Social media
About 70% of all European Gamers Play Some Type of Casual Game
Feb 10th
According to Newzoo’s National Gamers Surveys 2010, about 70% of all European gamers and about 90% of US gamers play casual games on a gaming portal, social network or mobile device.
On average, online casual game destinations reach two-thirds of the online audience. For instance, in the US, 66% of online users play casual games.
This study shows, as many reports, the impact of gaming on social networks and mobile devices on the total number of “casual” gamers. It also highlights a significant overlap between the individual platforms. Consumers choose their platform depending on time of day, location and social setting. People who play on all three platforms are becoming more numerous and are now about a third of all casual gamers.
For more info, please click on the following link: http://www.newzoo.com/ENG/1577-Casual_Gaming_(2010).html
Social Network Ad Spend will Reach $6 Billion Worldwide in 2011, according to eMarketer
Feb 3rd
In its report titled “Worldwide Social Network Ad Spending: 2011 Outlook” eMarketer forecasts global advertising spend across social networks will reach $5.97 billion in 2011 which represents a growth of 71.6% compared to 2010.
Social network advertising spending will account for 8.7% of total online ad spend in 2011.
US will represent the majority of spending accounting for 51.6% of the total.
Facebook will be the dominant social network and will receive 68% of worldwide social network ad spending this year. Indeed, Facebook ad revenues are expected to rise 118%, to reach $4billion in 2011.
To conclude, social network advertising is growing and is increasing their representation. “Major marketers are integrating social media into their overall marketing programs,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst and author of this report. “As they do so, advertising in social destinations is becoming a more logical part of their plan.”
CBS: 91% youngsters active on social networks
Jan 14th
Of all young internet users in The Netherlands, 91% is active on social networks.
According to figures from the CBS, this makes The Netherlands the front-runner in the European Union (EU). Young internet users between 16 and 25 years of age are increasingly using social networks to exchange information. However, the use of social media tails off with age. The share of people in The Netherlands who are active on social networks amounts to 54% in the 25 to 55 age group, and to just over 30% in the 55 to 75 age group.
Men are more active on social networks than women. However, there is almost no difference between high, medium and low levels of education. The exchange of text messages is most common in youngsters (78%). Reading web logs is the favourite activity of the 25 to 55 (34%) and the 55-plus (18%) age groups.
Within the European Union, Dutch youngsters are in the leading group as far as the use of social media is concerned. They only trail similarly aged youngster from Poland (94%). Portuguese and Slovenian youngsters are also very active on social media. Youngsters from Romania and Ireland are at the bottom of the list.
Sending e-mails is not a part of social networking, however, in 2010, sending e-mails was again the main internet activity in all age groups. The Netherlands headed the EU rankings in all the age groups.
Source: Adformatie
Mobile phones are set to become the channel of the future (“El Publicista”)
Nov 5th
Earlier this month, El Publicista, one of the most important publishing houses in the sector, published issue 232 dedicated to Social Media, a medium which, according to a statement made by Javier Navarro - President of IAB Spain -, “is set to become one of the channels that attracts greatest investment in 2011″.
Part of issue 232 comprises data reviewed by the MMA on investment in Mobile Marketing in Spain. It undoubtedly represents unstaked territory for advertising, offering extensive possibilities for growth, a fact that has been made clear by the levels of investment over the last few months. Investments are speeding up and, along with Social Media, Mobile Marketing may well turn out to be one of the revolutions of 2011.
Nevertheless, we are talking about a discipline that, as is often the case with all beginnings, has given rise to a series of controversies and debates in the sector and between users themselves. Thanks to these mobile devices direct conversation –a very fitting description here– with final users is possible, and these, conscious of the fact that their privacy may be invaded, are still showing a certain degree of resistance to the difference that makes this channel stand out from the rest: the use of GPS for the purposes of advertising.
To address the impact that the arrival of Internet to mobiles and tablets has had on the way advertising is understood, El Publicista counts on the collaboration of Pedro Menéndez, in charge of Products for Hi-media Mobile, among other professionals of the sector.
Click here to get preview of issue 232 of El Publicista.
43% of US teens using social sites have spent money within a social network
Jul 15th
Online gaming site Roiworld surveyed 600 teens ages 13 to 17 in late April and found that 43% Social Net Teens have spent money on/in a social network.
This study reveals that Games garner most of the Social Net Spending among teens. In fact, they have purchased items such as currency for virtual items in a game (35%) followed by music (33%), avatar accessories in a game (30%) and points to level up in a game (23%).
For some key highlights, please click here: Hi-media Blog Roiworld study April 2010
For more on how teens are spending their time and money online, check out a portion of The Teens and Social Networks study embedded below: www.scribd.com/doc/33751159/Teens-Study-June-2010
Engage Expo: Online Games – Virtual Worlds Track & Virtual Goods Conference
Feb 4th
Allopass’s US team will be at Engage Expo in two weeks on Feb 16-17, in NYC! We would love to meet with you so feel free to contact Chris Simamora at csimamora@allopass.us to schedule a meeting.
The Online Games & Virtual Worlds track will be dedicated to user acquisition, engagement and retention, as well as monetization strategies for all types of online games and virtual worlds. Check out the “Monetization Strategies: What’s Working Today” session to learn more about successful engagement and monetization models. Subscriptions, virtual goods, premium services, advertising, and microtransactions will be discussed.
For those who want to focus on virtual goods and virtual economies, the Virtual Goods Conference will host discussions around how to best implement and manage a virtual economy, in both online and mobile platforms.
We look forward to hearing from you and sharing experiences, best practices and what to avoid regarding monetizing games, social networks and virtual worlds. To continue the discussion, please check out the upcoming case studies section of this blog to see how some of our customers have already successfully monetized their online property.
More details about Engage Expo on the Engage Website
$1.38 Billion Invested in Virtual Goods-Related Companies Worldwide in 2009
Jan 21st
The 2009 Virtual Goods Investment Report has just been released by Engage Digital Media. The report, compiled by www.VirtualGoodsNews.com details the investments made in virtual goods related companies in 2009.
Interesting facts and figures include:
- Above $1.38 billion has been invested in 87 companies last year, which is more than three times the amount invested in 2008 ($408 million) for twice as many companies (34 in 2008).
- Acquisitions represent $398.3 million out of the $1.38 billion invested.
- The largest acquisitions were Electronic Arts’ acquisition of Playfish for $300 million and China-based KongZhong’s $80 million acquisition of China-based Dacheng.
- Russian firm Digital Sky Technologies was by far the largest investor in the space in 2009 with its investments in Zynga and Facebook.
The complete report can be found on the Engage Digital Media Website, and a comprehensive list of the individual companies, invested amounts, investors, and market segment is also available.
Join us at Mobile Monday on Jan 11!
Jan 7th
Hi-media USA is sponsoring the next Mobile Monday, on January 11 at the super cool W Hotel in San Francisco!
Register for free and join us to discuss Virtual Goods & Micropayments on Mobile and Beyond. Panelists, including executives from mobile payment platforms, game publishers and application developers, will discuss how they have successfully generated revenue with virtual goods, challenges presented by this new model for monetization, and their views on how the market will evolve in 2010.
Panel
Lex Bayer – General Manager Payments Business, Playspan
Doug Bewsher – CMO, Mig33
Mark Curtis – CEO, Flirtomatic
Steven Lurie – General Manager Mobile, Zynga
Pooj Preena – CEO, Hi-media USA
Justin Smith – Founder, Inside Network (moderator)
Roger Wood – CEO, Orca
Logistics
Location: W Hotel San Francisco
Date: January 11th at 7 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm
Cost: Free – but registration is required to attend
Cocktails: provided (and you get free drinks!)
More details here : http://www.mobilemonday.us/?p=300
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Greetings for the New Year!
Jan 4th
The Hi-media team is pleased to send you their best wishes for the New Year!
Hi-media is one of the largest pure play Internet companies in the world and runs the #1 micropayments business and the largest online ad network in Europe.
We’ve watched the online payment space heat up on a global scale due to the rising popularity of virtual goods in online environments – and we saw a tremendous opportunity to take our experience across the Atlantic. Pooj Preena is leading the charge as the CEO of Hi-media USA, based out of San Francisco.
2010 is going to be a monumental year for virtual currencies and online payments – and Hi-media is poised to disrupt the US payments market with its enhanced services.
We’ll be tracking the industry and bringing you our perspectives and those of our peers here on the Payments blog.
Let the fun begin!
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