Twitter makes first ever acquisition in India

Twitter has reached an agreement to acquire ZipDial, its product partner based in Bangalore, to make Twitter even more accessible to people around the world.This is Twitter’s first ever acquisition in India.ZipDial has built a mobile platform that lets people follow and engage with content across all interfaces. The user experience combines SMS, voice, mobile web, and access to mobile apps to bridge users from offline to online.For example, through ZipDial, it’s easy to engage with a publisher or brand by making a toll-free “missed call” to a designated phone number. 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 wifi networks.Christian Oestlien, VP of product, Twitter said that over the next several years, billions of people will get online for the first time in countries like Brazil, India and Indonesia.“For many, their first online experience will be on a mobile device – but the cost of data may prevent them from experiencing the true power of the Internet. Twitter, in partnership with ZipDial, can make great content more accessible to everyone,” Oestlien said.ZipDial’s platform has engaged nearly 60 million users with hundreds of marketer clients, including the world’s leading brands and media companies. The platform’s model of engaging users while being “offline” enables ZipDial to personalise the experience and content on traditional online platforms.Valerie Wagoner, founder and CEO, ZipDial added, “More than half of the world’s population live in emerging and newly developed markets, and these consumers use their mobile phones differently. We build for them. ZipDial’s innovative platform has already scaled across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, where we operate.”Over the past two years ZipDial and Twitter have collaborated on a variety of campaigns, including the Indian elections, Bollywood film promotions and @MTVIndia’s #RockTheVote “Dial the Hashtag” campaign.