Xiaomi added duties in India to the role of a marketing agency which oversees its on-device promotions, a move the vendor expects to fuel growth in the country while expanding the list of apps and brands accessible on its smartphones.

The China-based device company made Avow its core marketing agency in India, responsible for handling mobile advertising campaigns on Xiaomi’s MiAds platform.

Avow’s duties will span launching apps on Xiaomi’s marketplace, booking campaigns to be loaded onto the vendor’s devices, media buying and tweaking promotions.

Xiaomi noted India is the fourth market where Avow has responsibility for MiAds, alongside EMEA, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

It describes MiAds as “one of the core services” of its “international internet business”, with coverage of more than 100 markets, compatibility with 70 languages and a reach of more than 420 million monthly active users, excluding mainland China.

MiAds offers access to adverts through various Xiaomi apps including its browser, music and video services.

Ashwin Shekhar, Avow co-founder, and CRO, stated the strengthened deal with Xiaomi will allow his company to “offer more exclusive opportunities for mobile marketers” in the “dynamic market” of India.

Figures published by IDC today (4 May) showed Xiaomi fell from being the leading vendor in India during Q1 2022 to fourth place in the recent quarter, with shipments down from 8.5 million units to 5 million.