India leads mobile ad revenue and traffic in APAC: MMA and Opera Mediaworks

According to a study conducted by Mobile Marketing Association and Opera Mediaworks, India accounts for over half of all mobile impressions in the APAC region.

The APAC SMA 2015-Q3 study released by Opera Mediaworks and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) on November 24, has revealed trends in mobile advertising by taking into account mobile users on Opera's global mobile-ad platform in six select APAC countries. The report says that the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Oceania region is showing a clear and rapid transition to smartphones. According to the report, 75 per cent mobile users have smartphones in India. Even in markets where the transition from feature phones to smartphones has been slow (Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines), about half the mobile user base has moved to smartphones.

The study also points out that a study of mobile users on Opera's global mobile-ad platform in six select APAC countries has found that Android is the leading OS for smartphones, with 67.1 per cent impressions being served to those mobile devices (and 30.4 per cent to 'other', or feature phones). The report also lays emphasis on the fact that India is the only country where platforms outside of Android and iOS support a relatively strong monetisation model, with a revenue share of nearly twice their share of impressions.

"The ability to serve high-impact - and therefore high-value - rich-media and video ads on smartphones is what is truly powering the monetisation potential of the region," observes Vikas Gulati, managing director for Asia, Opera Mediaworks. "These ad types are effective in attracting, engaging and ultimately converting mobile consumers. India leads in overall traffic and the top three categories for ad impressions are mobile stores and career portals, social networking sites and apps, and sports," says Gulati.

"Asia-Pacific is a truly diverse region, and the growth and maturity of mobile marketing has seen the region's power markets grow from four to six. Collaborating with Opera Mediaworks on this report allows us to make all this data available for marketers, advertisers and publishers to ensure that the industry can adapt and evolve so that the region continues to create industry-winning mobile campaigns," says Rohit Dadwal, managing director, Mobile Marketing Association, APAC.

Key highlights from the APAC SMA Q3 report:

Mobile-device market share and ad types

While the Android market share in the P6 category is similar to the global average (65.4per cent), its share of revenue is higher -- 54.9 per cent as compared to 44.4 per cent globally. This is perhaps as a result of Android being the go-to OS for smartphones and thus the chosen platform for high-value brand campaigns.

India leads the region in overall revenue and traffic, accounting for more than half (53 per cent) the impressions. It falls lower, however, in terms of monetisation potential, due to the relatively high share (25 per cent) of feature phones. Still, compared to other feature-phone-dominated markets, its share of revenue is equitable to that of impressions, indicating a relatively strong monetisation model on 'other' platforms.

Mobile video ad formats command higher eCPMs than rich-media display and even native ads in nearly all the countries in the study.

Top publisher and mobile-app categories

Mapping content trends by country, Opera Mediaworks and the MMA found that while each country demonstrates a unique profile in terms of audience interests, there were some patterns:

Mobile stores and carrier portals are the most popular category in most countries, which is as a result of feature-phone owners needing to access content and apps through these channels. In fact, 88.5 per cent unique users to mobile stores and carrier portals are visiting from feature phones.

Social networking is the most or second most popular category for five out of seven countries. It is noticeably missing from the top three in Australia, which is dominated by entertainment, sports, and news and information.

In three countries (India, the Philippines and Vietnam), nearly 8 in 10 impressions are served to the top three categories, indicating highly condensed interest areas. Malaysia and Thailand, on the other hand, show traffic going to a wider set of categories.

Audience behavior and interests

The study examines four common mobile consumer segments: Savvy Shoppers, High-tech enthusiasts, Travellers and Gamers. It found that Gamers have a strong preference for iOS, particularly in Australia, where 83 per cent use Apple devices. Even in the P6, the preference for iOS is clear, with an 18 per cent share, nearly seven times the P6 average of 2.6 per cent. Cut the Rope is the No.1 game in nearly every country.

India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam all contain a strong percentage of Savvy Shoppers, with such favourite local sites as Tokopedia, OLX, Lelong and Chợ Tốt.

For the full report, click here.