Dublicator

Africa and the Mobile Web

As the 14th AfricaCom – Africa’s largest Communications Conference – is about to open its doors tomorrow, 9th November 2011, in Cape Town, South Africa… and this with some 150+ speakers who will share their vision of Africa’s future communications landscape, it’s worth getting a fact-based idea of Africa and the Mobile Web.

Please take note of my earlier posts on Media Marketing Africa HERE and Will AfricaCom be the Turning Point for Digital Africa HERE.

Africa and the Mobile Web

As part of Symbiotic Media (African Mirror), I was invited to have a look at the inside story. This allows me to give some profound feedback on Africa and the Mobile Web based on the latest press release.

So let me share some staggering data in terms of the really trail-blazing way Africans communicate over vast distances without any of the modern infra-structure first-world countries are accustomed to.

World-leading by Mobile Subscriptions

The first fact is already mind-blowing: Africa is the world’s second-most connected region … in other words: almost world-leading by mobile subscriptions! Who would have thought that? I didn’t!

The number of mobile subscriptions in Africa are set to reach one billion in 2016!

In fact, Africa has become the second most connected region in the world in terms of mobile subscription count, up from a 4th place at the end of 2010, according to new research by Informa Telecoms & Media. There were over 616 million mobile subscriptions in Africa at the end of September. This means that the mobile market on the continent is second only to Asia-Pacific in terms of mobile subscription numbers.

Africa’s mobile-subscription count overtook that of Western Europe during 2Q11 and then overtook the Americas in 3Q11. At end-2010, less than a year ago, Africa was only the fourth largest regional mobile market by subscriptions, coming after Asia-Pacific, Western Europe and the Americas.

Incredible!

“The combination in Africa of a still relatively immature telecoms market with factors including population growth, strong competition among providers and the increasing affordability of mobile devices, explains Africa’s move up the regional mobile-market rankings as well as its strong growth forecast,” said Matthew Reed, head of mobile research for the Middle East and Africa at Informa Telecoms & Media. “Africa’s mobile market is heading towards a major landmark: the number of mobile subscriptions on the continent will cross the one billion mark in 2016 according to our latest forecast.”

Africa will retain its position as the second biggest regional mobile market by subscriptions, according to Informa’s forecasts for the coming five years. However, there is a strong trend for Africa mobile subscribers to have multiple SIM cards and consequently the number of unique users of mobile services on the continent is smaller than the number of subscriptions. The number of unique users in Africa at end-2016 is forecasted to be 572.35 million.

Nigeria biggest mobile market

Nigeria will continue to be Africa’s biggest mobile market by subscriptions, with a forecasted 152.09 million subscriptions at end-2016.

Egypt will hold onto its position as Africa’s second-biggest mobile market, with a forecasted 118.03 million subscriptions at end-2016.

South Africa, the continent’s third largest mobile market, will have 80.56 million mobile subscriptions at end-2016.

Mobile Penetration Rate

Africa is forecasted to have a mobile penetration rate of 86.92% at end-2016, still lower than in other regions.

3G (WCDMA) subscriptions and market share in Africa will grow strongly over the coming years. The mobile-market-share held by WCDMA is forecasted to rise from 6.6% at end-2011 to 46% at end-2016, almost equalling GSM’s market-share of 47.5% at end-2016.

About Customer Retention

As the African market matures, the retention of existing customers is becoming increasingly important.

A recent survey by Informa Telecoms & Media into the views of African operators on customer loyalty found that 21.8% of respondents ranked customer retention as their main priority while 18.2% said it was customer acquisition, and 60% said that customer retention and customer acquisition were equally important.

Informa’s Analysts will be discussing this and other hot topics at the Africa Com event in Cape Town next week. For more information please visit: AfricaCom HERE.

I will be back with more…

African Mirror

African Mirror – A Reflection of the Times – will soon be out with its latest and absolutely smashing offline edition! The pink cactus photo taken outside their offices in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday… signals something spectacular to look forward to and definitely: there is a sense of excitement and promise in the air down here in the forgotten corner of the Southern Hemisphere! Perhaps the reason why the royals are all visiting …?

African Mirror

As it states in its introduction, African Mirror “…reflects on important issues relevant to the growth of our people and our economic well-being. Its uniqueness is in its portrayal of South Africa within an African context within a global context, employing cutting edge design, layout and exclusive and erudite editorial.”

African Mirror is an exquisite offline business-to-business publication with an indefinite shelf-life and a huge pass-on readership. This attractive publication is the premier marketing tool for major endorser organisations, and the only South African – if not African – magazine of its kind that is distributed to 125 embassies and trade missions around the world.

Look forward to be astonished… and there’s much more in store that we will be revealing at a later stage :)

Happy Weekend

Just wishing everybody a relaxed and happy weekend right from my webcam!

Happy Weekend

Also thinking of all our European friends who are going through some rough moments…
May the right solutions be found with Vision, Wisdom and Peace; may People discover themselves in other People and realize that there is only ONE way: together… with mutual respect and understanding!
In South Africa we say “Ubuntu”: “I am because you are. ”

Tough times are for our Growth – Happy Weekend!

Good Morning from Noordhoek

Good Morning from Noordhoek… with the first rays of a glorious sun gently touching Chapman’s Peak and gliding down the slopes of the majestic mountain… my garden still enveloped in shadows and awakening! May this be the promise of yet another day filled with joy and laughter for you!

Good Morning from Noordhoek

This very early “Good Morning from Noordhoek” greeting was taken when I did some sound recordings in my garden capturing the spectacular concerto of birds, hadidas, Egyptian geese, a crow, guinea fowel, jubilant roosters, even a wild peacock and more… besides a very loud surf reverberating all the way up the mountain from the Atlantic Ocean.

Yet the sea was calm… and it still is as I write these lines.

Here’s to a splendid Saturday … and wishing our Canadian friends “Happy Thanksgiving”! In a way, my daily little cheer message is jsut that: a daily Thanksgiving!

Good morning from Noordhoek

Good morning from Noordhoek is meant for you… to bring a smile to your lips and inviting you to look up at the sky!

Good morning from Noordhoek

Wishing you all a wonderful “Good Morning from Noordhoek” – right from my garden… where this stunning emerald sunbird keeps following me from the moment I open my Studio door – just too beautiful.

Don’t forget to go out and smell the roses… refuel and observe the beauty of the world… it may be in something tiny or within a serene view – be grateful for the gift of another day filled with promise and wonder!

The Future of Travel Information

I don’t know about you, but before I book a trip I talk to people I know who may have been there, I try to find out a maximum about my targeted holiday spot on the Internet and yes! I would also check what’s on the shelves at Exclusive Books here in Cape Town, South Africa. There’s nothing like sitting in the garden or on the beach and paging through a real book… then lifting one’s view to the distant horizon and do what I call “… just dream it”.

While the dream may be so spectacular that you never buy that flight ticket… chances are that all the accumulated information gets you excited and you get on that plane to dreamland!

The fact today is, however, that most people search on Google, get to Travel and Tourism related websites and blogs to read reviews and be inspired by other tourists … and then simply book online. It’s just a few mouse-clicks and you’re on the plane.

Therefore, and especially with the explosion of Social Media Marketing through social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc, it seems the Future of Travel Information is obvious… and this has an impact on the future destiny of Travel Guides… cherished by many, but not by the masses.

The Future of Travel Information

The fact is, that the most relevant and pretty genuine information about places and trips is easily found in form of ‘user-generated content’ on Social Networks. Who needs to ask a Travel expert if there is a possibility to talk to someone living exactly where one wants to go, and this since generations and with a joyful willingness to share and answer questions?

Add to this the speed of the Mobile Web!

Listen to Richard Trillo, author of several African Guide Books, at the eTourism Africa Summit 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa, how he sees the Future of Travel Information and, of course, the traditional travel guide.

ENJOY!

I just discovered a slideshow of his presentation that you can find by clicking on  the top photo here.

Good Morning from Noordhoek

Good Morning from Noordhoek… wishing you a joyful and fulfilled day!

Good Morning from Noordhoek

Losing Internet connections again at around 8 am this morning… just after posting my article regarding the passing of visionary Apple legend Steve Jobs… I got out into the rising sunshine to quietly follow my inner guidance and shoot today’s “Good Morning from Noordhoek” picture. It was good to connect with Nature, fuel up on its abundant energy and see how life goes on in perfect rhythm celebrating the cycle of life and death.

I knew I wanted a white picture… something pure, something light – so here it is in all its splendour with no other reason than wanting to make you smile :)

Have a wonderful day!

Good bye Steve Jobs

Opening my Safari browser a few minutes ago just made my heart stop for a few moments: there he was, one of the true visionaries and movers of our digital era, a man who has transformed the way we communicate on the mobile web and this with incredible style, efficiency, functionality…and financial success: Steve Jobs, looking straight at me through his fine-rimmed glasses in clean, elegant black and white Apple-style. Even before I saw the dates: 1955 to 2011… I knew the Apple legend had passed to the next level:
Good bye Steve Jobs.

Good bye Steve Jobs

Once again, Steve Jobs grabbed our attention and all the world is watching!

In my case here in Noordhoek at the tip of South Africa – full-screen on the highest valued real estate in the world! Again he demonstrated that with being on the Internet and having joined the virtual reality there is no escape; here we are all one. At least here it becomes blatantly visible… which all has both sides, good and bad and it certainly accelerates our evolution at an incredible pace. It often made me ponder as to how all this connected to our spiralling and accelerating path towards a higher consciousness… as I have no doubt that we too are on a transformational journey. Comparing the terminology both environments are using – the spiritual and the digital – is revelatory alone…

Is this too a look into the future?

Strangely enough – this picture has no finality to me…

There’s much more to come – but for the moment and leaving the real laudatio to the big boyz, I just say “Thank you” as I too have learned a lot…and : Good bye Steve Jobs!

Good Morning from Noordhoek

Good Morning from Noordhoek right from the top – wishing you all a splendid day and the perfect joy of being!

Good Morning from Noordhoek

Skies are blue and the vision is perfect! The garden exploding in spectacular colors – an absolute joy of living and sharing all over!

Wishing everybody an extraordinary day – Good Morning from Noordhoek!

How to get 64 Million Views on YouTube

Every Marketing effort on the Internet is aimed at getting more traffic, more views, more visitors, more readers and… more potential customers and clients. Enormous daily, weekly, monthly and annual advertising budgets are spent on getting products and services in front of customers before anyone else and in a way that’s more attractive, more persuasive – brief: getting peoples’ attention and buying power before the competition does.

The eternal fight.

And then there’s a normal human being like you and me who spends some fun time on an African safari and manages to teach us all how to get 64 Million views on YouTube at a snap ! He has fun, the viewers have fun and everybody is happy!

How did this happen?

How to get 64 Million Views on YouTube

In September 2004, two tourists from America visited Kruger National Park in South Africa. They were lucky enough to be at the right spot at the right time with a small sheap camcorder in hand when a pride of lions stalked and attacked a herd of buffalo who were coming to the dam to drink. I won’t tell you the story as it’s really worth watching – just click on the picture above as it will lead you to the YouTube video. You will be holding your breath for a few moments though, so be prepared… but besides some unbelievable animal interaction, there’s a happy ending to this daily drama in the bush. So have a look at “Battle of Kruger” unless you’ve seen it already – perhaps following my earlier post on the topic.

Of course, putting this video on YouTube got the ball rolling and viral marketing take over as more and more people watched and referred it to their friends, emailed the link or simply posted the video on their Facebook pages. Social Media marketing today is really easy, costs nothing and is simply a way to communicate interesting stuff to those we know and talk to. And we know that everyone knows everyone around just 6 corners. In other words – the entire marketing was done with no dime spent: by users.

It’s User Marketing… though I haven’t heard this word being used yet…

That’s how to get 64 million views on YouTube! Just grab your camera and start :)