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THE AGE OF SOCIAL INFLUENCEHOW MEDIA-EMPOWERED CONSUMERS ARE HELPING TO DRIVE SALES
Methodology
This project was part of Initiative’s Consumer
Connections global research program which now
spans in excess of 50 countries. Our study’s sample
was designed to identify those actively engaged in
social media. As a result we conducted 8014 online
interviews with consumers aged 18-54. Interlocking
age/gender and regional quotas were set to reflect the
national population in each country, the only exceptions
being China where the focus was on Tier 1, Tier 2 and
Tier 3 cities and Canada where the Nunavut, NWT,
Yukon regions were excluded. We used complex
factor analysis to identify drivers of social behavior. This
enabled us to quantify consumers’ social influence and
identify those who are leveraging their superior social
connections to influence purchase decisions.
The importance of social media has been discussed at length
for several years now. We know that in many markets time spent
online has surpassed that of TV and that daily social media usage is
continuing to increase.
We know that the once linear and transaction-centric purchase funnel
is now multi-directional, random and heavily influenced by opinion and
information gathered by consumers. And we know that because of
social media and technology, consumers can now enter the purchase
cycle at various points, and spontaneously influence others as they
travel along the path the purchase.
But do we really understand how marketers can unlock the real value
of all this? Do we know how social media works with other more
established media? And do we know how to harness the power of
social media for real commercial gain?
In order to find answers to some of these crucial questions, Initiative
set out to explore the individual and combined strength of TV, social
and mobile, and how consumer interaction with each has altered the
path to purchase. Specifically, we wanted to investigate:
• Howdoweproducegreatersynergybetweenoursiloed
media,socialandmobilebudgetsandtacticsthatresultina
greaterreturnoninvestment?
• Whataretheimpactofsocial,TVandmobileonshopper
decision-making?
• Whatroledoesconsumerinfluenceplayalongthepathto
purchase?
To do so, we conducted a global online study among 8014 web users
aged 16-54 across eight countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada,
China, Germany, the Netherlands, the US and the UK. We also spoke
one-on-one with a group of super influencers in the US and the UK to
gain a better understanding of social behavior.
THE AGE OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE
For many years, forward-thinking marketers have called for greater
integration between their online and offline touchpoints in the hope of
creating a multiplier effect that drives greater reach and scale. However,
our study found that while the integration of social, TV and mobile
has indeed altered the way consumers make decisions about brands,
it is not because of their ability to simply multiply brand messages.
Increasingly, consumers are becoming the driving force powering what,
when and where brand interactions occur. Based upon our findings,
Initiative believes that by leveraging the consumer’s natural inclination
to engage with media across multiple screens and social media, we
can create a consumer-powered media synergy effect that is both
non-linear and emotional - driving deeper engagement and trust. The
result is an acceleration of the purchase process unobtainable by any
of the three media independently.
We have identified three strategies for marketers that use the combined
power of social, mobile and TV to navigate through the complexity:
MEdIA SyNErGy ACCELErATES THE pUrCHASE prOCESS
THE SOCIALINFLUENCER
TAPPING INTOTHE POWER SOURCE
‘POINT OFINFLUENCE’
TRANSFORMING A
CALL TOACTION
INTO A
SYNERGY
OPTIMIZING TOUCHPOINTSTO PRODUCE1 2
3
Three strategies for marketers
TAppING INTO THE pOwEr SOUrCE – THE SOCIAL INFLUENCEr
First, marketers must seed messages with consumer influencers who
have the ability to quickly and effortlessly amplify brand messages
across their large social circles. While this is not a new idea, social media
has changed the size of influencers in the population and the speed
with which messages can spread. Back in 1962, sociologist Everett
Rogers popularized the Diffusion of Innovation theory estimating that
only 2.5% of a given population are innovators, being the first to adopt
new innovations and influence others to try them. We identified that
10% of online users have a disproportionate share of influence - we
focused on this group and called them the “Top 10%”. These super
influencers are defined by several key attributes and behaviors: having
higher levels of media consumption, a social predisposition and wide
category shopping; being more likely to research products online and
make recommendations to others.
These social extroverts have significantly larger social circles than
those with lower influence and a higher proportion of their regular
social contacts (every 1-2 weeks) are communicated with online.
REGULARFACE TO FACE CONTACT
BUT NONE ONLINE
REGULARFACE TO FACE CONTACT
PLUS ONLINE
REGULARONLINE CONTACT
BUT NONE FACE TO FACE
2110387469
TOP BOTTOM10%10%
INFLUENCERS INFLUENCERS
Average number of people in my social circleBase: Web users aged 16-54 years of age
Focus your marketing on the most influential
1
TOP BOTTOM10%10%
LAPTOP98% 97%
TABLET53% 5%
SMARTPHONE86% 30%
OTHER MOBILE25% 46%
DEVICES OWNED
Talk on a smartphone
Send or receive email
Text on a smartphone/mobile
Access a social networking site/microsite
Chat using instant messaging services
Read an online forum/discussion
Send an MMS/picture message on a mobile
Socialise with others at home
Contribute to an online forum/discussion
Socialise with others outside the home
Participate in online gaming
Video conference
88%
84%
84%
77%
77%
60%
58%
58%
52%
52%
48%
38%
25%
64%
26%
47%
9%
14%
2%
27%
7%
12%
9%
2%
More thanonce a day
Oncea day
More thanonce a week
Every1-2 weeks
Every3-4 weeks
Less often Never
22%
1% 1% 1% 2% 1%
25%
69%
30% 31%
9%5%
2% 1%
FREQUENCY OF RECOMMENDINGA PRODUCT OR SERVICE ONLINE
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES ON AND OFFLINE
INFLUENCERS INFLUENCERS
Base: Web users aged 16-54 years of age
The Top 10% are “Media Mavens” who skillfully navigate between
the offline and online media, from reading both printed and digital
magazines and newspapers to accessing the mobile internet – which
72% of them do once a day or more, compared to only 18% of the
Bottom 10%. When it comes to technology, the Top 10% are also
more likely to own smartphones and tablet computers, as well as
use technology as a social tool. The frequency with which the Top
10% use technology such as Skype, instant messenger (IM), mobile
and social networking to supplement face to face conversations is
also higher across the board. Their influence comes from their above
average use of social media, with 79% using it more than once a day
(vs. 29% of the Bottom 10%) and spending on average three hours a
week engaged with it.
But, most importantly to marketers, 99% of these influencers say that
their friends ask their opinion before making an important purchase,
compared to just 13% of the Bottom 10%. They are also extremely
active during the zero moment of truth - more likely to research or
talk about their forthcoming purchase online using social media and
mobile before making their purchase decision. Compare this to the
“Bottom 10%”– as many as 29% failed to research any products/
services online before purchasing versus just 1% of the Top 10%.
The Top 10% are more likely to discuss certain types of high
engagement product categories such as mobile, travel, fashion, music
and even beauty and personal care. Marketers should monitor these
discussions and create platforms for positive sentiment to be used to
influence other consumers in the consideration stage.
By leveraging their influence, marketers can inject a trusted voice into
the path to purchase with the ability to influence in real-time.
Implications for marketers
• Don’tignoresocialinfluencers.Theycanbecomeyour
biggestbrandadvocates,standingbehindyourbrand
withconviction.Showrespecttoinfluencersandthey
willrespectyourbrand.
• Engagewithsocialinfluencersearlyandoften.They
havethepowertomakeorbreakcampaigns.Testbrand
messageswiththempre-launchandcarefullymonitor
theirfeedbackduringthedurationofthecampaign.
• Investinsocialinfluenceprograms–earnedmedia
comesatacost.
Case study: Stimorol Stimorol in Denmark was planning to launch a new “senses” flavor gum: the “Mega Mystery Gum”, targeted at 18 – 25 year olds. In order to target “social influencers”, IUM Denmark decided to use Stimorol’s Facebook page as the platform for the campaign. Leveraging Stimorol’s association with music, IUM engaged the brand’s Facebook community with a contest where six Danish cities battled for the chance to win one of three Mega Mystery club parties, featuring famous club DJs. This would see social influencers on Facebook and other social platforms leading the activity to drive support for their city’s bid to win a party. Supported with TV, radio and PR the campaign saw the Mega Mystery Gum become the best selling of all Stimorol’s senses flavours and entered the top five gums across COOP supermarket chain.
Media synergy also demands that marketers re-evaluate how they
perceive media and its role in the purchase process. Too often,
media is relegated to driving awareness, consideration and buzz, but
if planned properly media can make a much bigger impact. When
selectively combined, TV, social and mobile create a dynamic path to
purchase that speeds up the overall decision-making and purchase
process, while making shoppers feel good about their choice.
We discovered that each medium examined in our study was found to
have core strengths (see right). We also found that certain countries
had a greater affinity for social and mobile as a marketing vehicle. For
instance, in Argentina, online users are more likely than other countries
in our study to think social media “helps you share important info
about a brand with others,” (70%), “find out more about a brand that
you are interested in,” (57%) and “provides you with an unbiased and
trusted recommendation about a product/service or a brand,” (51%).
On the other end of the spectrum, online users in the Netherlands had
the least favorable perceptions about social media’s role in marketing.
Only 24% believe that social media provides unbiased and trusted
brand recommendations and a little over a third (36%) think it is helpful
for sharing brand information.
When it comes to internet-enabled mobile, Chinese online users
have a greater affinity for mobile with 77% having personal use of a
smartphone compared to 58% of total online users in our study. Their
mobile usage is also more varied as they use their smartphones in the
following ways more than once a week: 63% - wifi access, 61% - mp3
player, 57% - video camera, 41% - instant messaging, 40% - video
player.
It is no surprise that they also rate mobile more favorably as a vehicle for
interacting with brands. For them, mobile provides basic information
about brands (41%), is a way to find out more about a brand that you
are interested in (40%) and share important information about a brand
with others (38%).
Media planners and buyers are well versed in the role of media as
a communication vehicle, but now must expand their expertise to
include how different combinations of online and offline media perform
as a point of influence.
OpTIMIzING TOUCHpOINTS TO CrEATE SyNErGy 2
Case study: Carling Carling Black Label wanted to get consumers to reappraise the brand. The beer brand signed a five-year sponsorship deal with South African soccer giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to leverage the fanaticism around football and engage with nearly 90% of its target audience. With the critical insight that “everybody wants to be a coach” Carling Black Label organised a match between the two Soweto giants and let the fans choose the teams. Driving both awareness and participation would be critical for the success of the campaign. Initiative Media used a combination of TV and print to call for the “couch coaches” to choose players. Social media was then used to encourage interaction between the fans, and mobile and online advertising was used to drive people to the brand’s Facebook page. Over 10.5 million team votes were recorded and over 11 million bottle tops were redeemed. Carling Black Label had the highest awareness of promotions advertising in the beer market during the campaign.
56%MAKING YOU
AWARE OFNEW BRANDS
50%HELPING YOU SHARE
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONABOUT A BRAND
WITH OTHERS
37%HELPING YOU
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT A BRAND
32%HELPING YOU
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT A BRAND
33%INCREASING YOUR
LOYALTY TO AFAVORITE BRAND
36%PROVIDING YOUWITH A TRUSTED
RECOMMENDATIONABOUT A BRAND
48%PROMPTING YOUTO TRY OR BUY
A BRAND
46%INCREASINGTHE APPEAL
OF THE BRAND
43%GIVING YOU
BASIC INFORMATIONABOUT A BRAND
TV ADConvincing consumers of their wants and desires
SOCIALInfluences byleveraging peerand expert advice
MOBILEInstantly connectsconsumers to in-depthproduct information
Q: Thinking about the range of different resources - social media, internet enabled mobiles/smartphones, TV shows and TV ads - which of the tasks shown here are these things good at?Base: Web users aged 16-54 years of age
Media synergy: How touchpoints work together
40%
Mobile phones& services
PC, laptopsor tablet
computers
Travel, flightor hotel
Householdappliances
Homeentertainingequipment
Fashion,clothing &
accessories
Beauty orpersonal care
products
30%
20%
10%
RESEARCHED OR TALKED ABOUT ONLINE BEFORE BUYING
PURCHASED THROUGH A SOCIAL MEDIAWEBSITE
RESEARCHEDUSING SOCIALMEDIA
Web
use
rs*
Q: Which of these products/services have you ever...* Percentage of web users who have shopped for the listed categories in the last two years and used social touchpointsBase: Web users aged 16-54 years of age
Social media’s sphere of influence
TrANSFOrMING A ‘pOINT OF INFLUENCE’ INTO A CALL TO ACTION
Consumers are organically having conversations about brands prior
to purchase, but marketers are not always using these conversations
as a distinct point of influence on the path to purchase. We also found
that these points of influence occur across categories.
Once marketers can establish where their points of influence are for
their category and brands, we think there is an opportunity to create
social environments that transform organic community conversations
into product information portals. Once inside the portal, consumers
seeking brand information should be given the option to obtain more
information, participate in a brand experience that underscores brand
benefits, request a sample or more personalized information or link to
make a purchase.
By converting influence into action, marketers can use media more
effectively, and improve the consumer and shopper experience by
providing relevant information and expediting the shopping process. In
return, consumers are more likely to share positive experiences about
brands with their communities and hopefully become brand loyal.
Case study: Kia Optima, one of Kia’s core sales vehicles was relaunching with an upgraded product offering. Optima now had innovative and futuristic brand attributes, but was more positioned among mature drivers. We needed to attract a younger audience and get people talking about Optima in a new way. The NBA, with its All-Star game, would be an ideal platform to engage our social influencers. Kia came up with an idea that would get these key influencers talking and drive the social conversation all the way to Kia’s website. We collaborated with basketball star Blake Griffin, who agreed to jump over a Kia Optima during the All Star game. The conversation on social platforms caught fire, driven by our partnership athletes and celebrities who were all tweeting about the jump. Search and social worked in tandem and there were overlays on YouTube with a clear “call to action” driving people to the Optima Explore page. And Kia’s audience certainly heeded the call – Kia saw a 24% increase in sales following the All-Star weekend.
Implications for marketers
• Buildbrandedplatformsandtoolsthathelpamplifythe
socialcurator’svoice.
• Gofarbeyondthe30-secondspotandcreateadditional
content,suchasbehindthescenesfootage,historical
timelinesandculturalassociations.Thesewilldrive
discussionsandprovidealinktobranddiscovery.
• Enlistateamofbrandandcategoryrelevantsocial
influencerstopreviewnewproductsandcampaigns,
stimulatedialogueanddisseminatecontentalongthe
pathtopurchase.
3
Find your brand’s Top 10%In addition to the robust consumer segmentation studies conducted
by many marketers to create clusters of consumers based upon
purchasing behavior, we suggest completing a comprehensive analysis
of social influence. This would be achieved by determining which
consumers have the potential to influence the purchase decisions of
others. Our Influencer Multiplier is a proprietary scoring method that
quantifies the relationship between sociability, purchase behaviour,
and media consumption.
The Influence Multiplier can be used to optimize media plans by
ensuring that the Top 10% are adequately represented within the
consumer audience. Since they are an influential source of category
and brand information, their inclusion allows brand messages to reach
more people in less time. On a global basis, marketers can use the
Influence Multiplier to help prioritize media budgets between markets
based upon the strength of national scores. We have found that
individual market scores vary due to the different media landscapes,
stage of technological development and cultural drivers. Our analysis
suggests that a marketing message is more likely to spread quickly in
markets with a higher Influencer Multiplier score.
HOw TO CrEATE A MEdIA SyNErGy EFFECT FOr yOUr brANdS
Create immersive multi-screen experiencesMarketers can design personal brand experiences by creating
media synergy across multiple screens that provide a meaningful
and actionable brand experience. This can be achieved by carefully
studying the consumer’s media multitasking behavior, their path to
purchase, and understanding their motivations and preferences (eg,
unique content, access and experiences). By leveraging these insights,
a message broadcast to the masses on television can directly create
a personal, customizable, consumer-powered experience in search,
mobile, and social media.
These immersive brand stories are already being told by brands such
as H&M, Century 21 and GE who are using TV to direct viewers to
a richer online or mobile brand experience, as seen in campaigns
executed during this year’s US Super Bowl. For example, brands that
made the most of their Super Bowl advertising investment ($3.5m for
a 30-second TV spot) led with TV with visible calls to action, such
as a URL or Twitter hashtags. Successful brands intuitively navigated
their consumers to other paid media, such as search and mobile,
complementary owned media and earned media touch points. Social
was then used to extend the experience and brand engagement with
relevant social response. (IPG Mediabrands Digital Marketing Report
2012 Super Bowl™)
Case study: F&N Soft drink brand F&N in Malaysia had been synonymous with fun for many years, but was under attack from Fanta which was encroaching on its space and growing market share. In order to regain its territory, Initiative Malaysia tapped into the ‘dance reality’ phenomenon and created a massive ‘dance mob’ that saw TV and social working in combination across a full multi-screen experience. The F&N Custom Song & Dance was introduced via Malaysia’s first outdoor augmented reality screen (utilizing the largest LED screen in the country). People learned the dance moves and saw themselves live with the virtual dancers. The experience then extended across TV – with celebrity hosts picking up the dance moves – online through F&N’s Facebook page and then amplified with online coverage by the leading online newspapers. With 86% of the youth target engaged via the campaign, F&N saw a massive 18% increase in spontaneous brand awareness and maintained its market-leading position.
Implications for marketers
• Anticipateonline/offlineinteractionsacrossmultiple
screens.Bereadyfor24/7connectivity,immediate
search-and-find,andon-demanddelivery.
• Setasideanemergingtechnologyexplorationbudget
tobecomecomfortablewiththeunknown.Keeping
yourfingeronthepulseistheonlywaytostayaheadof
socialinfluencers.
• Forgetwaitingtodiscussmust-seeTVaroundthe
watercooler,activateSocial+TVtogiveviewers
theopportunitytojoininrealtimediscussionand
connections.
Integrate everythingMedia synergy is not business as usual, it requires new beliefs,
practices and organizational structure. While many have adopted
integrated marketing in theory, nearly 20 years after its conception,
most organizations function in separate silos. To create a media
synergy effect, marketing departments such as brand management,
advertising, media and digital, as well as their accompanying budgets
will need to be integrated. If physical integration of a company’s
marketing departments is not feasible, then an integrated planning
approach with frequent communication among cross-disciplinary
teams is a must.
Integration is also required outside of an advertiser’s marketing
department. Marketing will need to work more closely with other
departments such as customer service or retail/trade to activate,
monitor and respond to conversations occurring at the points of
influence. Additionally, marketers will need to seek new methods
of collaboration among groups of agency, media and technology
partners that may have once seemed unimaginable. Those who are
nimble enough to adapt to new work styles or have the capability to
deploy technology solutions that facilitate integration will win.
Implications for marketers
• Trainteammemberstobecome“T-shaped”–being
specializedhasitslimitations.Marketingorganizations
needtalentwithbroadercommunicationsexpertiseand
thatabilitytocreativelysolveproblems.
• Bringtheteamtogethertocreateteamrespectthat
drivescollaboration.Encourageanagencyexchange
programacrosspartners.Designatetimeforspecialists
inmedia,advertising,design,digitalandpublicrelations
togainrespectforaspectsofbuildingconnections.
Learnhowideasareoriginated,cultivated,executed
andoptimized.
1 Target the power source. Target the top 10% of influencers in order to accelerate marketing effectiveness.
2 Engage with social influencers early and often. They have the power to make or break campaigns. Test brand messages with them pre-launch and carefully monitor their feedback during the duration of the campaign.
3 Go far beyond the 30-second spot and create additional content, such as behind the scenes footage, historical timelines and cultural associations to drive discussion and provide a link to brand discovery.
4 Enlist a team of brand and category relevant social influencers to preview new products and campaigns, stimulate dialogue and disseminate content along the path to purchase.
5 Integrate everything. Encourage an agency exchange program across partners. Designate time for specialists in all agencies to gain respect for aspects of building connections.
FIVE ESSENTIAL TAKEOUTS FOr MArKETErS
AbOUT INITIATIVE
Initiative is a performance-led media communications company.
Initiative believes that all marketing should be performance-driven. Data, analytics, insight and innovation are
central to all our services, and we hold ourselves fully accountable to client business goals. This commitment to
performance is at the heart of Initiative’s unique process and culture.
Owned by the Interpublic Group, Initiative is part of media management group Mediabrands and a partner of Magna,
IPG’s centralized media negotiation entity. Initiative employs more than 2500 talented professionals, working in 89
offices across 71 markets, worldwide.
Initiative’s comprehensive range of performance-led communications services include: research and insight, media
planning and buying, digital communications solutions, content creation, and evaluation and accountability services.
CONSUMEr CONNECTIONS
Through our Consumer Connections program of research, we are connected to 230,000+ consumers across more
than 50 markets. We interact with these consumers to understand purchase patterns and media behaviors across
continents to bring fresh insight into their lives and the role of the brands they use. The powerful single source data
we gather as part of this programme also informs planning decisions delivering enhanced ROI for our clients.
www.initiative.com