TheTMSway Weekly Radar on Mobile Marketing and Business

Mobile marketing gaining ground

ADVERTISING on mobile phones is gaining ground as analysts say functionality and affordability help build up the potentials for the industry. According to Pudding Media Inc. founder Ruben Eduardo Maislos, mobile advertising spending in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to hit $2.108 billion this year, increasing by nearly 74 percent next year to $3.655 billion.

Mobile Messages to Surpass 2.1 Trillion Messages in Asia/Pacific in 2010

Short Messaging Services and mobile voice services are proving resilient even during financial crisis, as SMS in Asia/Pacific and Japan are on pace to reach 1.9 trillion messages in 2009, a 15.5 percent increase from 2008, according to Gartner. In 2010, SMS volumes are forecast to surpass 2.1 Trillion, a 12.7 percent increase from 2009.Gartner analysts said that messaging traffic and revenues continue to be driven by new subscribers in developing markets.

Mobile marketing to account for 11.7% of ad spend

Mobile phone marketing will account for 11.7 per cent of total digital advertising spend by 2014, it has been claimed. According to new projections from industry analyst Berg Insight, the mobile marketing sector will be worth an estimated EUR 8.7 billion (£7.8 billion) in the next five years.
The firm believes that the medium will become a standard part of digital campaigns alongside email marketing and html email newsletters.

International mobile money transfer services to exceed $65bn by 2014, Juniper Research

Juniper Research forecasts that international mobile remittances market will gain traction as world exits recession. According to a new report from Juniper Research the international mobile money transfer market will be worth in excess of $65bn by 2014, based on gross transaction values – driven principally from migrant workers based in developed countries. Juniper’s new report – ‘ Mobile Money Transfer & Remittances: Markets, Forecasts & Strategies 2009-2014′ -  however also identified a number of inhibiting factors such as rising global unemployment and increased immigration controls by governments which will hold back the market until the recession is over.

China’s 3G Conversion Boosts Telecom Software Firm’s Earnings

U.S. telecom firms have hit a ceiling as most Americans have a cell phone and Internet access. These firms can only dream of untapped potential in China, the world’s largest mobile market. The Chinese government shook up its telecom structure 18 months ago. At the time, China had six major telecoms, split equally between wireless and fixed-line providers, and merged them into three.

Next big growth wave to come from Asia, not necessarily China: Yahoo

SINGAPORE: Internet search giant Yahoo said its next big wave of growth will come from Asia but not necessarily just from China and it said there are also ample opportunities for growth in emerging countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Yahoo is already big on the internet and it’s looking to get even bigger among internet users especially in Asia. Industry players are predicting that growth in internet use in Asia will expand a compounded 19 per cent by 2012.

Cellphone users log in on social networking sites

Manila, Philippines — More social networking site (SNS) users in Asia-Pacific, including those in the Philippines, are logging in through their mobile phones potentially overtaking personal computers as the device of choice, according to research firm International Data Corp.’s recent survey. “The survey findings thus show that mobile phones and mobile Internet hold the promise of changing the SNS landscape in the Asia-Pacific region. Particularly in markets where PC penetration is relatively low, mobile phones have the potential to eventually overtake the PC as a preferred way of accessing SNSs,” said Debbie Swee, market analyst at IDC Asia-Pacific Emerging Technologies Research.

Android doubles smartphone traffic in 6 months: AdMob

In the United States, Google’s Android had 20 percent of the smartphone traffic, up from 7 percent six months before, according to AdMob’s October 2009 metrics report. The report also found that new BlackBerry devices from Research In Motion are generating an increasing percentage of total requests for the platform. RIM’s BlackBerry Tour, the new Curve 8900 and Curve the 8520 are gaining traffic.

MMA Unveils New Definition Of ‘Mobile Marketing’

The Mobile Marketing Association Tuesday released revisions to its definition of “mobile marketing.” The new definition is: “Mobile marketing is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.”