24 December, 2006

18 October, 2006

India Top 10 Finance Websites

Listed in no particular order:

1) finance.yahoo.co.in
2) equitymaster.com
3) moneycontrol.com
4) myiris.com
5) personalfn.com
6) ndtvprofit.com
7) outlookmoney.com
8) sify.com/finance

India Top 10 Real Estate Websites

Listed in no particular order:

1) 99acres.com
2) indiaproperties.com
3) indiaproperty.com
4) indiarealtors.com
5) realestateonline.in
6) persquareyard.com
7) magicbricks.com
8) onlineghar.com
9) ongaia.com

Makemytrip.com hires new web agency

Press Release on the Nurun Website
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Nurun Tapped to Redefine MakeMyTrip.com in the age of Travel 2.0
New Look and Feel is Designed to Drive Conversion, Traffic to the Web site

MONTREAL, Oct. 16, 2006 - Nurun Inc. ("Nurun") (TSX: NUR), known as nurun ant farm in the United States, today announced it has been selected as the lead interactive agency to redefine the online brand for MakeMyTrip.com (www.makemytrip.com). Founded in April 2000, MakeMyTrip.com is an India-centric, one-stop travel Web site that offers instant bookings for international air travel, hotel accommodations, holiday packages, and car rentals.

Experts at Nurun say the new look and feel of the Web site will improve the site's performance by converting casual site browsers into online buyers. "The advent of Web 2.0 and specifically Travel 2.0 is definitely causing travel organizations to rethink their online presence," said Kais Makhlouf, vice president, travel practice for Nurun. "With this concept in mind, the new Web site will enable the team at MakeMyTrip.com to embrace new consumer behavior and will encourage more conversions among visitors to the site."

The relationship between Nurun and MakeMyTrip.com comes at an opportune time in India as the number of online travel bookings in this region continues to increase and is expected to soar within the next two years. A recent report by PhoCusWright, "The Emerging Online Travel Marketplace in India," revealed that online leisure/unmanaged business travel gross bookings in India totaled $295 million in 2005 and estimated that this number will increase nearly sevenfold to $2.0 billion by 2008. The report also found that in 2005, 2.2 percent of total travel was booked online in India, but forecasts predict strong growth in the Internet channel will cause the percentage of online bookings to approach double digits by 2008.

"Through our research and experience with online travel sites, we know the value of a solid brand reputation, particularly when it comes to online buying trends in India," said Makhlouf. "The new MakeMyTrip Web site will provide consumers with the kind of confidence they need to make reliable, online travel purchases."

According to research published in August by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), a good reputation is at the top of a short list of criteria of what matters most to online buyers in India when doing business with a Web merchant. Good reputation was the top reason, with 62 percent of respondents listing it as the top reason, followed by a perception of safety (51 percent) and brand recognition (46 percent).

"Nurun's experience with both the travel industry and their understanding of how to maximize brand presence on the Internet guided our decision to work with them," said Sachin Bhatia, chief marketing officer and co-founder of MakeMyTrip.com. "The relationships they have established with other online travel organizations as well as their understanding of the 21st Century traveler are impressive and unique in this industry." Nurun's travel practice also represents other leaders in the global travel community including SkyTeam, Europcar, Tourism Quebec, Pleasant Holidays, and Club Med.

Nurun's relationship with MakeMyTrip.com is another example of the company's commitment to and expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. In the spring, the company acquired Shanghai-based China Interactive, its second acquisition in 2006.


About Nurun Inc.
Nurun Inc. (TSX: NUR), a subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc. is a global company which strategize, executes, and measures interactive programs that use new technologies. From building awareness to acquiring and retaining customers, our solutions provide exceptional user experiences which enable ecommerce/transactions and leverage the lifetime value of customer relationships. Since 1985, Nurun has worked with many prestigious companies and organizations such as: L'Oréal, the Groupe DANONE, Cingular Wireless, Louis Vuitton, Thalès, Club Med, Pfizer, SkyTeam, Home Depot, Pleasant Holidays, Renault, Europcar, AutoTrader.com, Equifax, Telecom Italia as well as the Government of Quebec and the State of Georgia. With more than 620 professionals working together worldwide, Nurun has locations in Canada, the United States, in Europe and in China. For more information, visit www.nurun.com.

About MakeMyTrip India
The India business of MakeMyTrip was launched in September 2005. As the first and only comprehensive online travel site with real time booking for flights, hotels, holidays and cars, MakeMyTrip.com is heralding a revolution in the way travel will be bought in India. Within one year of its launch, MakeMyTrip India has acquired nearly 200,000 delighted customers and sells more than 2,000 airline tickets, 150 hotel room nights and more than 50 holiday packages every day. Additionally, the site attracts more than 850,000 unique visitors every month, according to WebSideStory, HBX Analytics, an independent traffic-monitoring agency. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, MakeMyTrip has a 450 strong team and offices in New York and Sydney, Australia. For more information, visit www.makemytrip.com.

Media Contact:
Nancy E. Bistritz
Director of Marketing Communications
Phone: 404.591.1652
nancy.bistritz@nurun.com

India SEO Agency List

I've been hunting around for a SEO lately and in the process tried to get an all India picture of who is good. Here are the agencies that in my opinion are knowledgeable, responsive and do their homework well.

1) Searchize

17 October, 2006

India Online Ad Networks

A list of some of the leading online ad networks in India.

1) Ozone Media
2) Mediaturf
2) Tyroo
4) Media Estate
5) Tribal Fusion
6) Advertising.com
7) Zedo

India Online Media Planning Agency List

Here is a list of the leading online media planning agencies in India.

1) Quasar
2) Mediaturf
3) Starcom
4) TribalDDB
5) Interactive Avenues
6) Webchutney
7) RK Swamy BBDO
8) Media2win.com
9) Pinstorm

India Interactive Agency List

Here is a citywise list of the leading Interactive Agencies in India.

DELHI
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1) Dimension I
2) Ishir
3) Magnon Solutions
4) Net Souls
5) Netcomm Labs
6) NetProphets
7) Olive Global
8) Planetecom
9) Wood Apple
10) Zed-Axis
11) iStrat
12) Pugmarks
13) Continuum Systems
14) Icreon
15) Webchutney

MUMBAI
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1) BCWebwise
2) IdeaLake
3) Urban Eye
4) YonEarth
5) Paperplane
6) Flip Corp
7) Web Animation Studio
8) Building Brands
9) Indigo Consulting (Also in Delhi)

BANGALORE
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1) Pepper Square

KOLKATA
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Still researching

CHENNAI
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1) D'Zine Garage
2) 360 Degree Interactive

PUNE
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Still researching

HYDERABAD
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Still researching