Page 9 - Trends 2013

SOCIAL MEDIA

cracks

social code

the 7th time

the true value proposition to foster a mutually beneficial
UM, a division of IPG Mediabrands, just released Wave relationship and build long-term relationships online.”
7 this week, the world’s most ambitious, largest and
longest-running survey, that includes data of more than Key findings of Wave 7:
1 billion active internet users.

Wave, the first social media study on a global scale, has  Socialization is a day-to-day imperative – It ful-
tracked the dynamic shifts that have taken place within fils the fundamental need to communicate and sup-
the social media landscape for the last seven years. As ports the basic emotional and psychological needs.
part of this year’s survey, the importance of the human Brands must become fully involved in their profes-
need to connect, combined with the proliferation of sional/owned assets to manage social perceptions
smartphones, reveals compelling insights into consumer among its fans as well as understand how they can
behavior. These insights offer brand marketers an op- satisfy their users’ core needs and what value they
portunity to create customized media strategies that can add to drive loyalty.
speak to consumers locally and at the global level.
 Mobility is the norm – Formats are converging
and more and more people are using mobile devic-
“It’s no longer enough to simply track the latest trends,
because much of what you see is just background noise es than ever before. Smartphone now rivals the
or, even worse, a complete distraction. What we really desktop and is closing in on the laptop. As smart
need is to understand the motivations behind these technology increase the frequency of social interac-
trends – because even the most superficial social inter- tions online people want to respond quickly, easily
action online is driven by a consumer need," said Pat and in context of what’s happening around them
Lim, Managing Director, IPG Mediabrands, Singapore. right now. This means that marketers must create
more local and contextual experiences for users to
share and respond in a spontaneous manner.
"Wave 7 has identified that consumers will connect with
brands that meet five basic needs. By answering these  Privacy and sharing information - a fragile bal-
needs, and by combining technology, social platforms ance: The former CIA technical worker Ed Snow-
and media in a more cohesive way, brands can put den’s allegations of widespread governmental gath-
themselves in an extremely powerful position. We be- ering of personal information has made internet
lieve Wave 7 can guide them through this journey," she privacy a front page issue. And yet, as devices be-
added. come central to users’ lives, they are willing to
share data with companies that make their online
According to Wave 7, relationship, diversion, learning, experiences better.
progression, and recognition are the five key needs un-
derpinning all consumer interaction. These five motiva- Leaders and laggards in the region
tions continue to fuel the world’s prolific use of social
media. Wave 7 shows no sign of internet user fatigue.  Social Media: Bucking the global trend, Facebook
The rapid growth of mobile is resulting in an “always on” shows no sign of decline in SEA or even the larger
mentality with consumers around the world being more APAC region. Users across Southeast Asia use
connected, more often. affinity social networking to satisfy their core needs
of relationship (58%), diversion (51%), recognition
“In Singapore, SEA and wider APAC region, increase in (53%), progression (39%) and learning (49%).
mobility and device ownership particularly smartphones,
laptops, tablets, mini tablets and even internet-  Microblogging: The trend of microblogging which
connected TVs is leading to growth, intensity and diver- was seen a strong uptick globally (52%), has seen
sification of social media activities that satisfies the a rather slower adoption by Singaporeans with only
need for connection and self-expression,” stated Lim. 40% following this trend. Indonesians are the most
active micro-bloggers in the Southeast Asia region
at 69% while China is leading the way with 86% of
She added: “Social media is no longer an activity solely internet users active on Sina Weibo.
for the young or early adopter. Its high penetration gives

us an unprecedented opportunity to understand con-
sumers by analyzing their social behavior and unlocking
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