Publicis Groupe: Strategic investment in Jana Mobile
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
JANA MOBILE RECEIVES $15 MILLION STRATEGIC INVESTMENT FROM
PUBLICIS GROUPE
MAURICE LÉVY TO JOIN JANA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JANA'S MOBILE PLATFORM HAS POTENTIAL TO REACH 3.48 BILLION
Publicis Groupe [EURONEXT Paris: FR0000130577] is making a $15 million strategic
investment in Jana Mobile, the global company that rewards consumer action in
emerging markets such as Brazil, India, Indonesia and Nigeria. This is the first
direct investment Publicis Groupe has made in a mobile technology startup, and
as part of the $15 million investment, Publicis Groupe Charmain and CEO Maurice
Lévy will join Jana's Board of Directors. Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Strategy and
Innovation Officer of VivaKi, will join Jana's Board of Advisors.
Based in Boston, Jana has built the world's largest rewards platform in the
fastest-growing markets, where mobile airtime is often viewed as equivalent to
cash. By integrating into the billing systems of 237 mobile operators in 102
countries, Jana can instantly reward 3.48 billion emerging market consumers with
prepaid airtime in local currency. Many global corporations are already using
Jana to understand, acquire, and retain emerging market consumers. Jana's
airtime platform rewards such consumer actions as trial (registration, app
downloads), engagement (watching a video), advocacy (referring a friend), and
product purchase (airtime rebates). With every action that it rewards, Jana
delivers rich consumer insights to participating marketers.
"I have been personally attracted and convinced to invest directly in this
platform as I see it as the next big thing in the communication industry.
Consumers in these dynamic markets are spending 10 percent of their daily income
on mobile airtime, while global advertisers are spending more than $150 billion
to reach them through traditional advertising channels," said Maurice Lévy.
"With its platform, Jana is changing the face of advertising by enabling us to
invest in targeted, mobile-based campaigns that put advertising dollars directly
into the pockets of the 'next billion' consumers our clients are most eager to
reach. As a result, brands become more valuable to people, and people become
more economically empowered. I am confident that Jana will help consumers in
those markets to have a better life."
Clients can also target offers to Jana's membership, which is amassed through a
consumer-facing platform called mCent. In exchange for participating in an
offer, such as filling out a survey or purchasing a product, members are
rewarded with mobile airtime. Over the past six months, mCent membership has
exploded, with more than 6 million opt-in members registered and over a million
new emerging market consumers joining every month.
"Our self-serve product, launching today, enables anyone to send airtime in over
70 currencies to billions of emerging market consumers," said Nathan Eagle, co-
founder and CEO, Jana. "Our partnership with Publicis Groupe brings value that
goes far beyond a financial investment. Their vision, advertising expertise and
client relationships will undoubtedly create even more opportunities for our
members to earn airtime through our platform."
Tobaccowala, who is assuming an advisory role with Jana, leads the Ventures
practice that will orchestrate the introduction of Jana across all Publicis
Groupe agencies to drive adoption and scale.
"As a digital accelerator for Publicis Groupe, VivaKi comes in contact with many
pioneering companies that empower us to move faster into key markets and develop
new products with unparalleled efficiency," he said. "The Jana relationship will
help us disrupt traditional ad models and connect our clients to the world's
fastest growing populations where mobile adoption is far outpacing other
technologies."
The Publicis Groupe's strategic investment brings Jana's total capital raised to
approximately $25 million from investors including Todd Dagres (Spark Capital),
Rohini Chakravarty (NEA), Jon Miller (AOL / News Corp), Paul Sagan (Akamai) and
Esther Dyson.
About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is one of the world's
leading communications groups. We offer the full range of services and skills:
digital (DigitasLBi, Razorfish, Rosetta, VivaKi), creative services (BBH, Leo
Burnett, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi), public affairs, corporate
communications and events (MSLGROUP), media strategy, planning and buying
(Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia) and healthcare communications,
with Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG). Present in 108 countries,
the Groupe employs 60,000 professionals.
www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter:(at)PublicisGroupe | Facebook:
www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe
Viva la Difference !
Publicis Groupe
Peggy Nahmany Corporate Communication + 33 (0)1 44 43 72 83
Martine Hue Investors Relations + 33 (0)1 44 43 65 00
Stéphanie Constand-Atellian Investors Relations + 33 (0)1 44 43 74 44
VivaKi
Cheri Carpenter Chief Communications Officer +1 312 220 6218
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Source: Publicis Groupe via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1716302]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 15.07.2013 - 08:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 278170
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