The presentation was part of my Interactive & eCommunication course at Emerson College, spring 2013. My Colleague, Siriwan Siriwangsanti, and I together developed this presentation. The strategy used here embraces digital/online media and outdoor advertising. This presentation was supervised by digital media experts from Arnold Worldwide, Boston.

1. A DIGITAL CAMPAIGN FOR INTERACTIVE & eCOMMUNICATION COURSE
EMERSON COLLEGE, SPRING 2013
PREPARED BY
Siriwan Siriwangsanti
Candy Yuen Shan Lee

3. WHY DO WE CHOOSE YELP ?

4. Inspiration from OpenRice in Hong Kong
•
•
Initially launched in Hong Kong in Traditional
Chinese only
English version is later introduced due to an
increasing demand from non-Chinese
speaking Hong Kongers and foreign residents

5. Inspiration from OpenRice in Hong Kong
Source: Nielsen Telebus Survey May 2012
Traffic
• Monthly Page views: up to 87 million
• Monthly Unique Users: over 4 million
• Register members: over 500,000
Source: OpenRice internal data May 2012

6. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT YELP ?

8. Source: Google Analytics, US data comScore 2012

9. Source: Google Analytics, US data comScore 2012

10. Source: Google Analytics, US data comScore 2012

11. BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS
NEW MARKET EXPANSION
YELP MOBILE
INCREASE BRAND DISTRIBUTION
NEW PRODUCTS

12. •
•
•
•
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
•
•
•
•
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
•
•
•
•
Ireland
Italy
Norway
Poland
•
•
•
•
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
• The Netherlands
• Turkey
• United Kingdom

13. •
Different languages and cultures in
Europe.
•
France and Italy are known for their
tourism and exotic food.
•
Internet population and penetration is
very high.

14. WHERE DO WE WANT TO TAKE YELP TO?

16. Thai food makes 7 spots in the top 50 list

17. Thailand: Most voted country among Asia to have the best food.

18. INTERNET HOSTS
A computer connected directly to the internet, ISP.
• Thailand is not far behind those countries that Yelp has already established.
• Thailand has even twice internet hosts comparing to Singapore (39), Hong Kong
(48), and South Korea (62).
Source: CIA: the world fact book 2012

19. Searched term: (Country) Restaurant
Japan
85,718 results
Hong Kong
16,329 results
Taiwan
Thailand
47,304 results
36,046 results
Singapore
14,073 results
Indonesia
59,981 results

20. Restaurant Bangkok
16,244 results
Number of restaurants in Bangkok alone even
outnumbers those of Singapore’s (14,073).

21. • 24/7 food
• Low-High end

22. IMPLICATION # 1
Food review is the top two of Yelp’s contents.
Given that Thailand is perceived as a kitchen of
the world and its reputation for food, it’s a perfect
fit for what Yelp has to offer.

23. THAILAND MARKET INSIGHTS

24. • Internet & Smartphones
o Accessibility
o Speed
o Possession
TECHNOLOGY
CAPABILITY

25. • In exclusion of China and India, which
dominate a majority of Asian
population, Thailand is among top 10
internet users in Asia.
• The penetration rate is at 30%, close
to China (40%) and higher than
Indonesia (22.1%).
• Thailand is among top 5 of Facebook
users, slightly higher than Japan.
• 17 million Thai people have Facebook
accounts.
Source: Internet World Stats 2012

26. More than 25m internet users

27. The capability to transmit information increases.
IIG: International Internet Gateway
NIX: National Internet Exchange
Source: IIRS Team, Network Technology Lab (NTL), NECTEC

28. An increase in smartphone possession.
Source: Euromonitor mobile phones in Thailand January 2013

29. • Smartphone penetration is not limited to mature market.
• Time period of future trend is 2011-2016.
Source: Ericsson Insight 2012

30. 3G coverage by 3 major mobile networks providers
3G covers most parts of Thailand, except the forest areas.
Source: AIS.com, Truemoveh.com, Dtac.com

31. IMPLICATION # 2
With an increase in Thailand’s internet penetration
rate and capability, and smartphones penetration
rate and 3G coverage, Yelp can operate its service at
its full efficiency.

32. SEO LANDSCAPE

33. 97% of THAIS USE GOOGLE

34. SEARCHED WORD: TREEKEEPER BANGKOK
Plus.google.com
facebook.com
tripadvisor.com
bangkokpost.com
foursquare.com
Bk-asia-city.com

35. SEARCHED WORD: SORTREL BANGKOK
Sortrel.co.th
bangkokpost.com
Plus.google.com
Bk-asia-city.com
tripadvisor.com
facebook.com
foursquare.com
Th.openrice.com

36. SEARCHED WORD:
Eat.edtguide.com
facebook.com
Th.openrice.com

37. SEARCHED WORD: ISAO (English)
SEARCHED WORD:
Given the same restaurant, Google result
appears when typed in English.
(Thai)

38. SEARCHED WORD: SORTREL BANGKOK
SEARCHED WORD:
Yet, it doesn’t seem to be the case when
experimenting with another restaurant.
(THAI)

39. TOP WEBSITES ON GOOGLE ARE DRIVEN BY ORGANIC SEARCH
Plus.google.com
Bangkokpost.com
Observation
• The results are shown by organic search.
Bk-asia-city.com
Foursqaure.com
• The websites shown on SERP are driven
from the popularity of the restaurants.
Tripadvisor.com
Th.openrice.com
• Different languages could produce different
results.
Eat.edtguide.com
Brand website
• SEM is not used by most sites.

40. •
•
•
•
Demographics
Psychographics
Lifestyle trend
Spending
PROSPECTIVE
TARGET GROUP

41. THAI CONSUMER SEGMENTATION
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

42. TwentySomethings
Gen Y
•
•
•
•
College students
First jobbers
Technology mania
Middle-High
discretionary $$
• Socializing
• Higher discretionary $$
• Spend more on almost
everything
• Think about healthier
lifestyles
Thirties
MiddleAged

43. Foreign
Population
In exclusion of refugees,
asylum-seekers, and
migrants from Cambodia,
Lao PDR, and Myanmar,
there is approximately
825,000 in 2009 foreigners
in Thailand.

44. Foreign
Students
An increase in foreign students enrollment:
there were 20,155 foreign students in 2010.
Source: Commission on higher education 2010

45. Tourists
There were 22m
tourists in Thailand in
2012. And the
number has increased
since 2008.
Source: Bank of Thailand 2012

46. THAIS ARE BECOMING MORE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS.
• Many consumers want to improve their health and seek food and
other products that promote good health together with disease
prevention.
• Increase in media coverage of health issues and government
campaigns for healthier lives.
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

47. IMAGE AND STATUS ARE ESSENTIAL TO THAIS.
• Approximately 26% ranked image and social status as “most
important” regardless of the economic situation.
• Thai ranked 1st in Asia regarding concern for maintaining social
status (Thais 92% vs. Asians 74%)
• Various media campaign bombarded Thais with information about
“must haves”.
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

48. MOST OF THAIS’ SPENDING IS ON FOODS & BEVERAGES.
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

49. THE SPENDING IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE FOR THE PERIOD 2011 THROUGH 2020.
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

50. Full-Service Restaurant units
were gradually increasing,
especially Asian full-service
restaurants.
Source: Euromonitor full service restaurants in Thailand 2012

51. EATING IS TOP ACTIVITY.
• No shortage of street stalls and other cheap dining options.
• Rising disposable incomes are likely to lead consumers from inexpensive
street stalls to fast food restaurant and full-service restaurants.
• Dining out is sometimes cheaper and more convenient than eating at home.
• Dining out is most popular in urban areas.
Source: Euromonitor full service restaurants in Thailand 2012

52. CAFÉ/BAR IS A TREND.
• New café experience has flourished due to a change in drinking habits and
trends.
• Chained coffee shops are in the highest growth, but slower outlets expansion
due to economic recession.
• More than 90% of value shares is from eat-in.
• To stay competitive, Café expands menus to cover bakery, food, dessert, and
snack to serve as one-stop service to customers.
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

53. • Cafés’ units slightly decreased in 2011 due to economic recession.
• The overall category units still increase.
Source: Euromonitor café/bar in Thailand 2012

54. IMPLICATION # 3
• Eating is likely a major activity for Thai consumers as it
allows people to socialize. Moreover, foodservice
business keeps expanding to respond to the needs of
consumers. Therefore, there is an opportunity for Yelp
to fit in Thai consumers’ lives in terms of supporting
social gatherings with online community.
• Foreigners are not the primary target for Yelp at this
stage, but the number suggests that there is a high
potential for a need of English review site. So, Yelp
should be in the market early to respond to the needs.

55. CONSUMER
BEHAVIOR

56. PATA
27 Years old
Account Manager
Own Honda Jazz
Can’t live without iPhone
24/7 access to Facebook
Sweet breakfast
with my
boyfriend <3
Pilates
Brunch with my
boyfriend <3
Morning coffee
Hot Yoga
WIP team meeting
Team lunch
Lunch with clients
Lunch with friends
Focus Group
At client office 
Coffee break
Shopping therapy
Internal meeting
Dinner with family
Meet boyfriend <3
GYM time !
Party !!!

58. ONLINE BEHAVIOR

59. COLLEGE STUDENTS AND FIRST JOBBERS ARE
TOP INTERNET USERS.
According to Euromonitor tracking report in
2011, Internet users groups are:
• 15-24 (50%)
• 6-14 (36%)
• 25-34 (24.6%)
• 35-49 (13.6%)
• Over 50 (4.2 %).
Source: Euromonitor consumer lifestyle in Thailand 2011

60. WHAT ARE THAI PEOPLE DOING ONLINE ?

61. FACEBOOK IS THE NO 1
SOCIAL MEDIA IN
THAILAND.
REVIEWS RANKED 4TH IN
TOP ONLINE ACTIVITIES
Source: Nielsen – The Digital Media Habits and Attitude of Southeast Asia
Consumers October 2011

62. THAI CONSUMERS DO ONLINE RESEARCH PRIOR TO
PURCHASE AT OFFLINE CHANNELS, YET DEPENDING ON
PRODUCT CATEGORIES.
• Female tends to do online research than male.
• The age groups 14-29 and 30-49 are the majorities that do online research.
Source: Consumer Barometer

63. AN INCREASE IN USE OF SEO AND LINKS FOR
INFORMATION SEARCH.
48% (-2.78)
38% (+2.22)
14% (+2.56)

64. SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON
CONSUMER DECISION MAKING.
Source: Nielsen – The Digital Media Habits and Attitude of Southeast Asia Consumers October 2011

65. WOM AND SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON
PURCHASE INTENTION.
According to Ensogo survey (2010)
• 41.2 % Thais rely on recommendations read on social media.
• 51 % of Facebook fans that joined product fanpage tend to buy products.
• 60 % tend to recommends products to friends and families.
• 67 % of twitter followers to product tweets tend to buy products.
• 79 % tend to recommends products to friends and families.

66. 90% OF CORPORATE COMPANIES ARE ALREADY ON
SOCIAL NETWORKS.
Source: Campaigninindia.com 2011

67. CONSUMER JOURNEY
Bangkok is ranked 4th among
world most traffic jam cities.
SEO & SEM

68. IMPLICATION # 4
Thai consumers are already open to online
communities, be it social networking or e-commerce.
Consequently, an adoption rate of Yelp usage can be
achieved with little barriers. In addition, WOM by
consumers can help generate Yelp awareness and
usage.

69. •
•
•
•
•
TripAdvisor
Living Social
Wongnai
OpenRice
BK Menu
COMPETITORS

71. 18-25-34-54
High income
High education
18-25-34-54
High income
18-25-34-54
Moderate income
18-25-34-54
Moderate income
18-25-34-54
High income
High education
18-25-34-54
High income
High education
(English literate)
Tourists
Local
Tourists
Locals
Locals
Locals
Locals
Expat
Find and share
Information
Deals
Find and share
information
Seek for deals
Find and share
Information
Deals
Find and share
Information
Deals
Seek information
$$$
Ad + Deal
$$$
Ad + Partnership
with living social
$$$
Ad + Deal
$$$
Ad + Deal
$$$
Ad + Deal
UGC
UGC
Paid content
UGC
Paid content
UGC/
Paid content
$$$
Ad
Paid content

72. IMPLICATION # 5
There are several local review websites that Thai
consumers are familiar with. But, those websites are
not purely neutral as business owners can pay the host
to review their restaurant. This gives a competitive
strength to Yelp in two ways:
• Yelp doesn’t have to spend a significant time to
educate consumers about the reviewing
function.
• Neutrality can be used as competitive
positioning.

73. SWOT Analysis
Strength
Weakness
• Local business directory,
not limited to restaurants
• Market fit: Yelp nature vs
Target nature
• Not well-known in Asia
Opportunity
Threat
• The first integrated one-stop
local business directory with
social media.
• The first Bi-lingual review site
• Possible learning from Yelp
Singapore
• A few other local
competitors

74. BUSSINESS MODEL
&
STRATEGY

75. HOW WILL YELP OPERATE IN THAILAND, FINANCIALLY ?
HOW TO GET THAI CONSUMERS TO USE YELP ?

76. SOURCE OF REVENUES
LOCAL AD
BRAND AD
CREATE
DEAL
BUSINESS OWNERS
• Generate Yelp’s revenues
SOURCE OF TRAFFIC
REVIEW
READ
BUY DEAL
SHARE
CONSUMERS
• Generate contents
• Amplify Yelp

77. STRATEGY
OBJECTIVE
TACTICS
STAGE 1
•
Direct contact with business
owners to generate business
accounts
•
Pre-select business owners
and automatically create
business accounts for them
•
Use SEM and SEO to
generate online presence
•
CPC advertising on relevant
websites and keyword buying
Use backlinks and display ads
GENERATE
AWARENESS
•
•
Use print and OOH to
generate offline presence
and draw traffic to the site
•
•
Incentives to write and
share reviews
•
Yelp gift vouchers
•
Retargeting
•
Use SEM
•
Interactive screen for
product trial
Selling Yelp’s merchandise
products
STAGE 2
•
Tie-in with Food & Drink
events
ENGAGE USERS
•
•
Use social media to create
Yelp community
Maximize mobile search
with location
•
•
GOAL
• 55,000 Registered
members
• 30,000 Reviews
• 75,000 Unique visitors
per month
• 0.07% - 0.12% CTR
• 10,000 Business listings
Use billboard and BK Mag to
advertise Yelp website
Interactive screen for product
trial
•
•
Open Graph
Use Facebook and Twitter
to generate active
conversation/Elite program
•
•
Location search and review
Location-based deal
STAGE 3: MAKE YELP NO. 1 LIFESTYLE SEO IN THAILAND
• 180,000 Registered
members
• 80,000 Reviews
• 100,000 Unique
visitors per month
• 60,000 Facebook
likes
• 20,000 Twitter
followers
• 80,000 Business
listings

78. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: BUSINESS OWNERS
STRATEGY
1 Direct contact to introduce
Yelp and gain business
accounts
TOOLS & TACTICS
Emails
Business offer letters
•
•
Restaurants are selected based on its
traffic and rating.
Database from BK Mag
What is Yelp ?
How Yelp ADS work
Great Quotes
Business account details
Contact Information

79. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: CONSUMERS
STRATEGY
2 Use SEM to generate
awareness
TOOLS & TACTICS
2.1 Google AdWords with
high bid to be ranked on
top results

80. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: CONSUMERS
STRATEGY
2 Use SEM to generate
awareness
TOOLS & TACTICS
2.2 Top keywords
searched
• Generic terms
• Trending terms
• Top restaurants
Generic terms:
Food, drink, bars, restaurant, café, breakfast,
brunch, lunch, alcohol, wine, beer, spirit,
Japanese, Italian, Chinese, etc.
Trending terms:
Top restaurants at the moment
Top restaurants:
Restaurants names from official reviews

81. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: CONSUMERS
STRATEGY
2 Use SEM to generate
awareness
TOOLS & TACTICS
2.3 Installing backlinks
• BK Mag website
• Citibank
• Top food blogs
• Deal websites
See reviews on Yelp !

82. See reviews on Yelp !

83. See reviews on Yelp !

84. See reviews on Yelp !

85. See reviews on Yelp !

86. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: CONSUMERS
STRATEGY
2 Use SEM to generate
awareness
TOOLS & TACTICS
2.4 Use display ads on
top websites with
selected categories
based on “audience”
Sex
Male
Female
Education
Primary school
Secondary school
Age

87. ENTERTAINMENT
NEWS
SHOPPING
SOCIETY & VARIETY

88. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: CONSUMERS
STRATEGY
2 Use SEO to generate
awareness
TOOLS & TACTICS
2.5 Google Plus listing to
be on SERP

89. STAGE 1: GENERATE AWARENESS: CONSUMERS
STRATEGY
3 Use print and OOH to
generate offline presence
and draw traffic to the
site
TOOLS & TACTICS
Billboards
Transit advertising
BK Mag
Use OOH in high traffic city area.
VDO is possible at some locations.

91. See reviews on Yelp!

92. Business owners
Direct
marketing
Display ads
OOH
Mass audience
Adwords
BK Mag
Backlinks
Google +
Target audience
STAGE 2
ENGAGE
USERS

93. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
1 Use incentives to get
people to write and share
reviews
TOOLS & TACTICS
Yelp Gift Vouchers
Write or share
review and get
gift voucher.

94. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
2 Use SEM to draw traffic
to Yelp website
TOOLS & TACTICS
Retargeting—display
ads
Stage 1: Awareness
Gain as much
audience as possible

95. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
3 Tie-in with Food & Drink
events
TOOLS & TACTICS
3.1 Interactive screen
connected to Yelp
set up at shopping
malls and events

96. Real time review
available at
interactive screen
Deals
available at
destination

97. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
3 Tie-in with Food & Drink
events
TOOLS & TACTICS
3.2
• Reaching out to
business owners
• Selling Yelp
merchandise product
at the events

98. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
4 Use social media to
create Yelp community
TOOLS & TACTICS
4.1
• Open Graph

99. WHAT THAI FACEBOOK USERS ARE DOING ON FACEBOOK
Complete a level
Link to Instagram
Share a link
Like a page

100. FACEBOOK OPENGRAPH DOESN’T HAVE “RESTAURANT” CATEGORY, JUST YET.

101. THIS IS WHAT WE WILL DO …
CREATING MORE ACTIONS AND OBJECTS e.g. restaurant.reviews API
Siriwan reviews Sortrel Bar & Restaurant on Yelp
Sortrel
Fresh roll dish is amazing !
Siriwan wants to eat Greyhound café on Yelp
Greyhound café
A trendy restaurant we love, offering several
western style dishes, in addition to Thai food,
pasta, sandwiches and many more.

102. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
4 Use social media to
create Yelp community
TOOLS & TACTICS
4.2
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Elite Program
• Create active and engaging conversations
• Drive traffic to yelp.com/thailand

103. YELP ELITE SQUAD
To be qualified as Yelp Elite:
Frequency and quality of reviews
Depth and breadth of reviews
Engage on the site

104. YELP ELITE EVENTS
• Monthly exclusive
events at new
restaurants
• Build a community
for Yelpers

105. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
Google on Yelp
STRATEGY
5 Maximize mobile search
with location
TOOLS & TACTICS
5.1
Google Map and Yelp
review
Yelp on Google

106. STAGE 2: ENGAGE USERS
STRATEGY
5 Maximize mobile search
with location
TOOLS & TACTICS
5.2
Location based deal

107. WRAP UP !

108. COMPLETED CONSUMER JOURNEY

109. Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Contact business
owners
STAGE 1:
AWARENESS
SEM, SEO, Display ads
Print & OOH
Open Graph
Retargeting
Mobile App
STAGE 2:
ENGAGEMENT
Display Ads:
discounts & gift
vouchers
Interactive screen
around shopping malls
Reach out to business
owners and
consumers via event
Nov
Dec

110. SEO
OOH
DIRECT
MARKETING
INCENTIVES

111. CAUTIONS
• LANGUAGE : We can’t control what languages people will use.
• Collaborative reviewing
• Stage of awareness will also rely on Yelp team to translate contents in English.
(sa-was-dee)

112. RECOMMENDATION
• Category extension
• Country expansion
• Integrate with GPS in cars
• Add reservation features

113. THANK YOU

114. APPENDIX

115. Source: The Nation Thailand

116. Source: Tech in Asia

117. Source: MediaMind Technologies