Tencent to roll out public service ads

Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd announced a plan to provide 2 billion yuan ($294 million) in advertising resources for public welfare organizations and projects.

The Shenzhen-based company said it will establish a new online platform to connect the public with a wide range of charity organizations and creative groups, aiming to boost the quality of public service ads. As a result, people will start to see noncommercial ads on Tencent's social networking platforms, such as WeChat and QQ.

Chen Yidan, one of the founders of Tencent, said the new platform would better integrate creative ideas and advertising skills with public welfare activities.

"Internet technology has become an enabler, allowing everyone to have access to charity affairs," he said.

"In China, public welfare activities are now part of people's daily lives."

With its booming mobile internet technologies, China has become one of the more active nations to use the internet for its charity activities.

Chen said Tencent's existing charity platform has been bombarded by 110 million donations totaling 1.89 billion yuan during the past 10 years, making it one of the world's biggest internet charity platforms.

Wang Bing, chairman of Ai You foundation said the booming mobile internet offered new opportunities for China's charity sector.

"In today's environment, charity calls for more professional operations. We need to spare no effort to combine different resources and boost innovation in public welfare activities," Wang added.

A recent report released by Tencent Foundation and Tencent Research Institute showed that donations made via mobile devices accounted for 98 percent of the total amount, and most donors preferred to give money ranging from 100 yuan to 999 yuan.

According to the report, people born in the 1980s were the key driver in online charity, contributing generously via the Tencent charity platform.

"Compared with traditional donations, the online charity platform is more transparent, making it easier for donors to track where the money is heading," said Guo Kaitian, senior vice-president of Tencent.

"So Chinese netizens trust online donations and become more generous."

The report also found that most donors came from developed regions, including Guangdong province, Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province, Shanghai and Beijing. Of the regions, Guangdong province was the most generous, accounting for 20 percent of the total number of donations.

Chen said China's growing wealth and technological improvements would drive development of online public welfare further.

"In the future, the key for charity lies in open minds and a balance between human and machines," Chen said.

"We need to consider how to keep technological evolution going in the right direction to help us better contribute to society."