mobiThinking guide to mobile agencies: Hungama Mobile

Hungama Mobile: in brief

Type of agency: full service.
Founded: 2003.
Acquisitions: none.
Main offices: Mumbai (HQ), New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, India; Dubai, UAE; Singapore, New York, USA.
Employees (in mobile): 500.
Ownership: Privately held.
Contact details (main offices): newsdesk (at) hungama.com
Web: hungamamobile.com.
Profile submitted by: Neeraj Roy, CEO, Hungama.
First published: July 2010.

Hungama Mobile: in depth

1) Annual revenue from mobile: Band F; over US $20 million.
2) Is the mobile business profitable? Yes, for 6 years.
3) How is the company funded? n/a
4) Proportion of business related to mobile: 80% of Hungama’s business is mobile-related.
5) Business split between mobile strategy, creative and technical development and implementation: being the pioneer for most mobile led technology and campaigns in India, Hungama Mobile’s business is fairly equally shared between strategy consulting, creative services and technology advancements. We also try to customize strategy and technology to suit the Indian market.
6) Key mobile activities: mobile content provision 50%; mobile Web 20%; QR codes, short codes or premium numbers 10%; mobile apps 10%; mobile advertising 5%; mobile games 5%.
7) Specialties/expertise:
• India’s number 1 for mobile entertainment with 85% of market.
• International digital rights to the largest library of both Indian film and non-film content.
• The pioneer in mobile entertainment technologies in the region.
8) Type of clients/industries:
• Content creators and record labels.
• Mobile operators and service providers.
• Brands.
9) Client base:
• 147 mobile and digital partners in 41 countries, including Verizon, SingTel, AT&T, 3 Mobile, T Mobile, Du, Vodafone, Airtel, Telenor, iTunes, Amazon, Real Music, Hulu, Napster, Joost and Daily Motion.
• Over 300 content partners globally, including EMI, Warner Music, Universal Music, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros, DreamWorks and Fox Studios.
• Brand clients include: Pepsi, 7Up, Dove, Samsung, Du, Bacardi, FTV, Nokia.
10) Geographical coverage (with % of revenues): India 96%; UAE 3%; South-East Asia 1%.
11) Works most closely with (apart from clients):
• Telcos, industry regulatory bodies and conglomerates, as well government bodies.
• Strong relationship with leading handset/device manufacturers.
• A dedicated team works with film studios, music labels and artistes to promote their music on the mobile platform.
12) Case studies: All Hungama’s case studies are here.
13) Industry awards:
Hungama has won over 70 Awards, including the The Meffys, Abby Awards, Visiongain Mobile Awards, PMAA Awards and The New York Festival Awards.
14) How do you sell mobile to your clients?
• Short code promotions with activation.
• On-pack promotions.
15) What return on investment (ROI) should your clients expect from mobile? n/a
17) Main competitors: piracy.
18) Membership of industry bodies/associations:
• The Mobile Entertainment Forum;
• Mobile Marketing Association (MMA);
• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI);
• GSM Association.
19) What needs to happen to accelerate mobile marketing/Web/services over the next five years?
• Breadth of service beyond text and voice.
• Speed of delivery, through faster bandwidth with 3G and 4G.
• Accessibly priced devices with smart-phone-like features and better user interface.
20) In 2015, mobile will be…

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