Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wave 6
Wave 6
of social
Social media tracker 2012
Contents
Executive summary
What is Wave?
Social movements
15
27
43
55
67
71
72
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 dont 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 brands 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 customers 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 brands
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.
5
What is Wave?
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 UMs in-house research system, Intuition.
All surveys are self-completed and the data collected is purely quantitative.
Active Internet Users are those that use the internet every day or every other day.
They drive adoption of platforms and tools and they will determine which tools and platforms
become dominant.
BUSINESS
THE BUSINESS
OF SOCIAL
SOCIAL
62 countries
42,000 respondents
September 2011:
QQ IM - over
700M active users
December 2011:
Over 845M active users
54 countries
37,600 respondents
MOTIVATIONAL
June 2011:
Over 200M tweets a day
March 2011:
100M members
38 countries
23,200 respondents
INFLUENTIAL
February 2010:
Facebook Mobile - 100M users
29 countries
17,000 respondents
September 2008:
First Android phone launch
August 2008:
Over 100M users
TEXTUAL
21 countries
10,000 respondents
April 2008:
Facebook overtakes
MySpace in popularity
15 countries
7,500 respondents
VISUAL
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.
41,738 62
RESPONDENTS
COUNTRIES
WAVE 5
WAVE 4
WAVE 3
WAVE 2
WAVE 1
Australia
China
France
Germany
Italy
Philippines
Russia
South Korea
Spain
UK
US
Australia
Brazil
China
France
Germany
Greece
India
Italy
Japan
Malaysia
Mexico
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
South Korea
Spain
Taiwan
Thailand
UK
US
Australia
Austria
Brazil
Canada
China
Czech Republic
Denmark
France
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Italy
Japan
Korea
Mexico
Netherlands
Pakistan
Philippines
Poland
Romania
Russia
Spain
Switzerland
Taiwan
Turkey
UK
US
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Finland
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
Norway
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
UK
US
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Italy
Ireland (ROI)
Japan
KSA
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
Norway
Oman
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
UAE
UK
Ukraine
US
WAVE 6
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
France
Finland
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Italy
Ireland (ROI)
Japan
KSA
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Macedonia
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
Norway
Oman
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
UAE
UK
Ukraine
US
Vietnam
11
13
SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS
GLOBAL
45.1%
Wave 3
51.4%
Wave 4
61.4%
Wave 5
65.2%
Wave 6
U.S.A.
33.1% 48.3% 58.1% 64.5%
CHINA
47.4% 51.4%
BRAZIL
63.6% 53.9%
INDIA
51.4% 62.8%
74.5%
74.3%
SPAIN
29.9% 46.2% 55.5% 59.6%
RUSSIA
64.8% 66.1%
79.8%
68.4%
72.5%
68.9%
67.1%
FRANCE
26.3% 43.4% 53.2% 53.5%
U.K.
53.4% 55.5% 58.6% 62.9%
ITALY
24% 34.4%
53.9%
61.2%
GERMANY
27.2% 36.6% 37.8% 53.1%
77.1%
Wave
3
17
FIGURE 2:
Thinking about the internet, which of the following have you ever done?
88%
49%
75%
77%
81%
49%
Upload a video
to a video
sharing site
Wave 1
Watch video
clips online
Wave 2
Create
a profile
Wave 3
Manage
a profile
Wave 4
Wave 5
Visit a friends
social network
page
Wave 6
19
16 - 24 year olds
Everyone
Television
9
6
Radio
Magazines
Newspapers
10
6
5
6
13
13
Internet
7
7
Social networks
6
Microblogging sites
7
8
Mobile phone
Blogs
Video sites
6
6
10
80
Social network
70
60
Instant messenger
Forum/Message board
My personal blog
50
Phone
40
30
Face to face
SMS
20
Post/Letter
10
0
Wave 3
2008
Wave 4
2009
Wave 5
2010
Wave 6
2011
21
90%
Read blog/weblogs
% Ever done
80%
Start my own
blog/weblogs
70%
60%
50%
Visit a message
board/forum
Started a topic on a
message board/forum
40%
30%
20%
Wave 1
2006
Wave 2
2007
Wave 3
2008
Wave 4
2009
Wave 5
2010
Wave 6
2011
23
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)
GLOBAL
14.9%
33.2%
Wave 5
Wave
4
42.9%
Wave 6
U.S.A.
8.5% 18.8% 22.1%
CHINA
26.3% 53.1%
BRAZIL
13.4%
43.9%
INDIA
24.4% 45.5%
47.6%
SPAIN
11.5% 19.1% 24.8%
RUSSIA
14.2% 19.9%
FRANCE
4.1% 8.8%
71.5%
U.K.
6.4%
42.9%
ITALY
9.4% 11.1%
12.2%
19.3%
GERMANY
6.2% 7.7%
62.9%
17.7%
15.9%
25.8%
Wave
4
25
will data
privacy
slow
social?
FIGURE 7:
FIGURE 8:
I worry about
missing out on
something if I dont
visit my social network
I am concerned about
the amount of personal
data that goes online
70%
55%
50%
% Agree
% Agree
65%
60%
45%
40%
55%
35%
50%
30%
Wave 4
2009
Wave 5
2010
Wave 6
2011
Wave 4
2009
Wave 5
2010
Wave 6
2011
29
38%
27%
19%
19%
Join a
celebrity
group
Dating
21%
21%
Organise
events
Purchased
something
Make
contacts
for work/
professional
reasons
29%
Shared
your
location
30%
30%
Affiliate
with or
become a
fan of a
brand
Write a
blog
38%
31%
Upload
videos
Join an
interest
group
or cause
Removed
someone
from my
friend list
62%
43%
44%
44%
Join a
group
Display my
interests
Play
games
47%
47%
Used a
like
button
Used live
chat
49%
Find new
friends
59%
59%
Find old
friends
Upload
photos
64%
52%
Update my
status
Update my
profile
Message
friends
31
Please indicate how much you agree (definitely or tend to) with the statements [I worry about missing out on something if I
dont 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
75%
70%
65%
60%
Russia
55%
50%
France
Germany
Italy
Turkey
45%
40%
35%
50%
55%
60%
Social networking
more important
Brazil
China
Egypt
India
S Korea
Mexico
USA
Spain
UK
Canada
Poland
Privacy more
important
Japan
65%
70%
75%
33
IS THE MOST
SEARCHED FOR
WORD ON
THE 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
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.
10.29%
accounted for
and
1. 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
SOURCE: alexa.com
35
FIGURE 11:
Thinking about the internet, have you visited an official company / brand website in the past 6 months?
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
Wave 3 2008
Wave 4 2009
Wave 5 2010
Wave 6 2011
FIGURE 12:
Thinking about the internet, have you visited an official company / brand website in the past 6 months?
16-24
90%
25-34
35-44
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
Wave 3 2008
Wave 4 2009
Wave 5 2010
Wave 6 2011
45-54
37
FIGURE 13:
Which of these online applications does a good job when you want to...
9%
13%
27%
37%
12%
24%
28%
9%
16%
12%
24%
19%
26%
16%
16%
19%
19%
21%
30%
23%
19%
26%
24%
27%
28%
41%
15%
13%
16%
21%
22%
22%
20%
Stay in touch
with friends
Make contacts
for work
16%
12%
19%
9%
15%
15%
27%
17%
19%
Be creative
23%
29%
34%
22%
11%
20%
24%
32%
12%
14%
19%
18%
23%
26%
16%
Express myself
Have fun/
be entertained
Make money
23%
27%
24%
14%
12%
Share new
experiences
34%
25%
23%
13%
Change opinions
51%
14%
14%
Learn
something new
Earn respect
24%
13%
15%
16%
20%
24%
Share knowledge
45%
9%
Keep up to date
12%
12%
15%
10%
18%
19%
36%
Explore the
world around me
Hang out
or waste time
12%
14%
10%
16%
19%
21%
39%
Manage my
life better
13%
25%
23%
22%
43%
Seek other
peoples opinions
18%
11%
Promote myself
18%
15%
23%
22%
36%
11%
9%
10%
21%
26%
30%
38%
16%
16%
16%
Official brand
websites
Forums
Photo/Video
sites
Microblogs
Blogs
Social
networks
39
FIGURE 14:
Which of these online applications [Social networks e.g. facebook.com] does a good job when you want to? By country
FUN
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Hang Out or waste time
Romania
Slovakia
Denmark
Japan
Norway
Argentina
Australia
Sweden UK
Finland
Express yourself
Ireland
Greece
Belgium
Taiwan
Vietnam
Serbia
Promote yourself
CONNECTION
The business of social | Social media tracker 2012
ENABLEMENT
41
the business
of social
45
To be part of a
brand community
10
20
30
40
50
An opportunity
to develop my
software skills
Access to unique
sponsored events
or competitions
A personal response to
my issues / complaints
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?
20%
Access to news
about new
developments &
software upgrades
The ability
to contact
computer software
companies and
influence product
development
Discount vouchers
for computer
software companies
or free software
downloads
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Awareness
Education
Desire
Seek More
Trial
Transaction
Commitment
Involvement
Recommendation
47
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Awareness
Education
Desire
Seek More
Trial
Transaction
Commitment
Involvement
Recommendation
The ability to contact
computer software
companies and influence
product development
Computer
hardware
Fashion
Music
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
Access to
breaking
news or
product
launches
Ability to
Opportunity Opportunity Communicate
Tools to
contact
to learn
to develop
& share
express my
companies
more
skills
experiences creativity &
& influence
make
product
something
development
worth sharing
A personal
response to
my issues /
complaints
Access to
Access to
fun &
unique
entertaining
events or
content
competitions
Discount
vouchers
To be part of
a brand
community
49
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?
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
Awareness
Education
Desire
Seek More
Trial
Transaction
Commitment
Involvement
Recommendation
Travel
Movies
Health &
beauty
Fashion
Luxury
Telecoms Computer
hardware
20%
30%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Awareness
Education
Desire
Seek More
Trial
FIGURE 20:
Thinking about the
interactions that you have
indicated you would like
to have with companies
in the computer software
category, [A personal
response to issues and
complaints] is best at?
By which statement
best describes your
relationship with the
computer software
category
Transaction
Commitment
Involvement
Recommendation
Consider myself a
fan of a brand
in this category
Need lots of
information before
buying
I often talk
about this
category
51
53
connecting
with social
experiences
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.
4.1
2.9
FIGURE 21:
Which devices do you own and which
have you used to access the internet in
the past 6 months?
Laptop /
netbook PC
Desktop
PC
Smartphone
(eg: iPhone)
Tablet device
(eg: iPad)
Mobile phone
E-book reader
(eg: Kindle)
Internetconnected TV
Games
console
Portable MP3 /
video player
Portable
games console
Own
Have used to
access the internet
57
70%
Mobile phone
60%
Portable
MP3 / video player
Laptop /
Netbook
% Own Device
50%
40%
Portable
games console
30%
Games console
Smartphone
Internet-connected
TV
20%
Tablet
e-book Reader
10%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
FIGURE 23:
Which activities have
you carried out using
each device in the past 6
months?
Joined a
group buying
community
Browsed the internet
Read
blogs
Post /
write on
a blog
Upload photos to a
photo sharing site
Watch video
clips online
Shared a video
with a friend
Read a book
Download
a podcast
Read a digital
newspaper / magazine
Laptop /
netbook PC
Desktop
PC
Download a
video podcast
Searched for
a location
Watched live TV
0
Smartphone
(eg: iPhone)
Tablet device
(eg: iPad)
Mobile phone
E-book reader
(eg: Kindle)
20
40
60
80
Games
console
Used instant
messenger
Joined an online
community
Visited a company
/ brand website
Used a cloud-based
music recommendation service
Portable MP3 /
video player
Portable
games console
Managed a social
network profile
Visited a friends
social network page
Made a purchase
Visited a professional
social network
Internetconnected TV
100
Downloaded
& used an app
Sent
a text
message
Visited
a
forum
Read a message
on a microblog
59
28%
28%
61%
44%
45%
47%
22%
59%
44% 31%
43%
18%
38%
37%
37%
33%
43%
28%
40%
67%
43%
38%
34%
35%
44%
25% 27%
% own a smartphone
>60%
50-60%
40-50%
30-40%
<30%
62%
37%
45%
34%
24%
16%
36%
53% 37%
36%
42%
26% 39% 22%
20%25%
23%
38% 45%45%29%
28%11% 24%
41%
34%
27% 44%
42% 40%
9%
8%
10%
12%
16%
14%
16%
33%
20% 14%
20%
8% 18%
17%
17%
19%
21%
19%
34%
12%
8%
28%
12%
19%
22%
12%
44%
10%
12%
11%
>20%
15-20%
10-15%
5-10%
<5%
11%
15%
11%
12%
12%
6%
6%
6%
5%
11%
6% 5%
23%
11% 18% 10% 5%
6% 2% 6%
14%
8%
14%
11%
11%
13%
4%
5%
61
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.
Smartphones are
better when
you want to...
50%
Ward off
boredom
Socialise
with others
55%
% Smartphone owners
Find your
way
Access information
quickly
Have fun /
Be entertained
Hang out or
waste time
Manage
my life
Relax
45%
Organise
something
Read content
40%
Get something
done
35%
Be creative
Watch content
30%
Make a purchase
25%
Tablets are
better when
you want to...
Research something
thoroughly
20%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
% Tablet owners
The business of social | Social media tracker 2012
50%
55%
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
16
14
12
10
Browsing
the internet
TV
Social
networks
Magazines
Newspapers
63
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
FUNPlay a Game
INFORMATION
Hang Out or
Waste Time
Socialise With Others
Research Something
Access Information
Thoroughly
Quickly
Watch Content
Mobile Phone
Laptop/Netbook P.C.
Organise Something
Read Content
Make a Purchase
Be Creative
Internet
connected
Find My Way TV
Manage My Life
Smartphone
Explore the World Around Me
e-book Reader
Tablet device
ORGANISATION
The business of social | Social media tracker 2012
ACTION
Connecting experiences to
screens
Marketers 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 TVs are fast growing. In South Korea, South Africa and Russia the mobile device
is king. But its 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 its 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.
65
the impact:
summary
69
Which of these experiences best deliver against your brands 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:
EMEA
apac
Glen Parker
Research Director - EMEA
Glen.Parker@umww.com
Natalie Pidgeon
Director IQ and Insights - APAC
Natalie.Pidgeon@umww.com
north america
LATIN america
Huw Griffiths
EVP Global Director of Research
Huw.Griffiths@umww.com
Mario Mejia
Strategic Director - Colombia / LatAm
Mario.Mejia@umww.com
71
If you have any questions about the research or future Wave projects please contact the authors of
this report:
Glen Parker
Research Director EMEA
glen.parker@umww.com
Lindsey Thomas
Senior Research Executive EMEA
lindsey.thomas@umww.com
73