To focus on this partnership, PurpleClick has set up DigiChina under the PurpleClick Group of companies.
With an exclusive reseller based in Singapore, advertisers now have direct access to local support with full-service campaign account management, from account setup and activation to ongoing campaign monitoring and optimisation. In addition, advertisers will also gain access to Baidu’s holistic suite of services, beyond pay-per-click advertising, to tap into the potential of the lucrative China market.
The penetration of internet in China has skyrocketed at a 278 per cent growth rate over the past five years and China’s online advertising revenues reached RMB20.6 billion (US$3 billion) in 2009, marking a 21 per cent increase from 2008.
Currently, the internet population in China exceeds the entire population of the US, standing at 457 million, which is 34 per cent of the 1.3 billion population. Baidu, the largest China search engine, reaches 95 per cent of this internet population.
“This direct access to advertisers opens up a lot of opportunities to businesses who have been looking to target the China market. With the significant surge of enquiries on Baidu’s advertising platform, it is evident that businesses have identified Baidu as a channel that cannot be ignored when strategising to penetrate the China market,” noted Sim Hong Huat, managing director of DigiChina.
“Advertisers from the tourism, hospitality and educational industry are particularly focusing on the Baidu advertising platform to tap on the booming China tourism industry as well as China students seeking educational opportunities out of China. I foresee other industries jumping on this bandwagon to harness the potential of this cost-effective advertising channel. Businesses need to think forward and tap on this channel fast before players from their industry flood into this channel,” added Sim.