Mumbai: In the lead-up to Social Media Day, The Trade Desk sheds light on the fast-growing, yet often overlooked opportunity for today’s marketers.

Contrary to what many believe, of the 307 hours that an average consumer spends online per month, less than half of that is spent on social media, User Generated Content (UGC) platforms and live game streaming.

Media habits in India have changed. In the latest report by The Trade Desk, consumers in India are spending 52 per cent of their time on the open internet, beyond the traditional search, social media, and UGC platforms that marketers are so familiar with.

Meet the Open Internet

Even though social media and UGC platforms have gained large numbers of users over the past decade, the open internet has flourished equally with the advent of new media channels, such as over-the-top (OTT) and CTV (connected TV) video streaming and music streaming.

The open internet — comprising news and general websites, over-the-top (OTT) and connected TV (CTV), music streaming and online gaming — reaches almost 600 million consumers, which equates to nearly every internet user in India.

• 4 in 5 increased their usage of the open internet over the past year
• 3 in 4 expect to increase their usage of the open internet’s channels

Coupled with the rise of ad-supported models, the open internet presents a significant – yet, underleveraged – opportunity for marketers.

The Paradox: Digital advertising hasn’t fully caught up yet

While users are spending more time on the open internet, digital advertising in India has not capitalised on its rapid growth. Brands are investing less than one fifth of their marketing spend on the open internet.

Up to 85% of India’s digital ad spend still occurs on social media and other UGC platforms. One possible reason is the reluctance of marketers to move away from a tried and tested approach. The latest report affirms why some of the world’s most forward-thinking brands have embraced data-driven advertising on the open internet:

The open internet maximises user engagements

• Consumers are 19 per cent more likely to find ads on news/websites less intrusive, compared to social media
• Consumers are 22 per cent more likely to recall ads on OTT/CTV, compared to YouTube

Premium content on the open internet offers greater brand impact

• Consumers are 33 per cent more likely to view ads on OTT/CTV as more premium, compared to YouTube
• Consumers are 17 per cent more likely to purchase products advertisers on news/websites, compared to social media

The Future

The Trade Desk general manager India Tejinder Gill said, “As we move towards the next era of digital advertising, the open internet will take centre stage for consumers. The Trade Desk is here to bring the much-needed data-driven decisioning and transparency to India’s digital advertising ecosystem, offering marketers the opportunity to tap into the popularity of streaming TV, prepare for the imminent deprecation of cookies and the immense growth of the open internet.”