CREATION: Optimistic outlook for China advertisers

<p>China's ecommerce penetration, which doubled in six months, and </p><p>rising Internet access in the world's most populous nation could spell </p><p>good news for advertisers and the mainland's nascent business to </p><p>consumer (B2C) sector. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A recent report by iamasia put mainland China's Internet access at 15.2 </p><p>million, an increase of more than 15 per cent between the second and </p><p>third quarter of last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Stephen Yap, director, marketing and communications, said there was </p><p>reason to be cautiously optimistic. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"This is good news from the advertisers' point of view, because not only </p><p>is there clearly a growing audience, but the demographic is </p><p>changing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In the past, China's Internet access was limited to niche groups, such </p><p>as the affluent and the college community, but now we are seeing a wider </p><p>audience range," said Mr Yap. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey showed the Internet population getting younger. According to </p><p>the report, the average age of an Internet user was recorded at 28, with </p><p>57 per cent of users aged between 15 and 29. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The report said that as Internet penetration continued to rise, the </p><p>demographic profile of Internet users would come closer to that of the </p><p>general population. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"For example, the gender disparity of the online population is narrowing </p><p>as more women come online. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"I think advertisers are realising that the Internet is as effective as </p><p>any other medium. You hear people say that banners are not effective, </p><p>but the truth is there are other formats ... What we need is to find out </p><p>which creative executions work and to target specific groups in </p><p>demographics," Mr Yap said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, Internet usage in the workplace remained low as employers </p><p>showed reluctance in giving staff access to the Internet while on the </p><p>job. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"There are only 26 per cent of Internet workers that log on at work, </p><p>compared to 84 per cent who access the Web at home ... It is interesting </p><p>to note just how conservative companies are about giving people Internet </p><p>access in the workplace," said Mr Louis Boswell, iamasia's COO. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In Taiwan, 28 per cent of employees had Web access at work, compared </p><p>with 39 per cent in China. In addition, Shenzhen had the highest Web </p><p>penetration in China. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>