Freelancer.com passes $100 million but where's Asia marketing?

The world's largest outsourcing marketplace Freelancer.com has just marked a milestone $100 million in user earnings, according to this article in Campaign Brief.

Interestingly only one S.E. Asian country, the Philippines, features in the top 5 freelancing countries:

1. India 34%
2. United States 11%
3. Pakistan 9%
4. Bangladesh 6%
5. Philippines 4%

No Asian city makes it into the top 10 outsourcing cities - all are in the US.

This could be because Freelancer.com is specifically focused on the US market, or it could be that businesses marketing in Asia are yet to realise the potential of creative outsourcing.

But creative outsourcing's day may be coming, as the competitive advantage of building a flexible, multidisciplinary creative team at a lower cost becomes apparent to more and more entrepreneurs and SMEs advertising in Asia.

Here at Naïve we have seen it grow from nascent beginnings, to the point where creative outsourcing is becoming a realistic alternative to a mainstream agency for many smaller - and even some larger clients.

While Freelancer.com concentrates mainly on individual design items like logos, business cards, corporate identities etc, using freelance copywriters and designers it is now possible to source strategic brand planning, creative concepts and execution through the outsourced model. All without the bureaucracy, stifling processes and silo mentality that often come in dealing with a big traditional agency.

1.2 million jobs have been posted on Freelancer.com to date, and if one thinks of the potential for those marketing to Asia then the outsourcing model begins to look like an attractive business proposition.

Of course just like any business, reputation and trust will be vital as clients ponder the switch to an new and unfamiliar model. But once it has been proved that creative outsourcing can provide exactly what businesses in Asia need then creative outsourcing will really prove its worth.