Social-network Mig33 refreshes features and look, builds brand partnerships

The site's refreshed identity includes a new logo, new landing pages featuring large photos of young people having fun (a move away from cartoon robots), and a new strapline “It’s fun! Are you?”.

“We want to refresh the message that is all about fun by bringing the new colours and strapline,” Chris Reed, chief marketing officer at mig33, told Campaign Asia-Pacific. “This all communicates a fresh, vibrant, passionate and fun look and feel.”

The miniblog feature moves the company away from its origins as a chat/IM platform, and the open format provides more "real estate options" for the company to work with brands and advertisers. This will be followed by the launch of an enhanced Android version in September.

The company has recently launched a new, content-centric partnership, which offers brands opportunities to engage mig33’s community of users, which is especially strong in Indonesia, with exclusive content, such as mobile banner ads in the chatting room, branded miniblog pages, online contests, games, and artist promotions.

“We are focusing on music, sports and parties to bring exclusive content to our users,” Reed said. “In the meantime, we are also looking for partners in other industries, such as F&B, FMCG and travel.”

Mig33 has already signed up more than a dozen brand partners, including Universal, Sony Music, Warner Bros., Electronic Arts, Hasbro, and Liverpool FC, said Reed, who added that the company is also in talk with some of the existing partners’ associated brands, such as Garuda and Standard Chartered.

Launched in late 2005, mig33 targets audiences of 15- to 24-year-olds and brings mobile community and entertainment together through miniblog, chat, games, gifting, online parties, and virtual personas. The platform also gives users opportunities to earn extra income through a buy-and-sell system, which is where the the company earns its revenue.

Mig33 boasts 70 million registered members, half of them in Indonesia and the rest mainly in India, Nepal and the Middle East. The majority of users (95 per cent) are on mobile, but only 5 to 10 per cent are smartphone users, according to the company.