The BuzzCity Blog

Targeting Ads for Relevance and Scale

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 17:00:00 +0800

By Manish Mishra, Chief Revenue Officer

Let's say that you're selling smartphones - or financial services or beer for that matter - in South Africa and you'd like to market your product to your core audience.

You know that a majority of your consumers are male.

If your budget is big enough, you might consider advertising on ESPN.

But wait, did you know that even ESPN - whose audience is 85% male - sees mobile as a great way to reach male consumers?

Targeting Men

In many markets, men are actually more likely to shop online than women. Plus, three quarters of mobile surfers rely on advertising to make purchasing decisions.

Advertisers - particularly when it comes to mobile and the internet - like to target their campaigns to meet the demographics that correspond to their client base. Too much targeting though and the company risks losing its reach; the sample size can become granular and too few consumers will see the ads. The challenge is to ensure that ad targeting has both relevance and scale.

Publisher Profiles

BuzzCity measures the demographics of mobile users who visit sites on The BuzzCity network. We sort this proprietary data by the visitors' country of origin and are now leveraging this information to provide advertisers with more options.

Take the case of this mobile video download service. Nearly 60% of South Africans who visit this site are men; more than half are between the ages of 20 - 30.

We're also tracking the urban/rural divide and which cities & provinces people come from. We expect to add 'occupation' to this set of demographics in the near future.

Attribute Clusters

By aggregating data from this and other sites, BuzzCity can now offer advertisers the opportunity to target consumers, based on these demographics, with a new feature that we call "Attribute Clusters".

So if the smartphone company, in the example at the top of this article, wants to target men, we'll deliver its ads to mobile sites that have a large (at least 65%) - but not exclusively - male audience.

Attribute Clustering builds on other forms of targeting offered by BuzzCity: country, day of the week, time of day and the method of accessing the Internet (PCs, tablets and mobile).

Taken together, a smartphone seller could target Nokia users in South Africa who are predominately young males and like to surf in the morning before work . . . while being assured that the campaign still has sufficient breadth to reach a wide audience.

Note: Attribute Clustering is only available on request. Please contact a BuzzCity account manager for more information.

BuzzCity Tours: Jan – Mar 2015

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 13:30:00 +0800

BuzzCity, as always, will be at the forefront at several conferences, workshops, and seminars across the globe, and we hope to meet with you.

Below is the list of events where you can catch us at, along with the BuzzCity personnel that you can schedule a meetup with.

1) Saung IT

Where: Bandung (Kafe Halaman), Indonesia
When: 1 March 2015
Who: Henry Putra

2) Introductory Mobile Publisher Workshop

Where: Cape Town, South Africa
When: 4 March 2015
Who: Amanda Louw

3) Mobile World Congress

Where: Barcelona, Spain (Stand 8.1 D66- App Planet Hall 8.1)
When: 2-5 March
Who: KF Lai, Evelyn Tay, Daniel Brandt, Isabel Gomes, Anne Catherine, Matthew Spears

4) Ad:Tech 2015

Where: The Leela Ambience Hotel and Residence, Ambience island, Gurgaon, India
When: 19-20 March
Who: Nikil Kanchan, Anil Byagar

5) Clickz Live

Where: Jakarta, Indonesia
When: 24-25 March
Who: Manish Mishra, Muhammad Jumhari

Please feel free to drop us an email at "partners (at) buzzcity.com".

BuzzCity at Clickz Live Jakarta 2015

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 12:10:00 +0800

BuzzCity is proud to be the Gold sponsor at Clickz Live Jakarta 2015, happening on 24-25 March at Grand Hyatt Jakarta.

Our Chief Revenue Officer, Manish Mishra, will be sharing deep insights on the Indonesian consmer in “Mobile Advertising for Maximum Reach to Target Customers”.

Manish has worked closely with Brands and Agencies in scaling their campaigns across South East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. His most recent challenge is to develop best practise strategies for brands across the BuzzCity Ad Network.

He is best positioned to share the latest on consumer attitudes and how Brands can make mobile advertising work for them.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Online Shopping Routines - South Africa

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 14:58:00 +0800

By Nicholas Hodge, Country Manager, South Africa

Empowered by technology, consumers use every channel available to make purchasing decisions, particularly on mobile. This has led to the rise in online shopping in many markets, including South Africa.

There is clear growth of online shopping in South Africa and the number of online shoppers among our South African audience continues to rise. By Nov 2014, nearly three quarters of South African mobile surfers visit online shopping sites. In a similar study in earlier in the year (April 2014) we found just as many South Africans shop with their PC’s (26%) as they do with mobiles (26%).

It is little surprise then that Woolworth’s Online says that their online retail has seen 60% Year-on-Year growth online. Similarly, Pick n Pay Online revealed that it’s grown by 27% since 2013.

How often do you visit online shopping sites?

Shopping online has also become a habitual practice and reflects the pattern of traditional shopping behaviour. Among 37% of online shoppers, planned purchases happens on a weekly (16%) or monthly (21%) basis. This is probably the result of budget or time constraints since the physical proximity of shops is no longer a consideration in online shopping.

But worthy of note are the 18% who visit an online shopping site often (but irregularly) – almost daily! These ‘new shoppers’ buy only when they need to - enjoying the convenience to browse different sites for variety or better offers. Now, nearly 1 in 5 of South African surfers shop online on a daily basis. This trend is expected to grow, with fewer people ‘stocking up’ during their weekly or monthly shopping.

The value of a web presence is best highlighted by the 27% of shoppers who, despite only browsing products online, are likely to recommend their preferred sites to others. Not surprisingly, 32% who are satisfied with their purchases are likely to make similar recommendations.

Clearly, retailers who are still ambivalent about a web or mobile presence are likely to loose out as more people turn to the Internet, if only to browse products to research upcoming purchases. Far from being a threat, digital can boost in-store retail but merchants will need to re-think their business models to see how digital, in particular, mobile can play a strategic if not central role.

Click here to view detailed results for South Africa.
The global report for Online Shopping Routines can be found in Vol 5 Issue 1 of The BuzzCity Report.

Publisher Update : Audience Profiles

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:52:00 +0800

By Evelyn Tay, Director, Publisher Alliance

From November 2014, Publisher accounts are supported with Audience Profiles to help each publisher put across content / services to the right people in the most effective way.

These profiles are derived from continuous sampling of visitors to each Publisher site (or application) and can be found in the Audience Profile selection from the dropdown menu.

The demographic data provides overall profile of visitors based on their country of origin. Here is an example from a publisher with South African audience.

These are in turn broken by Age and Gender, their location by City and the overall Rural / Urban distribution within each country.

(Our online Campaign Planner consolidates all audience profiles by Country and is presented as a planning tool for Advertisers) .

Each month BuzzCity samples a segment of users to develop an audience profile for each Publisher. In the coming months we expect to include ‘Occupation’ distribution as part of profile data.

The Audience Profile not only helps our Publishers understand their visitors better but helps us to improve Publisher earnings by matching audiences to the relevant advertisers. The aggregate Audience Profile powers a feature that helps Advertisers show their ads to groups of Publishers whose visitors have specific audience attributes.

In the next post we will outline how this is used as an advertiser feature.

Mobile & Travel 2015

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 09:53:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

The number of travellers - both business and pleasure - who are depending on their mobiles to make travel decisions and purchases is rapidly on the rise, according to findings from BuzzCity's latest survey of mobile users from 25 benchmark countries.

Not only are consumers using their phones to purchase tickets and book accommodation, they're also increasingly relying on their mobile devices for information and entertainment while on the road.

Some astute travel industry brands are already capitalising on this shift, thinking beyond their websites and purchase apps to how they can really engage consumers and improve their travel experiences. If you're in the travel industry and not already doing this, take note or risk losing market share in the year ahead.

Key Findings

As we reviewed the data from Argentina to Vietnam, we were struck by the rapid increase of mobile consumers on the BuzzCity Network who traveling for business and leisure.

Travel Patterns

In 2014, 24% of mobile respondents replied that their work involves frequent travel of at least once a month. This is up nearly three-fold from a year earlier, when just 9% said that they were frequent business travelers.

Between business and vacations, 1/3 of our audience travels internationally.

The percentage of mobile users who travel overseas for holidays has more than doubled, up from 10% in 2013 to 29% in this survey.

Information and Commerce

Online reviews and social media are key. 27% of our users say they "turn first to social media recommendations" when researching a trip.

27% also use their phones to search for user reviews and ratings before making a hotel booking.

30% say they use their phones to make last minute reservations.

Consumption Patterns while Traveling

1 in 4 travellers buy local SIM cards when overseas to avoid roaming charges.

Another 21% do not use their phones when overseas, except in an emergency.

We also asked mobile users how they use their phones, when travelling for leisure:

40% said they use their phones for entertainment: listening to music, watching videos, reading e-books and playing games.

Nearly 30% of people on holiday use their phones to stay in touch with others, by checking email and reading social media status updates and tweets.

20 - 30% use their phones to check out local information: weather reports, public transport schedules, travel routes, places to eat, events, attractions and other destination details.

Six Key Lessons

1. The times, they are a-changing.

This might seem obvious, but let's state it anyway: traveling abroad is no longer a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Thanks to low-cost airlines and mobile booking sites, overseas holidays are increasingly common. As AirAsia advertises, "Now Everyone Can Fly".

2. No one likes paying for WiFi.

Travellers are more and more likely to begin their journeys armed with an assortment of internet devices, including smartphones, tablets and laptops. They want to stay connected and are demanding free Wifi. Some airports and hotels are sticking to a paid model, but increasingly they could lose out if they don't respond to consumer demand. Even buses and other transport companies are finding wifi to be a business critical service. As a follow-up question, we asked 200 business travellers which cities are best for free wi-fi. Top of the list: New York, Singapore and Bangalore.

3. What's more unpopular than paying for Wifi? Exorbitant Roaming Charges!

If there's one roadblock in the path of mobile travel growth, it could well be the stubbornly-high cost of data roaming. Cheap local SIM cards and free WiFi in hotels and cafes have fueled mobile growth among overseas travellers. In Cambodia, for example, a US$5 pre-paid card - available for purchase at the airport - provides about 2 hours of local calls . . . and more importantly 2GB of data. By contrast, my home mobile provider charges nearly US$15 per day for roaming data . . . and that's only if you SMS in for the plan; otherwise it's US$16 per MB! Nearly half of all travellers either buy a local SIM card or turn off their phones. Until this percentage rises even further, though, telecoms may not feel the push to lower charges.

Visitors can pre-book attractions
during peak periods at Ocean Park
in Hong Kong using this mobile app.

4. Mobile is part of the destination experience.

Whether it's looking at maps, checking out the weather, searching for places to eat and things to do or downloading an app at a museum, theme park or other attraction, travelers are using mobile to look for tips and insights. With information comes opportunities for m-commerce. Keep in mind that variety is a bigger pull than price.

5. Keep it simple.

Travel commerce needs to be simple, clear and seamless. The booking experience needs to be smooth across devices and also between affiliates, taking into account consumer demand for comparison reviews and social networks.

One company that appears to get this is Qunar, a travel commerce platform which means "Where to Go" in Mandarin and has been dubbed the Kayak.com of China. Just last month, in a letter to shareholders, Qunar announced that metasearch - directing leads to other sites - is "NOT a winning proposition in the mobile age". Instead, Qunar has developed a platform that enables traveler to complete their bookings within Qunar apps. The company found that directing consumers to hotel and other third-party sites caused it to lose bookings.

6. Creativity drives engagement.

We can't say this too many times. Be creative and keep it interesting. But remember, it takes more than a good hashtag to be successful Creativity only drives engagement if it responds to consumer interests.

One travel operator that's getting it right is Turkish Airlines. Its cross-platform campaigns -- "Selfie Shoot-out" and "#EpicFood" -- are generating millions of YouTube hits. In one spot - which has more than 60 million views, footballers Lionel Messi and Didier Drogba chase each other across the globe in search of the best, most exotic cuisine.

Viewers are also invited to upload their own epic travel photos to EpicFoodMap.com. Turkish Airlines ties the campaign to its brand with the tagline, "We Fly to More Flavours Than Any Other Airline".

Looking Ahead

A number of major brands are introducing or revamping their mobile travel offerings. TripAdvisor has a new "Instant Booking" app. Amazon is reportedly set to launch 'Amazon Travel' to compete with companies like Expedia and Priceline. Marriott Hotels expects to roll out mobile check-in at all 500 of its hotels globally.

New start-ups meanwhile are continually identifying niche areas that need service, like HalalTrip - an English and Arabic app that enables travellers to rate Halal food across the globe (and which will soon include a hotel-booking feature) and 'Booking Now' which uses GPS to offer users last-minute hotel deals at nearby locations.

This all points to the same trend: mobile technology is upending the way people travel . . . and if your company is not on-board with it, you really need to adapt quickly.

Best Cities for Free WiFi - Jan 2015

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 21:50:00 +0800

Multi-channel surfing has resulted in higher demand for access among travellers and meeting this demand may yet be business critical for airports, hotels and public transport services. In our latest report on Lifestyle : Mobile & Travel (pg. 21), free hotel wifi was one of the items 39% of travellers looked for, so the this recent news comes as no surprise.

2014 Must-Have Hotel Amenity: Free WiFi (Hotel Chatter)
Fast WiFi found to be more important than stunning views or free cocktails (Daily Mail)

As a quick follow up to the survey, we decided to poll users to see which cities they felt were best for free wifi when travelled. Here are the results from 200 business travellers and mobile users.

The BuzzCity Report Vol 5 Issue 1 - Jan 2015

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 09:00:00 +0800

Over the course of 2014 we delivered 321 billion ads, a growth of 19% from last year. This growth comes as advertiser trust in mobile grew together with our aggressive culling of fraudulent traffic.

The last year saw smartphones become a mainstream mobile surfing tool across our network and e-commerce grew in markets like India, Indonesia and Malaysia. We believe this will only increase as more surfers turn to 4G services in markets across our network.

Just as mobile has transformed online commerce for many, we see similar transformations in the travel industry. This report includes a survey on travel that shows more than a quarter of mobile users now booking tickets on their mobiles.

Click to download the report

Quality Affordable Phones

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 15:48:00 +0800

As far as we can tell, there are more than 100 mobile phone manufacturers (and 5,000 unique mobiles) across the world, although 40 or so of the more commonly used brands are listed in our campaign planner.

As the smaller ones establish stronger sales across the world, they begin to threaten the dominance of the bigger players. Across our benchmark markets we see Nokia's (28%) dominance being challenged by Samsung (22%). We also note increasing penetration of high quality, affordable phones by many small brands we've collectively named 'Other Makers' that now make up more than a quarter of handsets used.

Data from our campaign planner also mirrors reports of handset fragmentation in Europe. By Jan 2015 'Other Makers' made up 35% of phones used in France, 28% in Spain and 26% in the UK.

For more details on specific markets please view our online Campaign Planner.

(Word cloud made with Wordle.net)

Brands Take To Mobile

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 14:59:00 +0800

The last year also saw smartphones become a mainstream mobile surfing tool across our network. By the end of the first quarter, more than half the users on our network used smartphones. By January 2015, 66% of our audience is surfing with smartphones.

With mobile now the first screen in consumers lives — and a primary channel for brands to connect with consumers - advertisers need to take a consumer centric approach to their marketing programme for 2015.

Learn from a variety of brands who have accomplished their business goals in various through the line campaigns on the BuzzCity Ad Network.

South African Breweries : Castle Lite Lime (Sept 2014): South African Breweries takes advantage of digital’s through the line capabilities to take extra cold refreshment to the next level. The campaign utilized digital channels alongside TV and other above the line channels to reach a 42% of global adult drinkers under 34.

Nestlé : KitKat and Bar One (Aug 2014): Nestlé’s KitKat and Bar One entered the mobile advertising arena with the aim to increase product sales and to increase brand awareness. The campaign sought to reach a new target market by using a new channel of advertising.

National Police Force (POLRI) Public Education Program- Indonesia (July 2014): Create national awareness for a public service program to promote safety and orderly behaviour among Indonesians during upcoming election .

MTN 67 mins for Mandela Concert - South Africa (July 2014): MTN brought South Africans together by hosting a free live streaming concert in celebration of Mandela Day. Users were given the chance to stream live and watch live performances by top African Musicians. BuzzCity was chosen as the perfect platform to run the campaign for cost effective targeting and reach.

Universal Music- Thailand (June 2014): Promote Universal Music Thailand and drive the purchase through iTunes store.

Hyundai Test Drive - Thailand (June 2014): The campaign garnered over 13 million impressions and led users to Hyundai Motor Thailand official Facebook and website.

Launch of OLX- Thailand (June 2014): OLX Thailand promoting their new name and drive users to their brand new marketplace through their mobile application.

AIS E-book Application - Thailand(May 2014): Increased Awareness for AIS New E-Book Application over a 1 month campaign .

Central One Card Mobile Application- Thailand (April 2014): Generate awareness for Central One Card mobile application and promoting the one card mobile application with free 100 credits .

Thailand Extreme Makeover by Tourism Authority of Thailand (April 2014):Thailand Extreme Makeover “Vote and Stand A Chance to Win” by Tourism Authority of Thailand .

Home Choice - South Africa (April 2014): The campaign proved to be successful for the advertiser, driving up mobile traffic to their website and getting repeat users from the premium Smartphone and Tablet user segment.

Leisure Books - South Africa (March 2014): Increased mobile traffic, site subscriptions and book sales to Leisure Books website through the use of BuzzCity Rich media expandable banners.

The Crystal Ball 2015

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 08:30:00 +0800

By Lai Kok Fung, BuzzCity CEO

As we turn the page on 2014, it's that time of year again when we pull out the BuzzCity Crystal Ball to take a look at what the new year has in store for mobile users and the mobile industry.

The past twelve months have been a period of steady growth for the mobile industry. Here are just a few indicators:

Since the start of the year, The BuzzCity Ad Network has delivered over 320 billion ads, up 19% from 2013.
The global market for mobile ads is expected to top US$31 billion in 2014. Digital advertising is on the rise at a time when TV and print ads are stagnant or declining.
More than 1 billion smartphones will be sold this year and smartphone penetration is as high as 85% in Singapore, where mobile devices are far more popular than PCs. More than three-quarters of mobile surfers use smartphones in 75 markets.

Based on what we see from BuzzCity's research and our survey of the overall industry, it's easy to be bullish on the year ahead as well, particularly when it comes to mobile video and m-commerce . . . which leads me to our two predictions for 2015:

1. Mobile 'TV' Ads Go Mainstream

2. Online Shopping Drives Retail Sales for Vendors Big and Small

Mobile Video

Prediction: Mobile 'TV' Ads Go Mainstream

More than 8 in 10 mobile consumers watch videos on their phone, according to a BuzzCity survey. 27% tune in to mobile videos every day.

Some content - like that of Swedish video game commentator and YouTube sensation 'PewDiePie' - is specifically created for the web and would likely not have found a home elsewhere, at least not at first. (Haven't heard of PewDiePie? His real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjelberg and he's the most popular YouTuber in the world, with some 33 million subscribers and 7 billion views.)

More traditional companies like ESPN and MTV are also creating web-only content. In some cases, the clips are repurposed from television; in others, the series are new extensions of their brands.

We've seen some very creative use of mobile video over the past year by forward-looking companies like Diageo (which hired Jude Law for a 6-minute Johnny Walker ad) and Nokia (which has teamed up with young celebrities to promote the Lumia phone and its filming capabilities).

In the US market alone, online video ad revenue is expected to reach US$5 billion in two years, up from US$2.8 billion in 2013. Online video ad revenue is growing significantly faster than any medium, except mobile itself.

As consumers become increasingly accustomed to watching mobile video ads before and during their selected content - and as more and more companies produce interstitials for mobile - we expect video advertising on mobile to go mainstream in the year ahead.

To be successful, video ads shouldn't just stand alone. They should be linked and integrated with mobile websites or blogs. South African carrier MTN, Turkish Airlines and Tune Hotels do a good job of this. The key is to take a Mobile First content strategy and insure that video is part of the plan.

m-Commerce

Prediction: Online Shopping Drives Retail Sales for Vendors Big and Small

Internet shopping used to be the sole domain of companies like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba. But with 69% of mobile consumers shopping online, we're seeing an increasing number of main street companies offering internet options.

We're also seeing a blurring of the lines between in-store and online commerce. Many consumers research products online - before entering a store or while there - before making a physical purchase. Others shop online, but pick up the products at the store. Digital wallets and other forms of mobile payments are also making headway, further blurring the line between physical and virtual stores.

Over the coming year, retailers will increasingly realise that online commerce does not cannibalise in-store sales, but can actually provide a boost instead. Supermarkets - which have been offering click-to-collect and click-to-deliver services - will take on the appearance of online malls as companies attempt to create a common shopping experience. Just take a look at a few existing examples like Pick n Pay in South Africa, Big C in Thailand and Tesco in the UK.

In addition, with large internet companies like Amazon branching out to deliver more and more daily necessities - and manufacturers starting to offer direct sales online, retailers who do not have online offerings will lose market share and risk becoming irrelevant.

What do YOU think? We'd love to hear your predictions. Be sure to check back in a year to let us know how BuzzCity's Crystal Ball has performed.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous 2015!

Shopping for Essentials Online Becomes Routine

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

A host of new online shopping services - by established and upstart companies alike - are leading consumers to shop more frequently with their phones.

And more than that, consumer shopping routines are changing too, with people going online to shop when they need something, rather than just making regular visits to the store.

Sixty-nine percent of mobile users now shop online - up from 59% a little over a year ago - according to a BuzzCity survey of 4700 consumers from 25 countries across six continents. More than a quarter of these consumers shop online every day.

The market segment experiencing the biggest uptick consists of food and grocery supplies. Nearly 16% of mobile users told BuzzCity that they plan to purchase groceries online in the near future. That's double the response two years ago.

These numbers are consistent with a trend highlighted by the market research group Packaged Facts, which notes that online grocery sales in the United States will grow from US$23 billion this year to nearly US$100 billion in 2019.

What's behind the surge?

The easiest factors to point to are an increasing comfort level with mobile commerce by consumers and a greater availability of mobile wallets and mobile payment mechanisms. In addition to this, though, we are also seeing companies - from Amazon to mainstream grocers - offering more online shopping options.

In the UK, for example, Tesco reports that 200,000 consumers are making online grocery purchases, up nearly 13% from a year ago, which is also the first year that it offered online sales. Most of Tesco's virtual clients are having the goods delivered to their homes. However the UK's biggest grocer has also started offering a 'Click-to-Collect' service, which is particularly attractive in rural or outlying areas, where home deliveries take longer (up to 8 days in parts of the Highlands & Islands) and delivery charges can be steep. Click-to-Collect is a time-saver for people who would like to avoid the shopping aisles and check-out lanes.

This past Black Friday, so many people wanted to place Click & Collect orders that Tesco's website couldn't handle it. While the technical faults and resulting delays in fulfillment are embarrassing, they also highlight strong consumer demand.

Brick and mortar grocers need to stay on their toes. "Amazon's dead-set on killing off the grocery store," writes Engadget. The world's second biggest online retailer, behind Alibaba, is offering same-day delivery in the US as well as a gadget called 'Dash' which is essentially a home scanner and voice-recognition device that connects directly to your Amazon account, allowing consumers to not only easily compile a shopping list, but also purchase and schedule delivery.

Amazon's 'Prime Pantry' focuses on everyday essentials in ordinary (ie non-bulk) sizes. You can watch online as your virtual 45-pound box fills up. Delivery is a flat rate -US$6. And now, like many traditional grocers, Amazon has introduced its own branded products. The first two products on offer are diapers (US$9-14 per box of 40) and baby wipes (US$10.99 for a pack of six).

These services are changing the way consumers shop. No longer is it necessary to write out a weekly shopping list. Simply put, it's become to easy to order everyday essentials with your phone and either have them delivered to your home or prepared at the store for easy pickup.

Related Article

"Groceries have India going mad for e-commerce" (Nikkei Asian Review, 11 Dec 2014)

Travel Advertisers on Mobile

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 15:50:00 +0800

Travel advertisers are already using mobile as a ‘reach’ vehicle, indulging in cross platform advertising and meeting their local marketing needs with mobile to reach out to new customers.

These advertisers range from tourism authorities, airlines to online booking services.

For many, these often mean building campaigns that are specifically designed to help them connect with local consumers. Targeting locally is just the first step though, and after that, advertisers need to create a mobile experience that is relevant for these consumers, and will drive engagement.

A recently launched (Nov 2014) Turkish Airline campaign shows cross platform (TV, cinema, press, digital, outdoor and social media) advertising being interpreted in a creative manner to drive engagement.

(Click to view video)

In a previous campaign for the airline, which was viewed more than 139 million times on YouTube, footballer Lionel Messi raced basketball player Kobe Bryant around the world in a ‘Selfie Shoot-out’. In this new spot, Messi is chased by fellow footballer Didier Drogba in a contest to visit the most exotic restaurants.

In this campaign, mobile banners are linked to an online video hosted on YouTube (47 million views in 2 weeks) but the campaign takes cross platform to another level with a hashtag element (#EpicFood) which is promoted at the end of the clip. The campaign also supports a call for viewers to upload their own epic travel photos through EpicFoodMap.com

Engagement of course can mean different things to different advertisers. In another travel related campaign Tune Hotels creates an immersive engagement using Rich Media banners and video.

(On a PC the banner expands when clicked)

Key in all these campaigns are the role of mobile and the role it plays in an integrated campaign. This makes sense as our user studies in Mar 2013 revealed :-

9% travel domestically or abroad for work at least once a month and
10% travel abroad for their annual vacations while 18% travel domestically.
Users turn to social media first for recommendations (14%) when researching a trip and 11% search for user ratings and hotel reviews on their mobiles.

Effective Marketing: The Convergence of Earned, Owned and Paid Media

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Fri, 7 Nov 2014 17:37:00 +0800

By Manish Mishra, Vice President (Sales)

Social media and mobile phones have transformed the digital landscape, but while many businesses have been slow to adapt, others have internalised the wrong lessons.

In my last column, I discussed how the concepts of “Above the Line” and “Below the Line” Marketing are no longer relevant in a digital world. It didn't take long for marketers to develop three new categories: Earned, Owned and Paid Media. Basically,

Paid Media are ads

Owned Media consists of content you control, like a website and

Earned Media happens when consumers talk about you and share your content

These lines are blurred as well, though.

The most effective marketing campaigns include all of these elements, along with clear goals and a comprehensive strategy.

Earned, Owned & Paid

A few years ago, former Forrester analyst Sean Corcoran published a popular table describing the benefits and challenges associated with these three type of media:

To see how these categories overlap, it can be useful to visualise them with a Venn Diagram:

An Example: Sony Music - Malaysia

Take the case of Sony Music, which purchased banner ads in Malaysia across a wide range of popular mobile channels -- Community, Entertainment, Mobile Content, News and Search Portals - to drive mobile users to its Facebook fan page.

The campaign generated over 10 million ad impressions (in a country with a population of just 30 million) and sparked engagement on Facebook.

Sony Music purchased ads (paid media), directing mobile users to its social media site (owned content) where people then engaged in conversations and shared posts (earned media).

Another Example: MTN - South Africa

In South Africa, mobile carrier MTN blogs about sports, apps, events, mobile devices and more. Paid media drives consumers to the blog.

Some pages of the blog are pure owned media. MTN is in complete control, just like on a website. Other pages though engage consumers, who interact to win prizes and share their views.

An Integrated Approach

The key lesson here is that you can't just 'build it and hope they'll come'. You also shouldn't simply rely on Facebook ads to promote your social media presence. Effective marketers know it's essential to drive traffic from outside a closed ecosystem as well. These days, too many companies think that all they need is a Facebook page or website. But even if you own content - whether it's a blog or series of mobile sites - you still need to promote these properties to develop a following.

Effective Marketing: The 'Line' Doesn't Exist Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 17:14:00 +0800

By Manish Mishra, Vice President (Sales)

What many of us learned in business school or in our first sales and marketing jobs is woefully out-of-date. In particular, creating a distinction - in a world of digital advertising - between 'above the line' and 'below the line' marketing no longer makes any sense.

Yet while effective marketers recognise this, many companies have not made the shift and as a result are deploying their resources poorly.

This GAP ad from the UAE links to the Men's Apparel section of the GAP website.
Is this an example of Above The Line, Below The Line or neither?

A Refresher Course: ATL vs BTL

Traditionally, Above The Line marketing consists of ads that build a company's brand, while targeting a large audience. ATL ads include:

Television and radio commericals
Newspaper and magazine ads
Classified ads in newspapers and the Yellow Pages
Billboard and other forms of outdoor advertising

In contrast, Below The Line campaigns are more targeted and measurable. BTL ads often include an incentive to purchase. Examples of BTL ads include:

Coupons
Discounts
Free Gifts
Cash-back incentives
Loyalty programmes
Competitions and Prizes
Price Promotions
Point-of-sale displays

Without question, internet and mobile ads can serve both these functions . . . often at the same time.

Blurring the Line

For several years now, companies have been linking mobile ads to direct sales.

Take for example, this ad by Turkish Airlines.

This campaign is aimed at consumers in Luxembourg. Viewers who click the banner are directed to a page that only shows offers for flights leaving the Luxembourg airport.

Or consider this ad by the retailer MORE by Morello:

The banner ad looks like a branding campaign, with images of branded jeans and a wallet. Users who click the banner, though, are offered the chance to receive a 10% discount, if they sign up for a newsletter subscription.

Even digital campaigns that appear to be pure branding initiatives - like this one by Nokia which takes users to a product landing page that's designed to educate the public about product features - can be targetted to specific audiences and tracked in ways that traditional media can not.

Ads like this one for the Ninja Turtles movie go a step further. While publicising the movie, it also promotes a free gift.

In fact, this page - which the ad previously linked to - is set up by Golden Screen Cinemas just to offer movie-related promotions.

So while some marketers would argue that these ads are 'below the line' because they feature customer targeting and data gathering, others would say that the ads are more in line with ATL advertising because they build brands and awareness.

In fact, digital advertising blurs the line between these categories. We should stop referring to 'above' and 'below' the line altogether. Marketers should also spend less time trying to differentiate between desktop, mobile and social media campaigns for these are all legs of an effective digital campaign.

Coming up soon: Earned, Owned and Paid Media . . . and how these 'new' categories are intrinsically interlinked!

The BuzzCity Report Vol 4 Issue 4 - Sept 2014

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:00:00 +0800

In this report we cover the third quarter of 2014 during which our network delivered 83 billion paid ads.

Over the course of the year we delivered 244 billion ads, a growth of 24% from last year.

Among the Top Markets in the third quarter are :-

India 20.0 billion
Indonesia 16.9 bil
South Africa 4.9 bil
Nigeria 3.3 bil
Pakistan 2.6 bil
United States 2.4 bil
Malaysia 2.4 bil

The report also features a survey on online video viewing. Among our audience, 84% watch videos online and three quarters (75%) use their phones for this. We note that the communal aspect of video sharing (16%) has rivalled, if not outpaced, the communal value of watching TV with family and friends (12%). But the report cautions that the only way to secure engagement with videos is to create content that people care about - and this though is not something than can quantified or measured.

We also report on how surfers view advertising and the media that influences them. Despite their mixed feelings towards ads in general, more than three quarters of mobile surfers rely on advertising to make purchasing decisions. While negative attitudes prevail (59%), consumers are generally well disposed to advertising (60%). We advise marketers to consider rich media or video formats to deliver emotion and engagement beyond the direct response of a banner.

For more details, please download the report here

Movies: Delay Digital Releases At Your Own Peril

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Thu, 2 Oct 2014 17:22:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

It's time for the feature film industry and television producers to adapt to a new era of distribution.

For decades -- since the advent of VCRs and home movie viewing, if not the beginning of television itself - major studios have given cinemas an exclusive window to screen films first before releasing them through other channels.

Today, though, these delays foster piracy.

Consumers want to watch films at their convenience - when they want and where they want. While this can still mean going to a cinema for a night out to see a film on the big screen, it can also mean watching it at home online or on a mobile device. And if the studios don't put a film online, someone else will.
Eighty-four percent of mobile users on the The BuzzCity Network watch video on their phones; nearly 30% watch full length feature films and TV series.

Cinemas used to enjoy a monopoly on films. The gap between seeing a blockbuster like Back to the Future in the theatres, then a cut version with commercials on TV, was a couple years. And while badly-filmed pirated versions existed, distribution was limited in the pre-internet days.

Today, legit versions of films appear in online stores like iTunes and on Blu-ray/DVD in rental chains like Video EZ within a matter of months. Consumers in international markets may need to wait longer as many Hollywood films are often released first in the US, then elsewhere. (Actually, it's not just Hollywood producers and cinemas that impose a release window. In India, the average delay between a cinema debut and release on DVD is 6 months, nearly 2 months longer than in the US, according to Ernst & Young and Forum D'Avignon.)

And while the exclusive window enjoyed by cinemas is shrinking, it's still too long for many digital consumers, who not only want to watch movies online but television series as well. The Guardian's media and tech blog 'Monday Note' calls the industry's release windows system 'an analog era relic' which is 'forcing honest viewers into piracy'.

Imagine, for example, that you live in Singapore, Mumbai or Johannesburg and would like to watch 'Game of Thrones'. You'd be willing to pay Netflix, but it's not available in your country. The only alternative are torrent files. They're unofficial and free, but pirated. In 2012, the top five TV shows - including 'Game of Thrones' and 'Breaking Bad' - were illegally downloaded 1.44 million times.

Some companies are starting to wake up and challenge the traditional model though.

Film producers in Australia are cutting the exclusive theatrical release period from 4 months to 3.
And next August in the US, the Weinstein Company will release the sequel to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", staring Michelle Yeoh, across the globe on Netflix and in a limited number of Imax theatres at the same time. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Destiny" is touted as the first major motion picture to debut on Netflix and in theatres at the same time (except that the major cinema chains in the US will not screen the film, which is why Weinstein made a deal with Imax; the Weinstein Company is also an independent studio and a relatively small player when compared to big companies like Disney, Fox and Paramount.)

Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos told the New York Times that he hopes the deal will 'show Hollywood that the time (has) come to respond to what movie fans want'. "These are two different experiences, like going to a football game and watching a football game on TV," Sarandos told the newspaper.

Netflix is also aware of the international opportunities: it's expanding to Europe and has its eye on other international markets, though it's not moving as quickly as diehard fans would like.

Warner Brothers meanwhile made a foray into new territory this past February when it released "Veronica Mars" online (for rental and sale) on the same day that it was release to a limited number of US theatres. This case was also an exception, though, because Warner Brothers' hands were tied. Two major cinema chains - Cinemark and Regal - didn't want to screen the film, while a third, AMC Entertainment, insisted that WB buy out entire theatres in advance, rather than share ticket sales as per normal.

While these examples represent progress, they're not enough. The release windows system has got to go. And the media industry needs to see the mobile internet for what it is: the opportunity of a new audience, not a medium to be kept at arms length.

Whiskey and Phones

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 08:00:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

TV Ad Dollars Are Shifting
to Web Videos

The companies that provide consumer products and services are always on the look out for creative ways to market their goods.

Television ads used to be at the top of the ladder.

Then, viewers started recording programmes and fast-forwarding through commercials.

Enter product placements - a Coca-Cola cup here, an iMac there.

Now, though, a key group of consumers - youth aged 18 - 35 - are watching less television altogether, be it live or taped and are spending increasingly more time with other media devices - phones, tablets, game consoles and computers.

The changing nature of media consumption has led some brands to adapt again, this time becoming the producers and sponsors of their own content. (You'll want to read on: I'm about to share two great videos!)

Take the case of a 6-minute video short called "The Gentleman's Wager" starring Jude Law and Giancarlo Giannini. It tells the story of two men on a beautiful old wooden sail boat, one of whom vows to win the boat from the other 'with a dance'. This short film, which was released about six weeks ago and already has nearly 10 million views on YouTube, is presented by Johnny Walker Blue Label. And while it contains some product placement - a bottle of whiskey in key scenes, the clinking of glasses, the company's name and logo in the title and credits - this well-produced tale doesn't feel like an ad at all.

Another interesting example is a music video for Ellie Goulding's "How Long Will I Love You". Produced by Notting Hill and Enduring Love director Roger Michell, the two and a half minute short was shot entirely on a Nokia Lumia 1020. There are shots in the video of the singer or her boyfriend texting each other or filming someone with a Lumia phone, but aside from that, the branding is low-key.

In a series called "Life Meets #Lumia", Nokia has teamed up with other young celebrities to promote the phone. Former American Idol contestant Tim Urban is said to use the OneNote app to record 'snippets of a melody' or jot down lyrics, while Danny Williams - who acted alongside Clint Eastwood in 'Trouble With the Curve' - uses the Lumia 1520 to shoot video auditions.

Making a video like Michell's "How Long Will I Love You" is certainly not as simple as just pulling a phone out of your pocket. It's professionally produced and it took a team to do it. Yet the raw footage all came from a phone. Amazing.

And what is equally amazing is the creativity that these companies have shown. They understand that new media is about producing content that provokes conversations, both online and off. And there's no better way to do that than with a great video.

BuzzCity Tours : Oct - Dec 2014

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 10:58:00 +0800

Over the coming months our team mates will be at several conferences and workshops and hope to meet with you.

Istanbul – Webit Conference : 1st – 2nd Oct. 2014 (Dan)
Johannesburg - Tech4Africa: 8th & 9th Oct. (Nick)
Dubai - Gitex 2014 : 12 - 16th Oct. (Amit)
Mexico City – Devhr.mx : 21st – 24th Oct. (Dan & Isabel)
London - Ad Tech London : 21st – 22nd Oct. Come meet with our UK team at Stand No. 371 at The National Hall, Olympia.
Paris – Games Connection : 29-31 Oct. (Sabrina)
New York- Ad Tech New York : 5th & 6th November (Dan)
Cape Town - Market Research in the Mobile World: 5th - 6th Nov (Nick)
Cape Town - AfricaCOM: 11th-13th Nov (Nick)
Pune - NASSCOM Game Developers Conference : 13th -15th Nov (Amit, Anil & Mario)
London - Apps World London : 12th & 13th Nov. Our European team will be exhibiting our advertiser and publisher opportunities for applications developers. Please visit us at Stand No. 129 @ ExCel, London.
Miami - M2Games Latam : 3rd – 4th December (Dan & Isabel)

TV Goes Online

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 08:00:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

If you're a television network and you notice that an increasing percentage of your core audience is spending less time in front of the TV, what do you do?

For MTV India, the answer was obvious.

Start producing content for mobile and the web.

"As a media channel, we can't ignore platforms where the youth (are)," MTV India's digital head Ekalavya Bhattacharya told MediaNama. "When a guy is glued to Facebook all the time, it doesn't make sense to ask him to switch to TV to just watch a show. It won't work."

Some MTV India series are web-only, while others find innovative ways for social media to guide traditional and online broadcasts.

Before we take a closer look at this content, consider this:

Youth aged 18 - 35 are among the lightest viewers of television and heaviest consumers of digital media, according to Nielsen's U.S. Cross Platform Report.

Three out of four mobile users watch video on their phones, according to BuzzCity's Video Consumption Survey. Twenty-seven percent watch mobile videos every day.

So what are people watching online? Full length movies and TV series are popular. So are clips and video shorts. Free content, unsurprisingly, is also popular, but viewers are going to a range of content portals, not just the international brands like YouTube.

In Thailand, for example, portals like BBTVTHAI, DooTV, SeesanTV and Kapook! offer a mix of professionally produced series (many of which air on television) and user-generated content.

Back at MTV India, 3 - 5 minute web videos are produced with classic MTV style. They're fast-paced with sharp cuts, split screens, good graphics and music.

In one series, called "Get Fit", VJ Bani J and national Muay Thai champion Bala Shetty share tips about losing weight, eating healthy, training for a marathon and even surviving a street fight.

In another branded segment called "MTV: The Look, presented by Philips", VJ Gaelyn demonstrates DIY hair styling tips. There are two episodes so far: 'The School Reunion Look', and 'The Clubbing Night Look', plus a promo 'Hair Styling Made Easy'. While Gaelyn uses a Philips' product in each episode, the videos take a light touch, focusing on fun, not sales.

Online viewers can also watch complete episodes of MTV television shows like the reality programme Splitsvilla and romantic fantasy Fanaah (complete with witches, werewolves and warrior vampires)/ These shows - at about 45 and 20 minutes respectively - run longer than web-only fare.

Broadcasts of the reality show "Drive with MTV, presented by Nano" go a step further. Four teams drive around India in this show, competing for a chance to win a new car (a Tata Nano). But here's the twist: destinations are chosen based on suggestions by viewers on social media. Contestants also receive points for their social media posts and how they're received by fans.

There are several reasons why consumers like online video. The most popular responses (34%) in BuzzCity's Video Consumption Survey are the variety of content on offer, followed by the immediacy of on-demand video (30%).

The trends are clear. Consumers like watching programmes on their phones. Mobile video consumption will continue to rise in markets across the globe, thanks in part to affordable and transparent data plans (US$40 at Best Buy in the US buys unlimited text, calls and data. Add an additional US$10 for unlimited 4G data.). Whether you represent a television broadcaster, a publisher or advertiser, you need to explore the best ways to make video part of your online presence.

Coming up next: "Whiskey and Phones" - How Two Well-Known Brands Are Using Online Video!

BuzzCity Research: Mobile Video on the Rise

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Mon, 8 Sep 2014 16:00:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

Do you watch videos on your phone?

How often?

What do you like to watch?

These are among the questions that BuzzCity posed to some 5000 mobile users across 25 countries.

While we knew that video consumption is on the rise, the strength of the results surprised even us.

More than three-quarters of respondents told us that they use their phone to watch video. More than half watch at least a few times a week; 27% said they watch mobile videos every day.

Images on the right are from advertisements by StarHub (Singapore)
and Sony Mobile (South Africa). The statistics are from BuzzCity research.

Mobile pundits and analysts frequently advise advertisers and content creators to keep their videos short. And while it's true about a quarter of mobile surfers prefer to watch clips and short videos, a higher percentage (29%) prefer longer-form content like television series and movies.

In this survey, we didn't ask users how long they stay online to watch videos, but eMarketer estimates the average is about 55 minutes per day.

Better infrastructure accounts for much of the growth. Carriers in all twenty-five of the countries that we surveyed, from Argentina to Venezuela, offer 3G or 4G connectivity.

In the UK, for example, within the space of one year, the number of active 4G mobile subscribers jumped nearly 19-fold from 318,000 in the first quarter of 2013 to over 6 million in March 2014.

In fact, 23 of the 25 countries surveyed have 4G. Only Kenya and Vietnam do not, but Kenya is expected to start building a 4G network next year. Vietnam has said it might auction 4G licenses in 2015.

(Are you wondering about the difference between 3rd Generation and 4th Generation systems? There's no single clear cut metric. 3G can offer faster data transfer, but 4G is generally better for video streaming. Here's a good, brief comparison.)

Infrastructure is not the only factor behind the rise of mobile video. Carriers are offering better rates. Independent video sharing sites are running major membership drives. Smartphones have bigger screens and faster processors. Social media sites like Instagram, that started with photos, have expanded to include video.

Noticing the trend, some advertisers have started shifting resources. My colleague Manish described the case of Honda, which is pulling money from its TV budget to crate a music-streaming channel, in an earlier blog post. That channel - Honda Stage - is now online.

Just as photos defined an earlier generation of mobile usage, on-demand anytime anywhere video is quickly becoming part of the fabric of our lives.

More about Mobile Video

Read more about mobile video in BuzzCity's upcoming September report!

Misleading Ads

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:10:00 +0800

By Hisham Isa, Vice President (Marketing)

Consumers hate them. Regulators are cracking down. Publishers regularly make complaints about them. And BuzzCity will not accept them on our mobile network.

Misleading ads – banners imitating operating systems, virus threats, chat messages and falsely promise free stuff – have been a bane to consumers since the early days of internet advertising.

Yet some companies – oblivious to consumer and publisher concerns - continue to market in this manner thanks to a mistaken belief that click-throughs are sufficient to generate sales.

What companies actually need to do is to measure quality engagements.

What happens after mobile surfers arrive at your landing page? Do they proceed to find out more about your products and interact with your brand? Do they continue to the checkout counter? Or do they immediately bail and go back to what they were doing before?

The Right Environment for Mobile Ads

BuzzCity is serious about creating a healthy environment for mobile advertising.

To do this, we monitor content across The BuzzCity Network - both publisher sites and ads.

First, we use fraud detection technology to ensure that we only admit high-quality traffic into our network, only real users click through and advertisers are not billed for bot-based shenanigans.

Second, we've created a set of brandsafe channels so that advertisers can confidently target the type of content that makes the most sense for them. Several of these channels - like News & Information, Entertainment & Lifestyle and Mobile Portals - are manually curated.

And finally, we manually vet every ad distributed by the network.

No Misleading Advertising

BuzzCity recently updated its guidelines on the types of ads that will be rejected.

Ads must not impersonate the user interface of a phone or application. This means no fake system warnings or app updates . . .

. . . and no fake chat or download notifications

Promises of fake free benefits are a no-go too.

An ad for a WhatsApp wallpaper is fine:

but banners for false updates are not.

Basically, if an ad is meant to trick a consumer, we don't want it on our network.

A Note to Freemium Content Producers

In some places, the tide has also turned against ads promoting freemium content. In the UK recently, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has criticised Electronic Arts (EA) and banned an ad for the game Dungeon Keeper because it showed an image of a well-developed dungeon – which would be hard to amass without in-app purchases – while stating that the game is free.

ASA warned EA that future ads should make clear “the limitations of free gameplay and role of in-app purchasing with regard to speeding up gameplay”.

While BuzzCity supports the freemium business model, we encourage game-makers and other content producers to be careful that the copy in their ads does not irritate consumers or run afoul of the rules.

Mobile advertising is one of the best ways to reach and interact with consumers. Let's continue to create ads that are informative, useful and entertaining.

Learn More About Online Customer Engagement

"Goals and Metrics: Measuring Customer Engagement on the Web" by Julie Hunt Consulting
Creating an Engagement Score: "Top 3 Metrics to Measure Customer Engagement" by Guy Nirpaz

India's m-Commerce Boom

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 08:30:00 +0800

By Manish Mishra, Vice President (Sales)

"Gone in a Flash Sale: 3 Great Offers Only Today" screams an ad on one of India's most popular online shopping sites, Flipkart. "Exclusive Offers on the Mobile App".

"37% off on Mobile, 38% off on Mobile App" reads the copy on Myntra amidst images of clothing and accessories.

“Download Snapdeal Mobile App and Get Exclusive Offers” reads a promotional banner at the top of Snapdeal's home page.

India is undergoing a shopping revolution, driven by the proliferation of smartphones and affordable broadband. It's hard to understate the impact that mobile is having on consumer purchases and decisions.

In collaboration with the Mobile Marketing Association, BuzzCity recently conducted a consumer survey of nearly 3600 mobile users from 26 countries. In India, we found that nearly half of mobile users make purchases online and another 13% 'window shop' on the internet before going to physical stores.

The rapidly changing marketplace is having a big impact on companies and consumers alike.

India has long been one of the top countries on The BuzzCity Advertising Network. In the second quarter of the year, more than 23 billion banner ads were served in India, up 10% from the previous quarter. More than half of Indian mobile users now have smartphones.

“Broadband internet connectivity, considered a luxuy some 10 years ago across India, is spreading fast, this time through mobile phones,” writes HSBC India's Tarun Balram in a column for Forbes. “Cheaper smartphones and a ballooning telecommunications industry have pushed India to the cusp of a digital revolution . . . and they are leapfrogging traditional desk-bound technology.”

Companies like Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra and Snapdeal are leading the way. Flipkart is India's biggest e-commerce company by sales and has reportedly just raised US$1 billion in new financing. But Snapdeal has some 30,000 sellers; over half of Snapdeal's sales are done on mobile, up from just 5% in 2013.

International companies like Amazon have a presence in the market – made easier perhaps by the prevalence of English on Indian websites - but they've had to adapt, because foreign-controlled companies are not allowed to sell products online. Instead, eBay's model of providing a platform for individual sellers is more common.

Some US$3 billion of goods and services are currently sold online in India. The e-commerce market is projected to grow 7-fold to US$22 billion within the next four years, according to CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, as tens of millions of people upgrade their phones.

The BuzzCity Survey highlights several trends in India, which are consistent with consumer behaviour that we see in markets across the globe. Here are five points to take note:

1. All-Round Growth

We're seeing growth across multiple product segments. The areas which are most popular – both in India and across Asia-Pacific - are Computers & Electronics, Clothing & Accessories and Books & Music.

2. The lowest price doesn't always win

While price is important, the top criteria for choosing an online store are product variety, display and navigation. It has to be easy for a customer to search for an item and find what they're looking for (including the price tag).

3. The Shopping Cycle Begins At Home

High Street and Main Street retailers need to understand that consumer decisions start long before they step foot in a shop. Nearly 1 in 4 Indian shoppers check prices and product availability before going to a store. 17% of consumers shop online while they are in a store (up from 8% in our last survey). A lot of shoppers feel they can get better information online than from store attendants. And a rising number of consumers are leaving stores without making a purchase.

4. Financial Services Need to Improve

The biggest obstacle to shopping with a phone is the lack of a debit or credit card. In India, 38% of respondents who say they are not likely to make a purchase online cite this reason.

5. Mobile First, But One of Many Channels

One in three Indian consumers shop online with their phones. M-Commerce is twice as popular as PC-based commerce. BUT that doesn't mean marketers should ignore computers. Advertisers need to appreciate that different channels cater to different people, different experiences and even different products. Brands need to maintain their message across multiple platforms.

Some consumers will always prefer to shop in-store – at least some of the time – but the proliferation of smartphones, reliable affordable broadband and ease of online shopping are a recipe for m-commerce's growing success. Companies that adapt will prosper.

The BuzzCity Report Volume 4 Issue 3

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 09:30:00 +0800

In the latest edition of The BuzzCity Report, we look at the recent growth of the network as more advertisers include mobile as part of their integrated marketing activities.

During the first half of the year, retailers and online stores competed for mobile audiences as consumer activity increased. Carriers were among the most active to meet consumer demand for content, particularly video. This has helped to drive content consumption in markets across South Asia, but in key African markets, industry players are hoping for lower data rates to support growth..

You will find results of a survey commissioned by the Mobile Marketing Association that investigates online shopping behaviour among mobile users. The report highlights challenges faced by retailers and shares insights for marketers to tap into the decision making process of the consumer. You will find the survey summarised as an infographic here.

Read more in Volume 4, Issue 3 of The BuzzCity Report.

BuzzCity's Rich Media Platform: A How-To Guide

noreply@blogger.com (BuzzCity ) — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:55:00 +0800

By Manish Mishra, Vice President (Sales)

BuzzCity has launched a new in-house rich media platform to make it easier for advertisers to serve video ads to mobile consumers across the globe.

As I mentioned in my last two columns ("The Rise of Mobile Video Ads" and "What the World Cup Tells Us About Mobile Video Ads"), video advertising is becoming increasingly popular on mobile. By one estimate, consumers spend nearly 1 hour a day watching digital video, while video ad spend rose 55% in the first quarter.

With the BuzzCity platform, mobile video advertising starts with a banner which expands into a video window with one click by the consumer. On a PC the banner expands when the cursor hovers over the banner (below)

In today's column, I'd like to walk you through the backend to show you how simple it is to set up a mobile video campaign.

Getting Started

First, you'll need to contact your BuzzCity Account Executive to enable Rich Media. If you're not sure who to write, you can call or email the office nearest you. Here's a list of contacts.

After video has been enabled, log into your account at buzzcity.com.

Step 1: Create New Campaign

Under Advertiser (in between Home and Publisher in the menu bar), click on “My Campaigns” then click “Create New Campaign”.

Step 2: Initial Set Up

A. Campaign Information

Fill in your Campaign Information in the top box on the page, just as you would for other campaigns. Questions here include the Campaign Title, Campaign Type (CPC or CPM), Dates and Times that the ads will run and your Daily Budget.

B. Creative and Landing URL

The next box on the page is entitled “Creative and Landing URL”.

Go to “Device Class” and choose “Mobile Devices”

In the dropdown menu next to “Banner Type”, choose “Rich Media”.

In the dropdown menu next to “Provider”, choose “BuzzCity”.

Step 3: Upload Banner Ad

As mentioned above, your video ad will play after users click on a banner. Think about this when designing the banner ads.

In this step, select the banner size, either 320 x 50 or 300 x 50.

Then, upload the banner, either from a file or url.

Step 4: Select “Media Type”

The next item is Media Type. There are three choices here: Image, Video and YouTube Video. Select either Video or YouTube Video.

Step 5: Select Video Size

Enter the width and height of the video. Your video will likely have an aspect ratio of either 4:3 or 16:9. The Internat Ad Bureau recomends 640 x 480. The minimum size should likely be 400 x 300.

Step 6: Insert HTML code for video

In the HTML content box, you'll see a line that says . This is where you insert the video embed code, which you can copy from the hosting provider. For example, if your video is on YouTube, just right-click, then choose “copy embed code”.

Final Steps

Check that you agree to the Terms and Conditions.

Choose a Tag. This is optional, but if you would like the ad to be tagged as 'adult', 'info', 'game' etc., do it here.

Campaign Targeting. Like all BuzzCity campaigns, you can target the ads by country, device, operating system and channel.

Submit!

A Note for the Techies Plus Some Other Tips

BuzzCity's rich media platform is built on HTML5 technology and supports MP4 and OGG video formats.

After creating your video, you'll need to host it on a third party platform like YouTube. If you want to avoid having YouTube place an ad before your ad, though, it's probably best to go with a paid service like Wistia. I discuss hosting choices in more detail in this column.

OK, you're all set! Like any 'How To' Guide, this might look more complicated on paper, but once you do it, you'll see it's really quite simple. Any questions, just let us know.

The BuzzCity Blog

Targeting Ads for Relevance and Scale

BuzzCity Tours: Jan – Mar 2015

1) Saung IT

2) Introductory Mobile Publisher Workshop

3) Mobile World Congress

4) Ad:Tech 2015

Where: The Leela Ambience Hotel and Residence, Ambience island, Gurgaon, India When: 19-20 March Who: Nikil Kanchan, Anil Byagar

5) Clickz Live

BuzzCity at Clickz Live Jakarta 2015

Online Shopping Routines - South Africa

Publisher Update : Audience Profiles

Mobile & Travel 2015

Best Cities for Free WiFi - Jan 2015

The BuzzCity Report Vol 5 Issue 1 - Jan 2015

Quality Affordable Phones

Brands Take To Mobile

The Crystal Ball 2015

Shopping for Essentials Online Becomes Routine

Travel Advertisers on Mobile

Effective Marketing: The Convergence of Earned, Owned and Paid Media

Effective Marketing: The 'Line' Doesn't Exist Anymore

The BuzzCity Report Vol 4 Issue 4 - Sept 2014

Movies: Delay Digital Releases At Your Own Peril

Whiskey and Phones

BuzzCity Tours : Oct - Dec 2014

TV Goes Online

BuzzCity Research: Mobile Video on the Rise

Misleading Ads

India's m-Commerce Boom

The BuzzCity Report Volume 4 Issue 3

BuzzCity's Rich Media Platform: A How-To Guide

Where: The Leela Ambience Hotel and Residence, Ambience island, Gurgaon, India
When: 19-20 March
Who: Nikil Kanchan, Anil Byagar