Online advertisers plot new approach in reaching Hong Kong audiences

Internet users in Hong Kong are accessing the web on an increasing numbers of devices, posing both a challenge and an opportunity to marketers, according to a Taiwanese start-up employing artificial intelligence to help reach consumers.

A study examining one trillion data points from Appier-run advertising campaigns in the first half of the year found the number of users accessing the internet on four devices in Hong Kong grew 40 per cent over the previous six months, outpacing the rate of growth among those using three devices.

As consumers adopt more gadgets, the way they are interacting with adverts is changing, with the report finding six in 10 interact completely differently with adverts across devices. This preference for different formats or subject matter is something marketers cannot ignore, said Caroline Hsu, chief marketing officer for the Sequoia Capital-backed start-up.

“With the change in behaviour, it’s really critical to put the user in the centre. A person who uses a PC, tablet and a smartphone should be counted as one person and not three,” Hsu said.

“Users in Asia respond more differently to ads on different screens than ever before. Today’s marketers really need to consider how these different formats or different messages can trigger different responses on different screens.”

Appier’s report found cross-screen advertising campaigns outperformed campaigns targeting single device types by 10 per cent in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, 16 per cent in Malaysia the Philippines and Vietnam, and as much as 67 per cent in South Korea and Japan.

Ditigal advertising revenue in Hong Kong is expected to overtake that for television for the first time next year, according to a report by PwC.