Chinese teens and digital - Social media week 2012

Chinese teens and digital

Social media week Shanghai, Sept. 25th 2012

2012 Labbrand | No diffusion or reproduction without authorization | www.labbrand.com

Why this topic?

Under-explored

Pressing issue that is important for the future

2012 Labbrand | No diffusion or reproduction without authorization | www.labbrand.com 3

WHO ARE THEY?

The post-90s / 90后


The post 90s

4

Confidence in self and country

Sense of self worth

Digital natives

Fast gaining spending power


Generational differences

5

Post 80s / 80后 Post 90s / 90后 Post 00s / 00后

The face of the new China

Making it big

Fitting in

Showing status

Careful planning

Finding my way

Bonding with more relevant groups

Exploring and experimenting

Enjoying

?

Excessive focus on success? The superficial

generation?

Telling my story

Occasional conflicts


HOW DO THEY PERCEIVE THEMSELVES AND OTHER GENERATIONS?


Perception of self and other generations

7

A generation with an acute sense of uniqueness… 1

“Forward looking”

“Active”

“We are quick to embrace new things”

“Misunderstood”

…but not intent on open rebellion 2

“We would like more encouragement from our elders”

“We just want more space to breathe ”

“We sometimes need to be more mature”



8

3 How they see other generations

Post 80s

“Their way of doing things is very different”

“They are focused on work and quality of life”

“It sometimes seems like we have grown apart, like strangers”

Post 00s

“They are very open minded”

“They play games on the iPad even I can’t play…”



9

Perception as being extremely reliant on the internet 4

“Compared to young people in western countries, we probably use the internet a lot more and are much more reliant on it for our daily lives and finding information that is relevant to us”


HOW DO THEY DESCRIBE THE INTERNET?


How do they describe the internet?

11

“Rich” 丰富 “Fast” 快捷

“Free flowing” 畅通

“Fresh” 新鲜

“It better reflects reality” 现实


HOW DOES THIS GENERATION USE THE INTERNET?


How they use the web

13

From sunrise…

…to sunset…

…and in between

“After brushing my teeth in the morning I’ll log on QQ and chat for a while”

“I’ll often play games on my phone or go on RenRen at night until I fall asleep”

“I usually surf Weibo while doing my homework”

“I go online with my phone whenever I feel bored”

A constant presence in their lives 1



14

The central hub of content consumption habits

@

Culture

Movies/TV Information

Music

2



15

A force for diversity 3

The Web allows these young people to pursue their own personal interests and develop niche tastes like never before.

“Korean TV Shows” 韩剧 “Japanese mangas” 动漫

“War movies” 战争片

“Fashion” 时尚 “K-Pop stars” 韩国流行音乐明星



16

A social bond 4

“If I can only talk to a person face to face, it might take me a long time to know her but online, we can get to know each other much more quickly”



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A mean for self expression 5

Digital channels are giving teenagers new ways of

è Expressing their deep seated opinions

è Telling their daily life stories to those who matter most to them


THE POWER OF MOBILE “My smartphone pretty much never leaves me”

手机基本上不离身


The power of mobile

19

Rapid democratization of smartphones 1

“All of my classmates have smartphones”

“My parents offered me this iPhone after I performed well on my exams”

… despite parents’ reluctance

“My parents are afraid that my phone well have a negative influence on my studies”

“My parents will often take my smartphone away when I get home”


The power of mobile

20

Most popular brands

Android is fast rising and users are actively embracing it


The power of mobile

21

A symbol of personal power and independence 2

Smartphones allow teens to circumvent parental rules on internet use and have their own private web terminal

“After I’m done with my homework I go on QQ with my cellphone because my parents lock up the computer”

Smartphones allow teens to tell their own stories and share exciting moments with their circle of friends

“When I see a lovely scene, when I eat etc… I will take a picture of it for my friends to see”


The power of mobile

22

A companion of everyday routine 3

At home In class During various activities


The power of mobile

23

Most important uses

Gaming

Instant messaging

Social networking / micro-blogging


WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL?


What about social?

25

What are the main platforms? 1

The “King QQ” “I’ve been using QQ for a long time and have gotten used to it”

The 2 main social platforms

The rising star “The best social platform is Weixin”

“I love the voice messaging function”

“Weixin is the platform I use to stay in touch with close friends”

“RenRen and Weibo and the sites I use most often”


What about social?

26

What are the main platforms? (2) 1

… and the rest

BBS still popular especially amongst girls

Kaixin only popular for games, seen as deserted

“My foreign friends only use Facebook” “I use Twitter to follow the celebrities that I like”


What about social?

27

What are the key uses? 2

Express oneself “I often post about my mood” “I often post to complain about things”

Tell their daily life stories (mainly through mobile)

Connect with people with similar interests (for some)


What about social?

28

What are the key uses? (2) 2

Stay informed about topics of interest

Celebrities Fashion Culture Current affairs


What about social?

29

Repartition of roles between platforms

“Connecting with close friends”

“Connecting with the world”

Picture sharing Organization of outings Deepening relationships

Staying informed Discussing new trends Meeting new people

Forwarding interesting content

猫叔 Gangnam style

3


What about social?

30

What about brands? 4

A few brands mentioned…

… but overall not major brand followers

Strong role of social media in getting product and brand information, but not always through official brand accounts


WHAT IS THE PLACE OF E-COMMERCE?


What is the place of e-commerce?

32

Not heavy e-commerce shoppers (yet)… 1

… still value the retail experience… 2

“I will often help my family members pick and pay for things online”

“I still buy most of my things during shopping trips”

… but are all knowledgeable about e-shopping… 3

… and perceive its advantage 4 “I often buy things in shops and then realize it was cheaper online, I do not know why I bought it offline…”



33

Key products

Key sites

Electronics

Books

Clothes and shoes

(For electronics)

(For books)



34

E-commerce and social media are deeply integrated 5

“Sometimes I will be attracted by a picture I see on RenRen with a very special piece of clothing and I will check out the Taobao link”

“I recently found a great pair of shoes through Weibo, the picture had a Taobao link”


GOING FURTHER: WHAT IS YOUR WEB PERSONALITY?

@


Your web personality

36

How is your personality online different from off line?

“Bolder” 更胆子大一点

“I can say online what I can’t say offline” 我现实当中说不出的话, 我在网上都可以发出来

“More gentle and calm” 会再温和一点

“More open minded” 比较开朗一点


IMPLICATIONS FOR BRANDS


Implications for brands

38

Tap the opportunity 1

2 Understand the target and adapt the approach

3 Go mobile

Get them involved 4

5 Offer something


ANY QUESTIONS?

Marketing

Chinese teens and digital - Social media week 2012