awarded private radio networks to launch a series of real-life inspirational stories that break stigmas around gold loans in India. With ‘Muthoot Finance Sunheri Soch’ campaign, the financial services conglomerate brings highly successful stories of various common men & women who dreamt big and made their dreams come true by availing gold loans from Muthoot Finance.

Sunheri Soch aims at encouraging and educating masses about actively adopting gold loans and realising their dreams. The campaign is a series of inspiring, real-life stories of common people who took a gold loan from Muthoot Finance and moved ahead in life. Muthoot Finance’s brand ambassador Shri Amitabh Bachchan beautifully narrates these stories in an all-new avatar. As part of this campaign, a melodious Sunheri Soch anthem was launched with Red FM’s top RJs saluting the courage of these successful people who have achieved their dreams in highly challenging circumstances. Sunheri Soch is a celebration of their achievement, and Muthoot Finance is proud to be a catalyst in this journey of millions of Indians.

Commenting on the association, Mr. Alexander George Muthoot, Deputy Managing Director, The Muthoot Group said, “We have always launched path-breaking campaigns that have brought attitudinal transformation in the lives of people. Gold loans have huge potential as Indian households have 26000 tons of gold & just 2-3% of this is monetised by way of gold loans. We at Muthoot Finance are the guardians of trust who empower society to realise the power of their dreams by unlocking the true value of their emotional currency. Our Sunheri Soch campaign brings inspirational real-life stories to life to help common people realise their dreams”

Mr.Abhinav Iyer, General Manager, Marketing & Strategy, Muthoot Finance added, “Sunheri Soch is a series of life-transforming stories that can inspire a million others. As humans-beings, we feel inspired by great success stories. With a little help from Muthoot Finance, these are people who realised their dreams. With +2.5 Lac customers being served every day, it wasn’t easy to hand-pick a few success stories. Mr Bachchan’s incomparable voice and amazing delivery has just brought in the magical touch to this campaign”

Commenting on this association, Ms. Nisha Narayanan, COO & Director, Red FM and Magic FM said, “We are excited to announce our collaboration with Muthoot Finance, one of the most trusted financial services brand in India to feature inspirational success stories and break all the prevailing apprehensions associated with gold loans. With deeper engagement being the primary need of clients, we have taken a different approach in sharing some of the extraordinary real stories of Muthoot Finance Gold Loan customers”

Ms.Ruchi Mathur, Senior VP, Mindshare said:

“Magic happens when real life and storytelling come together. Especially in times like these when consumers and listeners are looking for something positive to latch on to. With this idea, we are not selling a brand or a product, but we are bringing hope to the many who have a dream, but just need the inspiration and a little help. We at Mindshare Content+ are proud to partner Muthoot Finance Sunheri Soch and hope this platform will bring the change we feel it can”,

About Muthoot Finance:

Muthoot Finance is the flagship company of The Muthoot Group which has 20 diversified business divisions. With 5000+ branches, the Group serves over 2.5 Lac customers every day. Muthoot Finance is also India's largest gold loan NBFC and India’s No.1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand, according to the Brand Trusted Report. It is a reputed ‘Systemically Important Non-deposit taking NBFC’. As part of the core business, Muthoot Finance provides loans secured against household gold jewellery at highly affordable rates and amazing product features. Globally, the Group has presence across, USA, UK, UAE, Costa Rica and Sri Lanka. In the recently announced financial results for FY20, Muthoot Finance posted a record Net Profit of Rs. 3,168 Crores (a 50% growth over FY19). The Consolidated Assets Under Management (AUM) grew by 22% for the same period and stood at Rs. 46,800 Crores.

Ex-lovers most popular online search on the Net

Most people look for their long lost love on the internet, a new survey has found.

The study found that one out of four people are using social networking sites like Facebook to search a childhood sweetheart.

Search engine Ask Jeeves claims that 9% even confessed trying to know details of a one-night stand.

Nearly 37% said that they wanted to learn about their ex to just “see what they were doing these days”, reports the British tabloid the Sun.

Surprisingly, 4% even looked for former flames just to inform them how happy they were without them, while 3% searched to find out how miserable their ex were.

Apart from searching for previous lovers the poll also suggested that a trend of “vanity searching”, which means looking for yourself on the net, has become increasingly popular.

Agencies

Will Twitter permit ads on website?

Twitter, the fastgrowing microblogging site now seeking ways to make money, expanded its terms for users to allow advertisers to reach the site’s more than 45 million monthly visitors.

Twitter, that lets people send an unlimited number of 140-character messages, is just now beginning to ramp up efforts to monetize, or gain revenue from, its popular site.

On Thursday, it revised its “terms of service” to specify that it may run ads. “We leave the door open for advertising. We’d like to keep our options open, as we’ve said before,” founder Biz Stone wrote on Twitter's official blog.

Advertising revenue is the time-honored way for websites to generate revenue while remaining free for users. Explosive growth in social networking is attracting interest: worldwide unique visitors to Twitter’s site reached 44.5 million in June, up 15-fold year-over-year.

Agencies

Major slice of Web ads goes to social networking sites

About one of every five Internet display ads in the United States is viewed on a social networking Web site like MySpace and Facebook, according to a new report.

The report by analytics firm comScore underscores the increasing prominence of social media sites in the Internet landscape and broadening acceptance of the sites by brand advertisers.

It also illustrates the increasing competition between social media sites and established Internet companies like Yahoo Inc and Time Warner Inc's AOL which have long billed themselves as the top online destinations for brand advertisers.

The study by comScore, released on Tuesday, said social media sites represented 21.1 per cent of US Internet display ads in July, with MySpace and Facebook accounting for more than 80 per cent of those ads.

"Because the top social media sites can deliver high reach and frequency against target segments at a low cost, it appears that some advertisers are eager to use social networking sites as a new advertising delivery vehicle," said Jeff Hackett, senior vice president of comScore.

According to comScore, AT&T Inc, Experian Interactive and IAC/Interactive Corp's Ask Network were the top three advertisers on social networking sites in July.

While social media sites have enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years -- Facebook is now the world's fourth-most visited Web site -- some observers have questioned whether the sites can be effectively monetized.

Because the content on social media sites is created by users, and could therefore prove racy or offensive, some have questioned the willingness of marketers to place their brands alongside that content.

"They are sensitive to some extent, but nowhere near to the extent you might think," Sanford Bernstein analyst Jeff Lindsay said of advertisers.

The price of placing ads on social networking sites is significantly less than on a Web portal like Yahoo or AOL, said Lindsay. The vast amount of Web pages available on social networks means that advertisers can purchase a massive volume of ad impressions at bargain prices.

The strategy may not be ideally suited to smaller marketers, or advertisers seeking a direct response from their ads, said Lindsay.

"For big, national brands it works just fine, just like TV," said Lindsay. "It's a huge, huge volume game."

Agencies

Forty glorious years of Internet history

Goofy videos weren’t on the minds of Len Kleinrock and his team at UCLA when they began tests 40 years ago on what would become the internet. Neither was social networking, for that matter, nor were most of the other easy-to-use applications that have drawn more than a billion people online.

Instead the researchers sought to create an open network for freely exchanging information, an openness that ultimately spurred the innovation that would later spawn the likes of YouTube, Facebook and the World Wide Web. There’s still plenty of room for innovation today, yet the openness fostering it may be eroding. While the internet is more widely available and faster than ever, artificial barriers threaten to constrict its growth.

Call it a mid-life crisis.
A variety of factors are to blame. Spam and hacking attacks force network operators to erect security firewalls. Authoritarian regimes block access to many sites and services within their borders. And commercial considerations spur policies that can thwart rivals, particularly on mobile devices like the iPhone.

“There is more freedom for the typical internet user to play, to communicate, to shop — more opportunities than ever before,” said Jonathan Zittrain, a law professor and co-founder of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society. “On the worrisome side, there are some longerterm trends that are making it much more possible (for information) to be controlled.”

Few were paying attention on September 2, 1969, when 20 people gathered in Kleinrock’s lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, to watch as two computers passed meaningless test data through a 15-foot gray cable.

That was the beginning of the fledgling Arpanet network. The 1970s brought email and the TCP/IP communications protocols, which allowed multiple networks to connect — and formed the internet. The internet didn’t become a household word until the ’90s, though, after a British physicist, Tim Berners-Lee, invented the web, a subset of the internet that makes it easier to link resources across disparate locations. Meanwhile, service providers like America Online connected millions of people for the first time.

That early obscurity helped the Internet blossom, free from regulatory and commercial constraints that might discourage or even prohibit experimentation. The free flow of pornography led to innovations in Internet credit card payments, online video and other technologies used in the mainstream today.

Already, there is evidence of controls at workplaces and service providers slowing uptake of file-sharing and collaboration tools. If such barriers keep innovations from hands of consumers, we may never know what else we may be missing along the way.

The journey of the Internet

1969 | On September 2, two computers at University of California, Los Angeles, exchange meaningless data in first test of Arpanet, an experimental military network 1972 | Ray Tomlinson brings email to the network, choosing @ as a way to specify email addresses belonging to other systems 1973 | Arpanet gets first international nodes, in England and Norway 1974 | Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn develop communications technique called TCP, allowing multiple networks to understand one another, creating a true internet 1983 | Domain name system is proposed. Creation of suffixes such as ‘.com’, ‘.gov’ and ‘.edu’ comes a year later
1988 | One of the first internet worms, Morris, cripples thousands of computers
1990 | Tim Berners- Lee creates the World Wide Web while developing ways to control computers remotely
1993 | Marc Andreessen and colleagues at University of Illinois create Mosaic, the first web browser to combine graphics and text on a single page
1994 | Andreessen and others on the Mosaic team form a company to develop the first commercial web browser, Netscape. Two immigration lawyers introduce the world to spam, advertising their green card lottery services
1998 | Google forms out of a project that began in Stanford dorm rooms. US government delegates oversight of domain name policies to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN
1999 | Napster popularizes music file-sharing and spawns successors that have permanently changed the recording industry
2000 | The dot-com boom of the 1990s becomes a bust as technology companies slide
2004 | Mark Zuckerberg starts Facebook at Harvard University
2005 | Launch of YouTube video-sharing site 2007 | Apple releases iPhone, introducing millions more to wireless internet access

World internet population surpasses
250 million in 1999
500 million in 2002
1 billion in 2006
1.5 billion in 2008

Agencies

Is Koobface dangerous for networkers?

If you have been getting tempting messages with video links in your accounts in social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter,
IT Exploring Internet Explorer 8, Myspace, Bebo, Friendster and Hi5, beware. Any attempt to download the promised video will make you another victim of Koobface, a worm that could steal critical and personal information from your computer.

The government's India Computer Emergency Response Team has warned that Koobface, a play on the name of social networking site Facebook, comes with an enticing tagline and spreads by spamming the contacts of the victim on networking sites.

With more than 3 million members of Facebook alone in India, Koobface's potential for wreaking havoc on the country's computer systems is immense — a fact that has prompted the government to issue the warning alert.

Typically, Koobface victims get a message from one of their contacts inviting them to click on a video link. The link leads you to a site mimicking the video-sharing site, Youtube. Once there, you are asked whether you want to download a software needed to watch the video.

If you click `yes', the worm gets activated, leaving your computer vulnerable. The worm not only disrupts your internet experience by sending your searches on engines like Google elsewhere and return garbled replies, it also steals data that may have been left in your computer's memory.

If you do or have already been Koobfaced the only way to protect your machine is to delete all files and registry keys that have been added by the worm. Internet users have also been advised by the government agency to install and maintain updated anti-virus software in their computers, as also a desktop firewall, and block ports which are not required.

While you may not be able to notice the worm rummaging through your electronic files searching for personal data, including passwords, the visible signs of the worm would show up on your internet browsing where you would get abnormal results to your searches and be misdirected to other sites.

Agencies

Social network with Delhi University students now

Move over Facebook, Orkut. Here comes Delhi University's own networking site, Network DU. With over 2,000 registrations in just four weeks, this site is a virtual campus in which you can look for anyone and anything -- from old friends to scholarships and even information on paying guest accommodation.

Started by Honey Arora, a technical expert, Network DU has all the features of other social networking sites and more.

"Our aim is to get DU more connected through this site. In the IITs and IIMs, the alumni really help their juniors in getting internships and job placements. Network DU will do something similar. Besides friends, a student can get in touch with alumni of the university through this portal and seek help in terms of their career," Arora told IANS.

Of the 2,000 people who have registered, 1,500 are at present studying in the university while the rest are alumni. There is, however, no restriction on a non-DU member joining the network.

Arora himself is not an alumni of the university.

"I was a student of Punjab Technical University. But I, along with some others from IIT Delhi and IIM-Bangalore, zeroed in on Delhi University because I think DU is very tech-savvy," said Arora, who owns Sparks Logics, the firm which started Network DU.

With blogs, music, chat and even an online shopping link, the site gives you all that other networking sites have to offer. It also has debates raging on hot topics like "Should ragging be banned in DU?"with two students in Kirori Mal College getting arrested recently for ragging a junior.

The site also has space for classified information like contact addresses of hostels and PG accommodation around the campus. So if you are looking for a place to stay, all you need to do is log in. Besides this, it has information on the institutes in the campus, scholarships and internships.

Although he is happy with the response that the site has been getting, especially since the advertisement has only been through word of mouth, Arora said that he is planning to go to ex-DU bigwigs like Kapil Sibal and convince them to join the network.

"I am planning to go to Kapil Sibal and ask him to join Network DU and spread some good word about the site. DU has produced some of the most well-placed professionals in the country in every field. If someone like Sibal, who is active on Facebook, joins the site it will make others interested too," he said.

"However I will go to him only after we have got a stronger registration number like 5,000," Arora added.

Arora's mission does not stop at DU. He now plans to create similar networks for other universities.

"I am going to Amity University next and create a portal for their students. The officials of the private universities like Amity are very encouraging and eager to help in such initiatives.

"Money is a problem now but I am looking for investors so that I can create such networks for students of major universities of the country and then connect these networks so that the whole student community can come together in a single platform and interact," Arora said.

Agencies

Win Big Prize Money at Facebook Developer Contest

Facebook would become the first social networking site to showcase apps in Hindi as it calls for entries in English and Hindi to showcase web development skills in two categories of Facebook apps & Facebook Connect Integrations

The day for which the Indian developer community had been waiting has finally arrived. Facebook, whose mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected, announced today the launch of ‘Facebook India Developer Contest’ – a contest for Indian developers to showcase their web development skills by creating Facebook applications and Facebook Connect Integrations. The contest began on July 2 and ends on September 11, 2009 and is located at www.facebook.com/developercontestindia.

This is the first time Facebook is organizing a developer contest in India. Entries will be judged on originality, business potential, social utility, usefulness, expressive features, intuitiveness and potential of the application. There are three cash prizes; $4000 for the first place, $2000 for the second place and $1000 for the third, in each of the two categories.

To enter the contest, participants are required to create a Facebook platform application for use on the Facebook site or Facebook Connect integrations in English or Hindi and register their application in the contest’s homepage. The contest is open to Indian residents over the age of 16 with a facebook.com account

Ruchi Sangvi, engineer and manager of the Facebook platform said, “India ranks second in the number of software developers with 3.9 million software developers; we are very excited to engage with the developer community. Facebook has experienced a tremendous growth in India. Through the contest, we hope to see many rich experiences that leverage the social graph and empower Facebook users to share and connect.”

Facebook Connect enables people to combine their Facebook experiences with any participating Website, desktop application or mobile device. When websites incorporate Facebook Connect, Facebook’s more than 200 million active users around the globe can automatically import profile information and bypass the need to build a friends’ list from scratch. More than 10000 websites have incorporated Facebook Connect since its general availability in December 2008.

Air Deccan Gopinath proposes low-cost campaign in polls

To reach his electorate as well as keep costs within the stipulated budget of Rs 25 lakh for election campaigning, Air Deccan founder G. R. Gopinath is resorting to viral marketing, SMS messages, and e-mail.

Gopinath, who is standing as an Independent candidate from Bangalore South constituency, India's IT capital, has also launched a dedicated website with provision for suggestions, advice and feedbacks.

"We are using viral marketing techniques to keep our costs within the sum allotted by the Election Commission," said Gopinath. Viral marketing is a low-cost marketing technique that uses pre-existing social networks to increase brand awareness. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet, or any form of video clips, images, or even text messages.

As per Gopinath, the email blasters were done with database received from volunteers instead of buying the database. The SMSs are being sent free by service providers who are his well-wishers. Even the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are free sites.

Gopinath said he opted to contest these elections with the backing of Infosys Technologies' Nandan Nilekani and Mohandas Pai, Pradeep Kar of Microland; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon and brand guru Harish Bijoor.

CXOtoday

Do Indians lag behind in online social networking?

Internet users in the country may be growing substantially, but when it comes to networking online, India has been placed among the nations with least exposure to social networking sites in the Asia-Pacific region.

The US-based internet marketing research firm comScore in a report has said that only 60.3 per cent of internet users in India are used to social networking sites, making it one of the Asia-Pacific countries with least exposure to the activity.

In terms of the penetration of social networking sites, India is ahead of Japan (50.9 per cent), China (45.6 per cent) and Taiwan (42.4 per cent).

According to the report, Singapore has the highest number of social networking site users at 74.3 per cent in the region, followed by Australia (68.3 per cent), South Korea (68 per cent) and Malaysia (66.6 per cent).

Hong Kong and New Zealand have the same per centage of such users at 62.8 per cent, the report noted.

However, comScore said that the number of visitors to social networking sites has increased by 51 per cent in India.

In India, the number of internet users visiting such sites rose by 51 per cent to 19.37 million in December 2008, the report said. The number of visitors stood at just 12.8 million in December 2007.

Agencies