The Digital Media Landscape in Pakistan
The internet has brought about tremendous changes in the way people behave and interact as it has become part of an average individual’s lifestyle.
With an
increased usage of internet and social media applications by people in Pakistan,
many marketers are trying to take advantage of this new medium. With various
products and services being launched and marketed through digital channels every
other day, the potential of the medium cannot be underestimated provided the
opportunity of one-to-one interaction with potential customers is
exploited.
‘Digital’ has been the latest buzzword in Pakistan’s marketing community for the last couple of years, and this trend is now moving upwards. It is good to know that marketers are thinking (or are being forced to think) about other mediums and are getting over their reluctance. In order to reach out to an urban audience it is important to keep their affinities in sync with what is being communicated through the marketing message, and hence it is important to sway away for experimentation in the domain of digital marketing.
When we talk about Pakistan’s internet penetration figures, there are significant differences in the estimates provided by multiple sources. According to CIA World Fact book (2009), Pakistan’s internet penetration is estimated to be 18.5 million users in 2008, which is 10.6% of the total population. Euro Monitor (2010) on the other hand, estimates about 21.5+ million internet users from Pakistan in 2009. Both sources provided a decent picture of an internet audience that has the potential for marketability.
Social media is also unexplored in terms of research and very limited statistics are available. The rising significance of blogs and Facebook usage in Pakistan is cited to highlight the growth of social media. The number of registered Facebook users from Pakistan has increased from 358,978 in December 2008 (Graphics 2009) to 3,607,860 in January 2011 (Facebook 2011), which is a 905% growth in 25 months. The significance of blogs has also been increasing with about 900,000 blog writers and 1.95 million blog readers that exist in Pakistan (Universal McCann WAVE 3 - 2008).
These social media tools can provide a significant audience for marketers and aspiring entrepreneurs. Digital media today enables users to interact and generate content not only through text, but also through pictures and videos. It provides a good audience for marketers and it’s about time that it should be exploited to its full potential.
‘Digital’ has been the latest buzzword in Pakistan’s marketing community for the last couple of years, and this trend is now moving upwards. It is good to know that marketers are thinking (or are being forced to think) about other mediums and are getting over their reluctance. In order to reach out to an urban audience it is important to keep their affinities in sync with what is being communicated through the marketing message, and hence it is important to sway away for experimentation in the domain of digital marketing.
When we talk about Pakistan’s internet penetration figures, there are significant differences in the estimates provided by multiple sources. According to CIA World Fact book (2009), Pakistan’s internet penetration is estimated to be 18.5 million users in 2008, which is 10.6% of the total population. Euro Monitor (2010) on the other hand, estimates about 21.5+ million internet users from Pakistan in 2009. Both sources provided a decent picture of an internet audience that has the potential for marketability.
Social media is also unexplored in terms of research and very limited statistics are available. The rising significance of blogs and Facebook usage in Pakistan is cited to highlight the growth of social media. The number of registered Facebook users from Pakistan has increased from 358,978 in December 2008 (Graphics 2009) to 3,607,860 in January 2011 (Facebook 2011), which is a 905% growth in 25 months. The significance of blogs has also been increasing with about 900,000 blog writers and 1.95 million blog readers that exist in Pakistan (Universal McCann WAVE 3 - 2008).
These social media tools can provide a significant audience for marketers and aspiring entrepreneurs. Digital media today enables users to interact and generate content not only through text, but also through pictures and videos. It provides a good audience for marketers and it’s about time that it should be exploited to its full potential.
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