- 32.6% of BtoC Companies Placed Mobile Ads in Fiscal Year 2011 Smartphone Ads Up 14.4 Points from previous survey to 22.5% -

Nikkei Digital Marketing, published by Nikkei Business Publications, Inc., and D2C Inc. have conducted a joint survey of usage trends in corporate mobile advertising for the 125 million mobile phones that have penetrated the Japanese domestic market (as of June 2012, study by TCA). The survey covered 4,328 Japanese listed and major unlisted companies through administration of a questionnaire in April and May 2012. Responses were received from 523 companies. The survey has now been conducted four times since its start in 2009. The response rate was 12.1%.

Survey of Usage Trends in Corporate Mobile Advertising: Six Key Points

[Point I.]   21.1% of Companies Increase Digital Ads. 13.6% Increase Smartphone Ads

[Point II.]  16.3% of All Companies and 32.6% of BtoC Companies Have Placed Mobile Ads

13.2% Have Placed Feature Phone Ads and 10.9% Have Placed Smartphone Ads

[Point III.]  "Ad Network" Ranks 15.1 Points Higher for Smartphones than Feature Phones as an Advertising Media

[Point IV.]  Choice of Advertising Effectiveness Indicators for Smartphones Ads Shows Strong Demand for Media Power and Media Value

[Point V.]   Among Companies That Have Not Placed Mobile Ads, Those Looking at Feature Phones Ads Decline to 7.1% While Almost Half (42.6%) of the BtoC Companies Look at Smartphone Ads

[Point VI.]  31.7% of BtoC Companies Have Their Own Smartphone Website and 20.7% Offer Their Own Apps

-- Classification of commercial and advertising expense allocations

BtoC Companies: Handles products and services for the general consumer; allocates commercial and advertising expenses largely to products and services targeted at those general consumers. (including companies that make similar allocations to BtoC and BtoB products)

BtoB Companies: Handles products and services for businesses; allocates commercial and advertising expenses largely to products and service targeted at those businesses.

-- Classification of types of advertising

Mobile advertising: In this survey, refers to the sum of feature phone advertising and smartphone advertising.

Feature phone advertising: Advertising that can be viewed through the Internet from a browser for a mobile phone.

Smartphone advertising: Advertising that can be viewed from a browser or application for a smartphone.

Digital advertising: General term applied to PC advertising, feature phone advertising, and smartphone advertising.

Survey Outline

Survey period:       April 24 to May 15, 2012 (document deadline, May 25 final collection deadline)

Survey method:      Postal survey

Companies surveyed: 4,328 Japanese listed and major unlisted corporations

Samples collected:   523 (response rate: 12.1%)

Survey company:    Nikkei BP Consulting, Inc.

For further information:

English: http://www.d2c.co.jp/en/news/2012/20120710-1404.html

Chinese: http://www.d2c.co.jp/cn/news/2012/20120710-1405.html

About Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.

Nikkei Business Publications, Inc., Nikkei Digital Marketing (http://www.nikkeibp.com/)

Monthly publications that introduce notable strategies and leading case studies.

Publishes Nikkei Digital Marketing and runs a website and forum for readers only

About D2C Inc.

D2C Inc. (http://www.d2c.co.jp/en)

Comprehensive Mobile Marketing Business encompassing Media Business, Media Rep Business, Mobile Solutions Business and others.