Growth in Brazil could be even more significant, as the country prepares to host both the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. Multiple international brands are already preparing large advertising campaigns in the South American nation, seeking to capture a growingly more affluent consumer base of nearly 200 million. In Russia as well, ad spending will see a sizable boost during both the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018 World Cup. In fact, over the next three years, the advertising market in the BRIC nations is projected grow by an average of 10.7% per year. This rate of growth will greatly outpace growth in the developed world.

As the advertising market in emerging markets continues to heat up, digital advertising, particularly mobile advertising, ought to be the focal point. While the majority of consumers in emerging markets do not own computers, mobile phones are rapidly approaching ubiquity. In India, mobile web traffic already accounts for the majority of total Internet traffic. More often than ever, consumers turn to their mobile phones to gain insight on purchasing decisions. Brands that seek to reach these consumers in fast growth markets ought to engage with them through their mobile phones.

What do you think will drive global advertising spend? Let us know on Twitter: @Jana

Published May 24, 2013

You can see the results from our previous surveys on mobile phone usage in Asia and social media usage in Asia on our blog. The theme for this week’s upcoming survey will be Internet usage. If you have any questions about Internet usage that you would like to ask to our emerging market research panels, please let us know and we will include them in the survey.

Email your question ideas to ethan [at] jana [dot] com or reach out to us on Twitter: @Jana

Published May 21, 2013

With the national election only a few weeks away, Al Jazeera sought to gauge which issues were most important to ordinary Pakistani citizens. While traditional survey methodology would have required a significant outlay of both time and funding, Jana provided Al Jazeera with a fast and cost-efficient method for gaining insight about its target audience.

With integrations into the billing systems of 237 mobile operators, Jana can reward 3.48 billion consumers in emerging markets with prepaid mobile airtime. Jana’s clients leverage its mobile rewards platform to incentivize all types of consumer action, from purchasing a product or registering for a survey, to taking surveys or downloading an app.

For Al Jazeera, Jana surveyed 1,000 Pakistani mobile phone users in only three days. Al Jazeera learned not only what issues were most important to respondents, but also the respondents’ ages, genders, locations, and descriptions of why each issue was important to them. Thanks to the high level of data provided by Jana, Al Jazeera was able to create an interactive, geospatial graphic of the results leading up to the elections.

Key Findings from the Survey

• Education was the most important issue among respondents, with many of those surveyed suggesting that fixing the education sector would fix all other problems.

• Many survey respondents said that corruption, the second most important issue among those surveyed, had affected them personally and was “the root of all problems” in Pakistan.

• Despite its perceived importance in the U.S. and much of the Western world, foreign policy was seen as the least important issue among those surveyed. Only 2% of respondents selected foreign policy as the most important issue.

The full data is available on Al Jazeera’s interactive Pakistan Speaks graphic.

Published May 16, 2013

You can see the results from our previous survey on mobile phone usage in Asia here. The theme for this week’s upcoming survey will be eCommerce. If you have any questions about eCommerce that you would like to ask to our emerging market research panels, please let us know and we will include them in the survey.

 
Email your question ideas to ethan [at] jana [dot] com or reach out to us on Twitter: @Jana

Published May 14, 2013

According to eMarketer’s estimates, India was home to 78.1 million Facebook users in 2012. This number is projected to nearly double to 152.4 million by 2014. By 2017, India could have as many as 277.8 million people on Facebook. Combined with Indonesia and Brazil, the three countries will add over 360 million new users to the site over the next five years, for a total user base of close to 500 million users combined. In fact, India is projected to overtake the U.S. as Facebook’s largest country as early as next year. Asia-Pacific combined will have over three times as many users as North America by 2016.

Facebook is quite aware of this potential growth, and has made courting new emerging market users one of its top priorities. The company has made a strong commitment towards optimizing all of its offerings for mobile users, which will continue to be the bulk of new internet users in emerging markets. Of the 150 million new internet users expected in India over the next three years, 75% will access the web through only a mobile or tablet device. Facebook has worked to develop its popular Messenger app, as well as cultivated relationships with some of the developing world’s largest mobile operators to offer zero-rated or discounted Facebook access to their subscribers. As Facebook pushes closer to 2 billion users, emerging markets will be the key to sustained growth.

Do you have a question you would like to ask Facebook users in emerging markets? Let us know on Twitter: @Jana and we may use it in our next survey.

Published May 10, 2013

In the release, Nokia also announced a series of partnerships with local operators to offer both discounted data bundles for Asha users, as well as zero-rated Facebook access. Both Airtel and Telkomsel, the largest mobile network operators in India and Indonesia respectively, boasting over 300 million subscribers combined, were included in the partnerships. On top of these partnerships, the Nokia Asha 501 has up to 48 days of standby battery life. In developing nations, where mobile phones are often more readily available than places to charge them, this feature cannot be understated. By offering this functionality, discounted web access, and full smartphone capability, all for $99, the Asha 501 has given Nokia an opportunity to extend its reign of dominance in emerging markets.

Nokia’s hold on emerging markets has been dwindling over the past few years. With companies such as Huawei offering various Android-powered smartphones for under $100, and plenty of local competitors emerging in India, Nokia’s line of affordable feature phones have been falling a little too far behind in terms of functionality, in spite of their affordability. Yet Nokia is still the most popular brand of mobile phone in many emerging markets. In a recent survey we ran here at Jana, Nokia beat out both Samsung and Apple in India, Indonesia, and The Philippines to maintain its top position. Much of this popularity, however, is due to Nokia’s line of inexpensive, basic-functionality feature phones. But as emerging market consumers increase their discretionary spending, and smartphones continue to drop in price, mobile phone users are seeking more from affordable handset options. The new Asha 501 will help Nokia compete not only in price, but also in function.

Do you have a question you would like to ask our emerging market research panels? Let us know on Twitter: @Jana and we may use your question in our next survey.

Published May 9, 2013

Yet as the BRIC markets mature, and shift towards more consumption-driven economies, other emerging markets may rise to take their place. Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, has experienced strong economic growth over the last few years. Nations such as Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania could take over parts of the supply chain that were once held by emerging Asian economies, which are slowly becoming more expensive sources of labor and manufacturing capability. Of course, these countries have their own barriers to growth and development, barriers which they must address. Yet as countries such as Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand have shown, economic development is quite feasible if proper changes are made.

While the exact nature of coming global economic growth is unclear, there does appear to be a significant shift underway in worldwide consumption patterns. Brazil, Russia, India, and China have already emerged as the next frontiers of consumer spending. Yet as even the BRIC nations generate less enthusiastic growth forecasts, other emerging markets such as Indonesia, Nigeria, The Philippines, South Africa, and Vietnam have risen to take their place. Regardless of which countries lead the way, the world does appear to be entering a new phase of global growth.

Which emerging markets do you see as the driving forces for global growth? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter: @Jana

Published May 7, 2013

The theme for this week’s upcoming survey will be social media. If you have any questions about social media you would like to ask to our emerging market research panels, please let us know and we will include them in the survey.

Email your question ideas to ethan[at]jana[dot]com or tweet us @Jana

Published May 6, 2013

Although the device offers significantly fewer features than the standard smartphone, at only $12, it is surprisingly effective. With mobile phone penetration approaching 100% in even the most impoverished developing nations, phones like this might help finally close the gap. Across emerging markets, smartphones have become significantly more affordable. From the $70 Android-powered smartphones in India, to the Huawei H600, which costs under $50 and features a touchscreen and 3G/WiFi capability, emerging market consumers can now access the web through highly-capable mobile devices at less than one tenth the cost of an iPhone. As prices on smartphones continue to fall, the number of Internet users in emerging markets could rise even faster than mobile phone users, which increased by more than 400% from 2005 – 2012.

With increased access to Internet and mobile phones, emerging market consumers will come online in massive numbers. Already social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are gaining tens of millions of users in developing nations each month. Multinational brands are focussing more of their ad spend on digital channels in these markets than ever before. As the next billion emerging market consumers come online, $12 mobile phones may turn into $12 smartphones, tablets, and even PCs. Soon, Internet access will be as ubiquitous as the mobile phone.

Would you like to ask a question to our emerging market research panels? Let us know on Twitter @Jana and we may use your question in our next survey.

Published May 1, 2013

With 70.7 million shipments in Q1, Samsung led the global smartphone market with a 32.7% market share. Apple was a somewhat distant second, accounting for 17.3% of smartphone shipments with 27.4 million handsets shipped in the quarter. LG, Huawei, and ZTE rounded out the top five with about 4.5% market share each. When accounting for feature phones, Nokia was the second most popular mobile phone vendor, with 61.9 million of the 418.6 million mobile phones shipped in Q1.

Despite Nokia’s success in the feature phone market, and throughout the developing world, the company is losing ground to its many competitors. While the company used to have a competitive advantage in affordability, handset manufacturers such as Huawei, Micromax, and Karbonn have captured former feature phone users with android-powered smartphones priced as low as $40. Thanks to low-priced handsets like these, smartphones will continue to capture an even larger share of mobile phone shipments. If rumors of a low-priced iPhone turn out to be true, Apple stands to gain even more ground in a competitive global smartphone market. 

Do you have a question that you would like to ask about smartphones in emerging markets? Let us know on Twitter @Jana and we may ask your question in our next survey.

Published April 26, 2013