G

L
O
B
A
L

T
W
I
T
T
E
R

T
R
E
N
D
S
:
B
R
A
Z
I
L
Research Partner:
G
L
O
B
A
L

T
W
I
T
T
E
R

T
R
E
N
D
S
:
B
R
A
Z
I
L
A deep dive into the
habits and behaviors
of Brazilians on Twitter
2014 360i. All Rights Reserved
Brazil has been called the country of the future due to its booming economy
and growing cultural infuence. A rapidly emerging market, South Americas
largest nation played host to this summers FIFA World Cup events, and will
host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. These massive global events have and
will undoubtedly give rise to a furry of cultural moments during which marketers
from all corners of the world will seek opportunities to connect with consumers.
In an effort to learn more about this timely and infuential market, 360is Insights
& Planning group set out to explore the role of culture when it comes to how,
where and with what purpose Brazilians engage on Twitter. Brazil proved to be
an interesting target, as it is emerging as one of South Americas most social-
media savvy countries, with 79 percent of Internet users already active on
social platforms (an adoption rate that is fast approaching that of the United
States)
1
. More specifcally, Brazil is one of the fastest-growing countries when
it comes to Twitter user growth.
Twitter jumped from seventh place in October 2013 to third place in January
2014 when it comes to share of visits across social platforms in Brazil. The
fndings in this report can be used as an indication of Brazilian consumers
general behavior across social media overall and offer important implications
for marketers aiming to connect with this audience on Twitter in particular. This
study is part of a larger series that compares Twitter usage in the U.S., U.K.,
India and South Korea.
I enjoy using Twitter in the
morning to learn about the
news. I also use it a lot at night,
but then mostly to see posts
made by friends.
Male user
1
eMarketer Social Network Users in Brazil, April 2013
2
Experian Marketing Services, 2014
1
Key Findings
1. Brazilians use Twitter at specifc times of recreation throughout the day. The volume of tweets posted in Brazil peaks during
the breakfast, lunch and dinner hours. This trend is unique to the Brazilian market and juxtaposes the other countries analyzed in
this study (U.S., India, South Korea and the U.K.), as they tend to post during their recreational time when they can be devoted to
post creation.
2. Brazilians use Twitter as a means for self-expression. Compared to other markets analyzed in this study, Brazilian Twitter
users are less likely to interact directly with other users, and have a high proportion of individually-focused status updates. This
indicates a Twitter culture that values self-expression over connectivity.
3. People in Brazil exhibit one of the most diverse spectrums of emotion in this study, indicating that their use of the
platform is a direct refection of their offine expression. Instead of conveying a disproportionate amount of positivity over
negativity (as is the case in other markets, namely the U.S. and the U.K.), Brazilian Twitter users are inclined to share any emotion
they feel, good or bad. This could again signal a tendency to use Twitter as a medium for unmoderated self-expression instead of
a cautionary portrayal of ones best self.
4. Following brands on Twitter is common in Brazil, though consumer-brand interaction is low as compared to other
markets. A majority of users follow brands on Twitter, primarily for updates and to show their support (i.e showcasing to others
that they are fans of the brand). That said, users do not often engage with these brands, but it is likely that engagement between
brands and consumers will increase when marketers speak to users on a personable level.
E
X
E
C
U
T
I
V
E

S
U
M
M
A
R
Y
:
B
R
A
Z
I
L
2014 360i. All Rights Reserved
Twitter users in Brazil post most frequently during breakfast,
lunch and dinnertime hours. This behavior is unique to Brazil
when compared to the Indian, South Korean and U.K. markets
in which users post more evenly and consistently throughout
the day and when compared to the U.S. market, in which
tweet volume peaks significantly in the evening.
3
eMarketer Global Mobile Landscape 2014
4
eMarketer Global Mobile Landscape 2014
2
Out of the five markets we studied as part of this series, Brazil
demonstrated the lowest proportion of tweets posted from a
smartphone; however, at 38 percent of posts originating from
a smartphone, Brazil far exceeds the 20 percent penetration
of the overall market. Confirmed in our interviews with users
in-market
2
, a majority of Twitter users in Brazil do have a
smartphone. In fact, because Brazilians tend to go out for
lunch, a majority of midday tweets originate from smartphones.
This behavior is expected to increase as the smartphone
penetration rate is projected to grow by 15 percentage points
in just three years
3
.
Our deep dive into the intent and content of users posts
demonstrates that Brazilians leverage Twitter as a means for
self-expression. Nearly 50 percent of the tweets studied were
posted to share a status update
[a]
(status update defined as one-
way usage of the platform rather than engaging in interpersonal
dialogue), which was larger than all other markets analyzed in
the study. Instead of using Twitter to give or share advice with
others
[b]
, Brazilians tend to instead share their own opinions,
unprompted
[c]
.
What this means: In the Brazilian market, a brands
effectiveness on Twitter will vary with time of day. Marketers
seeking to connect with Brazilian consumers on the platform
will want to schedule their posts during these three peaks in
order to reach the greatest number of people. While users may
be passive on Twitter throughout the day, these peaks also
represent when Brazilians have the most down-time, and thus
are more likely to spend time participating in discussions.
Brazilian Twitter users post
during specific times of recreation
throughout the day
Twitter is used by Brazilians as a mode
of self-expression
[I follow brands on Twitter such
as] All-Star, Nokia and Rocawear,
because I like them and it is good
to keep an eye on the news, new
products, and even promotions.
Female user
VOLUME OF TWITTER POSTS BY TIME OF DAY
Korea UK US Brazil India
PERCENTAGE OF POSTS MADE FROM A SMARTPHONE
Smartphone/Tablet Desktop/Laptop
REASON FOR POSTING
2014 360i. All Rights Reserved
Moreover, the most prevalent category of posts shared by
Brazilian Twitter users was Original Content, which accounts
for nearly three-quarters of all posts
[c]
, compared to an average
36 percent in other markets. Twitter Conversations (i.e. @
replies) are the second most prominent type of post at 13
percent
[d]
, which is significantly lower than the 34 percent average
seen across other markets. The abundance of original content
and motivation to post status updates reinforce the notion that
Brazilian Twitter users are less engaged with each other on the
platform and instead prefer to talk primarily about themselves, to
no one person in particular.
The breakout of the Brazilian conversation sample by topic
reveals even more indications of a self-centric Twitter community.
Personal Views, which encompass opinions and remarks about
various topics, make up an overwhelming amount of Brazilian
tweets with 62 percent of the topic share. While personal image
may only be tangentially related to the concept of a self-centric
Twitter culture, the topic of Health & Beauty (encompassing
subjects like makeup and fashion) was most prevalent in Brazil
compared to the other markets, representing 18 percent of all
posts analyzed.
What this means: Understanding that Brazilians use Twitter
as a means of self-expression is an indicator to brands of
the type of tone of voice that users will find most personable.
Because users are personal in their own interactions, brands
should reflect this transparent tone to spur engagement
from Brazilians on Twitter. There is an opportunity to drive
engagement among Brazils highly self-expressive culture
by exhibiting a stronger brand personality and creating more
personalized messaging in a friendly tone of voice.
Brazilian Twitter posts convey a more evenly distributed
spectrum of emotion than the other markets analyzed for
this study. Joy is the most prevalent emotion, comprising 25
percent of the total sample. Trust, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and
Anticipation each represent 10 to 12 percent of the emotions
conveyed by Brazilian users.
Compared to markets like the U.S. and the U.K., where
emotions other than Joy are less likely to be shared publicly
on social media, the Brazilian markets even representation of
emotions correlates to a more open use of the platform where
users are comfortable sharing both the positive and negative
feelings of everyday life. The inclination to post liberally about
whatever emotion one is feeling in the moment including
negative emotions such as Disgust, Anger and Sadness
indicates a higher level of comfort with online self-expression.
3
Brazilian Twitter users are self-
expressive in the full spectrum of
positive and negative emotions
I feel comfortable sharing with the
people in my personal circle
[on Twitter]. I share various feelings
such as joy, hope, determination,
criticism and indignation.
Male user
TYPE OF POST
PERCENTAGE BREAKOUT OF CONVERSATION BY TOPIC
PERCENTAGE CONVERSATION BY TOPIC & COUNTRY
HEALTH AND BEAUTY
2014 360i. All Rights Reserved
Users in Brazil prefer to be as open as possible about what
it is they are feeling or experiencing, in spite of the highly
public nature of the Twitter platform. This openness is unique
to the Brazilian market even when compared to markets
with a high percentage of Joy expressed as many other
countries face the cultural taboo of complaining too much or
over-sharing in social media.
What this means: Because public Twitter updates are often a
direct representation of how consumers are feeling, brands can
learn a great deal about consumer opinions from listening to
these conversations. Understanding consumer wants and needs is
especially important when it comes to maximizing the audiences
emotional potential. Brands should be conscientious of the higher
levels of both positive and negative feedback or engagement and
attempt to mitigate complaints in order for the extreme positivity to
shine through and influence positive word of mouth.
A majority of Brazilian Twitter users indicate that they follow brands
to stay up to date on new products, show their support and share their
opinions. However, a relatively small volume of users engage with or
mention brands in their content. Compared to other markets analyzed,
Brazils brand mentions are among the lowest, encompassing just
3 percent of conversations. This figure is in stark contrast to the 15
percent share of brand mentions in India in particular.
Perhaps the main reason for this discrepancy between Brazil and
India two of the worlds foremost developing economies is the
demographic makeup of the platforms audiences in each market.
4
Indias Twitter population is dominated by wealthy professional
males who use the service as a networking and information-
sharing tool (with brands and companies playing a large role).
On the contrary, Brazils user base is more demographically
diverse, with a more even split between males and females. An
additional factor might be Brazilians preference to use Twitter for
self-expression instead of sharing information.
A final reason for this lower engagement can be attributed to the
fact that many such interactions are currently taking place on Face-
book. Consumers have had time to familiarize themselves with the
platform, and brands are focused on outreach on this platform.
However, considering Twitter offices in Brazil opened a mere year
ago, brand engagement on Twitter will only continue to increase, as
the success of interactions on Facebook is a representation of how
open the social population is to this type of engagement. The type of
brand interaction that is currently occurring on Twitter is primarily
in the context of providing customer service feedback. Users recog-
nize that Twitter is an especially empowering medium for this, and
a platform on which they can receive information quickly
and efficiently. In this case, consumers favor Twitter over
Facebook, and will continue to do so as the platform evolves.
What this means: As Brazils economy continues to develop and
its emerging middle class grows larger, increased brand presence
on Twitter will naturally drive more brand engagement. There is an
opportunity for brands to reach consumers on Twitter specifically
by providing a more personal type of engagement, which is more
likely to solicit a response. Brazilians value close-knit groups of
friends and family so brands would do well to leverage a friendly
social cadence.
Following brands is common, though
consumer-brand interactions are less
common than in other markets
I think it is very important
[for brands to be on Twitter].
In case I do not like [the product]
I can leave my opinion, in order to
improve the quality of the brand.
Male user
PERCENTAGE OF POSTS WITH BRAND EMOTIONS
DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKOUT BY AGE DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKOUT BY GENDER
Female Male
Brazil India UK Korea
US
Teens 30s 20s 40s
Brazil India UK Korea US
PERCENTAGE BREAKOUT OF CONVERSATION BY TYPE OF EMOTION
2014 360i. All Rights Reserved
5
As Brazils footprint in the global economy grows, marketers
will have a greater need to understand the behaviors of
Brazilian consumers. Social media insights will be especially
powerful in this pursuit, as platform adoption rates continue to
increase at a staggering pace in this market.
While Twitter was the sole focus of this study, these insights
can be extrapolated to infer broader cultural trends among
Brazilians in digital. For example, Brazilians inclination to
utilize Twitter as a means for self-expression suggests a
population which is at ease with openly sharing personal
emotions and self-centric thoughts. Due to this inherent
cultural openness, marketers have a unique and valuable
opportunity to win the attention of users who are already
following brands on Twitter, but not yet engaging with them
directly en masse.
Methodology
This data comes from 360is research and analysis conducted
January 2014 to April 2014 on Twitter conversations spanning
31st March, 2013 - 30th September, 2013. A random sample
of 200 posts was collected and analyzed from public Twitter
profiles.
This random sample was not targeted to subject matter. Data
was vetted and cleaned to ensure tweets were coming from
relevant users and then analyzed for behavioral trends among
Twitter users in Brazil. Top-line metrics and categories were
analyzed out of the 200-post sample, and time of day was
analyzed on a larger sample of 10,000 posts per market.
360i then conducted an online qualitative study with GutCheck
via its Instant Research Community platform to better
understand motivations driving specific online behaviors. This
study included a specific audience: 20 people who are age
18-34, live in Brazil, speak fluent Portuguese, and post on
Twitter at least three times per month. All research, including
recruiting and online moderation, was conducted in the native
Portuguese language and was completed over the course of
two days in April 2014.
About 360i
360i is an award-winning agency that drives results for Fortune
500 marketers by making brands culturally relevant amid the
rapid pace of consumer behavior change. 360i is a highly
strategic creative and media partner for clients that brings
together digital specialization in insights, strategy, social,
influencer marketing, search, analytics and media with a
deep understanding of how people discover brands and share
stories across all channels. This year 360i was consecutively
named the top digital agency according to Advertising Age,
Adweek and MediaPost, in addition to being recognized among
the industrys most innovative companies by Fast Company
and Creativity. The agencys clients include Coca-Cola, Kraft,
Mondelez, Toyota and NBCU. For more information, visit
blog.360i.com or follow us on Twitter @360i.
About GutCheck
GutCheck is an on-demand research community solution that
provides immediate insights from specific customer segments
enabling clients to screen and optimize product concepts and
marketing communications early in their development. Unlike
traditional online community offerings, GutCheck delivers highly
actionable feedback in days and without the need to invest
hundreds of thousands of dollars upfront. Headquartered in
Denver, CO, GutCheck has international research capabilities
providing research services in twenty markets. For more
information, please visit www.GutCheckIt.com or follow us on
Twitter @gutcheckIt.
C
o
n
c
l
u
s
i
o
n