“Few of our own failures are fatal,” economist and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford writes in his new book, Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure. This may be true, but we certainly don’t act like it. When our mistakes stare us in the face, we often find it so upsetting that we miss out on the primary benefit of failing (yes, benefit): the chance to get over our egos and come back with a stronger, smarter approach.
A recent happiness study from Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found that the more our minds wander, the less happy we are. Summing the research, the New York Times wrote, “Whatever people were doing, whether it was having sex or reading or shopping, they tended to be happier if they focused on the activity instead of thinking about something else.” In short, being mentally “present” and focused on the task at hand really does matter – quite a lot, in fact. If only finding focus were so simple. With a tidal wave of information coming at us daily, focus is rapidly becoming the scarcest commodity of the 21st century. With this in mind, I’ve rounded up a handful of the best apps for fighting back against the constant distractions of our digital lives.
1. Self-Control – Block out distracting websites for a set amount of time.
If you find yourself slipping into a Twitter sinkhole when you should be updating your business plan, Self-Control may be the app you need. Set it for 4 hours, for instance, and your browser will behave as if it’s offline for that period of time. No amount of browser restarts or computer reboots will stop it. Before you have heart palpitations, know that you can whitelist or blacklist certain sites. So, rather than completely disabling the entire Internet, you can selectively decide which sites are OK, or not OK, to visit during your focus period. For Macs only. PC users can try Freedom, a similar app.
2. TrackTime – Audit how you’re spending your time on your computer.
This good-looking app tracks everything you do on your computer, spitting back out a sort of “attention audit.” How much time are you spending in Firefox? How many hours a day in your email client? What are listening to on iTunes? If you let TrackTime run in the background, it builds these patterns into a lovely rainbow-colored timeline of your online life. Its most effective use is as a sort of wake-up call: If your daily timeline shows you shifting between apps and tasks every 2 minutes or less, you know there’s a problem. For Macs only.
3. Concentrate – Maximize focus while shifting between different tasks.
Concentrate is great for shifting between tasks that require different mindsets. I have a variety of recurring tasks that require different tools: 1) Writing, 2) Social Media Management, 3) Event Planning. Concentrate lets me configure a different set of tools for each task. When I activate “Writing,” the app automatically closes my email client and Internet Browser; blocks me from Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; launches Microsoft Word; and sets my instant messaging status to “away”. Then, when I want to concentrate on “Social Media Management,” I can customize a completely different set of actions to happen relevant to that activity. There’s also a handy “concentration” timer. For Macs only.
4. Notational Velocity – Centralize and sync all of your scattered notes.
If you’re anything like me, one primarily challenge for focusing is getting all your notes in one place. Before Notational Velocity, I would write some notes on paper, some on text files on my desktop, some on my iPhone notes app when on the go. Notational Velocity organizes all of your notes on your desktop in a centralized, searchable location and syncs with Simplenote or WriteRoom on your iPhone. This seems like a little thing, but it really makes life so much easier. (More nerdy details here.) For Macs only.
5. FocusBooster – Focus on single tasks for 25 minutes apiece.
This app is based on the principles of the Pomodoro Technique, a time management system that challenges you to focus on a single task for 25 minutes and then give yourself a 5-minute break. Combining the features of a to-do list and a time-management coach, FocusBooster allows you to list out your daily tasks, and then it tracks your time as you work through them. When 25 minutes are up, an alarm sounds and you get a break. It’s an easy way to practice expanding your attention span without going overboard. For Macs and PCs.
6. Think - Limit your attention to a single application at a time.
This is an extremely simple app that’s akin to “Spaces” on a Mac. When activated, Think allows you to bring just one application into the foreground on your computer, while everything else is hidden underneath a nearly opaque backdrop. While you can easily shift between other applications when you need to, it creates a clean space for focusing on the task at hand. (It also works well in tandem with FocusBooster.) For Macs only.
7. FocusWriter - Create a distraction-free environment for writing.
If writing is something that you do on a regular basis, it’s incredibly useful to have an easy way to create a distraction-free setting. FocusWriter re-creates a word processor-like environment, blocking out absolutely everything on your screen except for the words you type on a simple grey background – all menus (date, timer, dock, etc) are tucked away until rollover. Despite its pristine appearance, FocusWriter does have the usual rich text editor features, such as spellcheck and word count. Plus a few bonuses like a daily writing goal (word count or writing time) and very gratifying typewriter sounds for each keystroke. For Macs and PCs.
8. Anti-Social - Block the social websites that are killing your focus.
Anti-Social is like a light version of full-scale Internet-blocker Freedom. Rather than blocking the Internet in its entirety, Anti-Social automatically blocks all of the known timesinks for a set period of time. Sites that are off-limits include Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Digg, Reddit, YouTube, Hulu, Vimeo, and all standard web email programs. It’s not that different from Self-Control (see above), except that it comes pre-equipped with a blacklist (which you can add to, of course). If you can’t handle your Internet abstinence, you can turn Anti-Social off by rebooting your computer. For Macs and PCs.
9. StayFocusd - Curb the time you spend browsing time-wasting sites.
This extension, for users of Google’s Chrome browser, works in the reverse manner to Anti-Social or Self-Control. Rather than setting a period of time for which you CANNOT use the Internet, it allows you to set a period of time to indulge in time-wasting sites. Only want to give yourself 60 minutes a day for Twitter, vanity Googling, and updating your Netflix queue? This is your app. Rather like when you were a kid and only allowed to watch 2 hours of TV a day. For Firefox users, LeechBlock performs a similar function. For Macs and PCs.
10. Time Out - Take regular breaks to keep your focus sharp.
For optimal focus, we need to take regular time-outs to relax and rebuild our energy. Time Out is a super-simple application that runs in the background while you work. At set intervals (say, every 90 minutes), it fades in and gently reminds you to take a 5-10 minute break. You can also use it to remind you to take 1-minute “micro-breaks” to avoid eye strain from staring at your computer like a zombie for hours on end. For Macs only.
Perhaps the most interesting insight from the book is its perspective on the traits of those of us who are NOT earning as much as we’d like. As well as the revelation that many of the “six figure women” profiled therein were serial underearners until they changed their mindset – often because something drastic happened (e.g. a divorce, bankruptcy, etc).
Stanny goes on outline the key traits of underearners, and I was surprised at how many of them were true of me or close friends and family. One of the points – negotiating ability and confidence – is a skill that I’ve worked hard to improve for many years now. And, based on conversations with numerous other creatives, I know I’m not alone.
So I thought it would be useful to share Stanny’s insights here on 99% to start a discussion about an often-taboo topic among creatives – money. How much we’re making, or how little we’re making, and why.
But first: What is a serial underearner? According to Stanny:
Jerold Mundis, the author of the first book on the subject, “Earn What You Deserve,” defines underearning this way: “to repeatedly gain less income than you need, or than would be beneficial, usually for no apparent reason and despite your desire to do otherwise.” Simply put, an underearner is anyone who earns below her potential.
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Underearners aren’t all poorly paid, however. You can make decent money and still fall into this category. What distinguishes an underearner is that she should bring in more, and genuinely wants to, but for whatever reason, she doesn’t… It’s estimated that one out of every three workers is an underearner, most of them women.
Stanny goes on to outline the characteristics of the typical underearner (which I’ve substantively abbreviated in this excerpt):
Underearners have a high tolerance for low pay.
Underearners consistently accept low-paying jobs or jobs that pay less than they need, usually for the “freedom” it gives them.
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Underearners are willing to work for free.
Underearners regularly give away their time, knowledge, and skills for nothing. They’ll work at no charge without thinking twice. Most of the time, it’s so ingrained, they aren’t even conscious they’re doing it.
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Underearners are lousy negotiators.
Underearners are reluctant to ask for more, whether it’s to increase their fees or to request a raise. For some, it actually never crosses their minds to ask.
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Underearners practice reverse snobbery.
Most of us harbor all kinds of distorted perceptions about money. Underearners, however, tend to have a particularly negative attitude, particularly toward people who have it. Many will tell you they don’t like the rich.
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Underearners believe in the nobility of poverty.
At the same time underearners are spurning the wealthy, they are singing their own praises for surviving on so little. Many of them take great pride in barely eking out a living, as if it’s more noble and respectable to be one of the poor. Not only are people with money bad, they think, but so is money itself.
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Underearners are subtle self-saboteurs.
Underearners unwittingly throw banana peels in their own path in all sorts of ways, like applying for work they’re not qualified for, creating problems with coworkers, procrastinating or leaving projects unfinished, hopping from one job to another, always stopping just short of reaching their goals.
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Underearners are unequivocally codependent.
Underearners will sacrifice personal security and private dreams by putting other people’s needs before their own. Their kids, spouse, job, church, and friends all take precedence over their own needs and priorities.
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Underearners live in financial chaos.
They are more likely to be in debt, have smaller savings, fewer (if any) investments, and little idea where their money goes. Underearners often go from crisis to crisis, constantly moving money from one account to another, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, careening hopelessly toward financial disaster.—
What’s Your Relationship To Money? Have you struggled with underearning? How did you overcome it?
What money management tips have worked well for you?
(Source: the99percent.com)
Using search engine optimization for one-way link building is the most important factor for getting a high keyword ranking. Because search engines list their results from your link popularity, SEO positioning should be your number one strategy for high pagerank.
SEO Tip #1 When utilizing an aggressive linking campaign, don’t start linking into multiple domain networks which are all hosted on the same server or buying a series of links hosted within a single IP addresses. What your website needs are natural links that will be gained over a period of time. One of the best ways to achieve this is to comment on do-follow blogs (not spamming, but commenting on a few per day) where your website link is naturally growing. SEO Tip #2 The pagerank quality of those sites you want to link to you must appear natural to the search engines. Be careful to not only link to sites with a high page rank of 8 or 9. You should also seek links from a good range of sites with both high and low page rank values. This is especially the case for new sites and submitting articles to the various article directories will achieve this. SEO Tip #3 Try looking at your link campaign from a purely scientific view. Basically, you need to find out what the visitors to your site are searching for and then find out which phrases convert to sales and then target your link text towards these visitors. Once you have determined your highest value phrases, you then apply those phrases in the anchor text you request from your link partners. Using this method allows you to request links based on the highest Return Of Investment (ROI), as well as appearing natural to the search engine spiders. By applying the strategies above, you will attain a linking campaign that is both relevant and highly targeted to your main search phrases. Link quality is far more important than link quantity and anchor text is more important than pagerank.
Consumer reach is only the beginning
Vastly different attitudes to digital across the region reinforce the need for localised engagement
This year’s ranking of the region’s top-performing digital brands finds new categories stepping up online promotional activity, while traditional heavy hitters such as Nokia and McDonald’s maintain a solid presence in most markets surveyed.
In particular, telcos feature highly in the rankings, not only in markets such as Singapore, but also in Thailand, Malaysia and China, where an enhanced web profile reflected increasingly competitive conditions within the sector.
While innovative digital branding clearly plays an important role in driving consumers to action, the study indicates that lack of trust in online marketing remains a serious issue. Digital marketers face an especially stiff challenge winning people over in developed markets like Taiwan, but online channels are also regarded with a healthy degree of scepticism in China-perhaps largely due to a heavy-handed approach. Malaysia and Thailand are shown to be more open, signalling room for experimentation.
To add credibility to visibility, marketers need to continue to make full use of online by listening and engaging-not just showcasing.
TOP 20 REGIONAL BRANDS
Social Ambitions
Brands need to embrace social channels more fully if they are to raise trust levels. By David Tiltman
Top 20 digital brands
1. McDonald’s
2. Nokia
3. KFC
4. Coca-Cola
5. Nike
6. Sony
7. Samsung
8. adidas
9. Pizza Hut
10. Nestlé
11. Pepsi
12. Canon
13. Toyota
14. Heineken
15. Citibank
16. Olay
17. Honda
18. Philips
19. VISA
20. Head & Shoulders
The 2010 Top Digital Brands survey, highlights some uncomfortable facts for Asia’s online marketers. The results of the TNS study show that online techniques are some of the least trusted forms of marketing; but they also suggest ways that a brand can build a highly credible presence on the internet.
In terms of awareness, the survey shows little change on last year, with multinational brands still dominating. Nokia, for example, is again consistently near the top of each country’s awareness table. But there are signs that local brands are raising their game online. In Thailand, where no local brand made the top 10 in last year’s survey, three Thai telcos appear in this year’s list. Malaysia’s AirAsia, meanwhile, gets the highest single-market awareness score of any brand in the survey. The exception appears to be China, where multinationals put in a stronger showing this year than they did in 2009.
Attitudes towards digital marketing vary significantly around the region, as shown by the answers to questions regarding the persuasiveness of brands’ online efforts. Thailand and Malaysia posted by far the highest scores for digital persuasion, while consumers in Hong Kong and Singapore, the two markets with the most sophisticated media industries, showed much lower levels.
The survey also asked how much consumers trust a brand’s presence in different media, and it is here that digital marketers face a serious challenge. Across Asia, the least trusted forms of media are all digital. More than 40 per cent of Asian consumers say they do not trust ads in video games, ads in virtual worlds or ads in mobile SMS. More than 30 per cent do not trust emails or pop-ups. And 25 per cent do not trust search ads or banner ads. In all those cases less than 12 per cent said they trusted the medium completely.
What’s more, not all ‘interruptive’ media fare badly. TV comes off quite well in comparison, with 18 per cent trusting it completely and 14 per cent not trusting it at all. Interestingly, however, digital also appears at the other end of the spectrum.
Recommendations from friends or family are the most trusted source of information, but expert and consumer reviews on websites, brands’ own websites and consumer opinion in blogs all score highly.
This reflects a broader trend borne out by findings of Edelman’s Trust Barometer that 59 per cent of Asian consumers trusted businesses less than a year ago.
Thomas Crampton, Asia-Pacific director of digital influence at Ogilvy PR, also detects a growing resistance to corporate messages. “In the face of increasingly sceptical consumers, companies will need to rely on authentic word-of-mouth,” he says. “This is not easy for any company, but can be particularly difficult in Asia, where disclosure and openness are not deeply embedded in corporate culture.”
Given the disparity between trust levels in digital media, the question marketers face is how to achieve a balance between paid media they control, owned media such as the corporate website, and earned media-coverage in the social media world that is largely out of their hands. In some markets, China particularly, so called ‘astroturfing’ (seeding positive comments within social media) has been a popular tactic. If caught, a brand can expect its reputation to be tarnished, yet this remains “the biggest challenge in our industry”, according to John Kerr, Edelman’s regional digital director.
Kerr argues that engendering trust online requires a different mindset. Brands often see social media as a cheap option, as they do not have to buy media space. But significant investment is required in long-term management of a community. “Unfortunately social media has become another broadcast channel for many firms,” he says. “I get the feeling that there’s a heavy sense of relief for some brands when they can point to a set of fans or followers on Facebook or Twitter, but the job has only just begun.”
The other issue around balancing social media involvement with paid media is measurement. What metrics apply to social media campaigns and how can they be made comparable to metrics for paid media campaigns? Pushkar Sane, global head of social marketing at Starcom Mediavest, says that success in social media should be the same as success in other forms of marketing, involving a lift in sales or market share, a lift in brand equity scores, or a lift in positive sentiments. However, he advises that “measuring these in silos will not help the brands to really identify the relative importance of different media vehicles”.
David Ko, EVP Asia-Pacific at Waggener Edstrom, agrees that the “spike in number of metrics” makes tracking success across the digital space more difficult. “Each campaign can have individual metrics that range from number of submissions to an online competition, to actual sales transactions,” he says. “It’s up to marketers to decide upfront what success looks like, what should be measured to constitute success, and then execute accordingly.”
CHINA’S TOP DIGITAL BRANDS
KFC is China’s Top Digital Brand
Top 10 Motivating Brands
Building trust
When it comes to awareness, Western brands dominate China’s digital marketing scene. In last year’s survey, three Chinese brands appeared in the top 10; this year that number is down to two-China Mobile and Alibaba. That said, in the list of the top motivating advertisers, four Chinese brands appeared, including Lenovo, which topped the table. This suggests that some domestic brands are using digital highly effectively.
Cautious but engaged
China’s online population continues to grow rapidly- up to 384 million according to figures released in January. Consequently, online marketing continues to expand: clients spent Rmb 20.6 billion (US$3 billion) last year, according to iResearch, up 21 per cent from 2008. But the issues of trust in marketing highlighted in previous surveys remain.
Unsurprisingly, consumers across the region rate recommendations from friends and family as their most trusted, but in China 57 per cent say they trust this source completely. When asked which forms of marketing they do not trust, the top six answers were all online: ads in video games (47 per cent), ads in virtual worlds (47 per cent), SMS ads (46 per cent), email ads (38 per cent), pop-ups (38 per cent) and banner ads (28 per cent).
Given these figures, it is surprising that pop-ups remain so widespread in China: 47 per cent say they have seen them, the highest of any market.
Yet Chinese consumers respond well to digital. Eighty-four per cent say that a brand’s presence online increased their interest in using it to some degree, behind only Malaysia and Thailand. They also look for other consumers’ views on products. Consumer reviews on websites represent the second most trusted source of information, with 27 per cent saying they trust them completely. With a more subtle approach, digital marketers can expect strong results.
HONG KONG’S TOP DIGITAL BRANDS
McDonalds is Hong Kong’s Top Digital Brand
Top 10 Motivating Brands
Local connection
This year’s survey reveals the growing breadth of brands using digital channels in Hong Kong. Aside from the MNC marketing powerhouses that invest heavily in digital in all markets, several local companies and organisations have been using online media, with MTR Corp, Ocean Park, Cathay Pacific and Octopus all making the top 10.
PCCW, HangSeng Bank, Mannings and Wellcome all appear in the top 20, underlining just how many local companies are active in the digital space.
An under-exploited medium That said, digital spend is still low at about 7 per cent, and digital marketing can still be basic. Email proved unusually prevalent: Thirty-six per cent of respondents recalled email marketing messages, higher than any market other than Singapore.
On the other hand, mobile usage by advertisers remains surprisingly low, despite a mobile penetration rate of over 160 per cent and has around three million 3G subscribers. Just 12 per cent of consumers recalled seeing brands using mobile, the lowest score of all markets covered in the survey.
Unusually, the brand that scored highest for motivation-Apple-was not even in the top 20 for awareness. Forty-seven per cent of respondents said its digital work significantly raised their interest.
Overall, Hong Kongers seem more guarded towards digital marketing than many of their counterparts in other Asian markets. Just 25 per cent said that digital work significantly raised their interest in brands, while 18 per cent said it did not raise their interest at all. Only Singaporeans proved less receptive.
What’s more, the seven marketing channels with lowest trust scores are all online. 56 per cent of respondents said they did not trust ads in virtual worlds, followed by ads in video games (51 per cent), SMS (43 per cent), pop-ups or pop-unders (30 per cent), search engine ads (29 per cent), email ads (28 per cent) and banner ads (25 per cent). [1]
MALAYSIA’S TOP DIGITAL BRANDS
Air Asia is Malaysia’s Top Digital Brand
Top 10 Motivating Brands
Online impact
Malaysian awareness scores for brands’ digital marketing are generally high. The top-ranked brand, Air Asia, scored the highest of any brand in any market, with 85 per cent recalling its digital work (significantly, Air Asia also scores highly for a frequency, with 46 per cent saying it was one of the advertisers they saw using online the most). Nokia comes in second for awareness with a score of 78 per cent, a figure that is higher than the scores of the top-ranked brands in every other market.
Open to digital
Aside from AirAsia, the local brands attracting high awareness scores were the telcos: Maxis, DiGi and Celcom. The trio have been aggressively launching new offerings, such as broadband services, new phones (Maxis offers the iPhone) and various kinds of hardware. All three brands rank in the top 10 Malaysian advertisers by total spend, according to Nielsen figures for the first half of 2009. By contrast, Telekom Malaysia, which also appears among the top 10 advertisers, ranks only 18th in terms of awareness with a score of 54 per cent.
Motivational scores are also high compared with other markets. Sony, Air Asia and Pizza Hut all scored more than 50 per cent when consumers were asked whether their interest in a brand had been raised significantly thanks to its digital marketing.
Malaysian advertisers seem open to a number of marketing options on the web. There was a remarkably high awareness score for sponsored online content; 61 per cent recalled seeing this, by far the highest of any market. Mobile also rated highly, with 24 per cent recalling mobile campaigns, putting Malaysia on a par with Singapore.
Digital marketing appears to work well with Malaysian web users. Thirty-five per cent said it significantly increased their interest in a brand, higher than all the other markets except Thailand
SINGAPORE’S TOP DIGITAL BRANDS
SingTel is Singapore’s Top Digital Brand
Top 10 Motivating Brands
Telcos fight it out
The digital awareness table for Singapore reflects the strength of the city-state’s local brands, notably the telco trio of SingTel, StarHub and M1. As SingTel’s deal to poach English Premier League coverage from StarHub shows, competition for subscribers in that sector is fiercer than ever, so it’s no surprise that the major players have maintained a strong presence online.
Finance brands also placed highly, as they did last year. DBS, one of the banks criticised for its sale of certain Lehman Brothers-linked investment products, made the top 10 along with Citibank, while UOB, Visa, OCBC and HSBC make the top 20.
Topping the table for motivation, however, was adidas, which did not even make the top 20 for awareness. In 2009 the brand launched a year-long drive targeting Singapore’s women. The ‘Me, myself’ campaign included a Facebook application that helped women plan time for themselves by suggesting activities according to their chosen intensity and individual schedules.
Putting up resistance
The survey shows that Singaporeans multitask when it comes to media. Sixty-three per cent watch TV while online, and 66 per cent use mobile as they surf the web. Mobile marketing is more prevalent than in other markets: 24 per cent of respondents recall seeing mobile ads, higher than in any other market except Malaysia. Singaporeans also seem to have the highest opinion of mobile SMS ads. Although 32 per cent said they do not trust them, that is the lowest score of any nationality.
Singaporeans are among the most marketing-savvy consumers in the region. Just 19 per cent said that digital activity had significantly increased their interest in a brand, while 24 per cent said it had not increased their interest at all. They also loathe pop-ups and pop-unders more than any group: 48 per cent do not trust them, the highest score in the survey
TAIWAN’S TOP DIGITAL BRANDS
7-Eleven is Taiwan’s Top Digital Brand
Top 10 Motivating Brands
Retail leaders
Judging by the results of the awareness study, retail and fast food are the lead categories in Taiwan’s digital marketing scene. Both sectors have three brands in the top 10. Retail claims the top two spots, with 7-Eleven and Yahoo! Shopping claiming awareness scores of more than 75 per cent. Family Mart is in ninth position. The fast food sector, meanwhile, is represented by the US trio of McDonald’s (third for awareness), KFC (sixth) and Pizza Hut (tenth).
Other notable categories include telecoms. Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile make the top 10, while FarEastone ranks at number 13.
Figures for internet usage show a marked split between work and leisure. Fifty-two per cent of respondents said they use the internet for less than two hours a day for work purposes. The figure is just 29 per cent for leisure, a wider divergence than any other market in the study.
Mobile sceptics
Taiwan is now one of Asia’s largest internet ad markets, with an estimated 10 per cent of budgets going on the medium. Yet despite high mobile penetration, just 14 per cent of consumers recalled a mobile campaign. One reason may be relatively low take-up of SMS and mobile internet; a study of mobile usage in 22 nations by Universal McCann showed Taiwanese use mobile for voice more than elsewhere.
The survey data also reveals a startling lack of trust in classic forms of digital marketing. Manufacturers’ websites, email newsletters, ads sent by email, consumer opinion in blogs and chatrooms and banner ads are trusted less than in any other market. A total of 59 per cent said they did not trust mobile SMS, and 32 per cent said they did not trust search ads.
It should be pointed out that Taiwanese consumers also gave low trust scores for newspaper, magazine, TV and radio ads. Clearly, this is not just a problem with digital marketing. [1]
THAILAND’S TOP DIGITAL BRANDS
Nokia is Thailand’s Top Digital Brand
Top 10 Motivating Brands
Winning online
Consumers in Thailand like digital media more than any other nationality in the survey. Across the board, digital channels scored higher for trust and persuasion. Forty-one per cent say online work had significantly raised their interest in a brand, more than any other nation; and just eight percent said it had no effect, fewer than in all other markets.
In terms of trust, Thais are willing to put their faith in brands’ websites - 39 per cent say they trust these completely, far higher than the second-placed Malaysians on 25 per cent. They are the most likely to trust email, consumer opinion in chat rooms and message boards, banner ads, pop-ups, mobile SMS, ads in video games and ads in virtual worlds. They are also twice as likely to trust a search ad completely than the regional average (24 per cent versus 12 per cent).
The high trust levels are not necessarily a reflection of better digital marketing in Thailand. Generally, Thais show greater trust in offline media too. Thirty-two per cent say they trust TV ads completely, compared with a regional average of 18 per cent.
Awareness versus motivation
The list of the top brands for awareness underlines some of the key marketing battles taking place in the country. The mobile telecoms sector in particular is heavily represented: One-2-Call, Dtac and True all make the top 10, with handset manufacturer Nokia and rival Samsung also in the list. However, only the two handset brands make the top 10 of the most motivating advertisers, suggesting that awareness is not necessarily translating to interest for operators.
Japan’s motor companies are represented in Toyota and Honda, reflecting a fast-growing car market. With Nissan set to use Thailand as the test market for its March eco-car, competition is likely to increase.
The rest of the top 10 is filled by MNC food and drink brands that spend highly on digital across the region: Pepsi, KFC and Pizza Hut.
METHODOLOGY
Research company TNS interviewed a total of 3000 consumers, aged 15 to 39, across six Asian markets: China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Interviews were conducted online using an access panel provided by Lightspeed, a Kantar company.
The research had four main objectives: to understand consumer awareness of a brand’s digital presence in each market; to examine the use of digital media by different brands in the region; to assess the effect a brand’s digital presence has on influencing consumer choice; and to explore levels of consumer trust towards different media channels.
Accurate representation of consumers was achieved via stratified sampling with quotas on age, gender and city in line with population distribution. The brands included in the survey comprise the top spending advertisers in each market across all media, according to Nielsen’s ad expenditure data.
This study therefore focuses on the digital presence of the top advertisers only. Those advertisers and brands not included in the list of top spenders are by default excluded from the study.
