GLOBAL, OCTOBER 2010 – On the fifth year of its Wave quantitative study of the scale and impact social media, UM proposes a roadmap for brands in the digital space. Tapping 37,600 active Internet users aged 16 to 54 from 53 markets as respondents in July 2010, Wave 5 covered 85% of the worldwide Internet population. The data gathered by the study helps UM forecast consumer behavior and formulate media planning strategies.
Social media trends
The study found that social media use, especially social networking, continues to increase among active Internet users. Although social network penetration among 16 to 24 year olds remains the highest and there is increase across all age brackets, the 25 to 34 year old bracket has the largest increase, from 52% to almost 70% in the last three years. Social networks are also being used for a broader range of activities, including sharing photos and videos, and organizing groups and events.
Microblogging is the fastest growing social media platform with the rise of Twitter; blogging is declining or stabilizing in Western countries and growing elsewhere.
The most significant trend is mobile Internet, with nearly 30% of mobile users using their devices to go online. Smartphone users, who tend to be male, highly influential and of higher socio-economic status, engage in more platforms and more often than the average social network user.
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Brands beyond the website
Younger Internet users are still more deeply engaged and use social media platforms for a variety of interactions in a single space, showing that brands must go beyond the website to reach consumers.
Over the last three Waves, there has been a decline in reported visits of official company websites but more are becoming fans of a brand on a social network or join a brand community online. Of these users, 72% said they thought more positively about the brand as a result, 71% said they are more likely to buy the brand, 66% said they felt more loyal to the brand, and 63% said they recommended others to join. These figures indicate a “socialization of brands”, shifting brand communication to owned media from paid media. However, different brand categories were found to have different social media needs. In Asia, users reported that they are more likely to join a brand community recommended by peers.
Filipinos among the most active social media users
Filipino Internet users are not just social media lurkers but content creators and sharers. Watching video clips continues to be the most significant Filipino online activity, with 92% of those surveyed still saying that it is a habit they do most often.
Reflecting the global trend, microblogging is also on the upswing, up from 30% to 50% in 2010. Globally, the Philippines places second among countries whose netizens have welcomed a social relationship with brands online—66% of Filipino social media users have joined an online brand community, driven by the thinking that being part of one is a status symbol.
UM is a global marketing communications agency of the Interpublic group. It has has 151 offices in 130 countries worldwide. In the Philippines, UM clients include Globe, Johnson & Johnson, Jollibee Foods Corporation and SC Johnson.
To download the Wave 5 report, visit the UM website: www.umww.com.
