native mobile report may 2013

Mobile Report MAY 2013

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A MONTHLY SNAPSHOT OF MOBILE NEWS, VIEWS, EVENTS

& DEVELOPMENTS LOCALLY AND ABROAD

HOW TO USE THIS REPORT

This report is intended as an easy-to-reference tool

It is a resource that allows you to easily flip through in your own time – and not to necessarily read it from front-to-back

CONTENTS

»  Executive Summary »  Section 1: Mobile Landscape »  Section 2: Mobile Devices and Operating Systems »  Section 3: Mobile Networks »  Section 4: Social Networks »  Sources and Contacts

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.  Google kills off SMS Search in light of the global growth of smartphones and accessibility to the web.

2.  Ornico and Mark.Lives have introduced a new research resource called the Africa Annual including stories of innovation, game changers, marketing and media.

3.   DMMA celebrates its 10 year anniversary in digital and we look at some of its major milestones.

4.  Arthur Goldstuck, MD of research firm World Wide Worx, released his latest estimates on the smartphone market in SA with Blackberry and Symbian remaining at the top.

5.   PriceCheck, a mobile shopping app developed in South Africa won Blackberry App of the Year, competing against more than 100 000 apps from around the world.

6.  This month saw the announcement of winners and results from the 2013 Sunday Times Generation Awards and AdReview Awards.

7.  Blackberry made a huge announcement that BBM will soon be available on Android and IOS, opening up the messaging platform to millions more users.

8.  Samsung has been testing 5G mobile technology, claiming a major breakthrough that could see it launched by 2020.

9.  Tim Cook confirms that the long awaited iOS 7 will be launched at next months (July 2013) WWDC Conference.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 10.  French Telecom, Orange, sees strong growth in African market and expects double digit growth in 2013, with major

investment on the African continent set to be around 30% of its overall investment.

11.   MTN has been ranked highest ranked brand in the Millward-Brown Brandz Top 100 Global Brands 2013 – the only African brand in the 2013 survey.

12.  The Mail & Guardian’s Top Companies Reputation Index rated Vodacom with the best reputation amongst telecom providers. Coming 1st and 2nd for overall results were Coca-Cola and Standard Bank respectively.

13.   Twitter is the fastest growing social platform, while Facebook is the largest, passing over 1.11 billion monthly active users.

14.   YouTube turns 8 and releases its latest statistics on video uploads. In the same month, YouTube also launched it’s pay-to-subscribe channels, a new feature for partners to make money from their content.

15.   HP becomes the first brand to reach 1 million followers on LinkedIn, a massive feat considering that it takes longer to build up a following on LinkedIn than on any other social network.

16.  A new application for Mxit called Bookly, has been launched to bring e-books to Mxit users. Users can now download these e-books onto any mobile phone, ultimately turning it into a pocket-sized e-reader. The application hopes to prove useful to South Africa’s education sector.

Mobile Landscape SECTION 1

MOBILE BREAKS THE MOULD IN TECH INNOVATION »  In the recent KPMG 2012 Technology Innovation Survey, it was found that

mobile is a clear theme in technology innovation and comes a close second in its potential to shake up consumer and enterprise markets.

»  Of the 668 technology executives who took part in the survey, 44% forecast mobile (broadly categorised to include communications, commerce, platforms, software, and applications) as the next indispensable consumer technology.

»  This rings true in Africa as well. With the plethora of mobile apps, solutions, and platforms that are being made available across the African continent, we are seeing new and innovative uses for mobile platforms to suit our specific needs and requirements.

»  The survey identified key mobile benefits: convenience, better communications, increased productivity, greater savings on purchases, and most of all, easier access to real-time personalised information.

Source: KPMG, 15 May 2013

GOOGLE KILLS OFF SMS SEARCH »  Google is well known for its regular bouts of spring cleaning when it kills off a

number of products in one fell swoop, but it also sometimes makes quick changes in-between the bigger announcements.

»  One of those has now hit its portfolio of SMS-based products aimed at users of lower end devices: Google has quietly closed down SMS Search.

»  SMS Search was a service Google had created that let users send search queries by text message to a short number, in this case 466453. The search results would return as text messages. These would not be links to further web pages, but actual information, like currency conversions, weather and local listings. This was mainly intended for feature phones with limited data connections.

»  Thanks to the rise of web-connected smartphones, the demand for SMS-based search has dwindled, giving Google a n opportunity to shut the service down.

Source: TechCrunch,12 May 2013

HOW BANKING IS GOING MOBILE »  Over the years, retail banks have innovated to make personal banking more

convenient and consumer-friendly. They've built sprawling branch networks, introduced credit cards, and developed automatic teller machines.

»  With smartphones and tablets increasingly at the center of financial decisions — especially those of younger consumers — banks have to get their mobile strategies right. If they don't, they risk losing business to more mobile-savvy competitors, as well as tech companies like PayPal, that are developing their own payment and personal finance solutions.

–  App race: Banks have begun to invest heavily to integrate the latest and greatest features into their smartphone apps and mobile sites.

–  Bottom-up: Mobile banking has caught on in poorer countries, and could expand bank and credit access worldwide.

–  Mobile-first bank: If the legacy banks don't succeed in redefining their services for the mobile age, they risk losing out to upstarts like Simple with innovative mobile-first banking formulas.

–  Adoption barriers: There is still some resistance to mobile banking, reflected in relatively low adoption rates.

Source: Business Insider, 4 May 2013

THE AFRICA ANNUAL 2013 »  Ornico and MarkLives.com present The Africa Annual for 2013, a compilation

of some of Africa's remarkable stories and resources for businesses; and media, marketing and branding enthusiasts.

»  This resource documents African stories on innovation, game changers, marketing and media. Very importantly, the Africa Annual embodies the fact that Africa is not a country, but a 54 market strong continent, with great potential for global and local businesses that want to expand.

»  In The Africa Annual 2013 you'll find: 5 countries to watch; Africa's mobile economy; The new African consumer; Media Trends in Africa; Get Jay Naidoo's thoughts on Media and Development; Nigeria's broadcasting industry; and The influential, must-follow Twitter list.

»  The resource is available for download here.

Source: Bizcommunity, 29 May 2013

DMMA CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN DIGITAL »  10 years ago, a national body was formed that would integrally change South

Africa's digital landscape forever. The month of May celebrated the 10th birthday of the Digital Media and Marketing Association (DMMA).

»  On 21 May 2003 the Online Publishers Association (OPA) was launched when 16 of South Africa's most well-respected publishers came together with the aim of promoting the growth and profitability of the online publishing industry.

»  Some of its milestones include the launch of the Bookmarks Awards in 2008, an initiative by the OPA which aimed to recognise and reward excellence in digital. Also in 2008, the DMMA opened up membership to agencies and smaller publishers. In 2010, the OPA changed its name to the DMMA to signify this broadening. The DMMA aimed to promote engagement and facilitate growth between all major players in the South African digital industry, including online and mobile publishers, advertising and media agencies, and digital development agencies.

»  In celebration of its 10 year milestone, the DMMA has a number of exciting initiatives planned that will be rolled out over the remainder of 2013. For more, go to www.dmma.co.za


R900M PLEDGE FOR DIGITAL JOBS IN AFRICA »  The Rockefeller Foundation will pledge close to US$100 million (R900m) to

create digital field jobs in Africa. This was announced at the World Economic Forum on Africa.

»  “There is no better place to announce the official launch of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Digital Jobs Africa initiative, a US$97 million investment,” said the philanthropic organisation’s president Judith Rodin in Cape Town.

»  The initiative hoped to reach one million people in the next seven years.

»  The money will be pumped into training work seekers and getting them jobs in the digital fields such as data entry, service centre support, online research and web design. The initiative would be rolled out in six countries – South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco and Egypt.

»  “We will leverage the rising demand from African-based organisations, governments moving to e-government using digital tools, and multinational corporations, to create sustainable employment opportunities, which is a win-win for all, cutting costs in many cases by 40%, while increasing incomes for workers by 40 to 200%,” Rodin said.

Source: BusinessTech by MyBroadband, 9 May 2013

INTERNET IN SA: LANGUAGE STATISTICS »  The latest DMMA/Effective Measure statistics revealed that South Africa’s

Internet users mostly speak English and Afrikaans at home.

»  Effective Measure’s February 2013 demographics report showed that 66% of local Internet users speak English at home, while 42% spoke Afrikaans at home.

»  9% of Internet users in SA speak IsiZulu at home, while 5.5% speak IsiXhosa and 5.3% speak Setswana.

»  It should be noted that users were allowed to select any language spoken at home. This means that multiple languages could be selected by a user.

»  The table shows the languages spoken at home by South African Internet users.

Source: MyBroadband, 25 May 2013

JOBURG BROADBAND NETWORK TO GO LIVE IN JULY »  The City of Joburg Broadband Project will go live on 1 July 2013 following a

three year build phase, which BWired will operate for 12 years. The completion of the fibre optic network covers all 7 regions of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) municipality.

»  The network will offer key services to all municipal buildings connected to the network.

»  This fibre optic network was designed by Ericsson South Africa, with a 1.2Tb core capacity and 940km coverage.

»  When the Network goes live on 1 July 2013, it will offer full WAN accessibility, VPN services, and will bring internet to all of the CoJ buildings in the region.

»  “The CoJ Broadband Project will enable digital inclusion through the provision of affordable broadband to the public,” BWired said in a press statement.


SA’S PRICECHECK WINS BLACKBERRY APP OF THE YEAR »  South African mobile shopping app, PriceCheck, has won the coveted

BlackBerry App of the Year category in the BlackBerry Achievement Awards, beating off competition from more than 100 000 world-class apps from around the globe.

»  The awards (formerly the Wireless Achievement Awards), celebrates how BlackBerry technology helps to power innovation and brings ideas to life. The Awards were announced at BlackBerry Live in Orlando, Florida on 15th May.

»  PriceCheck is locally designed in South Africa and gives shoppers access to prices and reviews of around 30 million products in thousands of categories. The app also provides direct access to hundreds of on- and offline stores. A barcode scanner forms part of the app and makes comparing and finding best prices in store very easy.

Source: IT News Africa, 16 May 2013

SUNDAY TIMES GENERATION NEXT 2013 AWARDS »  The much anticipated Sunday Times Generation Next Awards ceremony

was held, showcasing South Africa’s most popular products, brands, celebrities, and sportsmen and women – as voted by six thousand youths aged 8 to 22.

»  The Generation Next Survey, covering 73 categories, was conducted by HDI Youth Marketeers to gauge the influence of products and people in the lives of South Africa’s youth. Importantly it highlights what they consider to be ‘cool’.

»  FNB (Coolest Bank), Blackberry (Coolest Cellphone), SAA (Coolest Domestic Airline), Vodacom (Coolest Telecomms Provider) and BMW (Coolest Motor Vehicle) continued to be firm favourites with youngsters.

»  The Apple iPhone was named Coolest Hi-Tech Gadget, overtaking last year’s number one, Blackberry. FIFA 13 was voted Coolest Console/Computer Game while Infinity was voted Coolest Chewing Gum – both being new categories introduced into 2013’s survey.

Source: Advantage Magazine, 31 May 2013

ADREVIEW WINNERS ANNOUNCED »  The AdReview Awards give recognition to the ad agencies that have

performed best during the previous full calendar year – from January to December 2012. Every possible measure of agency performance is used to decide which agency performed best across the full spectrum of possible activities. This is not a purely creative award, though creativity is one of the more important criteria for making the choice.

»  Winners are chosen in a number of categories, and the overall Agency of the Year is chosen from the category winners. The net was cast wide, and even agencies that don’t submit a formal entry can win.

»  The biggest failing of South African advertising has been its inability to win awards in digital advertising. Creative competence in this area is "absolutely essential," says Jupiter Drawing Room chairman Graham Warsop. "Without it, South Africa will never be regarded as a credible player in the forefront of global communications." He is still waiting for someone to claim his case of French champagne for the next winner of a Cyber Lion at the Cannes advertising festival.

»  View all the winners here: AdReview 2013 Magazine online

Sources: Advantage Magazine, 29 May 2013 Bizcommunity, 23 May 2013

Mobile devices and operating systems

SECTION 2

BIGGEST GLOBAL MOBILE DATA USERS REVEALED »  Akamai Technologies released its Q4 2012 State of the Internet Report,

revealing that Android and iOS users consume more data per month than their counterparts using Windows, BlackBerry, and Symbian mobile operating systems.

»  Based on data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Platform, the State of the Internet report provides insight into key global statistics including mobile data usage and mobile platform popularity.

»  According to the report, the largest average per subscription traffic volumes can be measured on Android smartphones, ranging up to 2.2 GB per month. This is on networks where high-end models dominate.

»  However, when operators focus on the low-end Android segment the average usage is usually smaller than for iPhones.

»  There are large differences between traffic volumes of phones with different versions of Windows OS. The average values might increase significantly in the future when Windows 8 devices outnumber older Windows Mobile and Windows Phone 7 devices.


BB, SYMBIAN STILL LEAD SA SMARTPHONE MARKET »  BlackBerry’s share of South Africa’s smartphone market is holding steady in

first place at around 5-million devices, and the overall market has grown to roughly 12-million devices from 10-million in June 2012.

»  That’s according to Arthur Goldstuck, MD of research firm World Wide Worx, who recently revealed his latest estimates of the number of smartphones in South Africa.

»  Goldstuck emphasised that these are only approximate numbers and are constantly shifting based on the feedback they receive from industry.

»  “The figures are based on continually chatting with people in the industry, from networks to manufacturers, and getting them to admit to small pieces of the pie,” Goldstuck explained.

»  Some of it, like the Android number, is based in direct interviews, Goldstuck said. The BlackBerry number on the other hand, is based on primary research conducted by World Wide Worx.

»  “So it’s mixed methodologies to pin down a mixed-up market,” said Goldstuck.


BLACKBERRY TO LAUNCH BBM ON ANDROID AND IOS »  CEO Thorsten Heins announced BBM will soon be available on Android and

iOS. This is a huge move for BlackBerry as it brings BB10’s strongest feature to literally hundreds of millions of potential users.

»  “It is a state of confidence,” Heins explained. “The BB10 platform is so strong and the response has been so good that the time is right for BBM to become an independent mobile messaging platform.”

»  The app will be free on both Android and iOS. Much like other messaging apps, it will be a standalone application. iOS 6 or Ice Cream Sandwich are be required.

»  Initially, only messaging and group features will be available. But Heins promised that the rest of BBM will eventually make its way to the Android and iOS versions including screen sharing, BBM voice and the just-announced BBM channels.

»  We are making the BBM platform more powerful than ever”, Heins proudly stated. And with this very uncharacteristic move from BlackBerry, it’s hard to argue against his statement.

Source: TechCrunch, 14 May 2013

SA 'STILL BLACKBERRY PEOPLE' »  Despite the flack BlackBerry got from South Africans when it announced the

popular R59 per month BlackBerry Internet Services (BIS) would no longer be available on its new-generation smartphones, the company has seen considerable uptake of its new BB10 OS.

»  Alexandra Zagury, MD for South and Southern Africa at BlackBerry, says although this change presented what was perhaps the company’s biggest challenge, “SA is still a country full of BlackBerry people”. She points out that, according to GfK (Society for Consumer Research), BlackBerry has been number one in SA for 28 consecutive months.

»  The research firm places BlackBerry’s flagship 10 OS device, the Z10, in the top five selling smartphones in SA.

»  While BlackBerry deals with SA’s five main carriers – Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom and Virgin Mobile – she notes that SA is unique in that about 30% to 40% of smartphone sell-through exists via independent retailers.

»  “Even fashion stores sell BlackBerry products – and this is unique to the South African market. You can go clothes shopping and at the same time purchase a phone.”

Source: ITWeb, 21 May 2013

APPLE REMAINS NO.1 IN THE BRANDZ TOP 100 »  Apple remains the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brand for 2013,

worth $185 billion. Apple grew just +1% in the last year compared to a +51% growth for its closest competitor, Samsung, which is now no.30 in the global ranking with a brand value of $21 billion.

»  Google is also a serious challenger for the no.1 spot, reversing last year's decline to grow +5% in brand value this year. The brand is no.2 in the ranking with a value of $114 billion. IBM is no.3 in the ranking with a brand value of $112 billion.

»  Technology and Telecom brands together make up the largest segment of the BrandZ Top 100, both in the number of brands represented and in their aggregate value, with six in the Top 10. MTN, the African multinational brand, rose 23 percent in brand value, the greatest appreciation in the BrandZ telecom ranking. The brand, which operates throughout Africa and in parts of the Middle East, enjoyed strong revenue and earnings growth following a 15 percent increase in subscribers and a 58.5 percent hike in revenue derived from data.

»  Download the complete BrandZ ranking here


TIM COOK CONFIRMS IOS 7 COMING AT WWDC »  Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed what many have long assumed — that Jony

Ive is working on a new version of iOS, and that it will be revealed at WWDC next month. Speaking at the D11 conference, Cook said that Apple "recognized that Jony had contributed significantly to the look and feel of Apple over many many years and could do that for our software as well," calling the designer "absolutely incredible."

»  Ive is the creative force behind many of Apple's most iconic hardware designs, but was handed an additional role in "human interface" last year following the removal of Scott Forstall as iOS senior VP. Recent weeks have seen rumours that iOS 7 will feature a "flat" UI that removes much of the glossy, realistic sheen currently seen in Apple's software.

»  When asked if the new version of iOS is indeed what Ive has been working on, Cook replied in the affirmative, calling him "really key" to the update. The CEO wouldn't be drawn on specifics, only saying that new versions of both iOS and OS X would be on show at Apple's developer conference in less than two weeks, and that he will "let you be the judge" as to how significant the changes are.

Source: The Verge, 28 May 2013

SAMSUNG ANNOUNCES 5G DATA BREAKTHROUGH »  Samsung Electronics said it has successfully tested super-fast fifth-

generation (5G) wireless technology that would eventually allow users to download an entire movie in one second.

»  The South Korean giant said today the test had witnessed data transmission of more than one gigabyte per second over a distance of two kilometres.

»  The new technology, which will not be ready for the commercial market before 2020 at the earliest, would offer transmitting speeds “up to several hundred times faster” than existing 4G networks, it said in a statement.

»  That will permit users to “transmit massive data files including high quality digital movies practically without limitation”, it said.

»  “As a result, subscribers will be able to enjoy a wide range of services such as 3D movies and games, real-time streaming of ultra high-definition (UHD) content, and remote medical services,” it added.

»  Samsung said it had found a way to harness millimeter-wave bands which have proved to be a sticking point for the mobile industry to date.

Source: City Press, 13 May 2013

Mobile Networks SECTION 3

BEST REPUTATION: MOBILE NETWORKS RANKED »  The Mail & Guardian has released its Top Companies Reputation Index (TCRI),

revealing that Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom are the telecoms providers with the best reputations.

»  The study, which was conducted by Plus 94 Research, assesses the “reputations which companies have established with South African consumers”.

»  The most reputable businesses in South Africa are rated according to their “reputation index” score (out of 100).

»  According to the research, Vodacom has the best reputation in the telecoms sector, followed by MTN, Telkom SA, Cell C, and 8ta.

»  Vodacom and MTN was ranked at number 3 and 4 respectively when looking at overall results.


ORANGE EYES 20% GROWTH IN AFRICA »  France Telecom-Orange is targeting double digit growth in Africa in 2013,

which would emulate its performance on the continent in 2012, as its markets in Europe begin to stall.

»  Orange had 230.7 million customers at 31 December 2012, with 81.6 million mobile customers in Africa and the Middle East.

»  Jean-Luc Lasnier, general manager for Orange Business Services in the Middle East and Africa said that the group achieved growth of 20% in 2012 in Africa, with 2013 “showing the same strong trend”.

»  He said that Orange would spend 30% of its overall investment on the continent, somewhere in the region of 7 billion euros.

»  In January 2013, Orange announced its intention to serve the South African consumer market through a new subsidiary called Orange Horizons. The group launched an e-commerce website, which sells telecoms-related devices and accessories, while future projects could include the launch of online stores selling telecoms-related equipment or airtime; the introduction of flexible travel solutions; or the launch of a virtual mobile operator (MVNO) activity, it said.


MTN - THE HIGHEST RANKED AFRICAN BRAND »  MTN has once again emerged head and shoulders above its peers on the

continent, topping the list as the highest ranked African brand in the prestigious Millward-Brown Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2013 survey.

»  This year's listing shows that MTN moved up nine places to position 79th, with an overall increase in brand value of 23%. MTN debuted at position 88 in the survey last year. MTN is again the only African brand in the 2013 survey. "The Millward-Brown BrandZ Top 100 Global Brands 2013 listing is particularly exciting and timely, as we embark on our new vision to lead the delivery of a bold, new digital world to our customers," says Jennifer Forrester, executive for Group Marketing at MTN. Developed by leading research agency, Millward Brown Optimor, BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands is the only brand rankings that include consumer data as a component element in arriving at the brand value. The rankings survey over 150,000 people around the world.

»  With nearly 200 million subscribers across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, MTN is a market leader in 70% of the 22 countries where we operate.


Social Networks SECTION 4

TWITTER IS THE FASTEST GROWING SOCIAL PLATFORM »  Twitter is the fastest growing social platform in the world by active users, and

is being driven by 55 to 64 year olds, according to a new study by Global Web Index.

»  Twitter has seen even faster active user growth at 44% growth in the same period, while Google+ grew by 33% between Q2 2012 and Q1 2013, the Social Stream Q1 2013 study found.

»  “The driving forces behind these impressive performances – especially interesting given the evidence of “Facebook Fatigue”– are two key factors: mobile and older users,” said Brett Petersen, director of strategy consulting at Global Web Index.

»  Peterson noted that mobile is by far the larger factor, and since Q1 2011, the number of people accessing the Internet via a mobile phone has increased by 60.3% to 818.4 million across the 31 GWI markets.

»  GWI puts Facebook’s users at 860 million, with Google+ at 602 million accounts, while Twitter users were approaching 500 million, currently sitting at 476.5 million users.

Source: BusinessTech by MyBroadband, 2 May 2013

FACEBOOK PASSES 1.11 BILLION MONTHLY ACTIVE USERS »  While sharing its financial results for its first quarter, Facebook announced a

number of new milestones.

»  Daily active users (DAUs) were 665 million on average for March 2013, an increase of 26% year-over-year.

»  Monthly active users (MAUs) were 1.11 billion as of March 31, 2013, an increase of 23% year-over-year.

»  Mobile MAUs were 751 million as of March 31, 2013, an increase of 54% year-over-year.

»  Out of all these numbers, the most important one is of course mobile: Facebook needs to keep growing the number of its users signing in on phones and tablets to stay relevant. In fact, it’s worth noting that 67.66% of Facebook’s total user base now accesses the service from a mobile device.

Source: The Next Web, 1 May 2013

HP FIRST TO HIT 1 MILLION FOLLOWERS ON LINKEDIN »  LinkedIn announced that HP has become the first company on the social

network to hit one million followers.

»  Nick Besbeas, VP of marketing at LinkedIn, explained in a blog post that HP built up a following by posting relevant updates and insights, and by using "targeted" LinkedIn Follow ads, the latter of which helped HP to add 300,000 followers over a two-month period.

»  HP's following on LinkedIn is significantly higher than it is on Twitter, where it has just under 180,000 followers, but it is still less than half the 2.2 million fans it has on Facebook. Even so, HP noted in a statement that LinkedIn is "critical" for company outreach to customers.

»  "LinkedIn has been critical for HP in successfully reaching and building relationships with our community of customers, partners and prospective employees," said Natalie Malaszenko, VP of digital marketing for HP. “

»  It has taken companies significantly longer to build up a following on LinkedIn than on other social networks. Google+, for instance, had several brands hit pass million followers within the first year after they were allowed to join the network.

Source: Mashable, 28 February 2013

YOUTUBE TURNS EIGHT YEARS OLD »  The staggering use of YouTube shows no signs of slowing as the firm turns

eight years, and to celebrate, the streaming video service shared the latest batch of statistics pertaining to its content.

»  According to The Verge, YouTube was seeing 48 hours worth of video being uploaded every minute in 2011. Last year that number had risen to 72 hours uploaded per minute. YouTube has now revealed that users are uploading a massive 100 hours worth of video every minute to the service. This is the same as four days of video being uploaded every minute, while one billion visits are made to the site every month.

»  YouTube claims millions of partners involved in making content for viewing and also says that “almost one out of every two people on the Internet” pays a visit to the site every month. More than 1 billion people are making stops at YouTube, most of them to watch cat videos in all likelihood.

Source: Stuff, 20 May 2013

YOUTUBE LAUNCHES PAY-TO-SUBSCRIBE OPTION »  YouTube has started rolling out some 53 paid channels, which require people

to purchase a monthly subscription in order to watch their videos.

»  In an official blog post announcing the new feature, the video sharing site said it decided to offer subscriptions for a number of its partner channels to offer them an additional way to make money from their content. These partner channels, which now number over 1-million, are those which have enabled monetisation options like advertising to display on their videos.

»  The subscription costs for the channels included in the pilot — which include National Geographic Kids, Comedy.tv and Jim Henderson Family TV for fans of The Muppets — start at US$0.99 per month, and begin with a 14 day free trial. YouTube says a number of the channels are also offering users discounted rates if they subscribe for an entire year. The videos you have to pay to watch are clearly marked as distinct from normal videos with green dollar signs, and don’t feature any additional advertising.

Source: Memeburn, 10 May 2013

BEST DAYS AND TIMES TO PIN »  Unlike Twitter and Facebook, where brands drive engagement with their

content through official accounts and pages, 70% of brand engagement on Pinterest is generated by the community itself, according to a new report by Digitas and Curalate.

»  The study, which analysed nearly 10 million pins specific to the fashion/retail, automotive and electronics industries, also found that the best day/time to pin for optimum community engagement varied by topic/industry:

–  Fashion/Retail - 3 PM ET on Fridays

–  Automotive - 12 PM ET on Fridays

–  Electronics - 10 PM ET on Mondays

»  82% of all fashion and retail-related images are being pinned by the community, with brands pinning only 18% of content.

»  In the fashion category, women's fashion—particularly dresses—is the topic most talked about.

»  75% of the conversation and engagement around autos on Pinterest is being driven by the community, with only 25% of content originating from brands.

Source: City Press, 13 May 2013

WORLD'S FIRST CASHLESS FASHION BOUTIQUE »  The world's first cashless fashion boutique, The Exchange, has been opened

by NATIVE at Cavendish Square in Cape Town.

»  Stocked with clothing and accessories from more than 25 of South Africa's top designers, nothing in the store can be purchased with cash or credit cards – and can be attained only by becoming an organ donor.

»  The concept for The Exchange was conceived by Ryan McManus, Executive Creative Director at NATIVE. "Fashion has typically been synonymous with consumerism," he explains. "We were looking for a way in which we could change the currency of meaningless consumerism and shift it to the currency of life by purchasing fashion with organ donor registration. We partnered with the Organ Donor Foundation and came up with the idea of opening a fashion boutique where, in exchange for a garment, the consumer can literally purchase an item by registering as an organ donor to potentially save lives.”

»  The pop-up boutique opened on 10 May 2013 and will remain open until all the clothing and accessories have been 'exchanged'.

»  To register as a donor online, visit www.facebook.com/organdonorfan.


TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AUTOBAHN WITH OPEL »  The campaign for the launch of Opel’s new Astra and Astra OPC includes a

racing game on Facebook called Wir Leben Autobahn, where users drive a virtual Opel Astra or Opel Astra OPC on a Google Maps version of the Autobahn. Participants are ranked and the top 50 fastest driving times will win an opportunity to test out their real world driving skills at the Opel Academy. Following that, the top two finishers will win a trip to the Nürburgring in Germany.

»  ‘”To date we had over 2 100 visits to the game while 92% of visitors opened and viewed the new Opel Astra commercial,” says Ryan McManus, Executive Creator Director at NATIVE, the agency behind the campaign.

»  “The game is simple, yet appeals to a wide audience whilst giving people a sense of the Autobahn played out on Google Maps. We also introduced a colourful range of Germanic characters such as The Hof (David Hasselhof), barmaids, and ‘ze man in ze lederhosen’ that players encounter on the route.”

»  The Wir Leben Autobahn Game will continue for three months, after which the winners will be selected and the next stage of the competition will kick in.

Source: Memeburn, 3 May 2013

BOOKLY BRINGS E-BOOKS TO MXIT »  NATIVE has launched an application for Mxit called Bookly. It turns the mobile

social network and instant messaging platform into a pocket-sized e-reader. Though limited to mainstream publishers for now, NATIVE hopes the app will eventually prove useful to the education sector.

»  The app allows users to download and read e-books on their mobile phones. They can create a personal library of content and make bookmarks and notes as they read.

»  Levon Rivers, NATIVE’s Head of Inventions, says the company chose to develop for Mxit because of the reach the platform, both in terms of the number of users of the service and the range of mobile phones supported — it works on even the most basic feature phones.

»  In addition to the free content from Project Gutenberg and Feedbooks, two commercial publishers — Random House Struik and Modjaji Books — are offering selected titles via Bookly for a fee.Users can purchase books one chapter at a time or all at once with the average going rate for a chapter around R1,50 and whole books priced around R30.

Source: NATIVE, 16 May 2013

ANC MOBILISES VIA MXIT »  The ANC in the Western Cape has launched an app on social platform Mxit, in

an effort to attract voters in the province.

»  According to a statement released by the party yesterday, the MyANCWC application “heralds a new era in social media and technology” to educate voters and mobilise them to vote.

»  ANC Western Cape chairman Marius Fransman said the party aims to focus on the youth and, therefore, chose a platform used mainly by the youth to be able to engage with them directly. The application allows users to learn more about the ANC, get more information about voting and how to register, and check whether they are registered.

»  Users can also engage with the ANC on issues that concern them. According to Fransman, the site will be monitored so that issues raised are followed up by ANC representatives.

»  Fransman notes that because Mxit is used on all phones and not only smartphones, it is accessible to a wider audience.

Source: ITWeb, 22 May 2013

Sources and Contacts

SOURCES

»  Advantage Magazine

»  Akamai Technologies

»  Bizcommunity

»  Business Insider

»  BusinessTech by MyBroadband

»  City Press

»  DMMA

»  Effective Measure

»  Global Web Index

»  IT News Africa

»  ITWeb

»  KPMG

»  Mail & Guardian

»  Mark.Lives

»  Mashable

»  Memeburn

»  Milward-Brown

»  MobileMoneyAfrica

»  MyBroadband

»  NATIVE

»  Ornico

»  Stuff

»  TechCentral

»  TechCrunch

»  The Next Web

»  The Verge

CONTACT US

Vuyisile Sisulu | Mobile Technologist [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (82) 679 5415 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @Vuyisile_Sisulu

Tracy Aberman | Mobile Strategist [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (82) 754 6111 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @TracyInSA

Angus Robinson | Director: Mobile & Innovation [tel] +27 (11) 555-3800 [cell] +27 (83) 635 4400 [fax] 0867210884 [email] [email protected] [twitter] @angusrobinson

Have a look at all previous Mobile Reports and other mobile work on our site - http://www.native.co.za/home?keyword=mobile Should you have any mobile insight, strategy, campaign or solution requirements please contact any one of us.

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