Mobile advertising expenditures in the so called BRIC countries, Brazil, Russia, India, and China are expected to grow incredibly strong through 2012 with China leading the way, according to a new BRIC study by eMarketer.
The numbers are astonishing.
Currently, China has over 700 MM mobile subscribers, India has approximately 525 MM, Brazil has 174 MM, and Russia has just over 170MM. That’s over 1.5 Billion mobile handsets, which is roughly 5 times the amount in the United States.
On top of that The Mobile Outlook 2010‘s statistics indicate that 38.4 percent of mobile users in China are receptive to mobile advertising and marketing, while 37 percent of urban mobile users in India have already been solicited with marketing messages involving ringtone downloads, wallpapers and games!
It’s been said that Gen-Y Chinese will play a huge role, as they are more adventurous and impressionable than any other generation, and they have an increased interest in interacting with brands & being treated like Western consumer.
As fully-covered high-speed access, and improved processing-power phones hits these consumers, they will likely begin interacting with brands at a volume never seen before.
However this will take time.
The big factor here in how fast this explodes will be the rate at which consumers gain 3G power allowing easy mobile Internet access.
While the United States plentiful options have lead to 64% of mobile users to get a internet enabled phone, who knows what percentage will be achieved in BRIC countries over the next 10 years or so.
But for now, while America is moving on to more advanced functionality, mobile campaigns in these countries will primarily continue as SMS and MMS based messaging due to the low penetration of web-enabled phones. China’s majority of mobile phone users are still using non-3G devices and networks, & India is still waiting on a 3G rollout, which is holding back more engaging marketing tactics.
What that means is an incredibly large demand for SMS and MMS opt-in marketing.
While these slower handsets, & poor coverage are setting some obstacles for users and marketers, many companies are investing in BRIC countries and preparing for an incredible new pool of could-be customers. Is the delayed advancement of web-enabled phones really a road bump or an opportunity, and where will you focus your efforts?
For tips checkout our Whitepaper: Mapping Mobile to Your Marketing Strategy
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