MANILA, OCTOBER 10, 2012 – (Continuation) Mobile advertising in the UK has grown by 132% in the first half of 2012. Mobile advertisers have the explosion of the popularity of smartphones, tablets and app revolution to thank for.
However, it may not be the same for the Philippines.
Smartphone penetration rate is still not at its desired level. But The Philippine Star’s newly-appointed senior vice president for sales and marketing Lucien Dy Tioco says otherwise. With the production of many cheaper smartphones, he’s quite bullish about mobile advertising in the Philippines.
“Smartphones are already made available to everyone; they have more access to it so [at The Philippine Star] we’re excited about this development,” Dy Tioco said.
However, there’s a snag – marketers may have to spend a lot more time studying the perfect formula for good mobile advertising.
A study in the UK revealed that most smartphone users find mobile advertising annoying, skipping the ads as they browse the internet which results in wasted big advertising bucks.
“Currently, the marketers don’t know how to advertise,” Dy Tioco said. “Personally, I find ads [sort of] instrusive. What we need to do is find that moment to promote products [in a way that will be accepted by the smartphone user].
“Where The Star is concerned, the track we’re taking when it comes to promoting our product is really the content,” he said. “The product we’re selling is not the paper but the content.”
Could branded content be the next frontline in advertising, both in traditional media and digital?
