Mobiuspace: Venturing into Emerging Markets

In mid 2019, Mobiuspace, a Chinese Internet company, faced a new challenge. As a result of declining revenues from domestic mobile Internet markets, overseas markets offered new opportunities. In 2009, Snaptube, a short video aggregation and distribution platform that Mobiuspace offered as its main product, seized the opportunity to grow in emerging markets by creating localized and personalized video content. Despite the company’s initial success with its expansion strategy, Mobiuspace’s chief executive officer still needed to figure out how to achieve sustainable profitability and long term growth. In particular, he had to enhance users’ engagement and diversify the company’s sources of revenue. How would he achieve all of his objectives?

This case is intended for undergraduate-, graduate- and executive-level courses on global marketing, or mobile marketing. This case describes the dynamic decision-making process of Mobiuspace from its inception to its expansion into emerging markets through localization strategies in the mobile Internet era. It also motivates students to analyze the globalization process. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Understand the process of global marketing, and grasp the marketing strategies adopted by enterprises to tap into overseas markets.</li><li> Understand the five strategies for global product development and communications, and how to choose the appropriate strategies for market localization.</li><li> Understand the theories related to viral marketing, and how to implement viral marketing strategies for mobile digital products.</li><li>Understand the theories related to mobile marketing, including strategic initiatives to enhance user retention and diversify revenue sources for mobile products.</li></ul>

• emerging markets
• localization
• short video platform
• marketing