Firefly illuminates

Social Animals on the Move in Asia

A social media & mobile perspective

With the opportunity for consumers to be increasingly connected via their mobile handset, as opposed to their PC, consumers’ behaviours are evolving as the mobile smart phone is enabling people to communicate, entertain & transact in a variety of new ways. Consumer behaviour is becoming more and more mobile, where the smart phone is becoming imbedded in consumers’ daily lives, as more and more activities are undertaken on the move anytime & anywhere.

evolving mobile behaviour, representing the biggest & fastest growing mobile internet population in the world, where some markets’ current behaviour allow us to glimpse into the future.

Social Media growth inseparable from Mobile

networking. Recent comScore data (Dec 2010) has found social networking to now account for the largest proportion of consumers’ time spent online via the PC. (For example In Australia this grew by over 5% in the last year to 22%). This trend is set to grow further & become more mobile, when considering current reliance on access via internet cafes, as well as access via smart phones or PDAs which is increasingly the norm rather than exception.

Although in its relatively early stages, mobile social media appears to be experiencing considerable growth. With smart phone usage projected to grow across the region exponentially, mobile data speeds picking up, the

social networking appears to becoming more mobile orientated by nature.

operating systems, plus a growing proliferation of mobile apps enter the market everyday that enable consumers a multiplicity of content opportunities, some life enhancing, some just for pure fun & entertainment. There is no denying that the growth of social networking cannot be separated from increasing mobility, and will only be fuelled further by the advance of the smart phone in consumers’ lives. So does the growth of the smart phone and increased mobility signify a new phase or dimension for social media? If so, do the motivations & needs that drive consumer usage &

implications for brands in this ever changing & ever fragmenting digital space.

We explored this evolving trend and examined how varied mobile social networking is across the APAC region, & the implications or challenges for brands who vie for attention across this growing platform.

Different stages of evolution

A Dynamic Logic Millward Brown Ad Reaction study conducted in 2010 found respondents in China more likely to beaccessing social media sites via their mobile compared to Europe and US, at 19%, compared to less than 9% and 17% respectively. When looking at mobile social media in further detail, our experience indicates that there is considerable

Locally focused

Consumers in China are becoming more and more dependent upon smart phones as they become more integral to their lives, although limitations with present 3G infrastructure largely limit this to city dwellers. Although home broadband penetration for China is relatively low at under 30%, it is anticipated that mobile broadband access will account for 70% of access by 2014 (ADMA), and it is envisaged that many, especially youth, will be accessing social

catering to a graduate, older higher income audience.

Advanced

South Korea appears to be a relatively advanced market for mobile internet access with over half of established social media player Cyworld’s 6 million members accessing regularly via their mobile. Although Cyworld appears to be losing ground to Facebook & Twitter, as for some consumers, it appears to be unable to keep up with market innovations.

Similarly Singapore & Australia have relatively high levels of mobility, despite higher home broadband penetration levels than other countries, as access via the PC is less cost prohibitive. Smart phone penetration in Singapore is one of the highest in the world, and accessing social media via the mobile is projected to grow rapidly, as is Australia which is ahead of Europe and not far behind China, with 15% accessing social network sites from their phone (Ad Reaction 2010).

Highly engaged

In Indonesia, mobile internet access predominates, as access to a PC is limited to around 10% of the population and dedicated home broadband access is expensive. However the appetite for social media is strong and is largely fuelled

become the fashion accessory amongst youth and the style conscious. Similarly, Filipinos are increasingly accessing

as measured by time spent & frequency of visits in a month. By 2013, Indonesia is projected to become the 4th largest mobile market in the world (ADMA 2010).

Future mobility growth spots

Whereas in contrast, other countries like India & Thailand, the take up of smart phones appears to be largely limited to

to grow rapidly in the next 12 months as handsets become cheaper. The current expansive roll out of 3G services in

countries currently spend the least amount of time and frequency engaging with social media via the PC, as it is cheaper to access via internet cafes or by smart phone for those fortunate enough to own one. So the smart phone is very much the platform that will drive growth in social networking in these markets.

Facebook expanding via mobility

An interesting trend cutting across the region is the gradual domination of Facebook over local social media sites, with the exceptions of China, Google owned Orkut in India, & Cyworld in South Korea, although with the latter, ground is

Mobile social media behaviours

So what activities are consumers engaging with via mobile social media, what is driving this behaviour, and are the same needs served via mobile social media as they are via the PC?

penetration & evolution across the region, the motivations and behaviours are surprisingly similar.

Personal by nature

and consequently content on it has greater meaning to the consumer. It’s more about adding friends, status updates & posting comments, sharing content with friends and uploading photos in real time on the move, compared to more involving activities such as playing games, writing blogs or watching videos. High engagement in social media in countries such as Indonesia and The Philippines can also be explained by a highly expressive culture, and the need to feel constantly connected.

Social animals, on the move

It’s no surprise that communication and networking, as with social media via the PC, is

on the move appears to be more compelling for consumers as they update or check in to their locations with Facebook places, Foursquare or Gowalla, so as to broadcast their location and keep up to date or connect with where their friends are. This has the potential for building exposure and on the move word of mouth for brands, especially when considering that a growing proportion of social media users

in their networks. Moreover, brand followers are primarily interested in information on new products, as opposed to sales and discounts, (Ad Reaction 2010).

Mobile search

Given the mobile nature of social media, the need for information & updates on the move vastly increases. Mobile search is advancing as the ability to search for products and services, price comparisons, and hunting out discounts

option, acting as a mobile wallet across some markets for smaller purchases, thus integrating its role into consumers‘ lives even more. There is also future potential for a more intuitive search to be provided by mobile handsets as they combine social networking and GPS data to identify and make suggestions for products and brands across locations.

Immediacy

and can catch people’s attention and lose relevance in a short space of time. For example, a restaurant

amongst friends and to go viral, further increasing impact.

Short & sweet

Connected to the above behaviours, consumers appear to use mobile social media in a less formal and more casual manner, where users dip in and out very quickly whilst on the move. Here, an update or comment has a tendency to be short and to the point, hence the success of twitter, and growth of location based check in sites such as Gowalla or Foursquare, which require a quick update or push of a button rather than any lengthy interaction.

‘Live’ or static social media spots

Interestingly, some of the location based social networks or apps such as Foursquare & Instargram are beginning to be viewed by younger users, typically the under 25s as ‘live’ sites that require accessing on a regular basis, whereas other areas are regarded as more static locations for storage of photos, friends’ contact details etc. It will be interesting to

Killing time on the move

Given the long time and many hours often spent commuting, mobile social media can play a cathartic role killing time

pressures are less existent. It also provides opportunities for location based content where brands can entertain and inform.

Symbol of Identity

The smart phone is an important symbol of identity across many Asian markets, especially amongst the more image conscious youth. However, it is worth noting that this is not just a youth phenomena. In particular, Chinese consumers pay a lot of attention to mobile devices and how others perceive them, as for many, they represent a status symbol and signify to others the type of person they are. This suggests an even more personal relationship with this platform compared to the PC, as it is not only an extension of their physical being, it’s a representation of their self.

Potential higher levels of engagement via Mobile SM?Research from Dynamic Logic evaluating over 100 mobile campaigns has found higher levels of engagement, and a shift across brand metrics for display advertising on mobile platforms compared to PC. Mobile sites, by virtue of capacity tend to be much simpler, and this plays positively into the user experience due to lower levels of clutter, plus higher personal relevance. This begs the question, can this level of engagement be delivered within social media via the mobile? Only time will tell.

Aided Brand Awareness

Ad Awareness

Message Association

Brand Favorability

PurchaseIntent

+6.3Mobile

Online

+22.5 +14.1 +4.3 +5.7

+2.1 +4.3 +2.4 +1.4 +1.3

Rules of engagement for Social Media & Mobile

Given the consumer behaviour associated with mobile social media, below are a few rules that brands must consider when communicating in the mobile social media arena.

Interestingly, pages with higher brand post frequency tend to achieve better FanIndex ratings. Findings suggest that at least 15 posts per month are required to achieve a strong page rating. However, this does not mean that posting hundreds of times per month is essential; that could quickly have a reverse impact.

1. PersonaliseThere exists huge potential for time and location based content and messaging, so there is no excuse to not be relevant. Additionally, in markets such as Thailand, local language is very important. 2. Participation - two way interaction is key. Brands need to encourage participation, and play a facilitator role for members and friends to experience the brand through broader conversations, rather than directly bombarding them.

3. Keep it simple - people have limited time & capacity to engage via a smart phone, so make it easy for them, keep it simple & authentic and don’t try to oversell.

return. Value of the Fan Page study found that new product information, contests

5. Don’t isolate - mobile social media campaigns aren’t an end in themselves. They need to work alongside other media channels & communication messages should be integrated.

6. Be distinctive - from other social media activity. Don’t just replicate your social

7. Think long term dialogue - rather than a short term interaction, and encourage a relationship that is built slowly over time. Brands need to be integrated gradually and build trust over time, as in the long term the rewards are stronger.

8. Step ahead - brands need to be able to stay ahead of the game and anticipate future needs and the sweet spots of social media users.

The recent Value of the Fan Page study undertaken by Millward Brown Dynamic Logic found that the most successful fan pages provided a wide variety of information, and new & innovative content on a regular basis. Exactly the kind of fan page tactics a brand deploys will depend on the brand’s objectives. For example di�erentiation is the main objective, this study suggests that novel and innovative content will be most important

Summary

advance of the smart phone, and social networking is likely to play a more pervasive & integral role across consumers’ lives.

This raises new challenges for brands and marketers on how best to leverage and navigate this personal consumer space. More research that goes behind studies such as Value of the Fan Page is required to understand the dynamics of consumer interaction in mobile social media so that opportunities for both brands, and consumers, can be optimised.

Rakesh Kumar Head of Fire�y - Africa Middle East Asia Paci�cFire�y Millward Browntel: +65 6854 7424mob: +65 94351464rakesh.kumar@�re�ymb.com

Chris MaierDirector of Digital Operations,Africa & Asia Paci�c - Hong Kongtel: (852) 2280 3031chris.maier@millwardbrown.com

To �nd out more about social media and mobile in Africa Middle East Asia Paci�c region please contact...