wave 6 - the business of social

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THE BUSINESS OF SOCIAL Social media tracker 2012

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The story so far in social networking has been the incredible growth in the numbers of people using them. But Wave 6 shows that in the future the biggest impact will come from the increasing amount of time people are spending on them. Social networks are now legitimate rivals to all forms of media and will continue to have a huge effect on online consumption in particular. Consumers are continuing to move away from increasingly siloed brand websites, viewing it as a one dimensional experience compared to that offered by social media. Brands will need to reach out to consumers in the social spaces if they are to connect online. Attachment to social networks is stronger than ever, with over 40% of people saying they are worried about missing out if they don’t visit their social network. As a result users are fully prepared to share their data in return for the benefits they bring. Social experiences deliver very clear value to brands. Understanding the social experiences the consumer wants AND which of these experiences deliver the brand’s marketing objectives is the key to unlocking this value. This is an important part of making social media a legitimate platform for brand development. Despite the reluctance of many companies to discuss problems, particularly in social media, our research has shown that actually responding to a customer’s issues is one of the most powerful social experiences a brand can deliver. In the future social CRM should be a fundamental part of any brand’s communication strategy. The consumer has many devices through which they can interact with a brand digitally but not all of these devices are a suitable environment for every experience. Tablets and smartphones, for example, have very different strengths. Marrying the right experience to the right device is key to creating a compelling social strategy.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

THE BUSINESSOF SOCIALSocial media tracker 2012

Page 2: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

This report is printed on Cocoon Silk 100: a paper produced using eco-sensitive technology from 100% recycled & de-inked waste paper (FSC certified)

Designed & illustrated with love by

Page 3: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

3

Contents

Executive summary

What is Wave?

The continuing story of Wave

Social movements

Will data privacy slow social?

The Business Of Social

Connecting with social experiences

The impact: Summary

What does this mean for your business?

About this report

5

7

9

15

27

43

55

67

71

72

Page 4: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Page 5: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

5

Executive Summary

The story so far in social networking has been the incredible growth in the numbers of people using

them. But Wave 6 shows that in the future the biggest impact will come from the increasing amount

of time people are spending on them. Social networks are now legitimate rivals to all forms of media

and will continue to have a huge effect on online consumption in particular.

Consumers are continuing to move away from increasingly siloed brand websites, viewing it as a one

dimensional experience compared to that offered by social media. Brands will need to reach out to

consumers in the social spaces if they are to connect online.

Attachment to social networks is stronger than ever, with over 40% of people saying they are worried

about missing out if they don’t visit their social network. As a result users are fully prepared to share

their data in return for the benefits they bring.

Social experiences deliver very clear value to brands. Understanding the social experiences the

consumer wants AND which of these experiences deliver the brand’s marketing objectives is the key

to unlocking this value. This is an important part of making social media a legitimate platform for

brand development.

Despite the reluctance of many companies to discuss problems, particularly in social media, our

research has shown that actually responding to a customer’s issues is one of the most powerful social

experiences a brand can deliver. In the future social CRM should be a fundamental part of any brand’s

communication strategy.

The consumer has many devices through which they can interact with a brand digitally but not all of

these devices are a suitable environment for every experience. Tablets and smartphones, for example,

have very different strengths. Marrying the right experience to the right device is key to creating a

compelling social strategy.

This report is a brief snapshot of the insight available. You will find contact details if you require further

information at the end of this report.

Page 6: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Page 7: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

7

What is Wave?

Wave is a social media study.

Wave has retained the same methodology from Wave 1 to Wave 6, enabling comparison across

Waves.

All research is conducted by the EMEA Research team in collaboration with the UM network of

agencies.

The survey is carried out using UM’s in-house research system, Intuition.

We have surveyed 41,738 16-54 Active Internet Users in 62 countries.

All surveys are self-completed and the data collected is purely quantitative.

Why the Active Internet User?

Active Internet Users are those that use the internet every day or every other day.

Social media is driven by Active Internet Users.

They drive adoption of platforms and tools and they will determine which tools and platforms

become dominant.

Page 8: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

September 2003: LaunchAugust 2003: Launch

January 2003: Launch

June 2003: Launch

March 2002: Launch

December 2004: Launch

August 2005: Google acquire Android

December 2005: Launch

January 2005: Launch

May 2003: Launch

January 2001: Launch

October 1999: Launch

January 2004: LaunchFebruary 2004: Launch

July 2006: Launch

October 2006: LaunchSeptember 2006: Facebook is opened to everyone

January 2007: iPhone launch

September 2008:First Android phone launch

April 2005: First video uploaded to Youtube

March 2005: Yahoo acquire Flickr

February 2006: Founded

There are now more than 3.6Bn images on Flickr

June 2009: Launch

February 2010:Facebook Mobile - 100M users

August 2010: Groupon is the fastest growing company of all time

December 2010: 100M usersjust 2.5 months after launch

September 2011:QQ IM - over 700M active users

October 2010: “The Social Network” film released

April 2010: iPad released

July 2010: 100M check-ins

August 2009: Xiaonei becomes RenRen

June 2011: Launch

March 2011:100M members

April 2011:Valued at over £3Bn

December 2011:Over 845M active users

June 2011:Over 200M tweets a day

March 2009: Launch

August 2008:Over 100M users

October 2008: Launch

March 2007: Launch

April 2008:Facebook overtakes

MySpace in popularity

15 countries7,500 respondents

29 countries17,000 respondents

54 countries37,600 respondents

62 countries42,000 respondents

21 countries10,000 respondents

38 countries23,200 respondents

TEXTUAL

INFLUENTIAL

VISUAL

BUSINESS

SOCIAL

Delicious

MOTIVATIONAL

THE BUSINESSOF SOCIALSocial media tracker 2012

Page 9: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

9

The continuing story of Wave

In 2006, UM embarked on a project to measure the scale and impact of social media across the globe

and to explore the changes occurring in communication technologies. To date, we have surveyed more

than 136,000 Active Internet Users across 64 countries.

Over the course of this project Wave has taught us that growth in social media is unprecedented.

However, the real story has not just been one of growth but also of evolution. In a few short years social

media has made content creators, sharers and influencers of us all.

Wave 1 (2006): demonstrated that social media was living up to the hype. There was a large and

active community communicating online.

Wave 2 (2007): showed how social media moved from a text-based medium of bloggers and

posters to a fully audio visual one full of content creators and sharers.

Wave 3 (2008): charted the democratisation of influence, how social media was driving greater

means and opportunity for consumers to influence their peers.

Wave 4 (2009): examined the reasons behind the huge growth in social media by understanding

the motivations to use different social media platforms. It showed that consumers engage with a

platform because it meets specific consumer needs and all platforms meet these needs differently.

Wave 5 (2010): told us that there was huge demand for social interaction with brands. However,

the nature and depth of this interaction varied wildly from person to person and category to

category. But those brands that could create the right experience benefited enormously, driving

brand loyalty, endorsement and sales.

Page 10: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

The expanding Wave universe

41,738RESPONDENTS

62COUNTRIES

Page 11: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

11

AustraliaChina

FranceGermany

ItalyPhilippines

RussiaSouth Korea

SpainUKUS

WAVE 1

AustraliaBrazilChina

FranceGermany

GreeceIndiaItaly

JapanMalaysia

MexicoPakistan

PhilippinesRussia

SingaporeSouth Korea

SpainTaiwan

ThailandUKUS

WAVE 2Australia

AustriaBrazil

CanadaChina

Czech RepublicDenmark

FranceGermany

GreeceHong Kong

HungaryIndiaItaly

JapanKorea

MexicoNetherlands

PakistanPhilippines

PolandRomania

RussiaSpain

SwitzerlandTaiwanTurkey

UKUS

WAVE 3Australia

AustriaBelgium

BrazilCanada

ChinaColombia

Czech RepublicDenmarkEcuadorFinlandFrance

GermanyHong Kong

HungaryIndiaItaly

JapanLatvia

LithuaniaMalaysia

MexicoNetherlands

NorwayPeru

PhilippinesPoland

PortugalRomania

RussiaSingapore

South AfricaSouth Korea

SpainSweden

TurkeyUKUS

WAVE 4

AlgeriaArgentina Australia

AustriaBahrain

BelgiumBrazil

CanadaChile

ChinaColombia

Czech RepublicDenmarkEcuador

EgyptEstoniaFrance

GermanyHong Kong

HungaryIndiaItaly

Ireland (ROI)Japan

KSAKuwaitLatvia

Lebanon LithuaniaMalaysia

Mexico Netherlands

NorwayOman

PhilippinesPoland

PortugalQatar

RomaniaRussiaSerbia

SingaporeSlovakia

South AfricaSouth Korea

SpainSwedenTaiwan

ThailandTunisiaTurkey

UAEUK

UkraineUS

WAVE 5 AlgeriaArgentina Australia

AustriaBahrain

BelgiumBrazil

CanadaChile

ChinaColombia

CroatiaCzech Republic

DenmarkEcuador

EgyptEstoniaFranceFinland

GermanyGreece

Hong KongHungary

IndiaItaly

Ireland (ROI)Japan

KSAKuwaitLatvia

Lebanon LithuaniaMalaysia

Mexico Netherlands

NorwayOman

PhilippinesPoland

PortugalPuerto Rico

QatarRomania

RussiaSerbia

SingaporeSlovakia

South AfricaSouth Korea

SpainSweden

SwitzerlandTaiwan

ThailandTunisiaTurkey

UAEUK

UkraineUS

Vietnam

WAVE 6

Page 12: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Page 13: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

13

Welcome to Wave 6 - The Business of SocialSocial media remains at the top of the agenda for many brands. However, it is clear that as a medium

for marketers it’s still very much in its infancy. Popular measures of success, such as “Likes”, posts or

Tweets, are no more than proxies for other more meaningful brand objectives. In fact, by definition,

setting these goals suggests you may have already confined yourself to creating a one-dimensional

social experience.

Perhaps this is one reason why so many social media strategies look the same, using familiar platforms

in familiar ways to achieve similar goals. With Wave 6 we intend to address this challenge. Wave 5 –

The Socialisation Of Brands told us that people want vastly differing social relationships with brands.

Wave 6 – The Business Of Social tells us what these social relationships can deliver for brands.

Do they make people want to spend more time with the brand, do they make them feel valued as

customers, or do they encourage people to recommend the brand to others?

Our research has revealed a deeply complex environment where different social experiences meet

different marketing objectives. An experience that drives brand advocacy in one category simply

creates awareness in another. An experience that encourages brand participation for one person does

very little for someone else. Knowing the value of an experience means we can build a social media

strategy designed to meet a marketing objective, rather than starting with how to exploit an existing

social platform.

We believe this knowledge is vital if we are to make social media a legitimate platform for the

development of brands.

Page 14: Wave 6 - The Business of Social
Page 15: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

SOCIALMOVEMENTS

Page 16: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

65.2%

GLOBAL61.4%51.4%45.1%

Wave 6Wave 5Wave 4Wave 3

Growth in social networking has slowedFIGURE 1:

“Thinking about the internet, which of the following have you done in the last 6 months? - Manage a profile on an existing social network (eg: facebook.com)”

Page 17: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

17

U.S.A.48.3%33.1% 64.5%58.1%

CHINA51.4%47.4% 68.9%68.4%

BRAZIL74.5%63.6% 74.3%53.9%

RUSSIA66.1%64.8% 77.1%79.8%

U.K.53.4% 58.6% 62.9%55.5%

SPAIN59.6%55.5%46.2%29.9%

GERMANY27.2% 53.1%37.8%36.6%

ITALY34.4% 61.2%53.9%24%

INDIA62.8%51.4% 67.1%72.5%

FRANCE43.4%26.3% 53.5%53.2%

Wave

43 65

Page 18: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

But as profile creation begins to plateau, active management still grows

The social network is beginning to reach a plateau amongst the active internet universe (see Figure

2). As a result, we are going to see growth at a much slower rate from now on. This will naturally put

pressure on Facebook as it IPOs. Investors will expect a return on their investment and the growth of

the platform will be a key performance indicator. Facebook will need to find ways to get consumers to

spend more time with them and further commercialise their services.

It is clear however, that active management of a social network profile is continuing to rise (see Figure

2) and time spent on a social networking site will continue to grow, at the expense of other platforms

(see Figures 3 & 5).

Page 19: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

19

49%

Upload a videoto a video

sharing site

Watch videoclips online

Create a profile

Managea profile

Visit a friend’ssocial network

page

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4 Wave 5 Wave 6

49%

75% 77%81%

88%

FIGURE 2:

“Thinking about the internet, which of the following have you ever done?”

Page 20: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

But people are spending more time than ever on social networks

Television

Radio

Magazines

Newspapers

Internet

Email

Social networks

Microblogging sites

Mobile phone

Blogs

Video sites

Everyone 16 - 24 year olds

109

7

6

6

13

7

9

7

10

6

7

6

4

5

13

7

7

6

8

5

6

FIGURE 3:

“Approximately how much time did you spend consuming the following media in the last 7 days?” Hours per week

Page 21: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

21

And the number of social contacts continues to growFIGURE 4:

“Approximately how many people do you stay in contact with in your personal life through the following means?”

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Wave 32008

Wave 42009

Wave 52010

Wave 62011

Avera

ge n

um

ber

of

peo

ple

SMS

Social network

Instant messenger

Forum/Message board

My personal blog

Phone

Email

Face to face

Text message (SMS)

Post/Letter

i m

Page 22: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Page 23: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

23

2010 may prove to be the peak for many other social platforms

FIGURE 5:

“Thinking about the internet, which of the following have you ever done?”

2010 may have been the high point for many social platforms. Growth in some activities, like blog

reading and creation, has stagnated (see Figure 5). In others, like starting a topic on a forum or visiting

a photo website, we are seeing a marked decrease.

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%Wave 12006

% E

ver

do

ne

Wave 22007

Wave 32008

Wave 42009

Wave 52010

Wave 62011

Read blog/weblogs

Start my own blog/weblogs

Visit a photo sharing website

Use instant messenger

Visit a message board/forum

Started a topic on a message board/forum

Page 24: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

But Microblogging is still rising although yet to be universally adopted

FIGURE 6:

“Thinking about using the internet, which of the following have you used in the past 6 months? – Used a microblogging service (e.g. Twitter, Jaiku)”

Since Wave started in 2006 we have tracked the

growth of many emerging technologies and we

often see vast differences in the rate by country.

Microblogs, e.g. Twitter, fit the typical profile of an

emergent social media. Small faltering steps as

the platform begins to grow and then suddenly

the event horizon is reached and they burst into

life drawing in huge numbers of participants.

What is different about microblogging though is

that the Chinese active internet universe is leading

the way with a penetration of 71.5%. Chinese

microbloggers are a highly vocal and active

community. They are more likely to be highly

educated and well paid, viewing microblogging

as a tool for self expression (49% in China vs. 32%

globally) and sharing experiences (46% in China

vs. 30% globally). It’s no wonder then that in a

few short years using sites like Sina Weibo, Sohu.

com and Tencent microblogging have reached

mass penetration. Clearly the microblogging

platform is becoming a highly influential form of

media, explaining why the Chinese government is

becoming so heavily involved through new rules

of use and the launch of it’s own platform.

GLOBAL42.9%33.2%14.9%

Wave 6Wave 5

Wave4

Page 25: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

25

U.S.A.8.5% 22.1%18.8%

CHINA26.3% 71.5%53.1%

BRAZIL43.9% 47.6%13.4%

RUSSIA14.2% 25.8%19.9%

ITALY9.4% 17.7%11.1%

INDIA24.4% 42.9%45.5%

FRANCE4.1% 12.2%8.8%

Wave

4 65

U.K.19.3% 62.9%6.4%

SPAIN24.8%19.1%11.5%

GERMANY15.9%7.7%6.2%

Page 26: Wave 6 - The Business of Social
Page 27: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

WILL DATA PRIVACY

SLOW SOCIAL?

Page 28: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Wave 42009

Wave 52010

Wave 62011

65%

70%

60%

55%

50%

I am concerned aboutthe amount of personaldata that goes online

% A

gre

e

Wave 42009

Wave 52010

Wave 62011

45%

50%

55%

40%

35%

30%

Social networking sites(eg: facebook.com) are an integral part ofsocial life

I worry aboutmissing out onsomething if I don’tvisit my social network

% A

gre

e

FIGURE 7:

“Please indicate how much you agree (definitely or tend to) with the statement [I am concerned about the amount of personal data that goes online]”

FIGURE 8:

“Please indicate how much you agree (definitely or tend to) with the statements [I worry about missing out on something if I don’t visit my social network] & [Social networking sites are an integral part of my social life]”

Page 29: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

29

Concern rises but so does attachment to social networksCurrently, one of the most valuable commodities that a social business can own is data. Many are

commercialising their platforms by delivering targeted advertising based on a user’s data and

preferences. This has driven much discussion over the privacy policies of both Google and Facebook

in the last 12 months and the knock-on effect is a rise in the concern amongst users (see Figure 7).

However, despite this concern, it’s clear that social media is becoming an increasingly important

facet of social life. We see a huge rise in the number of people saying that the social networks are

fundamental to their social life (see Figure 8).

Our research shows that concern about sharing personal data online is real and building. However, this

concern goes hand in hand with the growing importance that social networks are now playing in users

lives. People are sharing as much data as ever before, be this photos, videos or simply updating their

profile or status (see Figure 9). So it is clear that users are aware that they are sharing data and, while

this is a concern, the perceived benefits brought are too strong or outweigh the risks .

Page 30: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Makecontactsfor work/professionalreasons

Removedsomeonefrom myfriend list

Join aninterestgroupor cause

Uploadvideos

Write ablog

Affiliatewith orbecome afan of abrand

Sharedyourlocation

Purchasedsomething

Organiseevents

DatingJoin acelebritygroup

19% 19% 21% 21%

27%29% 30% 30% 31%

38% 38%

And people are still sharing personal dataUpdating your profile (62% globally) and status (52% globally) is a fundamental part of the social

networking experience (see Figure 9). Also uploading your own content is continuing at high levels.

FIGURE 9:

“What have you done with your social networking profile?, amongst those who have used a social network in the past 6 months”

Page 31: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

31

Update myprofile

Uploadphotos

Find oldfriends

Update mystatus

Find newfriends

Used livechat

Used a“like”button

Playgames

Join agroup

Display myinterests

Messagefriends

43% 44% 44%47% 47%

49%52%

59% 59%62%

64%

Page 32: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Sharing personal data is an accepted riskFIGURE 10:

“Please indicate how much you agree (definitely or tend to) with the statements [I worry about missing out on something if I don’t visit my social network] vs. [I am concerned about the amount of personal data that goes online]” amongst those who have created a profile on a new social network. - Size of bubble represents size of audience

Russia

Germany France ItalyTurkey

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

50% 55% 60%

%ag

ree

socia

ln

etw

ork

ing

isan

inte

gra

lp

art

of

my

socia

llif

e

% agree concerned about the

Page 33: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

33

China

USA

Brazil

UK

Mexico

Egypt

S Korea

Japan

Canada

Spain

India

Poland

65% 70% 75%

amount of personal data that goes online

Social networkingmore important

Privacy moreimportant

Page 34: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

FACEBOOKIS THE MOSTSEARCHED FORWORD ONTHE INTERNET

1. Facebook

2. YouTube

3. Facebook Login

4. Craigslist

5. Facebook.com

6. Yahoo

7. eBay

8. www.facebook.com

9. Mapquest

10. Yahoo.com

SOURCE: EXPERIAN HITWISE US

TOP 10 US SEARCH TERMSJANUARY 2012

Page 35: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

35

10.29%OF ALL WEBSITE VISITSIN THE UNITED STATES,

The rise of social networking is not a self contained phenomenon. It is having a profound effect on

the internet as a whole, way beyond the confines of social media. In 2011, Facebook and YouTube

competed with the search engines and have proven themselves legitimate rivals by becoming the

most searched and visited destinations on the web.

and

A 15% INCREASE FROM 20101. google.com

2. facebook.com

3. youtube.com

4. yahoo.com

5. baidu.com

6. wikipedia.org

7. live.com (Windows Live)

8. blogspot.com

9. twitter.com

10. QQ.com

ACCOUNTED FOR

SOURCE: ALEXA.COM

TOP 10 WEBSITES GLOBALLY

Page 36: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

90%

Wave 3 2008 Wave 4 2009 Wave 5 2010 Wave 6 2011

85%

80%

75%

70%

65%

60%

90%

Wave 3 2008 Wave 4 2009 Wave 5 2010 Wave 6 2011

85%

80%

75%

70%

65%

60%

16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54

FIGURE 11:

“Thinking about the internet, have you visited an official company / brand website in the past 6 months?”

FIGURE 12:

“Thinking about the internet, have you visited an official company / brand website in the past 6 months?”

Page 37: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

37

Is the world abandoning the brand website?One casualty of this battle is the brand website, often a considerable investment for many brands.

Since 2008, we have seen a continued decrease in the number of people saying that they visited an

official brand website (see Figure 11).

The exodus is even clearer amongst the youngest audiences

This drop in visiting brand websites is not confined to any one group or demographic. We are seeing

this happening equally amongst men and women and across the age ranges too. But, perhaps most

significantly, it is amongst the youngest audiences that the exodus is most dramatic (see Figure 12). A

fall of 15% points amongst the 16-24s represents the biggest drop of any age group.

Page 38: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Meet new people

Stay in touchwith friends

9%18%

11%22%

20%

16%12%

24%19%

Make contactsfor work

14%9%

15%15%

Promote myself15%16%

20%24%

23%17%

19%23%

Share knowledge24%

14%23%

29%

Change opinions22%

11%20%

24%

Be creative14%

19%18%

23%

Express myself21%

16%26%

30%

Make money11%

9%10%

16%

9%

14%

13%

25%

13%

12%

12%

9%

16%

Seek otherpeople’s opinions

Manage mylife better

13%27%

12%24%

28%

16%12%

24%19%

Explore theworld around me

16%19%19%

21%

18%15%

23%22%

“Hang out”or waste time

19%25%

23%22%

Earn respect14%

10%16%

19%

Share newexperiences

21%15%

24%27%

Feel like I belong15%

10%18%

19%

Have fun/be entertained

16%28%

21%22%

9%

16%

23%

13%

12%

12%

12%

13%

Keep up to date

Learn something new

45%

51%

26%

38%

16%

37%

26%

30%

36%

43%

26%

39%

36%

41%

27%

34%

27%

34%

32%

Official brandwebsites

Microblogs

Forums

Blogs

Photo/Videosites

Socialnetworks

FIGURE 13:

“Which of these online applications does a good job when you want to...”

Page 39: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

39

So what then is the role of the brand website?The question, then, is what role does the brand website play in a socially dominated web? If web users

are naturally migrating to the social platforms, where does the brand website fit in?

The social web is a diverse and multi-dimensional environment allowing people to meet many human

needs. As we saw from Wave 5 – The Socialisation Of Brands, people use different platforms to meet

different needs. Blogs are great for self expression, microblogs (e.g. Twitter) are great for keeping in

touch and forums help you seek others opinions.

In comparison, the brand website meets very few. Its primary role is confined to information and

commerce (see Figure 13). This suggests that the brand website is not the right location for creating

an interactive social experience. By comparison the social network platforms are far more powerful

places to provide these needs.

Page 40: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

FIGURE 14:

“Which of these online applications [Social networks e.g. facebook.com] does a good job when you want to…?” By country

FUN

CONNECTION

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

ENABLEMENT

Japan

China

South Korea

Australia

India

Thailand

Malaysia

Belgium

Denmark

UK

Canada

USA

Turkey

Hungary

Austria

Germany

Russia

Czech Republic

Sweden

Netherlands

Portugal

Mexico

Argentina

Spain

Italy

Brazil

Tunisia

Algeria

Singapore

Egypt

Hong Kong

Philippines

South Africa

Poland

Lebanon

Norway

UAELithuania

KSA

Ukraine

Macedonia

Serbia

Latvia

Romania

Ecuador

Estonia

Slovakia

Croatia

Switzerland

Vietnam

Taiwan

Finland

IrelandGreece

Chile

Colombia

Puerto RicoQatar

Oman

Kuwait

Bahrain

France

Share knowledge

Be creative

Make contacts for work

Earn respect

Explore the world around me

Learn something new

Make money

Change opinions

Seek other people’s opinions

“Hang Out” or waste time

Feel like you belong

Meet new people

Have fun/be entertained

Promote yourself

Share new experiences

Express yourself

Keep up to date

Stay in touch with friends

Manage my life better

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41

The power of social networks differs across the worldDespite social networking being a truly global phenomenon, this hasn’t led to cultural homogeneity

amongst communities. It is evident that understanding the role that social media plays and the needs

they best meet is important and our research shows that these needs are not uniform. As millions of

people across the world flock to join the social networking platforms the nuances between nations

become clear (see Figure 14).

For social networks, the desire to meet new people is the central need that unites everyone but for

other needs cultural differences come into play. In the West, places like the UK and the USA, they are

used for hanging out and having fun. In China and Hong Kong it’s about learning. In Eastern Europe it’s

about community and connecting with others, explaining why some of the largest and most engaged

social communities in the world reside here. For example, using local sites such as Vkontakte, social

networking has reached 77.1% penetration in Russia, one of the highest in our study. When we look

at the Middle East, we see that many use social networks for earning respect from others, but also

importantly, changing other’s opinions. This explains why, during the Arab Spring, users naturally

turned to social media to spread information.

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THE BUSINESS OF SOCIAL

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

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45

The value of social experiences

A word that is frequently used in social marketing is ‘Engagement’, often when citing the power of

social media and the opportunity it brings for marketers. There is nothing wrong with this; it’s a worthy

ambition for a brand to try to engage with their consumers. The problem is that engagement is essentially a meaningless term. It could mean anything or everything and is really just used as a proxy

for more meaningful brand objectives. With Wave 5 – The Socialisation Of Brands we asked some

fundamental questions: do consumers want a social relationship with brands and if they do what kind

of relationship do they want? This information has allowed UM to guide clients in the social space by

understanding the needs of the consumer first and foremost.

With Wave 6 – The Business Of Social we have taken things a step further. Not just understanding

the social experience that consumers want but also, crucially, defining the marketing value that these

experiences can deliver to brands. This means we can not only identify the right experiences but also

those that best meet our marketing objectives. The results of this research have truly been surprising

and allowed us to further understand the incredibly diverse world of social media. Also, in the space of

social CRM, the results have some profound things to say about how brands connect with consumers

to create the most compelling experiences of all.

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Social needs vary by category...

FIGURE 15:

“Thinking about companies that make computer software, which of following statements describes the kind of interaction you would like to have with these companies?”

Consumers want varying degrees of social relationship with brands. This can range from very superficial

relationships, such as wanting discount vouchers or access to entertaining content, to very deep ones

such as helping with product development or being part of a brand community (see Figure 15).

0 10 20 30 40 50

Access to news aboutnew developments &software upgrades

The ability to contactcomputer software companiesand influence product development

The opportunity to learnsomething new aboutdifferent applications

An opportunityto develop mysoftware skills

The ability to communicateand share experienceswith other users

Tools and help to expressmy creativity and makesomething worth sharing

A personal response tomy issues / complaints

Access to fun andentertaining content

Access to uniquesponsored events

or competitions

Discount vouchers forcomputer software or

free software downloads

To be part of abrand community

0 10 20 30

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47

20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Awareness

Education

Desire

Seek More

Trial

Transaction

Commitment

Involvement

Recommendation

Access to news about newdevelopments &software upgrades

The abilityto contactcomputer softwarecompanies and influence product development

Discount vouchersfor computer software companiesor free softwaredownloads

Letting you know about the company

Giving a detailed understandingof the company and its products

Making the company seem more desirable

Making you feel closer to the company

Encouraging you to at least try out the company or its products for yourself

Encouraging you to buy a product from the company

Making you feel valued as a customer

Makes you want to spend more timewith the company or brand

Encouraging you to recommendthe brand to others

And these experiences deliver very different outcomes

FIGURE 16:

“Thinking about the interactions that you have indicated you would like to have with companies that make computer software, which interaction is best…?”

What is very interesting is that each of these experiences deliver very different outcomes. Figure 16

shows that giving people access to new news about a computer software brand drives awareness and

education but very little else. Again discount vouchers stimulate transaction and trial but do very little

for a computer software brand elsewhere. However a much deeper relationship, such as cooperating

in new product development, drives commitment and prompts people to find out more.

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

The same experiences deliver different outcomes by category

FIGURE 17:

“Thinking about the interactions that you have indicated you would like to have with companies that make computer softwareand with companies that produce and distribute movies, which interaction is best…?”

The same experiences can deliver very different outcomes by category. Let consumers help you

develop products in the movie category and it drives awareness and education but not much else (see

Figure 17). Create the same experience in the computer software category and it drives loyalty and

prompts people to find out more about the brand.

Awareness

Education

Desire

Seek More

Trial

Transaction

Commitment

Involvement

Recommendation

The ability to contactcomputer softwarecompanies and influenceproduct development

The ability to contactfilm makers / movie studiosand influence moviedevelopment

25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

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49

This allows us to be far more focussed on delivering social experiences that meet our objectivesFIGURE 18:

“Thinking about the interactions that you have indicated you would like to have with companies that make computer software,companies that make computer hardware, companies that are involved in the fashion industry and companies & artists that make & distribute music, which interaction is best…?”

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Computersoftware

Computerhardware

MusicFashion

Access to breakingnews orproductlaunches

Ability to contact

companies & influence

product development

Opportunityto learnmore

Opportunityto develop

skills

Communicate & share

experiences

Tools to express my creativity &

make something

worth sharing

A personal response to my issues / complaints

Access to fun &

entertaining content

Access to unique

events or competitions

Discount vouchers

To be part of a brand

community

Objective - Making you feel closer to the company

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

The most powerful social experience? Brands and companies no longer

find themselves in complete

control of either the conversation

or content being shared about

them. While many brands see

this as an opportunity, using paid

and owned brand assets to drive

earned media, just as many don’t.

A natural fear of amplifying issues

around the brand are a legitimate

concern. One negative comment

can quickly grow to become a

real threat to a brands reputation.

However, Wave 6 has shown

us this is possibly the biggest

opportunity that brands have to

connect with consumers. If you

want to make a customer feel

valued, don’t give them rewards,

simply respond to their issues

and complaints (see Figure 19).

FIGURE 19:

“Thinking about the interactions that you have indicated you would like to have with companies in these categories, [A personal response to issues and complaints] is best at…?”

Awareness

Education

Desire

Seek More

Trial

Transaction

Commitment

Involvement

Recommendation

25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55%

Fashion Computerhardware

Travel Movies Health &beauty

Luxury Telecoms

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51

A personal response to issues / complaintsAgain and again as we analyse the results from Wave 6 we see the power of social media to create

loyalty. What is even more apparent is amongst influencers, those people who often talk about the

category, we can see that it not only drives loyalty it creates desire for the brand too (See Figure 20).

Responding to a customer’s problem is a natural behaviour for a truly social brand and consumers

clearly respect and respond to this.

FIGURE 20:

“Thinking about the interactions that you have indicated you would like to have with companies in the computer softwarecategory, [A personal response to issues and complaints] is best at…?” By which statement best describes your relationship with the computer software category

20% 30%30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Awareness

Education

Desire

Seek More

Trial

Transaction

Commitment

Involvement

Recommendation

Consider myself a“fan” of a brandin this category

Need lots ofinformation beforebuying

I often talkabout this category

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

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53

The Power of Social Experiences

A key element for making the social network platforms accountable tools for marketers is being able

to evaluate the value they bring to brands. This effort begins with understanding the intrinsic values of

the social media platforms and the power of the experiences they can deliver. Wave 6 – The Business

Of Social has begun to answer this question and now allows UM to plan social strategies from the

starting point of brand or business objective. We think this is an important step towards using social

media in a more focussed and value driven way.

This approach also has implications for social CRM. Social media platforms, such as Twitter, are

incredibly powerful tools for customer feedback. Using them in pro-active way to deal with problems

very quickly is a proven and powerful driver of loyalty. However, responding quickly isn’t always easy

and many marketing teams require input from many other areas of the organisation before dealing

with a problem. This suggests that a social media strategy should not just be the sole domain of the

marketing department, but rather part of a company wide effort including legal, PR, customer support

and others. This requires commitment and investment but our research has shown that those brands

that accomplish this will benefit greatly.

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CONNECTING WITH SOCIAL EXPERIENCES

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Devices

Creating a compelling social experience is one part of the challenge. The second is understanding

the means with which consumers want to connect with brands. There are now so many ways that

a consumer can interact in the social space and many devices through which they can do it. So the

question is which is the most appropriate? An app, a website, a widget? Or do they want to access these

via a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet device or an internet connected

TV? Each of these devices is used very differently and has different strengths and weaknesses.

Wave 6 – The Business Of Social tracks the usage and power of these technologies and helps us to

identify the key way to deliver social experiences to consumers.

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57

People now have many ways to connect with the internet

FIGURE 21:

“Which devices do you own and which have you used to access the internet in the past 6 months?”

Consumers have many means with which to connect with the internet. On average they own four

devices of which the majority of them are used to access the internet (see Figure 21).

0

1

2

3

4

5

Own Have used to access the internet

Laptop / netbook PC

Smartphone(eg: iPhone)

Mobile phone

Internet-connected TV

Portable MP3 /video player

DesktopPC

Tablet device(eg: iPad)

E-book reader(eg: Kindle)

Gamesconsole

Portablegames console

4.1

2.9

Average number of devices owned and used to access the internet

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

PC, laptop and mobile devices are still the main ways to connect

FIGURE 22:

“Which devices do you own and which have you used to access the internet in the past 6 months?”Size of the bubble represents % who own device.

Despite the rise of the smartphone for many the laptop and desktop remain the primary means of

connection.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

%O

wn

Devic

e

% Use Device to Go Online

Desktop PC

Mobile phone

SmartphonePortable

games console

PortableMP3 / video player

Games console

Internet-connectedTV

Tablet

e-book Reader

Laptop /Netbook

Page 59: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

59

0 20 40 60 80 100

Readblogs

Post /write ona blog Upload photos to a

photo sharing site

Watch video clips online

Shared a videowith a friend

Download a podcast

Download avideo podcast

Managed a socialnetwork profile

Visited a friend’ssocial network page

Used instantmessenger

Visited a company/ brand website

Used a search engine

Visiteda

forum

Senta text

message

Wrote / sent a messageon a microblog

Read a messageon a microblog

Used a cloud-basedmusic recommendation service

Take part in multi-playergame online

Visited a professionalsocial network

Joined an onlinecommunity

Made a purchase

Watched live TV

Searched fora location

Read a digitalnewspaper / magazine

Read a book

Shared your location vialocation-based social network

Browsed the internet

Joined a group buying

community

Downloaded& used an app

2020 40

Laptop / netbook PC

Smartphone(eg: iPhone)

Mobile phone

Internet-connected TV

Portable MP3 /video player

DesktopPC

Tablet device(eg: iPad)

E-book reader(eg: Kindle)

Gamesconsole

Portablegames console

As the PC remains the most versatile internet enabled device

FIGURE 23:

“Which activities have you carried out using each device in the past 6 months?”

Although we can start to see the areas where smartphones (e.g. iPhone, Blackberry etc.) are encroaching

on this dominance. Searching for a location, using a search engine and microblogging are all activities

where the smartphone is particularly powerful (see Figure 23).

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Although we can see that smartphone penetration is growing rapidly

% own a smartphone

>60%

50-60%

40-50%

30-40%

<30%

27%25%

40%

28%

44%

47%

59%

44%

38%

37%

22%

28%

37%38%

67%

61%

34%43%

33%

44%

18%

62%

53%42%

34%45%37%

36%37%

26%

44%27%

8%9%

41%

45%45%20%25%

29%28%11%

34%

42%

38%

39%

40%

23%

24%

22%36%

24%16%

43%31%

43%

45%

28%

35%

FIGURE 24:

“Which of the following devices do you own?” Smartphone (e.g. iPhone, Blackberry etc.)

Page 61: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

61

With tablet penetration slowly catching up

% own a tablet device

>20%

15-20%

10-15%

5-10%

<5%

12%10%

12%

34%

14%33%

44%

19%

17%

8%16%

10%

19%18%8%

28%22%

19%21%

20%

11%

12%11%

6%11%15%

14%12%

5%4%

14%

18%10%6% 5%

5%6% 2%

8%

11%

11%

13%

11%

23%

6%

11%5%

6%6%

20%14%

12%

16% 17%

12%

12%

FIGURE 25:

“Which of the following devices do you own?” Tablet device (e.g. iPad, Samsung Galaxy etc..)

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

Different devices are seen as better at doing different things

FIGURE 26:

“You have indicated you own these devices, which of these devices do you think does a good job when you to… Smartphone Owners vs. Tablet Owners.

Different devices have different

strengths. When we compare

smartphones and tablet devices we

see that they offer very different

environments for communication. A

smartphone (e.g. iPhone, Blackberry

etc.) is about fun and function.

Helping you manage your life and

fill in down time. A tablet device

(e.g. iPad, Samsung Galaxy etc.) is

very good at allowing more leisurely

experiences such as creativity and

learning (See Figure 26).

Even more importantly, the tablet

is seen as a better environment

for making a purchase. This shows

us that when we consider the

experience we want to create we

must understand which screen is

more suited to deliver it.

Smartphones are better whenyou want to...

Tablets are better when

you want to...20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55%

% Tablet owners

% S

mart

ph

on

e o

wn

ers

Socialisewith others

Hang out orwaste time

Find yourway

Managemy life

Organisesomething

Get somethingdone

Be creative

Access informationquickly

Have fun /Be entertained

Relax

Read content

Play a gameExplore the world

Learn something new

Watch content

Make a purchase

Research somethingthoroughly

Ward offboredom

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63

What impact do multiple devices have on media consumption?

FIGURE 27:

“Approximately how much time have you spent consuming the following media in the last 7 days by the number of devices used to access the internet”

As the number of devices that the consumer

can use to access the internet grows,

unsurprisingly, time spent online, including

time spent on social networks, also grows

dramatically (see Figure 27). Clearly the

rise in mobile devices will transform our

daily media consumption and this is already

having an detrimental effect on traditional

print media, although not an immediately

catastrophic one.

The interesting fact, though, is that

television seems unaffected. This data

suggest that TV, rather than being a rival

to social media consumption, is a perfect

partner through “second screening”, people

accessing media via another screen (either

a P.C. or mobile device) whilst watching

TV. This data again suggests that not only

should we consider the device best suited

to deliver the social experience but how we

should also consider using multiple screens

in combination to deliver it. 0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Avera

ge h

ou

rs s

pen

t co

nsu

min

g m

ed

ia in

last

7 d

ays

Number of devices used to access the internet

1 2 3

TV NewspapersMagazinesSocialnetworks

Browsingthe internet

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Connecting devices to experiences

FIGURE 28:

“You have indicated you own these devices, which of these devices do you think does a good job when you to…”

FUN

ORGANISATION

INFORMATION

ACTION

Learn Something New

Get Something Done

Find My Way

Manage My Life

Research SomethingThoroughly

Make a Purchase

Ward Off Boredom

Relax

Socialise With Others

Organise Something

Read Content

Explore the World Around Me

Have Fun/ BeEntertained

Play a Game

Access InformationQuickly

Be Creative

Watch Content

“Hang Out” orWaste Time

Laptop/Netbook P.C.

e-book Reader

SmartphoneInternet

connectedTV

Portable Games Console

Desktop P.C.

Tablet device

PortableMP3 / video

player

Games Console

Mobile Phone

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65

Connecting experiences to screensMarketers are now faced with enormous choice when thinking about how to connect with consumers.

Never mind the fragmentation in traditional media, the growth of internet connected devices means

that we cannot just think about the media itself, social or otherwise, but also the screen through which

it is delivered.

Penetration of these devices differs enormously (see Figures 24 & 25), and video-on-demand services

delivered by smart TV’s are fast growing. In South Korea, South Africa and Russia the mobile device

is king. But it’s not just the penetration of these technologies we must consider but also their relative

strengths. As we try harder and harder to create powerful social experiences it’s clear that the ability

of these screens to deliver them differs enormously.

Wave 6 – The Business Of Social, delves into these attributes in far more depth than is available in this

report. We also look at the power of apps and the role of m-commerce. We think that understanding

where to best deliver the experience will become increasingly important as these technologies grow.

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THE IMPACT: SUMMARY

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

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69

The impact: summary

Our research shows that social experiences can be very powerful, creating strong connections with

the consumer. However, it also shows that knowing this is not enough. We also need to know the

value that these bring. These experiences need not be complicated. The consumer is often the most

powerful advocate and ally of a brand: Wave 6 - The Business Of Social demonstrates that even

simply responding to a customer’s problems creates more loyalty and advocacy than any reward

programme could.

So it is no good spending time and investment on a social experience that you don’t know the value of

or doesn’t meet your brand’s challenges. It’s necessary to look at both the consumer’s needs and your

own objectives if you are to build something that not only connects to the consumer but also helps

build value for your brand.

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71

What does this mean for your business?

What are the social dynamics of your category?

How are your consumers currently behaving in social media?

What kind of social media experience are they looking for?

Which of these experiences best deliver against your brand’s marketing objectives?

Which devices and social platforms are best able to deliver this experience?

Wave 6 – The Business Of Social is an in-depth study and there are many other aspects that we are

unable to cover in this report.

If you want to know how to operate in the new social media landscape and what this means for your

business please contact:

EMEAGlen Parker

Research Director - EMEA

[email protected]

APACNatalie Pidgeon

Director IQ and Insights - APAC

[email protected]

NORTH AMERICAHuw Griffiths

EVP Global Director of Research

[email protected]

LATIN AMERICAMario Mejia

Strategic Director - Colombia / LatAm

[email protected]

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The business of social | Social media tracker 2012

About this report

Wave 6 - The Business Of Social is part of UM’s on-going research programme aimed at exploring the

massive changes occurring in communication technologies

The studies have been conducted annually since 2006.

The research is conducted by the UM EMEA research team in collaboration with the UM global network

of agencies.

If you have any questions about the research or future Wave projects please contact the authors of

this report:

Glen Parker

Research Director EMEA

[email protected]

Lindsey Thomas

Senior Research Executive EMEA

[email protected]

Page 73: Wave 6 - The Business of Social

This report is printed on Cocoon Silk 100: a paper produced using eco-sensitive technology from 100% recycled & de-inked waste paper (FSC certified)

Designed & illustrated with love by

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THE BUSINESSOF SOCIALSocial media tracker 2012