Mobile advertising in Southeast Asia: 2024 trends and what they mean for marketers

Southeast Asia's smartphone penetration rate, which stands at a whopping 88.9%, presents marketers in the region with a goldmine of opportunities to reach, engage, and convert digitally-savvy audiences. Here, we explore how with a deep-dive into key trends and phenomena defining 2024.

4 hours 42 minutes. That is how long Southeast Asians spend on their mobiles daily, exceeding the world average by over an hour. 

The mobile has become a go-to for everything from entertainment to essentials, presenting a goldmine of opportunities to connect with “always-on” audiences. The burning question remains: how? 

How does one navigate the labyrinth of short attention spans to keep Southeast Asians engaged? How can artificial intelligence (AI) be leveraged to craft extraordinary experiences? And, most importantly, how can all of this be done responsibly? 

The answers lie in three qualities that mirror the psyche of mobile users and digital consumers in the region: seamless, smart, and serendipitous.

Here is how these qualities take shape in defining the experiences of today:

• Seamless – A journey where accessing the desired content or experience feels effortless. 
• Smart – Smart, intuitive, and intelligent recommendations that make interactions memorable.
• Serendipitous – Enabling relevant and pleasantly surprising discovery, tailored to consumer preferences and context. 

What these trends for digital experiences mean for marketers

The future is live

Live experiences are not just a passing trend in Southeast Asia but a cultural phenomenon deeply ingrained in the region’s digital landscape. To miss this promising phenomenon is to miss connecting with millions of users in real time.

Particularly in Indonesia, the love for live experiences comes alive on the smartphone lock screen, where users clock 2 million watch hours a month (Glance platform data). Indonesians spend a significant amount of time engaging with their favorite content, and this is being utilized by Indofood Freiss. 

The brand harnessed the power of live and reached 703k Indonesians on the smart lock screen. Perfectly timed messaging and an interactive approach are what enabled the brand to make an impact on its target audience. Besides this, effectively retargeting the viewers of the live stream and offering them an irresistible deal led Indofood Freiss to achieve 102% of its coupon redemption target.  

Gaming is reigning supreme

The mobile is the new console. With esports having become an official medal sport at the Asian Games, we see millions of smartphone users in Southeast Asia gaming, streaming, and competing from their “always-on” devices.

This demand for gaming on the go has also led to massive success for single-tap gaming in Indonesia, with the smartphone lock screen acting as the arcade for 7 million monthly active gamers (Glance platform data).

Single-tap esports is also seeing astonishing success. In February 2023, 1.67 million viewers from Indonesia joined the 12-day Goddess League live tournament for Mobile Legends Bang Bang. The six-day iFeL Southeast Asia Championship livestream also attracted 8.4 million views, a record 3 million+ more than YouTube and TikTok combined for the same tournament.

Brands can utilize the growing mobile gaming sphere to reach highly engaged audiences in several high-impact ways, such as:

1. Collaborating with popular gaming influencers or streamers in the region to promote their products or services. 
2. Creating branded experiences within or around the game to engage gaming audiences.
3. Sponsoring existing esports tournaments that align with their brand identity and target demographic.

Generative AI is revolutionizing mobile marketing 

AI is breaking boundaries and transcending the limits of what is possible for marketers. It allows them to push the envelope and create experiences that delight, inspire, and engage audiences in new ways.  

As generative AI continues to revolutionize marketing and content creation, projections indicate that Southeast Asia will invest around $646m in AI solutions by 2026.

Marketers can tap into the mammoth power of AI in numerous ways, such as:

• Leveraging AI to improve content liquidity and utilizing AI-generated music and image assets in rich media.
• Using AI to rank and tag the most engaging content for contextualization, creating a revolutionary customer support experience with AI chatbots.
• Predicting consumer behavior, optimizing targeting, personalizing content, automating campaign management, and enhancing performance through data-driven insights.

The need for responsible advertising

While Southeast Asia’s digital landscape continues to grow at a rapid pace, it also presents a pressing need – protecting personal data. 92% of Southeast Asians surveyed by IAB SEA+India said they fully understand or think they understand what data privacy means. With this in mind, brands must reimagine their strategies to align with the values of well-informed and privacy-focused consumers, foster trust among them, and adhere to industry standards.

But privacy isn’t the sole concern; sustainability is also central to this conversation. Every impression leaves a carbon footprint, reinstating the urgent need for action toward greener practices in advertising. Implementing supply path optimization (SPO) plays a crucial role in combatting emissions and digital waste. Educating stakeholders about environmental impacts can also foster conscious decisions. 

Whatever your goal is in 2024, let it be led by seamless approaches, smart recommendations, and serendipitous discoveries to facilitate memorable and meaningful interactions with your audience. These are the keys to maximizing success for your brand with responsibility and innovation.