Asian media landscape turning digital

NIELSEN    AD SPEND   ONLINE PENETRATION

Regional - The latest Nielsen study released 15 March has found that while online media consumption is growing quickly, television remains the perennial favourite media for Asia Pacific consumers. However, marketers' allocation of ad spending has yet to reflect this shift.

The report shows Asian countries rank among the top globally for media consumption with four of the top five nations for home TV and online video usage located in the region. Hong Kong registered as the top country for home TV usage (109  hours), while the Philippines is one of top five countries in home TV, online video and mobile video usage.

This is compared to an average of 50 to 60 hours watched by those in countries like Sweden, Hungary, Germany, Denmark and Belgium.

Although TV still reigns supreme in Southeast Asia, more and more are placing trust in social media in making purchase decisions, with more than half (52%) in Malaysia, 50% in Hong Kong and 44% in Singapore viewing online product reviews before a purchase.

Consumers in Australia, Japan and New Zealand registered the lowest numbers in this category, with 18%, 17% and 15% referring to social media when making purchase decisions.

Globally, 14% of advertising expenditure goes towards digital. The Asia Pacific region, however, is trailing behind. The digital ad spend in the 12 months to June 2011 in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand were at 0.6%, 0.8% and 0.3%, respectively.

Research undertaken by Nielsen in 2009 had indicated a high digital return on investment for the region. For every marketing dollar spent in Asia Pacific, return on digital was $1.78, as opposed to $0.89 in TV, $0.93 in print and $0.45 in out of home.

The survey also found that online penetration is higher in Malaysia (42%) than Indonesia (30%). Once online, 83% or more use the internet several times a week. Malaysian women are also more likely to access the internet at home or at work.

The study concluded that methods of accessing the internet and online media consumption vary significantly throughout Asia Pacific and that it is imperative to understand category touch-points by market and demographic before planning a campaign.

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