Cloud telephony company Ozonetel Systems has partnered with PR company WPP’s tenthavenue to build a new version of Electra, a mobile marketing platform, especially for developing markets. This partnership will add new features and capabilities on the existing platform, through which advertisers will be able to deliver mobile asset formats via USSD, SMS, IVR and compressed video routes for 150 countries.
Advertisers will also be able to measure consumer behaviour and engagement levels in real time, consolidate and deliver value exchange mechanisms like mobile airtime and talktime top ups, personalised content and messaging through a logic engine and different enterprise communication models for scaling up. Tenthavenue will also integrate new messaging pipes to work with Electra for new media distribution products.
Ozonetel’s Yantra Software acquisition
In August last year, Ozonetel Systems acquired the speech recognition vertical of Yantra Software in a pay-out model for an undisclosed amount. Post the acquisition Yantra Software’s 20 member team joined Ozonetel, along with its Intellectual Property (IP) and technology. Yantra Software’s speech recognition solutions included: Text-to-Speech engine for Indian languages, Speech Recognition engine for Indian dialects, Gender Identification (to automate targeted service and conduct customised surveys), Speech Biometric (to identify speaker, security measure) and Sentiment Analysis. In 2013, Ozonetel acquired the customers of cloud telephony company Resolvity Information Technologies’ VoiceGain product, after the company decided to shut shop in India.
In February this year, tenthavenue appointed Sudipto Roy as CEO of Emerging Markets, covering Asia, Africa, Middle East and Turkey. Roy began his new role as CEO around mid-April and is be based out of Singapore. Prior to his role at tenthavenue, Roy was in various leadership roles within global media agency Mindshare across India, Asia Pacific and Africa. These include chief client officer, chair of the Product, Service and Partnerships council, and as client lead for Unilever across APAC, Africa and Turkey, where he played a key role in global leadership of the account.
Other developments in the mobile marketing sector:
– Last month, digital marketing solutions company Ybrant Digital, which was rebranded as Lycos Internet last year, reported digital marketing revenues of Rs 388.7 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2015, registering an increase of 23.33% from Rs 315.18 crore last quarter, and an increase of 13.95% percent year-on-year (YoY) from 341.12 crore the same quarter last year.
– In March, Flipkart bought mobile advertising firm AdIQuity for an undisclosed amount, following it up with the acquisition of mobile marketing startup Appiterate in April.
– In the same month, enterprise SaaS provider for mobile marketing companies Tune’s affiliate tracking software HasOffers registered triple-digit growth in India in 2014. The company mentioned that it would be increasing its focus on the Indian market this year. In 2014, it reported $40 million revenues, an increase of 110.6% from $19 million in 2013, in which “India has been a big reason” according to Tune GM Cameron Stewart.
– In April last year, GSO Capital Partners which acquired Velti’s mobile marketing business in India, US and UK in January this year, officially launched a new entity mGage which would offer mobile marketing solutions in these regions. mGage was previously Velti’s mobile campaign management platform which was launched way back in January 2010. This platform allowed brands, agencies, publishers and carriers to manage their mobile advertising and marketing campaigns.
