Economic Slump Made People To Spent More Time On Internet

Simran Sablok

GM, Marketing, WEB18

“In.com was designed to be the best,” says Simran Sablok, GM, Marketing at Web 18. She spoke to BestMediaInfo.com on the success of In.com and the potential that digital medium holds.

Q) You moved to WEB18 from a famous apparel brand, prior to that you were with a household fast food name, how has been working in different genre and do you find similarities in all?

The internet space is the most dynamic industry I have ever worked with. Results of anything we try show up immediately, users respond and interact directly with us (thanks to the nature of the medium) and marketing wise, there is plenty of room for innovation and experimentation.

The similarities lie with the TG I've marketed to right through my career – The Youth. Whether it's buying a T shirt, choosing a burger for lunch, or visiting a particular site, the mindset of the youth is fundamentally the same. Thus communication stays similar, just the product changes.

Q) WEB18 is a big umbrella covering more than a dozen brands; how difficult does it becomes to manage all the portals?

It's both difficult and easy… On one hand the sheer spread and scope of the portals is tremendous. On the other hand, the sites are easily classifiable into B2B and B2C buckets… and marketing for each of the buckets is distinct and very well defined. Overall, it makes for a working day that's filled with excitement and action… and that really gets me going!

Q) In.com has seen a phenomenal growth, according to you what is making it this big?

The site was designed to be the very best, right from the start – and is well on its way! What's really worked for the site is that we created a strong product based on consumer insights and needs – so music streaming, the latest news, a large cachet of games, videos, email etc were all built with features that would appeal to that end user. Technologically, we ensured that the software we use is world class, and the back end systems ensure a great experience to the user, every time.

Q) WEB18 is also the mobile internet space with applications and wap portals, how is that business doing?

That part of our business is growing rapidly. Given the month on month growth of the mobile user base, we're poised for even faster growth in the future.

Q) The growth potential of digital advertising is prompting traditional ad agencies to join hands with online companies. Is the same happening at WEB18 also?

The digital medium is growing rapidly – advertisers are coming to see the value of one-on-one targeted communication that is interactive and can be customized for the individual user. We work with traditional ad agencies all the time, helping them create effective, sit-up –and take-notice digital campaigns for their clients. The launch of Sprite's new TVC exclusively on in.com created a buzz in the industry recently.

Q) New media is coming up very strongly, how much potential do you see in his space?

The sky's the limit in this case… traditional media, as we know it, is reaching saturation point. TV has become very fragmented and cluttered .Radio has limitations of being one-dimensional and the youth barely need read newspapers anymore. New media has the advantage of being cutting edge technologically, allow for innovation and are personalized to an extent unheard of before.

Q) How much does this economic slowdown hurt you?

It hasn't really affected us negatively. If anything it's helped! People are spending more time online - searching for jobs, managing their portfolios etc. Advertisers are looking for cost effective media to invest in. And competition in the broadband space has ensured cost effective, wide spread connectivity solutions, thus bring more users online for us.

Q) Are there any expansion plans going at WEB18?

Sure, but that you'll need to wait and watch for!

Update: Simran Sablok has moved from Web18 in July 2010.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com