nanu, Singapore-based start-up, wins top honours in Advertising and Marketing category at the Asia Smartphone App Contest.

Singapore, June 18, 2015 – A Singapore-based start-up, nanu, has won the Gold Award in the Advertising and Marketing category at the Asia Smartphone Apps Contest in Hong Kong.
nanu has developed proprietary technology that allows it to overlay voice adverts over the ringtone when a user calls another phone using the app. This offers advertisers a unique opportunity for one-to-one targeted campaigns based on users’ demographics.
nanu is a mobile call app developed specifically for the emerging markets. nanu utilizes proprietary ultra low bandwidth VoIP technology and an advert sponsored free call business model to provide high quality free calls to everyone, everywhere, even on 2G.

The adverts are non-intrusive as they end as soon as the receiver picks up the call. The click through rates of the banners on initial campaigns run on nanu have been 6 to 7 times higher than industry standards.

“There are not many platforms where you have the undivided attention of the consumer. A phone is as close as you can get to the consumers’ ears. They are likely to pay more attention to an ad being played over the ring tone as they wait for their call to be answered, compared to other traditional intrusive mediums,” said Martin Nygate, CEO of Gentay Communications, the firm behind nanu.

“The results are a testament to this. The click-through rates on our campaigns have been much higher than industry standards. This is a major break through in mobile advertising, an area most companies have so far struggled with. This award is a recognition of our achievements on this front,” he added.

Mr. C Y Leung, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, presented the award to Martin Nygate. The Asia Smartphone Apps Contest brings together over 100 apps, designed for and used in Asian markets, to recognize the contribution of key players in the sector.

The ability to overlay adverts helps nanu to bring down the cost of its calls. Unlike conventional voice calling apps, nanu provides all its calls for free, including calls to non-nanu users on landlines and mobiles. nanu can also be used on any network including 2G, allowing it to provide high quality calls from locations where other apps do not work.

The ability to operate on 2G networks has already helped nanu win over customers in emerging markets like India. With more than 1.5 million downloads, India has become nanu’s biggest market, accounting for more than 50% of its user base.  
nanu is currently available on Google Android and Apple iOS.