NeoMedia: Converting Chinese social networks into offline activities
Virtual to actual could be a challenge
NeoMedia Technologies is expanding its marketing efforts in China, adding its qode technology to one of the country’s biggest social networking Web sites, GBQ, by agreement with its GBQ’s founder, Internet marketeer Cyber Century.
GBQ (stands for boy, girl, question – see www.gbq.cn ) was set up in 2000 and is said to have two million subscribers between the ages of 18 and 35, most of whom are students. Cyber Century also says that the average user page view at GBQ is twice that of other social networking sites in China, according its own research, and that online dialogues are underway between 10,000 or more subscribers at any one time.
Cyber Century has begun organising offline activities for its members in China’s biggest cities, Shanghai and Beijing, which is where qode comes in. It enables GBQ participants to use their camera phones to ‘click’ on smart codes on posters, printed media and products to find out how, when and where to meet other GBQers.
NeoMedia is to launch of qode for Cyber Century and GBQ in two stages, First it will offer members a GBQ smart code to encourage them to sign up as a VIP GBQ Code Holder. The second phase will be to invite the VIPs to free events, offering discounts and other incentives. However, they will be charged for the qode service, either per click or on a monthly plan.
NeoMedia is promoting the VIP GBQ programme across China via the apparently popular ‘SuperGirl’ talent search content and qode will be used to vote for the winner from 24 finalists, each of whom will have their own smart code. Currently the company is still in the process of preparing its Java-based qode application to run on Chinese handsets.
Camera phone shipments in China has been slow, lagging behind Japan and Korea. However, according to research published by Lyra Research on 20 October, phone shipments are poised for “explosive growth” in China and India, so NeoMedia’s timing is great, so long as it gets on to the best-selling camera phones.
Also the extraordinary phenomenon of MySpace-type social networking is yet to hit China, but as four times more Chinese people own mobile phones than PCs, it’s come via mobile first. It’s not clear though whether the enthusiasm for social networking via mobile will translate into outdoor events.
For more information about qode and GBQ see http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20061026.jsp
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One Response to “NeoMedia: Converting Chinese social networks into offline activities”
New China, Chinese Asian Social Network. Website: http://www.ahdeee.com/Network/AsianListing.aspx
Comment made on September 15th, 2007 at 6:39 amLeave a Comment