Deal will see Habari Media advertising on 2go’s 10m strong chat network

Instant messaging service, 2go is on a roll. Following the partnership announced with Nigerian music service iROKING recently, advertising house Habari Media today announced that it’s adding 2go to its mobile advertising strategy. This partnership will allow Habari’s customers to target 2go’s 10 million active users in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, of which 9 million are in Nigeria.

While smartphone adoption in Africa is growing, 2go’s support for 800 different types of feature phones allow Habari to reach a wider audience. Habari and 2go are reporting click-through rates of up to 15% on full-screen clickable Splash Ads and engagement rates of up to 30%. Users can click out directly to a brands mobi site from the Splash Ad.

“The Splash Ad is premium as it engages the user with a full-screen advert while the user is logging in to the 2go app. Engagement levels are high as there are a limited number of premium ads on offer and do not pollute the screen with small banner ads that are seen as an imposition by the user,” says 2go’s Marc Herson.

Alternatively advertisers can engage via a Text Ad that is sent directly to the user within the 2go app. The message is given premium position at the top of the friends’ list. This is ideal for broadcast, promos, customer feedback and surveys.

Both the Splash Screen and the Text Ad can be targeted by age, gender and location.

According to 2go, 66% of its Nigerian base use their phones for more than two hours each day, almost a third don’t watch traditional TV, and more than 50% get their daily dose of news on their feature phone.

“No brand can afford to ignore the feature phone market in Africa,” says Wayne Bischoff, managing director of Habari Media. “2go has shown phenomenal growth and engagement and offers marketers the best way of reaching the majority non-smartphone users in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

“2go should be a natural part of any media strategy targeting the youth segments. The full screen clickable Splash Screen adverts have proven to have incredible engagement and response rates’, concludes Bischoff.