Our performance-driven offerings help drive brands’ ROI: Valueleaf’s Narin Shetty

According to various reports, India currently has more than 900 million smartphone users, which is expected to reach over one billion by 2025. Given the rise of smartphone usage in India, Narin Shetty, Group President - Growth, Valueleaf Group, emphasised the importance of OEM mobile marketing for brands.

He said, "As smartphone penetration continues to rise, marketers must leverage this trend within their marketing strategies. Platforms like ours enable brands to effectively target consumers, drive conversions, and enhance brand awareness by strategically channelling content across OEMs."

OEM, or Original Equipment Manufacturer, refers to device manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo, VIVO, and Samsung, which have evolved into advertising platforms. They promote products and services by incorporating advertisements within pre-installed apps.

Access to OEM traffic is facilitated through various platforms. The first category consists of original technological solutions developed by the manufacturers themselves. The second category includes ecosystems integrated into the Android operating system via system applications (APKs), acting as direct intermediaries between manufacturers and advertisers. The third category encompasses advertising platforms that acquire traffic from manufacturers through integration with third-party technology platforms (SSPs).

In a conversation with BestMediaInfo.com, Shetty highlighted that IPL and the festive season present significant revenue opportunities for Valueleaf.

Shetty observed, "We're experiencing a substantial surge in teams and fantasy sports advertisements on our platform during the ongoing IPL."

However, he emphasised that advertising extends beyond just fantasy sports and IPL team brands. According to him, brands from various categories, both new-age and traditional, are increasingly prioritising OEM mobile marketing.

OEM mobile marketing holds significant importance for D2C and e-commerce brands striving for seamless consumer journeys through their dedicated apps. Yet, traditional brands have also intensified their efforts in this realm, recognising its value.

Shetty said, “In the past two years we have seen the expansion of brand categories coming into this space and spending money and getting that ROS. There's a growing emphasis on improving customer acquisition cost (CAC) across brand categories, where OEM mobile marketing has a huge role to play.”

Shetty emphasised the importance of delivering appropriate content to consumers during the acquisition and retargeting process, cautioning against potentially irritating consumers with irrelevant content and ads at different intervals.

Detailing Valueleaf's approach to retargeting consumers, he elaborated, "Merely bombarding consumers with ads daily won't yield results if the objective is to drive sales. To address this, we've devised a structured approach. If an impression is created today, we will wait for 4-5 days for it to convert. After 4-5 days, we will offer something to the consumers. We continue this process a couple of times and then stop. Even after that, if the user is not converting, we will keep it in a different bucket altogether."

Similarly, when it comes to acquisition campaigns, the whole segmentation of consumers, the content offered is different, added Shetty. 

As first-party data gains prominence and third-party cookies decline, brands must leverage first-party data for segmenting consumers into different categories and providing tailored content based on their needs.

Beyond martech, Valueleaf aids brands in the creative process as well. "The landscape has shifted. Content now holds immense significance as consumers seek detailed insights into a brand's offerings," remarked Shetty.

Shetty told BestMediaInfo.com that the business has been really good for Valueleaf. Hinting at the growth, he said, “With the rapid growth in mobile traffic, one can gauge the rise in marketing spends on mobile marketing.”

He also said that their services are very performance-driven and focused on delivering ROIs for the brands. 

Discussing the competitive landscape, particularly in light of agencies sacrificing margins to secure contracts, Shetty noted, "While the industry is fiercely competitive, we prioritise maintaining the profitability of our operations."

According to him, the primary hurdle in OEM mobile marketing lies in educating marketers about its vast potential.