New software monitors Filipinos' online habits

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine unit of one of the world’s largest media agencies announced on Wednesday that it has already installed software in selected internet cafés to track websites visited by Filipinos and monitor their online behavior. Called MindTrack, the proprietary application was created as a web monitoring system in local internet shops, considered the first of its kind in the Philippines. The application was developed by Mindshare, one of the country’s five biggest media agencies. According to April Yap, Mindshare’s Insights Director, the company “picked internet cafés since most Filipinos access the net through this channel." “In the future, we can use this for consumer panels suited to our client’s needs and not just limited to internet cafes," Yap said in a statement. The tracking software—and the corresponding technology involved—used by Mindtrack emphasized the company’s venture to harness the power of “emerging digital media in communications." Mindshare’s digital offering, launched on Wednesday at Fort Bonifacio, intends to bridge the gap between “marketers’ understanding and adoption of digital media and the high consumption of digital media among consumers," said Mindshare’s general manager Bunny Aguilar. According to the same statement, Mindshare also hopes to “lead the transformation of media practice in the digital age by sharing its global digital expertise" with Philippine companies. To show the marketing and advertising potential of digital media, guests—including corporate executives of GMA’s New Media Inc.—were asked to text codes—found on clues attached to T-shirts—on their phones. The interactive experience brought about by this technology is just one among the many ways by which companies can further attract customers and enhance their relationships with their clients. “We wanted to use the event as a venue for clients to experience the power of digital media that goes beyond just sticking ads online," said Crisela Magpayo, Mindshare’s Director for Digital Practice. Besides extending its media planning, buying and optimization expertise online, the company will also be offering digital strategy, community, search and mobile advertising. Although the company recognizes that it remains a big challenge to convince Philipine corporations to jump into the digital media bandwagon, Mindshare will be more than willing to “hold their hands" once they do. “Whenever companies are ready, we’re going to bring in the technology of MindShare in the Philippines because we’re the leading digital agency in Asia Pacific," Aguilar told GMANews.TV, adding that the company has been honing its experience in digital for the past ten years With seven million Filipinos owning friendster accounts, eight million playing games online, and a billion text messages being sent in the country everyday, Aguilar said that “it’s an unspoken reality how Filipinos already have imbibed our digital lifestyle into our own culture." “It’s just a matter of using it as a powerful channel for brands for markets to tap into," he said. Headquartered in London and New York, Mindshare is just one of the more than 256 companies—including AGB Nielsen and Ogilvy—owned by UK-based Wire and Plastics Products (WPP) Group, considered as the world’s largest communications services company. - GMANews.TV