In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up the key industry updates on ad tech from around the region – and in this week's edition: Twitter acquires India's call marketing platform; Axiata-Adknowledge joint venture wants piece of Asia's digital advertising pie; MediaMath appoints Japan country manager.

Twitter acquires India's call marketing platform

The social media site has acquired Bangalore-based "missed call" marketing platform, ZipDial, in a move deem to offer Twitter potential access to India's sizable mobile population.

Touted to have more than 1 million connections across 60 million users, ZipDial provides brands unique phone numbers that can be used in print or TV ads. Consumers call these numbers and hang up before they are charged for the calls--aptly dubbed the "missed call" system--and brands will return the call or text message with details about their products or marketing campaigns.

ZipDial's founder Valerie Wagoner

Founder Valerie Wagoner, an American who moved to India, had observed the "missed call" culture where Indians would use the tactic to send messages to friends without incurring call charges and founded the company in 2010. Today, ZipDial has 500 clients that include Disney, PepsiCo, Mattel, Airtel, and Gillette, and its marketing platform offers a range of consumer options such as couponing and friend referrals.

Wagoner is also a co-founder of Jungle Ventures, a Singapore-based venture firm that funds startsups in the regin.

No financial details involved in the Twitter-ZipDial acquisition were revealed, though India's Economic Times put the deal at around US$30 million citing sources familiar with the acquisition.

In a blog post, Twitter's market director for India and Southeast Asia, Rishi Jaitly, said: "Our primary mission, bolstered by this acquisition, is to help every Indian with a mobile device get a great, relevant Twitter experience. We believe Twitter--a platform invented for SMS and rich media--is a perfect match for India, a mobile-first country with a celebrated media heritage."

In his post, Twitter's vice president of product Christian Oestlienm noted that ZipDial offers a mobile platform that allows consumers to follow and engage with content across different modes, including SMS, voice, and mobile apps.

Through ZipDial, Oestlienm said, publishers and brands can easily engage their audience through toll-free "missed calls". "The caller will then begin receiving inbound content and further engagement on their phone in real-time through voice, SMS, or an app notification. These interactions are especially appealing in areas where people aren't always connected to data or only access data through intermittent Wi-Fi networks," he explained.

He added that Twitter had worked with ZipDial on various campaigns over the past couple of years, including the 2014 Indian elections and Bollywood film promotions. Its acquisition significantly increases the social media company's investment in India, where it is seeing significant growth, as well as provides a new engineering office in Bangalore, Oestlienm said.

Axiata-Adknowledge partnership wants piece of Asia's digital advertising pie

U.S. advertising technology company Adknowledge has inked a partnership with Malaysia's Axiata Digital Advertising to explore ways to tap Asia's lucrative digital advertising market.

Both partners have set up a joint venture, Adknowledge Asia-Pacific, to provide data-driven campaigns alongside brands, advertising agencies, and app developers in the region. The venture will also look to boost sales and app downloads through digital video, mobile, and social media marketing.

Axiata, a subsidiary of telecom company Axiata Group, hopes to further bolster its mobile advertising footprint across the region.

Noting that the company has capabilities to reach audiences across YouTube, mobile, and social media, Adknowledge CEO Ben Legg said: "With our technology, experience and expertise, we will change the ways advertisers connect with their target audiences across the rapidly growing and increasingly mobile Asia-Pacific region."

The U.S. ad tech vendor said the new venture will boost its presence in the region--the second-largest in the global digital advertising market, which is expected to hit US$154 billion this year.

It added that Asia-Pacific's growth is driven by the increasing adoption of smart devices and changing video viewership behaviour.

MediaMath appoints new Japan country manager

A week after it announced a new Asia-Pacific head, MediaMath has now appointed an executive to front its Japan operations.

Yusuke Yokota is the new country manager for the demand side platform provider in Tokyo, Japan, moving from one of the country's leading advertising sales businesses IREP where he headed a 50-person team.

A veteran with more than 20 years industry experience, Yokota also had held top positions at Nextag, Overture, and Hakuhodo. In his new role at MediaMath, the executive will look to bolster the company's presence  in the region as well as further develop relationships with current and potential clients.

MediaMath Asia-Pacific Managing Director Rahul Vasudev, who himself had just moved to the company from Mediacom, said: "[Yokota's] appointment comes at a time when programmatic ad spend in Japan is poised for significant growth as more marketers recognise its potential to drive business outcomes with greater control and transparency.

"His relationships and experience in Japan, combined with his knowledge of the global digital advertising ecosystem, will be extremely invaluable to our clients and our team."