F1 Opportunistic for SEX Pimps

With 30,000 foreign tourists expected in the national capital region for the event this week, prostitution syndicates don't want to miss out on the opportunity

Fast cars and beautiful women seem to go together. Which is why the demand for high-profile escorts in the national capital region has gone up in the last few days. Eyeing the Indian Formula One Grand Prix that will be held from October 27 to 30, escort agencies and sex traders have called in English-speaking girls from across India to cater to the growing demand.


With a crackdown on many high profile pimps within a year, the prostitution trade is running slow. Delhi police arrested Rajiv Ranjan Dwivedi aka Sex Baba, Sonu Punjaban and Nagma - all in about a one year period - who were allegedly pulling the strings of the sex trade in the national capital. So now with the big names behind bars, the small-timers have come together, hoping for Formula One to boost their business. 
No cheer!
"For quite long now, business has been running slow. Police have arrested lots of girls. Even during CWG last year we did not see much clients as number of foreign tourist turn out was low. So after CWG this is the most awaited event as around 30,000 foreigners are expected here," said a pimp on condition of anonymity.

If the escort agents whom MiD DAY contacted are to be believed, then the business has acquired an international flavour. You name a country -Britain, Spain, Germany, Poland, former USSR countries, Afghanistan and Turkey - and brokers, numbering about 450-500 in the city, would arrange girls from there at your doorstep in the garb of escorts.

"There are over 450 brokers working overtime to put the business in order as each has about 15-20 girls under his/her charge," said Sanjay Sharma, who asked us to meet him at Connaught Place.

Nothing comes cheap
According to the agents, many girls from Thailand frequently visit Singapore during the Formula One event there, so they are trying to contact them and ask them to come over to India. Most of the foreigners come to India on tourist visa.  Each broker has to pay between Rs. 1-2 lakh for a girl from the former USSR countries and about Rs. 5-7 lakh for someone from Britain or Spain. "The net is spread far and wide. High-class escorts from London cost about Rs. 7 lakh while those from Spanish-speaking countries charge around Rs. 6 lakh. Turkish escorts are relatively cheaper at about Rs. 2 lakh," explained Sanjay. All of them are hired under contract for a fortnight. Apart from the foreign escort syndicates, Indian agencies would be operating during the event as well. "It is not a mass event so we have only selected smart girls. The rate of these girls will start from Rs 15,000. We will be extra cautious and will take orders only from trusted clients," said Vicky of Paradise Escorts.


Source:http://www.mid-day.com

STUDY-Following Brands on Twitter Increases Purchase Intent.

People who follow brands on Twitter are more likely to both buy and recommend those brands’ products, according to a recent study of online consumer behavior.

The study, conducted by Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey, analyzed the behavior of 1,491 consumers ages 18 and older throughout the U.S., and revealed a number of details about how people interact with brands on the world’s beloved 140-character social network.

So, just how powerful is the Twitter connection between consumers and businesses? The study found that 60% of brand followers are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after following the brand on Twitter, and 50% of brand followers are more likely to buy from that brand.

These findings mirror those from a previous report, detailing how consumers interact with brands on Facebook. The study found that 56% of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after “Liking” a brand on Facebook, and 51% of consumers said they are more likely to buy a product after doing so. The findings from both studies seem to show that customer loyalty is about the same across both social networks.

Any increase in customer loyalty is great news for brands, especially those lucky enough to make the coveted list of followed companies. According to the study, though, the chances of making that list are slim, as only 21% of Twitter users follow brands on Twitter, and of those, 79% follow fewer than 10 brands.

If your brand makes it to that highly sought-after status, you’re in for the long haul — a whopping 75% of respondents claimed that they had never unfollowed a brand on Twitter. This finding, though, contradicts a previous study, which claimed that 41% of consumers have unfollowed a company on Twitter. The trend seems to favor longevity in both studies, however. If a user opts to follow your brand on Twitter, it’s more likely they’ll continue following, rather than decide to unfollow.

When it comes to a consumer’s decision to follow brands on Twitter, exclusivity and access to promotions reign. Here are the top five reasons given by respondents:

• 64%: I am a customer of the company
• 61%: To be the first to know information about the brand
• 48%: To receive discounts and promotions
• 36%: To gain access to exclusive content
• 28%: To receive content/information to retweet and share with others

For the most part, brand interaction on Twitter is still largely a one-way process. While 84% of followers read tweets posted by the brands they follow, only 23% claim to tweet about the brands they follow.

The study also found that Twitter users are frequent Internet users overall — 50% of Twitter users in the study reported going online more than once per hour. Of Facebook users, only 34% of respondents reported going online multiple times per hour. Facebook and Twitter users both outpace the average Internet user, though, as only 29% of overall users that do not have Twitter and Facebook accounts reported logging on many times within an hour.

Twitter users even use Facebook more than users who stick solely to Facebook — 60% of Twitter users use Facebook more than three hours per week, compared with 49% of Facebook users overall.

The study offered one final nugget of wisdom that should inform how brands on Twitter approach their content strategies — 67% of brand followers expect unique content from the brands they follow. So get to it, social media strategists!

See the complete study here:

10 Quick Facts You Should Know About Consumer Behavior on Twitter

Source:
http://mashable.com/2011/10/20/twitter-brands-purchase-intent/