BrandsVietnam Content Matters 21jan

A 2014 Asia-Pacific Industry Research Report

Content MAtteRS2 0 1 4

the IMpACt of BRAnd StoRytellIng onlIne

Understanding the role of digital content on Asian consumer decision-making and business ROI

PhilippinesIndia IndonesiaVietnam

Singapore

South Korea

Hong Kong

China

1 Introduction 2 About Waggener Edstrom (WE)

2.1 Asia-Pacific Network

2.2 About WE Studio D APAC

2.3 About WE Insight & Analytics (I&A) APAC

3 Understanding Content Marketing 3.1 Linking Brand Storytelling to Business Value

4 Methodology 4.1 Questionnaire

4.2 A Focus on Social

5 Content Marketing & Brand Storytelling 5.1 Brand Storytelling

5.2 Brand Impact

5.3 Our Approach to Measuring Impact

5.4 Storytelling & Purchase Intent

6 Results - Highlights across Asia-Pacific 6.1 Results Asia-Pacific Overview

6.2 Results Australia 6.3 Results China 6.4 Results Hong Kong 6.5 Results India 6.6 Results Indonesia 6.7 Results Japan 6.8 Results South Korea 6.9 Results Philippines 6.10 Results Singapore 6.11 Results Vietnam

7 Recommendations 8 Bibliography

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8

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202326293235394246505356

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ContentS

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INTRODUCTION1

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Today, in the practice of integrated communications, we are inclined to think that content matters. There is general consensus that content is king.

But how important is content really? How much does it create tangible value for brands and for their consumers?

In 2014, B2C and B2B brand consumers across Asia-Pacific will continue - with more sophistication than ever - to utilize the information available to them online as a means to make more informed purchase decisions. The rapid proliferation of smart devices has enabled a greater level brand connectedness as consumers can now engage with brands and branded content in real-time.

Discerning consumers will intensively research and filter information found at various digital channel sources about brands, products and services prior to purchase. Going forward there will be no single source of content that creates consumer decisions.

The role of communications and marketing professionals today, from the PR and marketing manager to the CMO, is to connect actions to outcomes.

Strategic content is the basis of strong corporate narratives and authentic brand storytelling.

1. InTROdUCTIOnDoes Content Matter for Business in 2014? (And, If It Does, Then How?)

With content informing consumer decisions more than ever important decisions around brand purchase, advocacy, and engagement corporate communicators and brand marketers are pressured into publishing more compelling content. The aim is to deliver to consumers the content that they seek about companies, brands, and products.

But, just how impactful is content in terms of increased spending, brand advocacy, and engagement? Is there a tangible link between content and sales? Or is this link merely imagined?

Communications and marketing professionals face increasing pressure to measure the ROI of their campaigns and connect spending to bottom-line results.

Today CMOs consistently cite marketing ROI as the most important measure of success. Unfortunately, measuring the returns of content marketing is no simple task.

What are the outcomes of content marketing for businesses today and how do these outcomes differ across borders and business sectors? Furthermore, what do customers expect from branded content and how can it actually impact purchase behaviour. Indeed, these are questions that require a different approach to measurement.

Given that brand owners are considering whether or not to invest more in content marketing in 2014, having the right answers to these questions have become vital.

We believe that finding the answers to these questions can help marketing and communications practitioners foster a more practical and meaningful approach to understanding the ROI of content marketing while building successful digital marketing and communications practices.

does content really matter and, if so, to what extent?

How exactly does a brands content strategy relate to business success?

ABOUT WAGGENER EDSTROM

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2. AbOUT WAggeneR edSTROM (We)Waggener Edstrom Communications (WE) is a global, independent integrated communications agency that has developed strategic communications programs for innovative and world-changing clients for nearly 30 years working to influence markets, inspire people and improve lives. WE APAC specializes in the Consumer, Technology, Healthcare, Corporate and Digital communications sectors. WE was recently named APAC Consumer Consultancy of the Year 2013 by The Holmes Report. In 2012, WE was named Mid-Size Network of the Year at the Campaign Asia-Pacific PR Awards for the second year running, APAC Technology Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report, and in 2011 Best Digital Campaign of the Year by The Holmes Reports Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards. The agency has more than 750 employees in 19 offices around the world, and its Global Alliance partners expand the agencys reach to more than 80 additional international markets. To learn more, visit http://apac.waggeneredstrom.com. The Waggener Edstrom mark, the Innovation Communications mark, the twendz mark, the WE Studio D mark and other marks used herein are registered or unregistered trademarks of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the registered or unregistered trademarks of their respective owners. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.

2.1 Asia-Pacific Network

CHInA KOReA

JAPAn

HOng KOng

PHILLIPPIneS

AUSTRALIA

IndOneSIA

SIngAPORe

We Offices

We Affiliate Offices

IndIA

VIeTnAM

PAGE 7

2.3 About WE Insight & Analytics (I&A) APAC

Waggener Edstrom Communications APAC Insight & Analytics (I&A) practice supports companies with the development of cost-effective, bespoke, and agile measurement solutions across a range of organizational requirements.

Solutions include: Integrated ROI dashboards for marketing-communications Organizational/employee engagement evaluations Audience surveys and market insight reports around brand positioning and health Integrated media analysis and 24/7 reporting

2.2 About WE Studio D APAC

With more than 40 digital planners, analysts, content developers, and web designers, Waggener Edstroms Studio D specialist team delivers high-quality content, creative services, and integrated brand storytelling across digital, mobile, and social platforms.

WE Studio D uses insight and measurement to power multi-channel digital communications for brands in Asia-Pacific.

To learn more, visit accelerateinfluence.comServices include: Creative services Digital readiness training Community management Audience insights Content management (planning, development, distribution)

Media planning Brand development Measurement solutions Integrated media reporting

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UNDERSTANDINGCONTENTMARkETING

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3. UndeRSTAndIng COnTenT MARKeTIngContent marketing can take on many shapes and sizes. As far as marketing tactics go, it can range from managing a corporate Twitter handle to publishing regular eNewsletters. A list of common content marketing tactics include:

Although this list can be helpful, it does not get us to the core of what content marketing is and why its important. In its most basic form, content marketing can be viewed as a way for brands to become storytellers. The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) supports this notion as they define content marketing as the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling (CMI, 2013). Whats valuable with this definition is that it emphasizes the creative requirement (i.e. art) for content marketing to be successful, which is done through storytelling.

More importantly, CMIs definition highlights the fact that content marketing should not be used as a direct selling tactic. That is, unlike paid media, your content marketing strategy should not be focused on generating immediate financial returns. This can be a scary prospect for marketers today, especially with growing pressures from the executive branch to prove the value and returns gained from their marketing and communications spend.

3.1 Linking Brand Storytelling to Business Value

Across industries and markets, communications and marketing teams are concerned with measuring the impact of PR, communications, and marketing activities at the brand level. The question, whats our financial return? is a frequent boardroom discussion topic.

Our aim with this study is to create a measurement framework for content marketing in business and to better understand the ROI (or business impact) of the strategic creation and distribution of content for businesses across business sectors in key Asian markets.

SOCIAL MedIA UPdATeS

PR ACTIVITIeS dIReCT edMs

ReSeARCH And WHITePAPeRS

eneWSLeTTeRS VIdeOS

SHAReAbLe Web COnTenT

Web eVenTS

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METHODOLOGy4

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4. MeTHOdOLOgyWe conducted a survey among 2,200 consumers in 10 countries across Asia-Pacific, which included Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The survey asked the respondents a series of questions related to how they interact with brands across different business sectors.

The business sectors included in this study are:

MObILe deVICeS

PURCHASe beHAVIOR

Feature Phones

Smartphones

Tablets

Packaged drink Products

Packaged Food Products

Flights

Hotels

Car Rentals

Travel Packages

TVs

dVd/blu-ray players

Fridges, Stoves, Microwaves

eReaders

gaming Consoles

Shampoo

Moisturizer

Toothpaste

deodorant

Makeup

Over-the-Counter Medicine

nutrition Products

Prescription drugs

Consumer Medical devices

FOOd And beVeRAge PROdUCTS

TRAVeL & TOURISM

COnSUMeR eLeCTROnICS & APPLIAnCeS

PeRSOnAL CARe

PROdUCTS

HeALTHCARe

buying Cycle Advocacy engagement

4.1 Questionnaire

Our objective with this regional research was to explore the impact on purchase behaviour between audiences who are highly exposed to branded content online versus those who are not. The audience we sampled were digital consumers, that is, consumers who are online and/or have a mobile device with a data connection. We define purchase behaviour according to three core activities; buying cycle, advocacy and engagement.

Figure 1 Purchase behavior

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MObILe deVICeS

Sector

Rating

0 - 6

7 - 8

9 - 10

How much do you spend on products or services

Advocacy Level

detractors

Passively Satisfied

Promoters

Interpretation

extremely unlikely to recommend

Somewhat likely to recommend

extremely likely to recommend

Per purchase

FOOd And beVeRAge PROdUCTS Per week

TRAVeL & TOURISM Per year

COnSUMeR eLeCTROnICS Per year

PeRSOnAL CARe PROdUCTS Per week

HeALTHCARe Per purchase

4.1.1 Buying Cycle

We asked respondents in each market to tell us how much they spend on products or services within each sector. We prompted the respondent with different purchase frequencies for each sector as this can vary considerably for common products/services. The purchase frequencies can be seen in the table below.

Table 1 Purchase frequency

Table 2 Net promoter score

4.1.2 Advocacy

Using the net promoter score approach to measuring advocacy proposed by Reichheld, we asked respondents how likely they would be to recommend their favorite brand to a friend, family member, or colleague, rated on a scale of 0 (not likely at all) to 10 (extremely likely) (Reichheld, 2003). Typically the net promoter score approach is used to evaluate a single brand. However, with our approach we asked respondents to tell us how likely they would be to recommend their favorite brand(s) within each business sector. Although this does present a bias towards the respondents favorite or top of mind brand, we can still use this approach to explore and compare levels of advocacy among consumers across borders and business sectors.

When using the results, we used both the average advocacy rating (on a scale of 0 to 10), as well as the calculated net promoter score metric presented by Reichheld.

The net promoter score is determined by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The final output will give you a value on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that all customers advocate for your brand (Reichheld, 2003). As a benchmark, Reichheld stated that a previous study which covered more than 130,000 responses found that the median net promoter score was 16% (Reichheld, 2003).

4.1.3 Engagement

For engagement, we created a consumer engagement index that factored 5 common activities that could eventually lead to purchase. These activities included: Do you obtain information about products and services on social media? Do you share information about products and services on social media? Do you look for the latest deals and promotions on social media? Do you like to participate in contests and giveaways on social media? Do you click on advertisements or read advertorial content online?

4.2 A Focus on Social

When investigating consumer exposure to brand content, our primary approach to measuring this was to ask respondents whether they actively follow brands on social media, and to examine the differences between those that do versus those that do not in relation to purchase behavior. So why the focus on social?

As we mentioned earlier, social media marketing is but one tactic within the broader discipline of content marketing and brand storytelling. However, of all the tactics it typically generates the highest frequency of exposure to branded content and thus gave us a unique opportunity to measure the difference between groups that are highly exposed to this form of content versus those that are not. This is not to say that content created and shared on social media is more impactful than content created through other channels or tactics. Quite the contrary, as brands need to consider the full spectrum of content they create (e.g. PR, advertising, social, etc.) when thinking about brand impact.

Figure 2 Spectrum of content exposure

Low Frequency Content

Research & Whitepapers

Advertorials

PR

enewsletter

Social Media Marketing

High Frequency Content

CONTENTMARkETING &BRAND STORyTELLING

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5. COnTenT MARKeTIng & bRAnd STORyTeLLIngBefore we get to this years findings across Asia-Pacific markets and categories, it is important that we understand how content marketing is changing the ways through which brands communicate with their audiences.

To do this, we need a clear definition of what content marketing is and what it encompasses.

Content marketing has been defined as

Yet another definition has content marketing as

Whats notable about both of these definitions is the emphasis on value [to the recipient] and consistency of the message.

Although interest in content marketing has never been higher, the term and its application is not new. John Deeres The Furrow magazine, Michelin Tires Michelin Guide, and Jell-os recipe books are all well documented examples of rich content marketing that were created at the turn of the century (Moon, 2013).

5.1 Brand Storytelling

If content marketing is the discipline, storytelling is its primary function. Without being effective storytellers, brands that invest their hard earned dollars in creating, curating, and sharing content are doomed to fail. So what is storytelling, and how does one become a good storyteller?

Simmons (2007) believes that being a good storyteller is rooted in ones ability to deliver satisfaction [to the recipient], but that truly effective storytelling is a reciprocal process. Part of this means that the brand must also be a good listener. But more importantly, it means that the content shared by the brand must have some inherent value for the recipient. We will explore this further in the following section (5.2 Brand Impact). But broadly speaking, brand storytelling should seek to educate, inform, entertain, inspire, and/or provoke an audience.

The creation of valuable, relevant and compelling content by the brand itself on a consistent basis, used to generate a positive behavior from a customer or prospect of the brand

The art and science of regularly sharing valuable information with your target audience that aligns with and reinforces your brand

(Pulizzi, 2012)

(Harad, 2013)

5.2 Brand Impact

Now that weve defined content marketing and brand storytelling, what about impact?

Impact can be a tough nut to crack, especially with the growing pressure to quantitatively prove the ROI of investments made in content marketing.

This is particularly challenging because ROI can take on many different forms, and is no longer limited to the traditional revenues-minus-costs approach. As discussed by Budtz & Munch (2010), brand storytelling is a process of brand building, and will not yield direct revenues in the short term. Harad (2013) agrees, as she described content marketing as a communication without selling, give-and-you-shall receive approach to generate interest, attract prospects, and build trust (pg 18).

These definitions position content marketing as a much more long term strategy for the brand, which can indirectly generate revenue, but where the focus is on customer loyalty and retention.

Notably, this often stands in contrast to the current state of the digital paid advertising industry. Although social advertising, such as Facebooks Promoted Posts, have made good strides in making paid advertising more relevant, interesting, and contextual for the end-user, the industry is still overwhelmingly comprised of digital display (i.e. banner) advertising, a format which typically uses short form content aimed at driving a single and very specific outcome: clickthrough. Measuring success on these channels can sometimes be shallow and short sighted, with clickthrough and conversion rates commonly regarded as the gold standard for success.

5.3 Our Approach to Measuring Impact

As companies continue to funnel more of their spend into content marketing as a means to reach their audience, CMOs are still struggling to effectively measure and prove the returns generated by their investment.

In IBMs most recent annual global CMO study, 56% of the surveyed CMOs indicated that they feel unprepared to tackle issues around ROI accountability, proving that this continues to be a major challenge for the industry (IBM, 2012).

We take a slightly different approach to defining impact and the value created through investments in marketing and communications activities.

We define impact as

The bond between these two entities (e.g. a business and a customer) is established through a value proposition that communicates the potential benefits each party will receive.

For the business, value can take on a number of forms. The most common, if not obvious, form of business value is revenue generated as a result of the interaction. However, there are other types of business value that are not dependent on generating financial wealth for the brand.

The value co-created between a business and its customer as a result of any interaction enabled by content created by that business.

To truly understand brand impact we must also consider the value created for the customer. In a previous study about value co-creation, Tracy & Lyons identified 3 types of value that are typically exchanged between entities in a service or product interaction (Tracy & Lyons, 2013). This includes functional value, emotional value, and social value.

Value

Functional

emotional

Social

definition

benefits that provide tangible utility to the customer

benefits that result in a change in the customers non-physical state

benefits to 3rd party entities, whether human (e.g. a family member, a local business owner) or non-human (e.g. the environment)

example

Using a smartphone to stay connected with friends or family

driving a car to work to shorten your commute

Improving your finances after meeting a financial planner

Reduced anxiety after counselling

Increased confidence from buying new clothes

Increased motivation after completing a university or college degree

donating to charity

buying fair trade coffee

Planting a tree

Table 4 Types of customer value

Value

Financial

Operational

Relational

definition

benefits that generate wealth and financial solvency for the business.

benefits that generate improved operational capacity for the business.

benefits that improve the relationship between the business and its customers

example

Revenues

Cost savings

Operational efficiency

Product or service development

Innovation

Improved brand health

Rebranding

Table 3 Types of business value

We believe there are 3 types of business value that content can create for the brand:

behavior

Purchase Cycle

bUSIneSSVALUe CO-CReATIOn

Advocacy

engagement

definition

How much consumers spend and how frequently they purchase

How likely consumers are to recommend a brand to friends, family or colleagues

How likely consumers are to follow brands on social media

How likely consumers are to obtain information about products and services on social media

How likely consumers are to share information about products and services on social media

How likely consumers are to look for the latest deals and promotions on social media

How likely consumers are to participate in contests and giveaways on social media

How likely consumers are to click on advertisements or read advertorials posted by brands that they like

Figure 3 Value co-creation

Table 5 Types of purchase behavior

Functional

Relational

emotional

Operational

Social

Financial

CUSTOMeR

5.4 Storytelling & Purchase Intent

Many studies have attempted to address the challenge of proving the ROI of content marketing from a financial point of view, and although this isnt wrong many of these studies neglect one simple truth content marketing is about long term impact.

The best examples of content marketing generally exist much further up the purchase funnel, and cannot be measured in views, clicks, or conversion rates. But this doesnt mean that you cant measure the impact of content marketing on purchase behavior. The goal of this research was to do exactly that explore the relationship between branded content online and common consumer purchase behaviors, such as purchase cycles, brand advocacy, and engagement.

RESULTS6

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6. ReSULTS - HIgHLIgHTS ACROSS ASIA-PACIFICSome key findings across all markets that we covered in this years study are:

Consumers in China and Vietnam are among the most connected with brands online

89% of respondents in China stated that they actively follow brands on social media. In addition, Chinese consumers were the most engaged with brands in terms of their likelihood to carry out common activities, such as sharing information about products and services on social media, participate in contests online or click on advertisements. The same went for consumers in Vietnam, where a staggering 97% of respondents stated that they follow brands on social.

Consumers in Australia and Japan are among the least connected with brands online

Only 44% of respondents in Australia stated that they follow brands on social media, and levels of engagement with brands online were low. In Japan, only 36% of respondents stated that they actively follow brands on social.

Branded storytelling through social media can drive measurable increases in revenue for the business

Across all markets and business sectors we found that overwhelmingly people who are exposed to branded content regularly through social media spend more on products and services than those that dont. Our findings showed that the incremental impact on spending for consumers that actively follow brands on social media was up to 257%.

Branded storytelling through social media can drive significant increases in brand advocacy

Across all markets and business sectors we found that overwhelmingly people who are exposed to branded content regularly through social media are much more likely to recommend the brand to a friend, family member or colleague. In some cases, they were up to 90% more likely to advocate for the brand

Healthcare and food and beverage product brands generate the biggest impact on spending through social

Across all business sectors we found that the average incremental impact on spending was greatest among consumers who actively engaged with healthcare and food and beverage brands. For healthcare, the average incremental impact on spending for consumers who actively follow on social was 129%, and for food and beverage it was 90%.

Personal Care and Consumer Electronics (excluding mobile) & Appliance brands generate the biggest impact on advocacy through social

Across all business sectors, we found that the impact on brand advocacy was strongest for personal care and consumer electronic (excluding mobile) and appliance brands. For personal care, consumers who were actively engaged with brands online were 90% more likely to recommend the brand to a friend or family. For consumer electronics and appliances, the figure was 86%

Mobile device brands have the most advocates

Despite personal care and consumer electronics and appliance brands enjoying the biggest impact on advocacy as a result of increased consumer engagement on social media, the mobile device sector currently has the highest volume of advocates across Asia-Pacific.

Facebook still dominates, but mobile social IM apps are on the rise

Social networks like Facebook are facing stiff competition from new socially driven IM apps like WeChat, LINE, and KakaoTalk, particularly in markets like China, Hong Kong, India and Korea.

youth across Asia-Pacific have deeper connections with brands

Across all markets, youth were up to 22% more likely to follow their favorite brands on social media, 20% more likely to share information about products and services on social media, and 7% more likely to click on an advertisement or read an advertorial from a brand.

6.1 Results - Overview

In this section we present the research findings for each market included in this years study; Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

The results varied considerably from market to market. It is important to note that although the questions we asked were designed to be relevant to consumers in every market, we must consider the social, cultural and economic factors that make each of these countries unique when looking at the results.

6.1.1 Asia-Pacific Overview

Across all markets digital consumers appeared to be the most connected with brands in the mobile device sector, with 72% of all respondents stating that they currently follow their favorite mobile brand online.

The second most connected sector was consumer electronics and appliances (excluding mobile devices), with 61% of respondents stating they actively follow brands in this category. Overall, it appears the technology brands generate the largest followings on social media across Asia-Pacific.

On the other hand, digital consumers appeared to be much less connected with brands in the travel and tourism as well as healthcare sectors, as just 48% of respondents for each sector stated that they currently follow their favorite brands on social media.

Figure 4 Asia-Pacific: Respondents who actively follow their favorite brand(s) on social media

With the exception of Mainland China, Facebook continues to be the dominant social network across Asia-Pacific in terms of usage. Across all markets 66% of respondents stated that they use Facebook frequently or very frequently, while only 6% stated that they never use Facebook.

Twitter was the second most popular social network across Asia-Pacific, however usage varied considerably between markets. Consumers in Indonesia and India were the top users of Twitter across the region.

72% 61% 56% 55% 48% 48%

28% 39% 44% 45% 52% 52%

MObILe deVICeSFOOd And beVeRAge TRAVeL & TOURISM

COnSUMeR eLeCTROnICS

PeRSOnAL CARe PROdUCTS HeALTHCARe

Do you follow your favorite brands on social media?

Yes No

6.1.2 Buyer Spending in Asia-Pacific

The incremental impact on consumer spending as a result of actively following brands on social media varied considerably between markets, but across all markets we found that there was a statistically significant impact in at least one business sector within each market.

Overall, the healthcare and food and beverage sectors appeared to enjoy the greatest impact on spending habits with an average incremental impact of 129% and 90% respectively on spending as a result of being an active follower of brands on social media.

On the other hand, the mobile device and consumer electronics and appliance sectors appear to have a much weaker relationship between activity on social media and increased spending, with an incremental impact on spending of 16% and 22% respectively.

Average incremental spend of those who actively follow brands on social media

16% 90% 61%22% 85% 129%Figure 6 Asia-Pacific: Incremental spending

MObILe deVICeS

Per purchase

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per week

TRAVeL & TOURISM

Per yearCOnSUMeR

eLeCTROnICS

Per yearPeRSOnAL CARe

PROdUCTS

Per week

HeALTHCARe

Per purchase

Figure 5 Asia-Pacific: Social Network Usage

The third most used social network across Asia-Pacific was WeChat, the mobile IM app developed in China by Tencent Holdings. This is notable as the mobile IM landscape has grown significantly over the last few years as apps like WeChat, LINE and KakaoTalk have become more like social networks rather than just instant messengers.

Top 5 Social Networks by Usage

WECHAT

LINKEDIN

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

LINE

40% 14% 16% 9% 11%

54% 18% 15% 8% 5%

6% 5% 10% 18% 48%

32% 19% 22% 15% 12%

43% 15% 15% 9% 8%

Never Occasionally Frequently Very FrequentlyRarely

6.1.3 Brand Advocacy in Asia-Pacific

Our findings showed that there is a strong relationship between consumer levels of engagement with brands on social media and their likelihood to advocate on behalf of the brand to friends, family or colleagues. The results varied considerably between countries, but across all markets and business sectors we found that digital consumers who follow brands on social media are on average 26% more likely to recommend a brand.This relationship was strongest within the travel and tourism and personal care sectors, with digital consumers being 39% and 29% more likely to advocate for a brand if they actively follow brands on social media.

6.1.4 Asia-Pacific Engagement

Across all markets 78% of respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media. Notably, 74% of respondents also stated that they click on advertisements online or read advertorials willingly. Respondents did seem less likely to share information about products and services online, as well as to participate in contests and giveaways on social media.

74% 74%68%78% 69%

Figure 8 Asia-Pacific: Brand engagement

Figure 7 Asia-Pacific: Brand Advocacy

obtain information about products and

services on social media

look for the latest deals and

promotions on social media

share information about products and


like to participate in contests and

giveawayson social media

click on advertisements

or read advertorial content

How likely are you to recommend a brand to a friend, family member or colleague (scale of 0-10)

MObILe deVICeS

FOOd And beVeRAge

TRAVeL & TOURISM


PeRSOnAL CARe PROdUCTS

HeALTHCARe

7.94

7.38

7.33

7.24

7.03

7.18

6.67

6.22

5.93

5.63

5.06

5.64

Darker color: Respondents who actively follow brands on social media

Lighter color: Respondents who do not actively follow brands on social media

AUSTRALIA

PAGE 26

Figure 9 Australia: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

74% 76% 72% 74% 75% 79%

26% 24% 28% 26% 25% 21%





Yes No

6.2 Results Australia

6.2.1 Overview

Australian consumers are among the most prolific users of social media in Asia-Pacific, which many attribute to the rapid growth in smartphone adoption. The country also has one of the highest smartphone penetration rates in the region (75%). Australia is also a leading market in the region for mCommerce, as a recent report found that as many as 25% of consumers are now making purchases through their smartphone (Nielsen, 2013).

Despite having a very active population on social media, Australian consumers appear to be very conservative when it comes to interacting with brands online. When asked if they actively follow their favourite brand on a social network such as Facebook or Twitter only 44% of respondents said yes. This finding is supported by a study conducted by Optus earlier this year where they found that only 4% of Australian consumers use social media to interact with companies (Optus, 2013). Overall, the number of consumers interested in following and receiving branded content online was consistently low across all sectors we examined, although we did find that food and beverage product brands enjoyed the highest rate of consumer following (28% of respondents follow).

6.2.2 Spending

Although most digital consumers in Australia do not appear to be highly engaged with branded content online, our find-ings show that content marketing is indeed generating a measurable long term impact on consumer spending. This was particularly true for personal care product brands, where we found that digital consumers who follow brands online spend 111% more per week. This relationship was also true for travel and tourism, where we found that digital consum-ers who follow brands on social media spend 51% more per year on related products and services.

Incremental spend for those who follow on social

51%111%Figure 10 Australia: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

TRAVeL & TOURISM


PROdUCTS

Per week

38% 42%34%39%

0% -15% -17% -28% -30% -34% -20%

48%

Figure 13 Australia: Brand engagement

Figure 11 Australia: Brand advocacy

Figure 12 Australia: Net promoter score across business sectors











How likely are you to recommend a brand to friends or family?

TRAVeL & TOURISM8.0

5.6



6.2.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumer engagement with brands on social and rates of advocacy in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors; travel and tourism.

For travel and tourism, our findings showed that digital consumers who actively follow brands on social media are 43% more likely to recommend a brand to a friend, family member or colleague.

6.2.4 Engagement

Australia ranked among the lowest for brand engagement across all markets covered in this research. For example, only 39% of respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%) and only 38% look for the latest deals and promotions online (APAC average = 74%). Notably, younger consumers (under 35) were more likely to interact with brands online, but less likely than older demographics to click on advertisements or read an advertorial.

Of all markets included in this study, Australians are also the least likely to use social media to obtain information about products and services (39%), the least likely to share information about products and services on social media (34%), to look for the latest deals and promotions on social media (38%) or to click on an advertisement or read an advertorial (42%).

Notably, younger individuals (under 35) were much more likely to engage with brands online across all forms of engagement we tracked, especially when it comes to looking for deals and promotions where they are 22% more likely to take this action than older demographics (over 35). Interestingly enough, older demographics (35 and older) were more likely to click on an advertisement or read an advertorial.

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in Australia across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, consumers in Australia appear to have a much lower levels of brand advocacy, as they ranked 6th of all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas healthcare had the lowest.

MObILe deVICeS FOOd And beVeRAge TRAVeL & TOURISMCOnSUMeR

eLeCTROnICSPeRSOnAL CARe

PROdUCTS HeALTHCAReAVeRAge ACROSS

ALL SeCTORS

CHINA

PAGE 29

Figure 14 China: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

83%

65%55%

61%48% 39%

61%

17%35%

45%39%

52%





Yes No

6.3 Results China

6.3.1 Overview

In recent years, China has seen social media adoption and usage explode, a trend that has largely been driven by a rapid proliferation of access to smartphone technology. The most recent estimates peg smartphone penetration in China at 55%, and its growing fast, with this figure expected to grow by another 21% over the next 5 years (China Internet Watch, 2013).

A 2012 McKinsey & Company study found that Chinese consumers are not only the most active users of social media sites in the world, but they also maintain multiple social accounts across various platforms to manage their digital identity (Chiu, Ip, & Silverman, 2012). These trends were evident in our findings, as China was one of the most active and engaged markets. When we asked respondents in China if they actively follow their favourite brand on a social media site such as QQ or Sina Weibo, 89% of the respondents said yes. Of all the business sectors we looked at, consumers appear to have the strongest relationship with mobile brands, as 83% of respondents stated that they follow their favourite mobile brand online. On other hand, the least engaged category was healthcare, with only 39% of respondents stating that they actively follow brands online.

6.3.2 Spending

Our findings showed that the impact of brand storytelling in China is indeed generating a measurable financial value for brands. This is true for at least 3 of the 6 business sector we looked at: mobile devices, food and beverage, and personal care.

For mobile device brands, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend 38% more per purchase on mobile device products. The incremental impact on spending was a 145% increase on personal care spending (per week), and a staggering 160% increase on food and beverage products (per week).


Figure 15 China: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

38% 160% 145%

MObILe deVICeS

Per purchase

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per weekPeRSOnAL CARe

PROdUCTS

Per week

85% 86%82%85%

33% 9% 0% 0% -23% -25% -1%

87%

Figure 18 China: Brand engagement

Figure 16 China: Brand advocacy

Figure 17 China: Net promoter score across business sectors











How likely are you to recommend a brand a friend, family member or colleague?

PeRSOnAL CARe


7.6

7.8

6.7

7.0



6.3.3 Advocacy

We asked respondents to rate how likely they were to recommend a brand to friends or family on a scale of 1-10 (10 being very likely and 1 being very unlikely). The results showed a statistically meaningful relationship in at least 2 of the 6 business sectors; personal care and consumer electronics and appliances.

Consumers were 11% more likely to advocate for consumer electronics and appliance companies, and 14% more likely to advocate for personal care product companies when they followed brands in each of these sectors online.

6.2.4 Engagement

Consumers in China ranked the highest in terms of brand engagement online across all markets covered in this research. For example, 85% of respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%) and 82% of respondents stated that they would share information about products and services with friends and family online (APAC average = 68%). Notably, there was a significant difference between the behaviours of younger and older demographics in China. For example, younger individuals (under 35) were much more likely to obtain information about products and services on social media than older demographics. This was also true for advertising, as younger demographics were also considerably more likely to click on an advertisment or read an advertorial online.

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in China across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, consumers in China appear to have high levels of brand advocacy, as they ranked 3rd of all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas healthcare had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

HONG kONG

PAGE 32

Figure 19 Hong Kong: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

83% 71%60% 63% 62%

41%

59%

17%29%

40% 37% 38%





Yes No

6.4 Results Hong kong

6.4.1 Overview

When it comes to social media, Hong Kong is one of most diverse and interesting markets in the world. Unlike mainland China where the likes of Facebook and Twitter are blocked, Digital consumers in Hong Kong enjoy a choice between the best of both worlds, with the adoption and activity rates of platforms like Facebook and Sina Weibo both high in this market (a statistic you wont see anywhere else in the world).

When we asked respondents in Hong Kong if they actively follow their favourite brand on a social media site, 91% of the respondents said yes. Of all the business sectors we looked at, digital consumers appear to have the strongest relationship with mobile device brands (83% follow brands in this category) as well as consumer electronics and appliance brands (71% follow brands in this category). On other hand, the least engaged category was healthcare, with only 41% of respondents stating that they actively follow healthcare brands online.

6.4.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in Hong Kong appear to be generating long financial value in at least 4 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; consumer electronics and appliances, food and beverage, personal care, and travel and tourism.

For personal care product brands, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend 129% more on related products and services (per week). The incremental impact on spending was a 55% increase on travel and tourism (per year), a 60% increase on consumer electronics and appliances (per purchase) and 117% increase on food and beverage products (per week).

117% 55%60% 129%

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per week

TRAVeL & TOURISM

Per yearCOnSUMeR

eLeCTROnICS


PROdUCTS

Per week


Figure 20 Hong Kong: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.4.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends, family or colleagues in at least 3 of the 6 business sectors; healthcare, travel and tourism and mobile devices.

Consumers were 33% more likely to advocate for mobile device companies, 37% more likely to advocate for healthcare companies, and 40% more likely to advocate for travel and tourism companies when they followed brands in each sectors online.

82% 82%71%87%

14% -16% -20% -21% -31% -52% -21%

88%

Figure 23 Hong Kong: Brand engagement

Figure 21 Hong Kong: Brand advocacy

Figure 22 Hong Kong: Net promoter score across business sectors











How likely are you to recommend a brand to a friend, family member or colleague?

PeRSOnAL CARe

TRAVeL & TOURISM

MObILe deVICeS

7.0

7.3

5.1

5.2

8.06.0



6.4.4 Engagement

Consumers in Hong Kong are highly engaged with brands as they ranked 3rd for brand engagement across all markets covered in this study. For example, 87% of respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%) and 82% stated that they would click on an advertisement or read an advertorial (APAC average = 74%).

Notably, of all the markets included in this study, consumers in Hong Kong are the most likely to participate in contests and giveaways on social media (88%) (APAC average = 69%).

Younger demographics (under 35) in Hong Kong are also much more likely to look for the latest deals and promotions on social media than older demographics.

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in Hong Kong across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, digital consumers in Hong Kong appear to have low levels of brand advocacy when compared to the rest of Asia-Pacific, as they ranked 7th of all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas healthcare had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

INDIA

PAGE 35

Figure 24 India: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

92% 81%75% 75% 68% 72%

28%

8%19% 25% 25%

32%





Yes No

6.5 Results India

6.5.1 Overview

Social media adoption and usage is flourishing in India, as the country houses the second largest Facebook population in the world (62,713,680) and is pegged to become the global lead in Facebook user growth by 2014 (eMarkete, 2013). Despite this, smartphone access and affordability issues have stymied growth toward a market centered around mobile consumers. To date, India has the second lowest rate of smartphone penetration across all markets covered in this study, at just 18% (Nielsen, 2013). However, over the last year there has been a great deal of movement in smartphone sales, thanks largely to low cost affordable options. The IDC recently reported that in Q3 of 2013, growth in smartphone sales increased by 229% year over year (IDC, 2013). Needless to say, the outlook is strong for Indias mobile market.

When we asked respondents in India if they actively follow their favourite brand on a social media, a staggering 97% of the respondents said yes. Of this, 92% of respondents stated that they follow mobile device brands online. Consumer electronics and appliances brands also maintain strong relationships with consumers, with 81% of respondents stating that they follow their favourite brand. Although the number was still high, the sector with consumers who were the least likely to follow a brand on social media was travel and tourism (68% follow). However, this doesnt necessarily mean that travel and tourism brands dont maintain strong relationships with their consumers, as well see later that exposure to branded content within this sector can lead to significant increases in consumer spending.

6.5.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, companies in India appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 4 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; food and beverage, personal care, travel and tourism, and healthcare.

For travel and tourism, our findings show that consumers who follow brands online spend 187% more on related products and services (per year). The incremental impact on spending was a 65% increase on food and beverage products (per week), a 73% increase on healthcare products (per purchase) and a 100% increase on personal care products (per week).

65% 187%100% 73%

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per week

TRAVeL & TOURISM


PROdUCTS

Per week

HeALTHCARe

Per purchase


Figure 25 India: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.5.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends or family in at least 2 of the 6 business sectors; healthcare and travel and tourism. Digital consumers were 28% more likely to advocate for travel and tourism companies and 11% more likely to advocate for healthcare companies when they followed brands in each sector online.

47% 16% 8% 13% -8% 14% 15%

Figure 26 India: Brand advocacy

Figure 27 India: Net promoter score across business sectors

How likely are you to recommend a brand to a friends, family member or colleague?

TRAVeL & TOURISM

HeALTHCARe

7.4

7.8

5.8

7.0



We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in India across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, consumers in India appear to have high levels of brand advocacy, as they ranked 2nd of all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas travel and tourism had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

83% 83%71%84% 76%

Figure 28 India: Brand engagement











6.5.4 Engagement

Consumers in India are highly engaged with brands, as they ranked 4th for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. For example, 84% of respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%) and 83% stated that they would click on an advertisement or read an advertorial (APAC average = 74%). In addition, 76% of respondents in India stated that they participate in contests and giveaways on social media (APAC average = 69%). Younger demographics (under 35) in India are also more likely to obtain information about products and services on social media.

INDONESIA

PAGE 39

Figure 29 Indonesia: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

93%77% 70% 70%

37%

65%

35%

7%23% 30% 30%

63%





Yes No

6.6 Results Indonesia

6.6.1 Overview

Indonesia is a fast growing market for mobile, social and eCommerce. It houses the fourth largest Facebook population in the world (51,096,860) as well as the fourth largest Twitter population, with over 29 million users (Lukman, 2013). In fact, a recent study found that 2.4% of all tweets worldwide originate in Jakarta alone (Lukman, 2013). For a long time smartphone penetration growth remained relatively slow, however in 2013 year over year growth saw a staggering 100% increase (from 12% to 24%), which boosted the countrys mobile penetration rate to 84% (eMarketer, 2013). Indonesia has also been branded the worlds fastest growing eCommerce market, with the population of digital shoppers expected to grow by 89% by 2016 (eMarketer, 2013).

When we asked respondents in Indonesia if they actively follow their favourite brand on a social media, 97% of the respondents said yes. A staggering 93% of respondents stated that follow mobile device brands online. Consumer electronics and appliances brands also maintain strong relationships with consumers, with 77% of respondents stating that the follow their favourite brand. Although the number was still high, the sector with consumers who were least likely to follow a brand on social media was travel and tourism (37% follow).

6.6.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in Indonesia appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; food and beverage. For this sector, our findings showed that digital consumers who follow brands online spend 90% more on related products and services (per week).

90%

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per week


Figure 30 Indonesia: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.6.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brands to friends, family or colleagues in at least 2 of the 6 business sectors; consumer electronics and appliances and personal care. For consumer electronics and appliances, respondents who actively follow brands on social media were 13% more likely to recommend a brand. For personal care, respondents were 20% more likely to advocate.

87% 73%81%95%

8% -29% -36% -34% -61% -30% -30%

60%

Figure 33 Indonesia: Brand engagement

Figure 31 Indonesia: Brand advocacy

Figure 32 Indonesia: Net promoter score across business sectors














6.1

6.0

5.4

5.0



6.6.4 Engagement

Digital consumers in Indonesia are moderately engaged compared to the rest of Asia-Pacific, as they ranked 6th for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. Notably, 95% respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%). This was the highest of all markets covered.

Also, we found that 87% stated that they look for the latest deals and promotions on social media (APAC average = 74%).

On the other hand, consumers in Indonesia appeared less likely to participate in a contest or to click on an advertisement. This suggests that consumers in Indonesia may be more sensitive to highly promotional or product centered content, and that they are hungry for much richer and genuine brand experiences.

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in Indonesia across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, digital consumers in Indonesia appear to have low levels of brand advocacy when compared to the rest of Asia-Pacific, as they ranked 8th of all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas travel and tourism had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

JAPAN

PAGE 42

Figure 34 Japan: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

80% 78% 81%89%

20% 16%

84%

20% 22% 19%11%

80%





Yes No

6.7 Results Japan

6.7.1 Overview

Japan is likely one of the most complex markets when it comes to social media and mobile. The country has been slower than most to adopt smartphone technology, but unlike markets such as India and Indonesia, this has not been due to socio-economic factors. In Japan, the feature phone has long reigned supreme in a country where high-end feature phones have continued to compete with smartphones. This has been in large part due to an advanced and highly localized mobile ecosystem which integrates payment systems, video calling, social gaming and other advanced capabilities into feature phone technology. Notably, Panasonic recently announced that it will putting an end to development of its smartphone products to focus on building feature phones in Japan (Wakabayashi, 2013). Despite this, the needle has begun to move, as smartphone penetration has now overtaken feature phones in Japan (comScore, 2012). Although the dominance of feature phones in Japan is now in the past, they are likely to be around for years to come.

In terms of social media adoption and usage, Japan is a very mature market. Mixi has long been one of the most popular social networks, however, in recent years Facebook and Twitter have continued to expand their user base in Japan.

When we asked respondents in Japan if they follow their favorite brands on social media only 36% of respondents said yes, which was the lowest of all markets covered. All business sectors had fairly low levels of audience engagement, however personal care products brands was by far the lowest, with only 11% of respondents stating that they follow a brand.

6.7.2 Spending

Of all markets covered in the research, consumers in Japan are the third highest spenders on food and beverage products, as well as the third highest spenders on travel and tourism.

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in Japan appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; consumer electronics and appliances. For this sector, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend 12% more on related products and services (per purchase). Notably, of all the markets we looked at, consumers in Japan appear to be the least impacted by brand storytelling online.

12%


Per year


Figure 35 Japan: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.7.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends, family or colleagues in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors; food and beverage. For this sector, our findings showed that consumers who actively follow brands on social media are 44% more likely to recommend a brand.

-48% -68% -53% -64% -58% -63% -59%

Figure 36 Japan: Brand advocacy

Figure 37 Japan: Net promoter score across business sectors


FOOd And beVeRAge7.2

5.0



We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in Japan across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, consumers in Japan had the lowest levels of brand advocacy, as they ranked last (10th) across all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas consumer electronics and appliances had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

42% 60%39%46% 39%

Figure 38 Japan: Brand engagement











6.7.4 Engagement

Consumers in Japan appear to be among the least engaged with brands online across all markets that were included in this study. For example, only 46% respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%), and only 39% of respondents stated that they would share information about products and services on social media.

Interestingly enough, consumers in Japan appeared to be much more open to traditional advertising based content, as 60% of respondents stated that they would click on an advertisement or read an advertorial.

Our findings did show that younger demographics in Japan were more open to engaging with brands online. For example, respondents under the age of 35 were much more likely to obtain information about products and services on social media, as well as share information about products and services on social media. Notably, older demographics (above 35) are more likely than youth to click on an advertisement or read an advertorial.

SOUTH kOREA

PAGE 46

Figure 39 South Korea: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

63%52%

58% 64%

46%

27%

73%

37%48% 42%

36%

54%





Yes No

6.8 Results South korea

6.8.1 Overview

South Korea is one of the most technically advanced countries in Asia-Pacific. It has the 2nd highest internet penetration rate (80%) of all markets covered in this report, and the second highest smartphone penetration rate in the world (73%) (Richter, 2013). The country also has a flourishing blogging community, with a wealth of diverse platforms such as Naver blogs, Daum blogs and Egloos.

The social media landscape in South Korea is in flux. Just recently, the Naver owned me2day, a site regarded by many as the first SNS (Social Networking Service) platform in the country, announced that it would be shutting down (Hyun-chae, 2013). The announcement marks a trend where consumers are now turning to global social platforms like Facebook and Twitter as their service of choice. Me2days closure in 2014 will also leave Cyworld as the last remaining local SNS site in South Korea.

Like Japan and Australia, consumers in South Korea appear to be more conservative when it comes to interacting with brands online. When we asked respondents if they actively follow their favorite brands on social media 72% said yes. However, engagement was higher in the mobile devices sector, as 63% of respondents stated that they follow their favorite mobile device brand online. On the other hand, the least engaged sector was healthcare, where only 27% of respondents stated that they follow brands in this category online.

6.8.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in South Korea appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; food and beverage. For this sector, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend 167% more on related products and services (per week).

167%

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per week


Figure 40 South Korea: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.8.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends, family or colleagues in at least 3 of the 6 business sectors; food and beverage, consumer electronics and appliances, and mobile devices.

Digital consumers were 15% more likely to advocate for mobile device companies, 19% more likely to advocate for consumer electronics and appliances companies, and 26% more likely to advocate for food and beverage companies when they followed brands in each sector online.

Figure 41 South Korea: Brand advocacy


FOOd And beVeRAge


MObILe deVICeS

7.2

7.5

5.1

5.7

7.66.6



64% 77%61%72%

-1% -13% -31% -47% -54% -49% -33%

73%

Figure 43 South Korea: Brand engagement

Figure 42 South Korea: Net promoter score across business sectors











6.8.4 Engagement

Consumers in South Korea appear to be less engaged with brands, as they ranked 7th for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. 72% respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%), while 77% of respondents stated that they would click on an advertisement or read an advertorial (APAC average = 74%).

Notably, older demographics (above 35) are much more likely to engage with brands online than youth. In particular, they are more likely to share information about products and services, look for deals and promotions, and participate in contests and giveaways on social media.

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in South Korea across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, digital consumers in South Korea appear to have low levels of brand advocacy when compared to the rest of Asia-Pacific, as they ranked 9th across all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas travel and tourism had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

PHILIPPINES

PAGE 50

Figure 44 Philippines: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

89%

23%14%

84%64%

16%

84%

11%

77% 86%

16%36%





Yes No

6.9 Results Philippines

6.9.1 Overview

The Philippines has one of the most engaged consumer populations on social media in the world. Although internet penetration is only 35%, it is estimated that Facebook penetration of existing internet users is almost 94%, a statistic that has earned the country the title of Social Networking Capital of the World (Manila Standard Today, 2013). Despite a very active and engaged population online, the country has struggled to keep up with the rapid development and diffusion of mobile technology taking place in most of Asia. Smartphone penetration is the lowest in Asia-Pacific, at just 15%, and growth in recent years has been slow.

Our results show that brands in the Philippines maintain strong relationships with digital consumers. Of all markets included in this study, the Philippines had the highest rate of digital consumers who follow brands online (98%). This was particularly strong in the mobile device, consumer electronics and appliances, food and beverage, and healthcare sectors, where 84% or more of respondents stated that they follow their favorite brands online.

6.9.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in the Philippines appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 3 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; mobile devices, travel and tourism, and healthcare.

For healthcare product brands, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend a staggering 257% more on related products and services (per purchase). The incremental impact on spending for mobile devices was a 47% increase on purchase of related products and services (per purchase) and a 160% increase on travel and tourism related products and services (per year).

47% 160% 257%

MObILe deVICeS

Per purchase

TRAVeL & TOURISM

Per year

HeALTHCARe

Per purchase


Figure 45 Philippines: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.9.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends, family or colleagues in at least 2 of the 6 business sectors; healthcare and mobile devices.

Consumers were 22% more likely to advocate for healthcare companies, and 27% more likely to advocate for mobile device companies when they followed brands in each sector online.

83% 73%83%88%

48% 13% 24% 22% -12% 34% 21%

81%

Figure 48 Philippines: Brand engagement

Figure 47 Philippines: Net promoter score across business sectors











6.9.4 Engagement

Consumers in the Philippines are highly engaged with brands online, as they ranked 4th for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. Notably, 88% respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%), while 83% stated that they would share information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 68%). This was also notable as they were more likely than any other markets to share information about brands on social media.

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in the Philippines across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, digital consumers in the Philippines had the highest levels of brand advocacy, as they ranked 1st across all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas travel and tourism had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

Figure 46 Philippines: Brand advocacy


HeALTHCARe

MObILe deVICeS

8.36.8

8.56.7



SINGAPORE

PAGE 53

Figure 49 Singapore: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

77%

41%55%

47%51%49%

23%

59% 50% 50%45%

53%





Yes No

6.10 Results Singapore

6.10.1 Overview

Singapores rapid economic growth has made it a hub for technology and innovation. Although its one of the smallest countries in Asia-Pacific by population (5,437,000), it is also one of the wealthiest. Internet penetration is estimated to be 75%, and recent reports peg mobile penetration as high as 87% (Nielsen, 2013).

Brands are active online in Singapore, and consumers appear to be fairly engaged. Although not as engaged as other markets like the Philippines and India, 82% of respondents stated that they follow a brand on social media. This was particularly true for brands in the mobile device sector, where 77% of respondents stated that they follow brands in this category.

6.10.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in Singapore appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 2 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; food and beverage and healthcare.

For healthcare product brands, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend 172% more on related products and services (per purchase). The incremental impact on spending for food and beverage products was a 108% increase on purchase of related products (per week).

108% 172%

FOOd And beVeRAge

Per week

HeALTHCARe

Per purchase


Figure 50 Singapore: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.10.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends, family or colleagues in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors; mobile devices. For this sector consumers who actively follow brands on social media are 27% more likely to recommend a brand.

75% 73%65%77%

16% -19% -17% -25% -33% -24% -17%

69%

Figure 53 Singapore: Brand engagement

Figure 52 Singapore: Net promoter score across business sectors











6.10.4 Engagement

Consumers in Singapore appear to be less engaged with brands online, as they ranked 7th for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. 77% respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%), while 75% stated that they look for the latest deals and promotions on social media (APAC average = 74%).

On the other hand, Singaporean consumers appeared to be less likely to share information about products and services (65%) or to participate in contests and giveaways on social media (69%).

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in Singapore across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, digital consumers in Singapore appear to have moderate levels of brand advocacy, as they ranked 5th across all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas travel and tourism had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

Figure 51 Singapore: Brand advocacy


MObILe deVICeS8.0

6.3



VIETNAM

PAGE 56

Figure 54 Vietnam: Respondents who actively follow their favourite brand(s) on social media

94%

12%

72%63%

35%

65%

6%

88% 75%

25% 28%37%





Yes No

6.11 Results Vietnam

6.11.1 Overview

Vietnam has been regarded as one of the worlds fastest growing economies. Although the countrys internet population is still low, at 34%, it is growing fast. Over the last 10 years, the internet population has grown by more than 900%, from 3.1 million in 2003 to 31.2 million in 2012 (eMarketer, 2013). Smartphone penetration is also on the rise in the country. Current estimates put smartphone penetration around 20%, but its expected to rise to 40% by the end of 2015 (Minh Do, 2013).

Consumers in Vietnam maintain a strong relationship with brands online. 97% of respondents stated that they follow a brand on social media. For mobile device brands a staggering 94% of digital consumers follow their favourite mobile brands online. Consumer electronics and appliance brands also appear to have higher rates of consumer following, with 88% of respondents stating that they follow brands online in this category. On the other hand, the least engaged sectors were travel and tourism and healthcare.

6.11.2 Spending

As for the incremental impact on spending as a result of regular exposure to branded content online, brands in Vietnam appear to be generating long term financial value in at least 1 of the 6 business sectors we looked at; personal care. For this sector, our findings showed that consumers who follow brands online spend a staggering 156% more on related products and services (per week).

156%


Per week


Figure 55 Vietnam: Incremental spend as a result of following brands online

6.11.3 Advocacy

Our findings showed a statistically meaningful relationship between consumers who follow brands on social media and their likelihood to recommend the brand to friends, family or colleagues in at least 2 of the 6 business sectors; food and beverage and healthcare. Consumers were 42% more likely to advocate for food and beverage companies and 57% more likely to advocate for healthcare companies when they followed brands in each sector online.

87% 86%82%91%

44% 17% -11% -21% -30% -7% -1%

69%

Figure 58 Vietnam: Brand engagement

Figure 57 Vietnam: Net promoter score across business sectors











6.10.4 Engagement

Consumers in Vietnam are highly engaged with brands online, as they ranked 2nd for brand engagement of all markets covered in this study. Notably, 91% respondents stated that they obtain information about products and services on social media (APAC average = 78%), while 86% of respondents stated that they would click on an advertisement or read an advertorial (APAC average = 74%).

We calculated the net promoter score for respondents in Vietnam across each business sector, which can be found in the table below. The score is ranked on a scale of -100 to 100, where a score of 100 means that the entire audience actively advocate for brands. Overall, digital consumers in Vietnam appear to have high levels of brand advocacy when compared to the rest of Asia-Pacific, as they ranked 4th across all markets in terms of average net promoter score. The mobile device sector had the highest amount of advocates, whereas travel and tourism had the lowest.




ALL SeCTORS

Figure 56 Vietnam: Brand advocacy

How likely are you to recommend a brand to friends or family?

HeALTHCARe

FOOd & beVeRAge

7.7

7.4

4.9

5.2



RECOMMENDATIONS7

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7. ReCOMMendATIOnS

Think long term

Resist the pressure to measure short term returns in relation to your investments in content marketing. Our findings show there is a strong relationship between a consumers level of exposure to branded content and their likelihood to spend more on products or services (in some cases as much as 257% more). However this is a long term relationship, and you need to focus on creating great content through a sound strategy. If you do this, the financial returns will come.

Measure influence, create advocacy

Our findings showed that levels of advocacy can fluctuate drastically across borders and busine

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