By Fabrizio Caruso, Vice-President, Business Development, Asia, Out There Media | Jan 10, 2011
Mobile phones [7] have become the lifeline of our social lives [8]. The growing usage of mobile internet and the popularity of mobile social networking are also reflecting a trend of high adoption of smatphones in Asia. So how does it affect the dynamics of mobile advertising in the continent?
A number of recent mobile advertising campaigns [9] have received great consumer response in Asia and Europe, and what they all have in common is a desire to bring to users a superior mobile experience while meeting marketing objectives. Some of the best results have been achieved in Asia by offering cool video content as an incentive to participate in mobile advertising campaigns.
For example, BMW used an MMS video ad campaign in Malaysia to create awareness and drive footfall to BMW Innovation Days. This campaign yielded impressive results and generated the best click-through rate (CTR) of 50.4%. Mobile advertising has actually re-positioned rather 'saved' the MMS, and made it such a valuable and important channel.
Mobile phone in Asia is not only about smartphones and high-end video content or superior entertainment though. The adoption statistics of iPhone and android devices or the buzz created around 3G / 4G or the LTE cannot provide a holistic view of the significance of mobile phones in the region. With developing countries where over 50% of the population access internet through their mobile, mobile in Asia is basic to life – it not only ensures connectivity or provides entertainment, it facilitates the basic needs of education, healthcare and monetary transaction. "m" seems to be the favourite letter in Asia today with the resonance of words like: m-banking, m-commerce, m-coupons, m-healthcare, m-learning, m-retail, m-tickets, m-travel, m-wallets… and the list goes on!
Asia with its socio-cultural and economic diversity and its huge population, presents simultaneously a unique opportunity and a challenge to mobile advertisers. Numbers can tell a great story - telecommunications data tables with graphs for 3G data usage and mobile handset penetration definitely casts light on the changing dynamics of this diverse market. But for mobile advertisers it is imperative to understand the pulse of their consumers. And the answer to it can simply be found in the question we started with: "when was the last time you switched off your mobile phone …"!
The key lesson to learn here is that mobile is a personal device. Consumers and their personal devices aren't just numbers that advertisers can blast for gauging feedback and response rates. Advertisers need to approach mobile phone users with the respect they deserve. It is important to consider intrusiveness and privacy issues and show the sort of courtesy likely to appeal to consumers.
Most advertisers across the globe are struggling to zero down to a model that seems to satisfy everyone. The key to this quest is to offer utility amidst a blanket of permission-based access. For example, Out There Media [10] offers personalized and relevant offers complemented by operator freebies. Users sign up and fill out what kind of advertising they would like to receive, which gives them the measure of control, bundled with a personal touch of unique relevancy.
The hugely successful HSBC Red MasterCard campaign launched in the Philippines in October 2010 to drive uptake of HSBC's women's card is a good case in point. The Philippines is known to be the SMS capital of the world and the best way to reach HSBC's target audience of women between the age of 18 and 35 is by simple text messaging. HSBC launched this basic SMS opt-in campaign that offered reward of complimentary shoes to consumers who registered for the card and it has been one of the most receptive campaigns in the Philippines. The campaign achieved a significant conversion rate of 14.5%, where 40.1% of the subscribers had responded to the initial key message and 36.3% had provided their personal details during registration. Creative and targeted messaging campaigns constantly yield amazing results across all markets, and, most importantly, regardless of devices.
Now, these are just different models that work and there are many more of them. However, there are certain common denominators that are important to comprehend. Understanding that the mobile phone is a personal device is one thing. Respecting it is another. Social media has changed the dynamics of brand marketing. Today mobile audience is not at all ad adverse- they are simply ad aware. They have the potential to become our biggest brand advocates. But first we need to show the respect due to the consumers, understand their needs and most importantly, convince them that we are on their side!
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