Globe: Mobile to revolutionize ad industry

Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu is bullish on the prospects of mobile devices in the Philippines, saying that the technology is set to change the landscape of traditional advertising in the country. AFP

MANILA, Philippines—Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu is bullish on the prospects of mobile devices in the Philippines, saying that the technology is set to change the landscape of traditional advertising in the country.

Addressing the delegates of the 2012 Mobile Marketing Conference of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (Immap), Cu cited the strong potential of mobile devices as an effective medium for brands to reach target audiences.

“The mobile phone has clearly taken great prominence in the human value chain. Time Magazine’s Mobility Poll revealed that out of 5,000 respondents across eight countries, 68 percent sleep with their mobile phones next to them,” said Cu.

Citing an example closer to home, Cu revealed that in the Philippines, 9 of 10 people own mobile phones, putting mobile phone penetration at its highest peak compared to any other form of medium such as TV.

“Mobile is the way to go to connect with and engage today’s consumers, as well as to create a rich consumer experience that goes beyond traditional marketing,” Cu said.

For the Globe executive, the use of mobile as a channel to communicate with a target market pushes brand activation to the limits of a consumer’s imagination, citing augmented reality as an effective platform to bring advertising campaigns to life.

Cu also said that mobile advertising opens creative corridors for dynamic and more compelling content, capitalizing on strong visual stimulation to entice consumers further.

He cited the interactivity that mobile encourages, allowing consumers to instantly send feedback, making the retail experience more relevant and meaningful.

“Mobile technology has definitely changed the way brands talk to their consumers. Because it’s so personal and powerful, it enables the unique efficiency of reaching out to very precise target markets with mobile advertising-driven campaigns hinging on the capability to profile customers and touch them directly,” Cu said.

In 2010, Globe partnered with Out There Media in launching its own mobile advertising platform My Rewards, My Globe Plus, now with over 2 million opt-in subscribers.

Top consumer brands such as McDonald’s, Clear and Sunsilk have effectively used the platform to engage and establish affinity with their target consumers.

Taking the track of extensively profiling the customer, Globe is embarking on a massive $90-million IT and systems transformation that will monitor demographics, usage, product subscriptions, transactions, bill payment and behavior of its subscribers.

“As soon as we see that a customer has the propensity to top up load, to roam, or to subscribe to a promo on any given day, we can push the relevant service in an instant, to the right customer, at the right time,” he said.

Cu joined international personalities such as Nick Wiggin of Huawei, Phalgun Raju of InMobi, Joshua Maa of Madhouse China, Mark Bookman of MCN during the two-day congress.