MANILA, MAY 24 2013 – Mobile has been described as a key pillar of the digital revolution. It offers unparalleled opportunities for both advertisers and suppliers alike, most especially in a country like the Philippines where the uptake of an increasingly wide range of mobile solutions and services not only continues to enjoy growth at present but is also foreseen to keep on doing so in the near future. Some place the current number of mobile subscribers in the country at 100 million, and firms such as Business Monitor International estimate that there will be 117 million Filipino mobile subscribers by the end of 2016.
Accordingly, many advertising and marketing companies have been jumping on the mobile bandwagon. While a few may hold back out of fear of the disruption that these sweeping changes may effect, others are learning to embrace mobile in recognition of the stark necessity of doing so – as well as the fact that the mobile sector itself is only becoming increasingly sophisticated and lends itself to a wide range of creative solutions and tactics. Importantly, some of the firms that have thus made forays into mobile are beginning to see success.
Hans Roxas-Chua, CEO of e-Learning Edge and co-program director of the Certified Digital Marketer Program brings up the example of McDonalds Philippines, which traditionally releases New Year “ang pao” or “red envelope” special-discount coupons. Alongside the usual way of distributing the coupons – handing them out outside McDonalds stores – the company has also begun to craft mobile-only versions of these coupons that can be downloaded from the McDonalds Philippines homepage.
This and other standout examples of mobile marketing are to be showcased at next week’s CMO Mobile Summit 2013 in Manila, which will give top Philippine decision-makers the opportunity to convene to discuss the future of mobile marketing in the country and learn from one another and from global experts including Aliza Knox, Twitter managing director for Asia Pacific, Christian Cadeo, Google head of mobile in Southeast Asia, and other recognized experts and industry leaders.
Roxas-Chua adds that it is the organizers’ hope that these and other top-level industry masterclasses and knowledge-sharing sessions will bring the industry to a tipping point, after which they trust that the acceptance and adoption of mobile marketing solutions will snowball.
