Overview of the Indian Internet Users.
According to the data available with NASSCOM, about 60 per cent of Indian Internet users are chiefly found in the age group of 19-34. Almost 80 per cent of Internet users are males. It is estimated that the Internet user spends an average of 10 hours per week on the Net, and usually earns over 6000 per month.
Almost 53 per cent of Internet users belong to SEC A1/A2. More than 55 per cent of such Internet users live in towns with a population of over 40 lakhs. Even today, Indian users are most likely to use the Net for sending and receiving emails. However, information- and entertainment-seeking are also growing.
Which products are likely beneficiaries of the Internet?
Given that the usage of the Internet is highest amongst young, male audiences belonging to the larger towns and who belong to higher SEC groups, for this medium to be cost-effective, products having similar target groups would benefit the most from this medium.
The most likely examples that come to mind include telecom, financial products and services, products related to entertainment like movies (promotions and tickets), plays, contests etc, FMCG products where the core target audience is younger (deodorants, soft drinks), consumer durables to some extent and high-end services like tour operators, airline services, hotels etc.
Advertising options available on the Internet.
The Internet offers a variety of options for the marketer to advertise her/his products/brands. These include
1. Banner ads and their variations
2. E-mailers and their variations
3. Sponsorships
4. Search Engines
5. Affiliate marketing
In India, banners still remain the most popular option. However, wider options are now available to
the marketer which, even at the cost of being intrusive, serves to enhance the visibility and
effectiveness of the banner
The Variants of Banners include :
1. Banner Ad - a graphical web advertising unit, typically measuring 468 pixels wide and 60 pixels
tall (i.e. 468x60).
2. Beyond the Banner - online advertising not involving standard GIF and JPEG banner ads.
3. Button Ad- a graphical advertising unit, smaller than a banner ad.
4. HTML banner - a banner ad using HTML elements, often including interactive forms, instead of
(or in addition to) standard graphical elements.
5. Iterstitial - an advertisement that loads between two content pages.
6. Pop-up Ad - an ad that displays in a new browser window.
7. Pop Under Ad - an ad that displays in a new browser window behind the current browser
window.
8. Rectangle Ad - any one of the large, rectangular banner sizes suggested by the IAB.
9. Rich Media- new media that offers an enhanced experience relative to older, mainstream
formats.
10. Skyscrapper Ad- an online ad significantly taller than the 120x240 vertical banner.
11. Text Ad - advertisement using text-based hyperlinks.
12. Surround Session - advertising sequence in which a visitor receives ads from one advertiser
throughout an entire site visit.
13. Vertical Banner - a banner ad measuring 120 pixels wide and 240 pixels tall.
Given the highly interactive nature of the Internet, and the also fact that unlike other media it offers a higher level of identification of the user, simple direct marketing tools such as email can also be used more effectively.
For example, a high-end car seller can today easily send an offer to persons earning over Rs 25000 per month at a very reasonable cost and within a very short period.
Then again there are sponsorships, which can be effectively used to increase brand salience and even change image.
The other tool on the web with enormous potential, and which has possibly not been used to its optimal level yet by marketers in India, is the search engine. Marketers can own either popular keywords or make use of meta-tags (these are similar to the keywords which the search engines uses to catalogue various websites/products) in order to go higher on the search lists.
The above is used by the search engine giant Google.com and it has reaped profits so much so that it is now being viewed as a threat by the computer giant Microsoft Inc.
According to the data available with NASSCOM, about 60 per cent of Indian Internet users are chiefly found in the age group of 19-34. Almost 80 per cent of Internet users are males. It is estimated that the Internet user spends an average of 10 hours per week on the Net, and usually earns over 6000 per month.
Almost 53 per cent of Internet users belong to SEC A1/A2. More than 55 per cent of such Internet users live in towns with a population of over 40 lakhs. Even today, Indian users are most likely to use the Net for sending and receiving emails. However, information- and entertainment-seeking are also growing.
Which products are likely beneficiaries of the Internet?
Given that the usage of the Internet is highest amongst young, male audiences belonging to the larger towns and who belong to higher SEC groups, for this medium to be cost-effective, products having similar target groups would benefit the most from this medium.
The most likely examples that come to mind include telecom, financial products and services, products related to entertainment like movies (promotions and tickets), plays, contests etc, FMCG products where the core target audience is younger (deodorants, soft drinks), consumer durables to some extent and high-end services like tour operators, airline services, hotels etc.
Advertising options available on the Internet.
The Internet offers a variety of options for the marketer to advertise her/his products/brands. These include
1. Banner ads and their variations
2. E-mailers and their variations
3. Sponsorships
4. Search Engines
5. Affiliate marketing
In India, banners still remain the most popular option. However, wider options are now available to
the marketer which, even at the cost of being intrusive, serves to enhance the visibility and
effectiveness of the banner
The Variants of Banners include :
1. Banner Ad - a graphical web advertising unit, typically measuring 468 pixels wide and 60 pixels
tall (i.e. 468x60).
2. Beyond the Banner - online advertising not involving standard GIF and JPEG banner ads.
3. Button Ad- a graphical advertising unit, smaller than a banner ad.
4. HTML banner - a banner ad using HTML elements, often including interactive forms, instead of
(or in addition to) standard graphical elements.
5. Iterstitial - an advertisement that loads between two content pages.
6. Pop-up Ad - an ad that displays in a new browser window.
7. Pop Under Ad - an ad that displays in a new browser window behind the current browser
window.
8. Rectangle Ad - any one of the large, rectangular banner sizes suggested by the IAB.
9. Rich Media- new media that offers an enhanced experience relative to older, mainstream
formats.
10. Skyscrapper Ad- an online ad significantly taller than the 120x240 vertical banner.
11. Text Ad - advertisement using text-based hyperlinks.
12. Surround Session - advertising sequence in which a visitor receives ads from one advertiser
throughout an entire site visit.
13. Vertical Banner - a banner ad measuring 120 pixels wide and 240 pixels tall.
Given the highly interactive nature of the Internet, and the also fact that unlike other media it offers a higher level of identification of the user, simple direct marketing tools such as email can also be used more effectively.
For example, a high-end car seller can today easily send an offer to persons earning over Rs 25000 per month at a very reasonable cost and within a very short period.
Then again there are sponsorships, which can be effectively used to increase brand salience and even change image.
The other tool on the web with enormous potential, and which has possibly not been used to its optimal level yet by marketers in India, is the search engine. Marketers can own either popular keywords or make use of meta-tags (these are similar to the keywords which the search engines uses to catalogue various websites/products) in order to go higher on the search lists.
The above is used by the search engine giant Google.com and it has reaped profits so much so that it is now being viewed as a threat by the computer giant Microsoft Inc.