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By SMG Research Team, August 6, 2010 4:14 pm

The fundamentals of what makes the World Cup special have not changed. 700 million viewers tune into the tournament globally.  It celebrates our need to connect with others, let passions rise, feel united within –and beyond– geographic boundaries… It’s about being human.  But what made this year’s World Cup stand out from previous events is the level of technological involvement that brought connectivity and human experience to new heights – from 3D screens, to social game viewing from the comforts of the internet.

This World Cup also marks the debut of Asia sponsors – China’s Yingli Green Energy and India’s Mahindra Satyam. It is expected that more Asian companies will get on board in future World Cup events.

In Starcom’s just-released World Cup Report, we tracked consumer attitudes, involvement and response to the World Cup across Asia in our ongoing IntenTrack research across seven markets (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia) before, during and after the games.

Below is one highlight from the report discussing the consumer’s shift in viewing dynamics:

Shifting Viewing Dynamics

More than in any other World Cup before, FIFA related content could be found online this year, with live games being streamed over a host of sites, drawing viewers to the online space.

Internet has become a facilitator of the total experience. For some, Internet turned into a replacement for TV especially for late night matches, for others Internet was an addition to TV.  For those more wedded to their TV sets, the viewing shift may have been an upgrade from a regular TV to purchasing a HDTV, or even 3D TV.  In the first week of June 2010 alone, combined units of high definition (HD) and full high definition (FHD) TVs in eight Asian markets grew by 249% compared to the same period last year.

But even though they are viewing on TV, they are still online simultaneously and doing things like checking game schedules, betting while the game is still on, or ordering food for delivery so not to interrupt their game. In Singapore, visits to fast food delivery sites were high (McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut).

Not everyone in the house may like football, so if you are watching alone, you no longer need to drag others to watch with you in order to make it a social event.  Social is at your fingertips.  And for those with only one TV in their homes, they will not need to fight with their families about who is watching what.  Seeing as many people are already watching live TV online in Asia, the World Cup is a natural fit.

China viewers preferred TV for 19:30 and 22:00 matches, but online video for the late night 02:30am telecasts. This is an interesting trend, for in small sized homes in China, the TV is shared while Internet allows for private (and late-night quiet) viewing.

The world cup remains a social event traditionally watched on TV, but with this World Cup, the internet has become a viable, convenient, cost-efficient, real-time, quality alternative.

What this means to you as marketers

Online TV viewing is here to stay.

Even in China, where the World Cup games were available free-to-air on TV, fans turned online to access the games.  Expect for this behaviour to become more pronounced during Brazil’s World Cup 2014 as most matches will air in the morning in Asia – for many, during their work hours.

Anticipate and adapt to this new  breed  of viewers. Have presence in online spaces during major events (e.g. online sponsorship), as this will garner many impressions.

Be future-thinking with online advertising. Having access to the Internet while watching an event online opens up a world of possibilities.  Imagine a viewer watching a football game sees a cool pair of sport shoes worn by his favourite player.  By clicking the shoes, a second window about what the shoes are and where to buy them pops up.

Keep an open (and creative) mind for new possibilities with online TV!

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By SMG Research Team, June 2, 2010 6:24 pm

Starcom China partnered with Microsoft to conduct a thorough study on the secret online lives of Asian mums. The study spanned 8 regions (China, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Japan and Korea) and was conducted using quant (2,859 respondents) as well as in-home sessions, chatting with the moms and peeking over their shoulders as they showed us their online favourites.

The findings will make it easier for marketers to target moms, knowing not only the sites they visit, but also the motivations behind their online decisions.  A few interesting conclusions we came to include:

- We can’t only look at mums as a whole group.  It’s crucial to consider mum-stages – from when the woman is a mom-to-be, to mums with a young child aged 0-2, toddlers 3-5, and older children 6-10 and 11-17.  Each of these mom-stages will use the internet for specific purposes and the online contact choices she makes will differ.

- Mums are talking about you!  She is a brand ambassador, so take advantage of this and give her noteworthy items to share. In fact, 59% of Asian mums even said that she often convinces her family and friends to buy the same items she buys.

- Mums trust other mums – even if she doesn’t know them in person.  Mom’s online network is important to her.  Many of the contacts she makes online are faceless names, yet she will still turn to them for advice and place a great amount of trust and value into their opinions about child-care products and purchase decisions – sometimes even more than her ‘real’, offline family and friends!  (This is especially the case for China moms)

Below is an article in MEDIA discussing this study:

E-commerce revolutionises Asian mums’ buying habits

by Kenny Lim    27-May-10, 12:06

Mothers have long been identified as the key target market for consumer brands, but a recent study shows just how much new media channels are imacting their purchasing habits.

Dubbed ‘Secret online lives of Asia’s mothers’, the research from Microsoft and Starcom MediaVest Group shows certain nuances of mums from eight key markets across the region. However, one aspect that should really get marketers and brands excited is the growing acceptance of e-commerce and how mothers are embracing online shopping.

In terms of numbers, over two-thirds of the 2,859 mums polled had purchased child/family products online and close to 70 per cent plan to do so in the next 12 months. For individual markets, online shopping for kids and family is most popular with mums in China (87 per cent) and Korea (82 per cent). When it comes to buying products for personal use, Chinese and Korean mums also lead, with 94 per cent having made an e-purchase.

Across other parts of Asia, percentages of mothers shopping online might not yet yield high numbers owing to lesser e-commerce infrastructures. But uptake of e-shopping can only grow as new generations of online savvy young women enter motherhood and e-commerce infrastructures evolve to deliver against mums’ online shopping needs and expectations of the total shopping experience.

Joanna von Felkerzam, director of research and insights for Asia-Pacific at Starcom MediaVest Group, explains the upsurge: “Shopping online taps into a universal truth about mums – that they are smart and need to feel like they are making smart choices. Mums have little time to themselves and online shopping lets them take care of their needs when it’s convenient. It delivers on their need for reliable product access.”

According to Maile Carnegie, general manager, P&G Marketing, Asia, brands need to be where mums are receptive to receiving their message. “Increasingly this is in digital. While there is still a place for other media channels, increasingly our more successful brands have an integrated media plan that has a strong digital component.”

But brands also need to be aware that expectations of shopping online also differ by market. In Taiwan, mothers love online shopping as it frees them of in-store consultant pressures. In Malaysia, meanwhile, mums appreciate special offers and promotions. In markets such as Japan, China and South Korea, mum-targeting websites offering cheaper alternatives to retail shops figure highly too.

Kenneth Andrew, marketing director, Microsoft Advertising Greater Asia-Pacific, says more interactive online spaces in the lead-up to the purchase decision or to engage mums in the lead-up are critical. “When exploring creating an online experience to influence purchasing decisions, brands need to consider where mothers across Asia will access their content,” he says. “This will mostly be in spaces that brands already own – micro-sites and corporate pages.These types of spaces can include interactive aspects like e-commerce, feedback pages and company blogs.”

Social spaces such as networks, forums and blogs are now important as well, as the majority of mothers (85-86 per cent) are active readers of online social content and three-quarters of them are contributors. Two-thirds are social networkers and 56 per cent update their profiles each week.

Therefore, through giving mums an optimal online shopping experience, coupled with them gravitating towards social and interactive spaces, mothers will continue to be ideal brand ambassadors.

With mums embracing e-shopping, brands and marketers cannot ignore post-purchase scenarios and behaviours as well.
“Mums and consumers don’t randomly end up on web pages and e-commerce sites to buy something,” says Pushkar Sane, chief digital officer, North and South Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group. “If a mum buys something and they like it, they are more than likely to recommend the brand to someone else. It doesn’t start and end as an e-commerce transaction now.”

http://www.media.asia/searcharticle/2010_05/E-commerce-revolutionises-Asian-mums-buying-habits/40072