Mobile devices take centre stage in the lives of affluent Asians

Fifty six percent of wealthy Asians use their mobile devices every week to take pictures while more than a quarter (31%) watched video clips through their mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), BlackBerrys, smart phones and portable media players according to the 2008 PAX media survey results released today by Synovate, a leading global market intelligence company.

Exploring all things digital, the Synovate PAX study introduces Digital Life, a new initiative which tracks how elites move through their day, locations, activities as well as platforms used to access media in detail - enabling media owners and media specialists to have a truly cross-media perspective on the on-line and offline behaviour of their target groups.

Synovate Research Director Clare Lui said high ownership figures of such devices indicated that affluent Asians were constantly on the move and have gone beyond the need to just stay connected.

"Mobility has become the new creed of Asian elites and they are using the ’third screen’ - screens on mobile phones, PDAs, MP4s and other personal portable devices - for connectivity, information and entertainment" she said.

Ninety five percent of Singaporean elites used their mobile devices to send and receive text messages (the region?s highest) while Taiwanese (84%) lead the way when it comes to chatting and instant messaging on the go.

Affluent Taiwanese were the region’s biggest information seekers, using their mobile devices to read news alerts and updates as well as to search for financial and business information.

Wealthy Koreans turned out to be the biggest sports junkies with over half (54%) using their mobile devices to receive sports results and sports related information.

Elite Thais (57%) were the most likely across the region to watch live TV on their mobile devices followed by Taiwanese (53%), Koreans (50%) and Singaporeans (37%).

"Interestingly enough, Asian elites were also expressing themselves through their mobile devices by reading (8%) and writing (3%) moblogs while wealthy Koreans (20%), Malaysians (18%) and Thais (18%) enjoyed making video clips" she added.

Synovate’s Executive Director for Media Steve Garton advised advertisers and media planners to take advantage of the "third screen" as an extended platform to reach Asian elites.

"In today’s environment, marketers should be exploring both traditional and digital platform strategies to communicate with affluent Asians as they move through their demanding lives.

"In order to connect them with marketing messages and maximise opportunities, it’s vital to determine where they are via the types of media content they consume and the platforms they use - our research certainly points to this broader approach" he said.

For more information on PAX (non-digital) 2008 results, please see the facts sheet (PDF, 76Kb): http://www.synovate.com/news/article/extra/20081016/081016_PAX2007_Singapore_fact_sheet_FINAL.pdf

About Synovate PAX

Already in its twelfth year, Synovate PAX is the region’s most comprehensive consumer study, tracking media and digital consumption, prosperity and influence across 11 markets in Asia Pacific - Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, India and the Philippines.

With EMS, our European equivalent of PAX, Synovate covers over 68 million elite consumers across 45 countries, including the Middle East and Latin America.

PAX Digital Life study was conducted from Q3 ’07 to Q2 ‘08 and Synovate spoke with 9725 respondents to get the 2008 results. It covers 7 markets in Asia Pacific - Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Australia. The target respondents are PAX eligible respondents with Internet usage of 60 minutes or above in an average week.


About Synovate

Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,000 staff across 63 countries.

For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.