mobile internet? bener ada penggunanya?

admob data bilang, akses mobile internet (semua site yang berbasis mobile – m.blabla.com, ataupun wap.blabla.com, ataupun www.blabla.com/m) Indonesia nomor 2 setelah peringkat Amerika Serikat.

Baru-baru ini, Opera – perusahaan yang  fokus untuk melakukan pengembangan mobile browser- meluncurkan data mengenai seberapa besar pengguna browser mereka yang berasal dari Indonesia. Cukup konsisten, mereka bilang Indonesia juga nomor 2 untuk traffic browsing menggunakan Opera-mini. Data yang di-release oleh opera-mini saat ini hanyalah data pengguna mobile internet dari Indonesia yang menggunakan Opera-Mini sebagai browser mereka. Bisa dibayangkan, seberapa besar akses GPRS yang sesungguhnya jika digabung dengan data orang-orang yang melakukan akses mobile internet dari default browser handsets mereka.

Masih menurut Opera, rata-rata pengguna mobile internet di Indonesia memakai sekitar 4MB / bulan. Mungkin hal ini karena tarif pemakaian GPRS yang masih cukup tinggi di Indonesia. Karena jika kita bandingkan dengan data yang dikeluarkan oleh pihak lainnya, penggunaan rata-rata mobile internet di Indonesia adalah 20MB / bulan.

Apa artinya? Tergantung dari sudut pandang mana anda berasal.

1. Media : belum khatam kita belajar mengenai digital media di Indonesia melalui media internet, mobile internet bisa dijadikan pilihan karena mempunyai angka penetrasi (dan jumlah absolute) yang jauh lebih tinggi dari Internet di Indonesia. Sebut saja situs-situs mobile internet seperti m.friendster.com, m.yahoo.com, telah mulai memasarkan banner di mobile-site mereka.
2. Brand Owner : salah satu peran dari mobile marketing (yang selama ini cuma dikenal dengan SMS broadcast saja) adalah banner di mobile internet. Kelebihannya, selain bisa mengarahkan pengunjung ke mobile-site dari brand, banner di mobile internet site bisa di program untuk:click-to-call:banner di klik kemudian langsung menyambungkan HP ke nomor yang telah ditentukan, click-to-SMS: banner di klik kemudian langsung membuatkan SMS dengan format yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya ke nomor yang telah ditentukan juga.
3. Mobile Operator: melakukan proposisi yang berbeda selain perang tarif telepon dan SMS
4. Publishers : mulai membuat versi mobile website mereka, untuk memaksimalkan revenue iklan dengan sesuatu yang lebih terukur.
5. Consumers : Bisa menikmati internet dalam skala kecil melalui HP yang sudah support GPRS

Dengan perkembangan industri telekomunikasi saat ini (10 operator telepon nirkabel, HP yang telah support GPRS dengan harga yang murah) hampir dapat dipastikan beberapa tahun ke-depan, banyak orang-orang Indonesia yang mendapatkan pengalaman pertama mereka menyentuh dunia maya melalui layar kecil HP.

WAP site access from Indonesia??? are you kidding me??

Sometime ago, I got that kind of respond every time I plan a WAP site as one of medium to communicate with consumers. I was actually expected that attitude though, as there was no data on GPRS usage in Indonesia.

As I browse around and follow the big buzz of mobile marketing world, I found very useful data from admob.

The data stated, there are more than 1 billion requests for mobile ad from Indonesia. Indonesia is the second biggest after US.

mobile operator

source www.admob.com

source: www.admob.com

Assuming the average of ad is 2 per WAP page, the number of there are 500 million GPRS request originating from Indonesia’s mobile operators on January – September 2008 (around 56 million/month). The declining of GPRS price as part of Indonesia mobile tariff price war, unlimited GPRS access for Blackberry service and browsing via BlackBerry APN, and free GPRS promotion done by Natrindo, contribute the trafic spike on 2008 (1.1 Bio on 2008, 84 Million on 2007).

Nokia’s phones dominates the GPRS traffic by contributing 66.8% from over all GPRS trafic, followed by SonyEricsson (25.3%), Motorola (1.6%), and others (6.3%).

WAP sites, how are they?

Couple of months ago, my friend from mobile ad-server network (Mkhoj – mobile search) came to Jakarta.

They showed a very optimistic view on mobile internet (again, mobile internet I refer to is accessing internet via mobile phone, not using mobile phone as a modem) and stated Indonesia is having the 3rd biggest mobile internet traffic in the world. At first, I didn’t buy their story knowing that GPRS penetration can’t be said successful in Indonesia. Even, one of the operators said that they still have lots of idle bandwidth for mobile internet.

They invited me again on their second visit (yes, my 1st meeting with them is actually also their 1st visit to Indonesia) with a better preparation and present me with the same story on how they really optimist on mobile internet in Indonesia and how it will bring benefit to advertisers.

Finally, I challenged them with one of .juicer’s lab product; a news aggregator mobile portal rangkum . They gave me some impressions to play and giving me a chance to know how this ad-server work.

Long story short, I created a mobile internet ad that linked to http://m.rangkum.com and ask my colleague to perform a daily checking on its performance.

In 3 days, I see a traffic jump from mobile internet sites (hey…. they do exist and have traffic!!). Total visits to rangkum mobile sites increase by 60% with more than extra 1000 page views per day. Not to mention,these traffic came from Indonesia as I set my ad can only be seen by WAP traffic from mobile operators in Indonesia. Although most of WAP sites that gave me traffic were adult mobile sites, I believe with all giants dotcom companies (friendster, facebook, yahoo) also extend their access by creating a mobile site version, we can see more and more traffic come from these sites and generate even more interesting mobile marketing industry in Indonesia.

With this small yet productive case study, we try to sell this concept to some of advertisers.

mobile marketing in Indonesia – a case study from an existing client

Client: leading motorbike manufacturer in Indonesia

Objective: supporting media to create a unique way in order to complete pre-launch activities series using new media and generate database

Target: youngster, new jobber (18-35 y.o)

Concept:

• Create a PR stunt supported by girls in a bike passenger suit
• Girls will give out their ‘name cards’ with their mobile numbers in malls, campuses, and biker hang out places
• 2 type of responses are expected from this stunt;
  • SMS directed to the girls; All SMS will be replied with generic message, but its editorial will follow the way youngsters talk via SMS. Start to tease soon to be launch product by announce URL for pre launch website
  • Call-in; All calls will be answered by generic voice-mail

Execution:

• Based on client’s consideration on contra-productive effect of mobile marketing based on the proposed concept, a name card design changed from a usual ‘model’ name card without any client’s branding and product info into a mini flier that have client’s branding and URL to pre-launch website
• SMS reply also change from a regular youngsters text copy into a hard sell copy mentioning about new motor-bike technology

Result:

• 5% SMS penetration
• 1% Call in
• Buzz in motorbike community in Indonesia
• Average 1500 visitors to http://www.motorimpian.com

Consider major changes from its original concept from a ‘model’ name card to a mini fliers, penetration was not bad at all (compare to SMS broadcast penetration ~10%).
Most important part will still need to be done; follow ups and create a relevant messages to people who interested to the product.

mobile marketing in Indonesia

(warning; it might take some time for you to read this article. I was carried away….. )

wikipedia says, mobile marketing is First, and relatively new, is meant to describe marketing on or with a mobile device, such as a mobile phone

Some corporate in Indonesia will refer it as SMS broadcast(90% of mobile subscribers in Indonesia have received at least 1 SMS promotional), sending unique number in some product packaging to special number and win a prizes (ok… I admit i’ve done it in my previous-previous job… because it was looked like a great idea; having a new revenue stream from corporate by selling the concept of “self funded promotional effort”). In short; like it or not it’s not a preferred extra service desired by a corporate although they know the potential of this new media.

Ok, so what’s exactly mobile potential anyway? These facts may support why marketing need to extend and explore mobile as a new media;

• Indonesia; 4th most populated country in the world has 20-25% of mobile penetration (compare with 8.9% -only- internet penetration) that will grow to 75% in 2015
• Average SMS traffic in Indonesia around ~300 million SMS/day (Telkomsel claim has 419 Million SMS/day in average every subscribers sent at least 10 SMS / day)
• People in big cities change their mobile phone in average once every 3 months; that make 90% of GSM handsets in Indonesia market already support GPRS/MMS unfortunately 95% GPRS/MMS supported handset users are ‘fake users’, meaning they don’t use their phone other than Voice and SMS
• SMS, still the sexiest product proposition for mobile carriers in order to increase activation rate targeted to youngsters
• 4 out of 5 people always carried more than 1 always-connected mobile phone (age 18-35)
• 3 out of 5 people sleep near their mobile phone
• 10% Promotion SMS (with interesting offer, e.g quiz with prizes, discount from well known brands) sent to mobile subscribers will get a response (2006)

Based on promising data above; I believe most of you will challenge it by asking “then why no body doing it…???” I’ll answer it by following reasons;

• Mobile marketing activities was started by Content Providers (CP)

(with all the respect to all mobile content providers pioneers that introduce ‘volume-game’ business in Indonesia ). Some mobile content business pioneers are already talked and executed mobile marketing by introducing ’self funded promotion’ (SFP) program. SFP was presented as a new way on ‘hard sale’ campaign activities in order to increase number of sales of a product by conducting a mobile contest or SMS quizes; how is it become a self-funded campaign? thanks to premium SMS. All SMS will be charged based on premium rate agreed by CP, mobile carrier, and off course corporate clients. The program is as simple as sending special number to specific short destination number/code (SDC) and will be charge more than regular SMS price (usually it’s Rp. 1000 – 2000 / SMS). Premium SMS revenue will be given to CP for funding the campaign (buy prizes, etc). What about the program promotion? it taken from budgeted promotion that planned to be executed within that budget year.

Depend on the cases and goal of the campaign; but most of the cases, campaign will be loose its own essence because CP will be calculating campaign program based on their nature of business; volume of premium SMS. Because some of the premium SMS revenue will be source of prizes fund.

If the goal is only for short term number of sales increase; I believe this will be the most effective program that can be done. Unfortunately; most of the participants are not brand’s target market. Even, in some of the SMS text program there always be a ‘quiz-prizes’ hunter, that join the program just for the prizes. As a result, there is no post promotion impact to the particular brand/product which wont represent corporate client’s goal. After few periods of programs; quiz prize hunters will find another programs that offer better prizes and programs will be subsidized (by CP, or sometime by client in order to save their image).

So, corporates then start to think it will be more efficient if they do the same program by traditional -send_to_po_box- way; because they can control end-to-end process and for them mobile will be less efficient because there’s no added value beside an ‘automation’ process of ’send PO.BOX’ way and it will only add unpredictable risk caused by low SMS traffic and some other technical problems.

• Stereotyping of mobile marketing and premium SMS by mobile subscribers

End user starts to view the type of ’send_unique_number’ campaign is another form of strategy done by mobile CPs or mobile carrier to increase their phone usage without any transparency related to drawing process, number of senders, and how’s their winning chance. It looks like from customer’s point of view a ‘who spend bigger money’ game. In some cases; it also encourage irresponsible party to ride on the campaign and create random fake notification via SMS about winner announcement.

Unfortunately; in order to get as many SMS volume as they can, some ‘naughty n opportunist’ CPs will make the program as subscription based program that ‘force’ customers to pay unwanted contents on daily basis. This case will cause brand owner will suffer and create unproductive impact to campaign goal.

• Privacy intrussion

This is another impression when I introduce ‘mobile marketing’ terms to corporates (at least some of clients that we’ve approached). Mobile marketing will be referred as SMS broadcast to random numbers about some promotions held by a brand.

Then what should we do?

IMHO, we should ‘juice’ mobile technology by;

• Treat mobile as a media; not source of revenue.
• Maximize its superiority value as a media that very personal, interactive, always connected, payment channel, and always carried
• Create exciting activity programs that align to the campaign goal
• Treat mobile as a complement to other media; don’t push it to be available to all campaign if it doesn’t relevant
• Treat mobile as a tool to create brand engagement, that create ‘we hear you’ impression
• Hear other industry expert about they think about how mobile can help them to ease their pain
• Educate both market and brand owner about above values and how should we do it

So, Octokers…. I challenge you to give me at least one activities that relevant to mobile that you think will be a great campaign model….. you can drop me an email or discuss with me at any chance…..

This source might give you clearer picture about mobile as a 7th mass media…

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Let’s differentiate ourselves by juicing mobile values in a right way… let’s be a pioneer…. put some passion on your mobile and be a mobile.juicer…