Infinita Releases 3 New Research Reports on the Innovation Leaders in Mobile Social Networking - mobagetown, mixi Mobile and Mobile GREE

Tokyo-based Infinita Inc., a consulting firm specializing in bringing Japanese mobile innovations to international markets, announced today the release of three new research reports providing in-depth analysis of three of the most advanced and most profitable mobile social networking services in the world: mobagetown, mixi Mobile and Mobile GREE (www.infinita.co.jp/research).

Facebook's revenues are estimated to reach US$ 550 million for 2009. That's less than US$ 2 per user yearly. Now compare that to the numbers from the top three social networking services in Japan: mobagetown and GREE are services much smaller than Facebook (14 and 10 million members, respectively), but are raking in more than US$ 4 per user - per quarter. And both are almost exclusively active on mobile. Even mixi, with 16 million users Japan's largest cross-platform social networking service (PC and mobile), still outperforms Facebook 4:1 in terms of per-user-revenues.

How did they do it? All three have achieved something the majority of social networking services across the globe have fallen short of so far: To develop sustainable business models based on diversified revenue streams, combining elements of virtual goods, advertising sales, paid content, premium subscriptions and affiliates.

mobagetown was the first and still is the leading mobile service in Japan to provide free games through a social networking platform with avatar features, but has since evolved to include additional elements like mobile commerce, entertainment and utility content. More than 40% of its JPY 5.4 billion (US$ 56.8 million) revenues for the quarter ending March 31, 2008 stemmed from paid-for avatar items, virtual goods and in-game purchases.

mixi - available on both the PC and the mobile web - by contrast is not focused on mobile games, but is a service built around core social networking functionalities. An estimated JPY 1.5 billion (US$ 15.8 million) of mixi Inc.'s JPY 2.98 billion (US$ 31.5 million) social networking-related quarterly revenues (as of FY08 Q4) were generated via mobile, with advertising accounting for the lion's share.

Mobile GREE, which has seen massive growth (including a tenfold increase in users over two years), currently generates more than 12 billion page views per month, 99% of which are served to mobile devices. Revenues for the quarter ending March 31, 2008 totaled JPY 3.9 billion (US$ 41.2 million), more than 70% of which were generated via paid content and in-game purchases.

The three new research reports available from Infinita analyze each of the services in unprecedented detail, distilling valuable lessons for any company active in or with interests in the social networking business. Our reports provide in-depth business intelligence and expert analysis, including answers to the following:

- How do mobagetown, mixi Mobile and Mobile GREE work?: Step-by-step descriptions and walkthroughs for all major features.

- How do the services make money?: Business model and revenue stream analysis.

- How do they leverage virtual currency systems to generate revenues?

- How have the services evolved, and where are they headed strategically?

- What advertising formats do the sites offer, how are they priced, and what do successful campaigns look like?

- How do they promote it?: Comprehensive information on marketing strategy and promotional activities.

- What do the games look like, and how do they work?: Detailed description of the games portfolio.

- Who uses it, and how much?: Demographics and usage analysis.

- How does it all tie together?

Who should read these reports, and why -

Social networking providers, games studios and publishers, mobile content providers, mobile operators, advertising agencies and marketers anywhere that are looking to leverage valuable lessons learned in one of the most advanced mobile markets in the world.

Details -

Published: August 24, 2008

i. mobagetown Research Report. Current version 2.0. 206 pages, 21 charts, graphs and tables, more than 200 screenshots.

ii. mixi Mobile Research Report. Current version 2.0. 111 pages, 16 charts, graphs and tables, more than 200 screenshots.

iii. Mobile GREE Research Report. Current version 1.0. 180 pages, 19 charts, graphs and tables, more than 200 screenshots.

Pricing:

Company-wide license (not for resale, PDF format): US$ 3,000 per report, US$ 6,750 for three-report bundle.

Author:

Christopher Billich, Infinita Inc.

Detailed information about the reports, and free sample documents containing a quarter of each report are available at www.infinita.co.jp/research.

About Infinita Inc.

Founded in 2005 and based in Tokyo, Infinita Inc. helps clients from all corners of the globe define and improve their mobile strategy, based on learnings from a part of the world that epitomizes the transformation into a mobile society: Japan. We work with network operators, media companies, technology providers, consumer brands and marketers, investors and government agencies worldwide, leveraging insights from one of the world's hotbeds of mobile innovation to develop concrete business strategies or local markets. Our product and service lineup spans quantitative and qualitative research, innovation workshops and ongoing strategic advisory, covering business models, service concepts, user behavior, and enabling technologies.Infinita's clients include DoCoMo.com, Deutsche Telekom Group, Swisscom Innovations, Orange, Maxis, IBM, AOL, Adobe, Qualcomm, Naspers/MIH, NHN, Gameloft, Embassy of Canada in Japan, Embassy of Denmark in Japan, GroupM and Dentsu Avenue A Razorfish. Please visit www.infinita.co.jp.

Contact:

Kei Shimada
Infinita Inc
kei.shimada@infinita.co.jp

Related terms: accounting, advertising, business, business intelligence, canada, consulting, consumer, currency, denmark, entertainment, government, japan, local, marketing, media, money, networking, research, revenue, sales, technology, tokyo, utilities, web