MANILA – “It’s a mobile conference masquerading as a digital conference” IMMAP 2014 president Michael Palacios said at the opening, setting the tone for day one of the 8th Internet Mobile and Marketing Summit themed ‘Digital Transformation’.
Internet is still king but mobile is the throne where it sits.
The number of internet users in the Philippines is now at 28 million and a portion of this, as Mobext’s Arthur Policarpio would share later on in the Social Strategy breakout session, had their first taste of the web through a smartphone or tablet. The internet is getting cheaper in the Philippines. Affordable services and products (overwhelmingly dominated by unbranded Android devices) are making it easy for more Filipinos to go online.
“It’s all about the mobile web,” believes Paul Srivorakul of ACommerce and Ardent Capital. While mobile web penetration is still slow in the Philippines, there is still hope for the app economy and telcos—“what they do to control the mobile web is the next big thing”.
So, where do brands start?
While mobile apps are “sexy”, Policarpio says businesses should invest first in a mobile website. Brands still need to dominate search. “There is a lot of organic traffic coming from mobile search. This will surpass desktop [if it hasn’t already].”It leads to immediate conversion as users usually pull up search on their smartphones with specific intent.
Art Policarpio of Mobext: "Think social, think mobile." #immap2014
— adobo magazine (@adobomagazine) September 25, 2014
Looking at trends, one of the biggest now is marketing with mobile messaging apps. Brands have made their way into Viber and Line, getting closer to users’ conversations with their official accounts and stickers.
Srivorakul: "M-commerce (buying on smartphones) is huge." #immap2014
— adobo magazine (@adobomagazine) September 25, 2014
Mobile creates opportunities not only in digital marketing, but also in commerce – the fourth element of Policarpio’s SOLOMOCO (Social, Local, Mobile, Commerce). McDonald’s Philippines recently launched a delivery-dedicated mobile app to compete with Jollibee’s two-is-to-one store advantage. “What if we can put up a McDonald’s in every smartphone?”
For live updates from the 8th Internet and Mobile Marketing Summit, follow @adobomagazine on Twitter.
