ad:tech Singapore

Summary
Ken Mandel of Buddy Media spoke at ad:tech Singapore, claiming that while social media spending in Asia-Pacific is still small, research from the company predicts a greater social media presence in future. While the majority of companies in the region state a spending of less than 5% of budgets in the area, only 10% of respondents have no social strategy. Facebook is the most dominant network, followed by YouTube and Twitter plus a strong presence on more local networks, such as Sina Weibo and Mixi. Mobile is also at the forefront of strategies and social media is being used for multiple benefits, including sales leads and customer care, as well as awareness. The use of specialist partners in this area is growing but major barriers are seen in a lack of employee resources and experts in the area.

Summary
Consumers have been made restless thanks to digital technology and so have little brand loyalty, according to Neil Hudspeth, chief digital officer for Leo Burnett in Asia Pacific. Hudspeth was speaking at ad:tech Singapore and highlighted some key changes in behaviour. These include that if brands are not relevant, consumers are not interested; social networks are the first port of call; and people do not unplug from the internet. Brands that respond to these changes will be successful, with mobile and participation central to strategies. To engage consumers more effectively, Hudspeth proposes a model called "Play Buy Share".

Summary
In some areas, Asian mobile usage is outpacing the rest of the world and at ad:tech Singapore 2012, speakers agreed that the huge opportunities for marketers are only starting to be realised. However, Ken Mandel of Buddy Media and IAB Singapore, argued that the mobile advertising model is fundamentally broken and should focus on location-based services and social. Marketers were advised to stick with relevance and understand how consumers engage with different types of devices. Markets expected to lead the way in mobile are Singapore and Indonesia.

Summary
Over 40% of total internet users are from the Asia-Pacific, where the average penetration is below 50%. Greg Dale, Chief Operating Officer from comScore spoke at the ad:tech Singapore 2012 event to stress the need for brands to understand the extended reach of fans, friends and social media ads and how these fit into overall digital strategy. While Facebook is the global leader in social networking, some Asian markets such as Vietnam and China have focused on more local sites. In terms of e-commerce, Asia lags the global average but there is strong growth in travel, retail and online banking in Singapore, India and Malaysia. Online video is opening up huge opportunities and understanding how consumers use multiple, mobile devices differently throughout the day is key for digital planning. However, while digital is often heralded as a measurable medium, it has proved to be less measurable and accountable than it looks at face value.