This new report highlights the increasing mobile usage among South African Internet users with a great majority using a smartphone to access the Internet.
According to the survey of desktop Internet users in December 2013, almost 50% of smartphone owners have been exposed to mobile-based advertisements. Despite the fact that SMS text messages dominate the kind of advertisements Internet users are exposed to, advertisements through websites and applications look to be gaining traction in the South African market.
Vodacom appears to be the market leader in South Africa (53.3% of survey respondents use Vodacom data plans), followed by MTN (29.9%) and Cell C (12.9%). Other key providers in the market are 8ta and Virgin Mobile. Despite the fact that 8ta is a relatively new entrant (2010) into the market, results from the EM survey suggest that its market share is estimated to be greater than the market share of Virgin Mobile, which entered the South African market back in 2006.
"Businesses that make mobile a central part of their strategy will benefit from the opportunity to engage the new constantly connected consumer. Extending advertising strategies to include mobile and developing integrated cross-media campaigns can more effectively reach South African consumers. Making mobile ads a part of an integrated marketing strategy can drive greater consumer engagement," said Alan Morrissey, Effective Measure's South African country MD.
Key insights
"These findings suggest a fast-adopting consumer group in South Africa, providing opportunities for mobile phone distributors for sales maximisation. Facebook's $16 billion acquisitions of WhatsApp will make Facebook the market leader in instant messaging market in South Africa. This could mean that Facebook will be the dominant advertising platform in the instant messaging market," concluded Morrissey.