Former Optimedia China MD launches startup mobile agency

Ip was previously the North China MD of Optimedia, where he had worked since 2000 before joining Fractalist last year.

The new mobile startup has 15 staff who have 4A, media sales and digital backgrounds. Ip told Campaign Asia-Pacific that the company already has Toyota, Volkswagen and local clients FotonDaimler, 塔读文学 and China AMC (华夏基金）on board.

Ip said PowerScreen is working mostly with media vendors (especially OOH) for their mobile marketing campaigns, but in future, he hopes to cooperate with other 4A creative and media agencies.

Mobile agencies in China are mostly brokers for a mobile carrier’s resources or do wireless marketing for big companies such as Tencent, Ip said. There are still very few mobile agencies that help clients to come up with mobile solutions, he added.

He said the recent surge in demand for iPhone and other smartphones has seen a rise in mobile marketing and business opportunities in the past two years.

"The edge of mobile marketing is the interactive elements," he added. "Mobile is very powerful as people carry them around all the time, so the mobile message needs to be first-hand and personalised."

Measurement of return-on-investment (ROI) is another strong point, he said.

Ip added that Shanghai leads the mobile marketing industry, as the city is always more fashionable and trendier, and clients in finance, automobile and cosmetics are more keen than FMCG advertisers to take on mobile marketing.

As a startup mobile agency, Ip said the biggest challenge is that while most advertising clients know that mobile marketing is the future, they do not know how to try it. Coming up with creative ideas that are not just ‘hard-sell’ and intrusive banner ads is crucial. As the screen of a mobile device is small, "hence once again, content is king", he said.