Why Globe’s digital carrier billing for the Google Play Store needs more of a marketing push

It’s difficult to apply for, let alone acquire a credit card in a country like Philippines, and the ability to buy apps or make in-game purchases there is a luxury for many. The recent news of Philippine mobile service provider Globe’s digital carrier billing for the Google Play Store allows subscribers to make app-related purchases using their prepaid or postpaid credits without a credit card. This will finally give Philippine developers a decent chance to actually make money out of their apps, but only if people actually know it’s possible to do so.

(See: Cherry Mobile Pinoy Appshop, home of 100 percent Pinoy-made games)

Although Globe posted the announcement on its official website and its Facebook page, it seems only some developers from the Manila chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) knew of the feature, and that was via a Philippine technology website.

A screenshot from the IGDA-Manila Facebook group

Of course, this isn’t to say that Globe hasn’t reached out to the developers. In fact, it recently teamed up with Anino Games for in-app purchases in the running game, Manila Rush. Despite this, there’s still a need for more marketing push in order for the new feature to succeed as intended. There should be better coordination with the game developers and vice-versa to create more opportunities for both parties. After all, the feature has been out for around a week and a little more noise wouldn’t hurt.

(See; Philippines’ pioneering studio Anino Games partners with Globe Telecommunications, returns with its own game after a decade)

Globe is one of the largest mobile service providers in the country, along with Smart and Sun Cellular. It has been getting lots of flak from subscribers for its Fair Use Policy (FUP) for mobile internet, where “customers on an internet promo and plan who exceed 1 GB a day or 3 GB [of bandwidth consumption] per month (whichever comes first) will experience browsing at slower speeds”.

However, Globe also has 40 million subscribers, and this is a market that developers simply cannot ignore. Even if a vocal minority is annoyed by the FUP, subscriber numbers are unlikely to decrease anytime soon because Globe users have other alternatives for mobile internet, like wifi hotspots or dual-SIM phones. Globe’s affordable unlimited call and text services are also more than enough to keep these numbers intact.

For a feature as helpful and possibly innovative as mobile billing, it’s surprising that not enough people seem to know of it yet. Globe needs a stronger marketing strategy for this, because relying on word of mouth can only do so much.

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(Image sources: 1, 2)