In CIC's most recent study on cellular phone technology-- dating from January 1, 2007 - March, 31, 2007-- the company tracked nearly 5 million BBS posts from 731,403 distinctive users on topics from product information on various brands, software applications and installation, and User Posted Material (UPM), a broad category which includes such subjects as ringtones, games, music, and videos. Additionally, these BBS posts discuss customer service, business functions of various models, operating systems, and cellular phone design.
CIC's research is exceptionally useful given that these message boards provide the unsolicited opinions and experiences of China's growing consumer base, essentially re-drafting the old paradigm of research, advertising, and marketing.
The top five brands - Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and Dopod - account for 96-percent of the BBS message board "buzz," and 19 of the top 20 discussed models are Nokia and Motorola phones (the top five in order being the Nokia N73, Motorola's E770, Nokia N70, Motorola ROKR E2, and the Motorola E680i).
Most surprising is the heated chat concerning Nokia's N-GAGE QD and Motorola's E680i, both of which are no longer available, or extremely scarce, on the mainland. Another intriguing aspect of CIC's IWOM study shows that these BBS message boards also create hype leading up to a particular product's release. Prior to the official launch of the Nokia 6300 in January 2007, bloggers and netizens were anticipating the phone's release for nearly two months. Similar pre-sales buzz also surrounded the Motorola E6 and Nokia's 5300 and E50 models.
As large companies are paying increased attention to IWOM information, CIC stresses that these forums, and their dedicated users, have a specific language, a code that the CIC's technology is designed to decipher. With China's current online population somewhere around 137-million users, and growing, it has become clear through this User Generated Content (UGC) that customers want information on their own terms, and have clearly found a credible media in which to share their experiences.
