Increased mobile penetration across the BRICs (Brazil, India, Russia, China) has generated huge opportunities for mobile marketing initiatives, according to a new report by the UK based research firm Bricdata.
The number of Brazilian mobile data subscribers has risen from 20.6 million in 2010 to 41.1 million in 2011, and is forecasted to reach 124 million in 2014.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics Games will be held in Brazil, which is encouraging corporations to make substantial investments in mobile technologies to boost marketing and advertising potential to the inbound tourists flocking to the country, the firm noted.
Video-based advertising is also growing rapidly, with advertisers investing more than $18m on video advertisements in Russian language websites in 2010.
The Indian mobile phone subscriber base reached 951 million in March 2012, after recording eight million mobile subscriber additions during the month of March. However, smartphone penetration remains very low, with less than 5% of the phones in the country being smart phones.
BRICdata said handset manufacturers are beginning to launch low-cost smartphones that cost INR4,000-6,000 (£45-70), which is expected to increase demand.
In China, the high penetration of mobile devices, especially when compared to personal computers, has made mobile marketing an integral part of any brand advertising initiatives used by both local and international companies.
While much of this marketing in BRIC countries currently takes the form of mass market bulk text message campaigns, this is expected to change as the population moves to smartphones and their mobile campaigns become more personalised through using location-based technology and real time responses.
The full report ‘Mobile Money Opportunities in the BRIC Countries’ is available from BRICdata here.
