Enjoy this nice piece from Buzzcity, an international advertising network, which we received via email. They noted that four key factors that are driving the diffusion and penetration of mobile usage across the globe and implicitly Africa: affordable phones, the design, data cost and finally the content. Tekedia will be examining a very interesting report/blog from the same company tomorrow.
There are several key factors that make for the perfect mobile storm, in terms of determining the speed with which mobile phone usage grows in any particular country, says Michael de Souza, VP of Media at international advertising network BuzzCity. “And it has nothing to do with consumers and their perceived level of sophistication.”
De Souza says that the entry of sub-$100 smart phones would have a major impact on South African mobile phone usage. “The bottom line is that the less-sophisticated user becomes ‘smart’ with a smart phone, very quickly. They learn to use the phone and its applications very quickly.”
So what else which drives an increase in the use of mobiles and mobile content in any society? De Souza says the smarter newer phones generally have bigger screens and this also drives increased mobile usage. Thirdly there is the cost of data. As this drops so the usage increases. Another driver is the advent of new technology, like 4G and Wi-Max. Finally when there is a booming and increasing array of content and services the mobile phone.
“When you have all of these elements in place the mobile phone and its strengths come to the fore, and businesses who have accepted this and adapted their business models and marketing strategies to fully utilize these strengths, will succeed.
“Businesses that pay lip-service to the mobile phone as a key marketing channel do so at their own peril.”
BuzzCity is a mobile media company offering brand owners and agencies access to a global advertising network on the mobile internet. The network is made up of publishers from across the world and BuzzCity’s own mobile media properties. As a leading international player, BuzzCity has developed in-depth knowledge of the mobile consumer and provides marketers with clear opportunities to reach this audience via its advertising and publisher programmes.
photo credit/BuzzCity
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