"Mobile media usage continues to accelerate across the globe, driven by advancing technologies and the growing number of content options available to consumers," said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. "As we look across markets, dramatic differences in mobile media consumption, brand adoption and user behaviour become evident. These differences are even more pronounced than they are for PC-based Internet usage due to the complex nature of mobile - including various device capabilities, operating systems and methods of accessing content. For brands seeking to establish a multi-market presence, understanding usage dynamics across geographies is essential to implementing a successful global mobile marketing strategy."
A cross-market analysis of mobile activities in Japan, the US and Europe revealed significant differences among consumers by geography. Mobile users in Japan were the "most connected" of the three markets, with more than 75% using connected media (browsed, accessed applications or downloaded content) in June, compared to 43.7% in the US and 38.5% in Europe.
Japanese mobile users also displayed the strongest usage of both applications and browsers with 59.3% of the entire mobile population accessing their browsers in June and 42.3% accessing applications. Comparatively 34.0% of mobile users in the US and 25.8% in Europe used their mobile browsers, with 31.1% in the US and 24.9% in Europe accessing applications.
Messaging methods also varied with Europeans displaying the strongest use of text messaging with 81.7% sending a text message in June, compared to 66.8% in the US and just 40.1% in Japan. Japanese users exhibited the highest reach in the email category at 54%, while consumers in the US were most likely to use instant messaging services on their mobile (17.2%).
Social networking/blogs reached the greatest percentage of mobile users in the US at 21.3%, followed by Japan at 17.0% and Europe at 14.7%. Japanese users were most likely to capture photos (63.0%) and watch TV/video (22.0%) on their mobiles, while Europeans were most likely to listen to music (24.2%) and play games (24.1%).
| Select Mobile Behaviours in Japan, United States and EU5 (UK, DE, FR, ES and IT) June 2010 Total Mobile Audience Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of Total Mobile Audience | |||
| Japan | United States | Europe | |
| Total Audience: 13+ yrs old | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Used connected media (Browsed, Accessed Applications or Downloaded Content) | 75.2% | 43.7% | 38.5% |
| Used browser | 59.3% | 34.0% | 25.8% |
| Used application | 42.3% | 31.1% | 24.9% |
| Messaging Usage | |||
| Sent text message to another phone | 40.1% | 66.8% | 81.7% |
| Used major instant messaging service | 3.3% | 17.2% | 12.6% |
| Used email (work or personal) | 54.0% | 27.9% | 18.8% |
| Social Media/Entertainment | |||
| Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog | 17.0% | 21.3% | 14.7% |
| Listened to music on mobile phone | 12.5% | 13.9% | 24.2% |
| Took photos | 63.0% | 50.6% | 56.8% |
| Captured video | 15.4% | 19.2% | 25.8% |
| Watched TV and/or video on mobile phone | 22.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Played games | 16.3% | 22.5% | 24.1% |
| Financial Information | |||
| Accessed bank accounts | 8.0% | 9.4% | 7.1% |
| Accessed financial news or stock quotes | 16.1% | 10.0% | 7.2% |
| Retail/Travel | |||
| Accessed online retail | 7.2% | 5.5% | 4.1% |
| Accessed classifieds | 4.2% | 6.6% | 4.2% |
| Accessed travel service | 3.3% | 4.7% | 4.1% |
| Other | |||
| Accessed maps | 15.7% | 16.0% | 10.8% |
| Accessed traffic reports | 12.6% | 8.2% | 5.9% |
| Accessed weather | 34.1% | 22.3% | 13.7% |
A demographic analysis of mobile media users across markets showed that mobile media consumption was more balanced across age segments in Japan when compared to the US and Europe. In the US, 25-34 year olds were 44% more likely to access mobile media than an average mobile user, with 18-24 year olds 39% more likely. In Europe, 18-24 year olds represented the most-connected segment, 54% more likely to be mobile media users, while persons age 25-34 were 35% more likely.
The US and Europe also showed greater gender disparity among mobile media audiences. Females were 9% less likely to be mobile media users in the US, while females in Europe were 16% less likely.
| Mobile Media Usage in Japan, United States and EU5 (UK, DE, FR, ES and IT) by Demographic Segment June 2010 Total Mobile Audience Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Connected Media Audience Index* | |||
| Japan | United States | Europe | |
| Total Audience: 13+ yrs old | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Male | 102 | 110 | 116 |
| Female | 98 | 91 | 84 |
| Persons Age: | |||
| 13-17 | 114 | 130 | 133 |
| 18-24 | 117 | 139 | 154 |
| 25-34 | 114 | 144 | 135 |
| 35-44 | 111 | 117 | 103 |
| 45-54 | 105 | 85 | 78 |
| 55+ | 80 | 39 | 57 |
Index = % demographic segment / % demographic base*100
Across markets, local and global brands showed varying levels of adoption by mobile audiences. In all three markets, the top mobile social media brand mirrored the top PC-based social networking brand with Facebook leading in the US and Europe and Mixi leading in Japan. Local brands Gree and Mobage Town were the #2 and #4 most accessed social networking brands in Japan. Twitter was the only brand to be ranked in the top four in all markets.
| Top Mobile Social Networking/Chat/Blog Brands in Japan, United States and EU5 (UK, DE, FR, ES and IT) by Audience Size | ||
|---|---|---|
| June 2010 Total Mobile Audience Age 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens | ||
| Japan | United States | Europe |
| Mixi | ||
| Gree | MySpace | YouTube |
| YouTube | MSN / Windows Live / Bing | |
| Mobage Town |
