The Trade Desk launches India operations, gives access to ad inventory available across the internet

The Trade Desk has launched its India operations under the leadership of Tejinder Gill, a former Truecaller executive. The global adtech company aims to help India’s digital marketers and publishers reach consumers on the internet, providing a range of websites, apps, audio streaming and over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms.The

Indians, according to a study by Global Web Index, on an average are spending as many as eight hours a day online 70% of which is spent on the open internet. This includes online content, OTT and music streaming. The open internet grew at a much faster pace than other online channels. It highlighted that online content and OTT streaming grew 28% and 16% respectively, while social media grew only 1%.

Tejinder Gill, General Manager, India, The Trade Desk, pointed out that while Indian consumers are spending 70% of their time on the open internet, almost 80% of India’s digital ad revenue still goes to the big tech platforms, which sit outside the open internet. “Our aim is to educate advertisers that consumer behavior is changing and they should look beyond search and social media when advertising on digital platforms.”

Gill explained that such a strategy assumes even more importance at a time when tech giants such as Apple and Google are making it harder for advertisers to track users online. “While with iOS 14, Apple will allow users to stop apps from tracking them, Google said that it is doing away with third-party cookie advertising and is planning to track users on a cohert level based on their interest.”

The Trade Desk said it enables marketers to reach relevant audiences across different devices as well including computers, mobile devices, tablets and connected TV. The company, which works with TikTok, The Washington Post, Expedia, BBC, News Corp globally has signed partnerships with all the global advertising firms present in India. This includes Publicis Groups, Dentsu India and IPG Group. It also brought on board a variety of digital platforms such as Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Voot and MX Player. The company has also signed consumer goods firm Nestle India and GSK.

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Gazal Bajaj, head of media management, Nestle India, said digital marketers today have a variety of choices when advertising on the open internet. “A key challenge we face is optimizing ad spend across devices and channels such as OTT, audio streaming, mobile in-app while managing ad frequency and ensuring a consistent brand experience.” Bajaj said that this is precisely what The Trade Desk with its programmatic advertisement expertise enables.