The survey aims at understanding the needs, concerns and aspirations of the user.

From the Indian context some of the findings are:

• India is in the top ten list of countries with a year-on-year growth of 233% and an average cost per click (CPC) of $0.01 which is lowest in the list of top ten countries.
• India moved to top place in Q4 2010 as advertiser demand increased. Over four billion ads were served to the Indian audience.
• There is a dip in growth for the fourth quarter. Growth in Q4 was of 9% as compared to previous growths of 70% (Q3), 98% (Q2) and 71% (Q1) which is a sign of concern for the platform.
• Approximately 11 billion ads were delivered in India, an increase of more than 217% compared to 2010.
• 20-24 age group (54%) is the dominant demographic served in the ads. Following it are: 25-29 (21%), Under 20(12%), 30-34 (8%) and over 35 (5%).
• Ads are mostly seen on mobile content (39%), .Following it are: ‘Entertainment & Lifestyle’ channel (29%), community (22%) and ‘Search, Portal & Services’ accounting for 10%.
• Share of handset usage indicates Nokia is in a safe position as far as Indian market goes. Nokia has a big gap against its competitors with total share of 54%. Samsung is next with 18%, MAUI based generic handsets at 12%, Others 7%, Sony Ericsson 6% and LG 3%.

There are a few takeaways for advertisers and brand managers to keep into consideration when planning their mobile outreach:

• Price wars would mean higher mobile Internet usage irrespective of demographic.
• With 3G being rolled out by almost all mobile networks, the usage would increase and preference would be of high speed Internet.
• Buying ad spaces on CPC basis is highly cost effective so it won’t hurt the marketing budget.
• Localised content in the form of local characters, themes, presentation and languages adds to increased usage especially in advertising on games.
• Of those polled, 17.03% in India are expected to graduate within the next 12 months. While planning your strategy this can be kept in mind so the correct demographic is targeted.
• In addition to their mobile devices, 24.68% of respondents in India are considering buying a computer, printer or Wi-fi device in the next 12 months.
• Digital cameras also are in demand with 17.44% planning to buy one in the next 12 months. An interesting statistic considering the number of phones that come equipped with high quality cameras.
• Downloads/virtual gifts lead the pack when it comes to buying things through mail, telephone, Internet or mobile. India is third in the list when it comes to purchase of books and digital media with a 19.54% share.
• For services required by users in India, the top two answers were of: job searches and applications. Additionally, they are looking for more sports and movie content, as well as the ability to more easily recharge their prepaid mobile phones and buy SMS bundles.

The full report can be read here: http://www.buzzcity.com/l/The-BuzzCity-Report.pdf

Hassan Mirza is Director – Intl. Sales, July Systems. This article is originally a part of the Blogworks India Social Media Report Edition 2 in association with NM Incite ( A Nielsen McKinsey company).

Over the past several years, the use of social networks and mobile devices has become omnipresent. Possibly more than any other developments, these two trends epitomize how technology has impacted everyday consumer lifestyles. This has broad implications, not just in terms of how people stay connected with friends and family, but in how they interact with companies, and purchase products and services. Therefore, practically every industry is struggling to keep pace.

We should not ignore the impact that smartphones and social media are having on our lives.  I use my phone more for web browsing, social networking, blogging and email beyond the workplace than I use my laptop.

This could well be early-adopters territory I’m speaking about but realistically I’m just one of the 650 million people globally – source: eMarketer 2010 – who are now using their smartphones more and more for tasks such as email and social networking.  This number is set to grow due to the penetration of affordable smartphones within the market – source: Comscore  – it also found out that 70% of smartpone users have accessed email and 45% have accessed social networks using their devices.

What is interesting is that email usage is up due to the social network usage on these devices.  Research has also discovered that social media and social networking have helped increase the use of email.  The reason for this increase is that smartphone users still want to keep in touch with social network when the social networking sites use email and messaging to encourage users to return.

It is not only important that we understand how new technologies affect our customers. At the same time we need to understand how they can be used to open up communication channels with them. This helps us to build stronger relationships, to attract new customers and to retain existing ones too.

Furthermore these technologies can complement one another, as the value of social media, mobile and indeed email combined can amount to a more successful campaign than when they are all executed individually.

Here are a few key steps to take in order to optimize the success of integrated digital campaigns, which include both mobile and social elements:

Make content accessible via mobile

First of all we should ensure that any digital content produced is accessible by all mainstream mobile devices. Many business decisions are made away from the office and as a result business persons use smartphone devices such as BlackBerrys, iPhones and Android phones to access information.

Networks and Newsletters

It is also advisable to add in the functionality to share content through LinkedIn groups, Twitter and your community sites, wherever possible. If customers receive emails via smartphone devices they can immediately carry out an action to share your content with their own social network, thereby helping to increase word-of-mouth marketing. They can also be taken directly to your forum or group where they can comment instantly on a particular topic or seek peer reviews and support.

Interactivity

At events, look to offer SMS short codes inviting prospects to text for more information on a product or service, or even quick response. An example would be to offer a prospect the option to text to receive the latest video of a product demonstration. When the prospect texts it then automatically prompts them to enter an email address to receive digital content, thus building data within your CRM. This digital content again should be optimized to be shared immediately amongst social networks.

Mobile app

Banks now offer smartphone applications to manage business account information. Why not look into developing a mobile application for your customers so that they can manage their own accounts and orders? Furthermore you can look to run offers, promotional or discount codes for products and services through this application to your loyal customers.

In the various ways outlined above, marketers can develop their knowledge of the use of smartphones, social networks and emails. By combining this with a greater understanding of how we can apply these tools and technologies to our businesses, hopefully we can all aim to develop more successful, integrated and profitable business processes and digital campaigns.

Note: Views of authors are personal, and do not represent views of IndiaSocial or its partners.

While we talk about solar powered mobile phones, I would like to share with you an interesting article I came across regarding the Bicycle charger kit. It’s an interesting concept where the mobile charges basis the speed of the cycle. The product is targeted at emerging markets where there are frequent power cuts. Nokia 1202 in fact has 1 hour talk time and 74 hours of standby time.

Interestingly Samsung has already launched a solar powered mobile phone while Nokia has ventured into the dual SIM market with the introduction of Nokia C2. Nokia has been facing some tough competition from Micromax whith 80% of its sales driven from the rural markets. However, Nokia continues to create a strong foothold in the market with unique services like Nokia Life Tools. Nokia in partnership with Madura Finance, Ujjivan and SKS microfinance has taken the route of micro-finance which enables rural residents of Punjab and Haryana to buy mobile phones on the EMI basis which is as low as Rs 100 per week.

Another important development has been that of mobile money. In my last post, I had mentioned how mobile money is fast becoming a norm and enables money transfer using a mobile account.

Rural market remains to be an untapped market and marketers are latching onto the opportunity. Social media platforms like Facebook are also trying to reach out to the Tier 2 cities. Semi-urban cities remain a huge challenge for platforms like Twitter and Facebook. However, Orkut has been successful in bridging that divide. Forums like Mig 33 have been able to penetrate the market and have understood the market well. They have managed to dig deep into the insights. Giants like Google have been using mobile buses to educate the rural areas and towns about internet and the use of search engines.

The moolah of market penetration lies in rural India.

Case studies featured :

1) TATA DOCOMO – A child of the social web

2) Nokia “Search for N”

In my last post I had reviewed the case studies submitted by Not-for-profit organizations; this post does a recap of the telecom & mobile sector. I am sharing two extremely insightful case studies submitted by TATA DOCOMO & Nokia -

TATA DOCOMO – A child of the social web

Objective of the campaign was to –

• Build consumer engagement
• Address and resolve complaints
• Crowd sourcing
• Build brand advocacy
• Micro communication

Stakeholders: Youth of India specifically 15-24 urban

Apertures used: Facebook, Twitter & Orkut.

Nokia “Search for N”

The Nokia N97 was the first touch device in the high end Nseries segment. It was positioned to make one’s internet experience personal through it’s customizable home screen that allowed one to select widgets of their own choice and create short cuts on the home screen itself for instant access. The KRAs were to:

1. Establish the category of personal internet and create excitement around widgets (since most people were not aware of what widgets are)
2. Reach out to the technology leaders and explorers and highlight benefits of N97
3. Communicate the seamless experience via Nokia’s Ovi Store on the N97. A high decibel Social Media campaign was kick started with a virtual treasure hunt called “Search for N.” The hunt was to find clues that were centered on various aspects of the N97 such as the personal home screen, widgets, QWERTY keypad etc and allowed us to familiarize consumers with the device.

Capitalized on the reach and popularity of the web editors and reach out to the tech and geeky community

Stakeholders: Technology leaders

Apertures used: Facebook, Twitter

Initiative included –

1. Identify the right web partners: Partner with sites and blogs having huge popularity and credibility amongst technology/mobile followers.
2. Create interesting content: Develop the hunt clues and questions in an innovative format that makes it a worthwhile experience for consumers
3. Deliver it through an interactive format: Design an interactive hunt for people to follow the clue and discover the answer, yet make it simple and interactive – maximize participation. Participate through Search for N Widget.
4. Make it compelling for consumers through 360 buzz: Reach out to consumers across social media touch points, create hype and excitement around Search for N, inform and invite a large number of people.

The web editors: Thinkdigit.com, Techtree.com, Fonearena.com, Digital Inspiration and Brajeshwar.com