Video ad tech company Unruly enters India

The video ad tech company, which helps brands get their videos seen and shared, has opened shop in Delhi and Mumbai.

The video ad tech company Unruly, whose mobile ad formats help advertisers connect more effectively with audiences across the web, has moved into Dow Jones's offices in New Delhi and Mumbai. Unruly, acquired by News Corp last year, employs 300 people across 20 locations worldwide.

The company, which has unique tools that help brands spread their videos, has run video campaigns in India since 2007, delivering until now, over 130 video campaigns for brands such as Diageo, Intel, and Unilever, remotely from its offices in Europe, North America, and Singapore.

The move marks the video tech platform's continuing investment into the APAC region.

According to a recent Unruly survey, Indian consumers like ads more than other consumers in the world, with 62 per cent of viewers saying they like seeing ads for products and services they like as compared to the global average of 28 per cent.

Phil Townend, Unruly's chief commercial officer, APAC, says, "India is the next frontier in digital advertising growth. Unruly is perfectly placed to help Indian advertisers as they begin to shift ad dollars away from traditional channels and into digital. Our evidence-based approach to video content testing and amplification minimises risk and increases certainty for leading advertisers in the Indian market. Our mobile formats, distributed through our viewable video SSP UnrulyX, also help advertisers connect more authentically, intimately, and effectively with audiences across India."

Vijay Kunduri, Unruly's commercial director for ASEAN and India, and who is leading the launch, adds, "We've been laying the ground for the full launch for over a year, making sure that all our tools, services, and products have been customised especially for the Indian market. Unruly's unique end-to-end video content marketing and distribution solution fills a much-needed gap in the market."

The Unruly Future Video Survey also found that while Indian audiences are very receptive to online video ads, user experience and control are key factors.

As per the findings, Indians are more likely to want to be in control of video ads than the global average. While the global average is 62 per cent, 71 per cent Indian consumers say they want to be able to control when the ad starts to play and close it whenever they want. As for ad blocking software, 83 per cent Indian consumers would consider using it. While 53 per cent consumers want to block ads because they think there are too many, 52 per cent want to do so as they are sick of seeing the same ad over and over again.

Kunduri adds, "Unruly uses polite outstream formats to engage, not enrage consumers. This is particularly vital in a market where the vast majority of viewers want to be in control of ads and the majority of people are watching ads on their mobiles."