A trend that started among Asian smartphone usersA trend that started among Asian smartphone users.doc

Asian Chat Apps Go Global A trend that started among Asian smartphone users is now spreading to other parts of the globe. A man, right, uses a touch pad device as women use their smartphones outside a train station in Tokyo, Japan, on April 21, 2013. Bloomberg News Mobile messaging applications from Asia, such as Japan’s Line and China’s WeChat, are ramping up their marketing efforts to find new users around the world. Both Line and WeChat combine text and voice messaging with various additional features such as photo-sharing and status updates. WeChat, launched in 2011 by Chinese Internet service giant Tencent HoldingsLtd.TCEHY +1.34%, dominates the domestic market with 300 million registered users, according to a recent report from Macquarie Securities. Tencent is spending up to $200 million this year to advertise WeChat abroad, mainly in emerging markets, and the company said in August that WeChat’s overseas users had doubled to 100 million from 50 million in May. South Africa, for example, is one of the markets where WeChat has gained more attention. In addition to a TV commercial featuring international football star Lionel Messi, WeChat has held iPad giveaway campaigns and also sponsored some major local events. In Cape Town, the annual Loerie Awards, a flashy advertising event held last month, used an official WeChat account to distribute information to participants. In June, WeChat hosted a competition on a South African radio show offering listeners a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy phone. Listeners entered the competition by downloading WeChat on their smartphones and sending a voice message to the show. Mikey Mashila, an 18-year-old fashion designer in Thohoyandou, a small town in the northeastern part of the country, recently started using WeChat on his BlackBerry. “I’m a person who likes to try new things,” Mr. Mashila said. “We have gone aggressively with marketing campaigns,” said Brett Loubser, a marketing professional who is in charge of promoti