Tag: Social Media

Sydney, Australia – More younger consumers in Australia are utilizing social media to conduct product research and discovery before deciding to purchase a product, the latest survey from cloud-based e-commerce solutions ChannelAdvisor notes.

According to the survey, 64% of 18- to 25-year-olds have researched products on Instagram during the past 12 months, while 67% of 26 to 35-year-olds have researched products on Facebook within the same period. 

Despite that, social media use for product research remains the least-used online channel for product research, with only 6% of all respondents using it. Search engines or organic search remains to be the go-tochannel for product research, which is used by 37% of respondents. This is followed by brand websites (23%) and marketplaces or retailer sites (35%).

In regards to what affects a consumer’s purchasing decision, price takes the lead with 79% of the respondents agreeing so, followed by availability (55%), reviews (44%), delivery speed (42%), brand name (35%), and payment options (35%), and flexibility of delivery time (22%).

“The survey results are clear: consumers aren’t buying products and interacting with companies the way they did before 2020. Consumers want convenience at each stage of the buying journey — from research to sale. Brands and retailers need to shift their focus to their consumers’ demands,” said Mike Shapaker, CMO at ChannelAdvisor.

The survey also noted that factors such as a product being out of stock (61% of respondents), a possible better price (46%), negative reviews (35%), unclear product information (32%), as well as unclear product images (26%), and too few reviews (17%) are reasons why consumers would abandon online purchases.

For the upcoming holiday season, about 36% of surveyed consumers plan to do more holiday shopping online this year, while 42% of survey respondents plan to use ‘buy online, pick up in-store’ or curbside options this season. Meanwhile, 7% plan to do less holiday shopping online.

“Ahead of peak season, they’ll [brands and businesses] need to reimagine and reinforce e-commerce strategies to take advantage of these permanent changes, as their competitors will soon begin doing the same,” Shapaker added.

Sydney, Australia – Despite ongoing lockdowns in Australia for the past few months, the local influencer marketing scene remains unfazed, as more and more brands have tapped online influencers via sponsored activity, according to data from AI analytics platform HypeAuditor.

From data collected from 1 to 28 of October, there were 3,179 sponsored posts from 1,651 influencers, categorized as those with an authentic following of more than 1000, with the hashtag #ad and/or #sponsored, slightly down from 3,722 sponsored social media posts in September when both Sydney and Melbourne were in lockdown.

While the brands’ influencer marketing campaigns were running as usual during lockdowns, influencers were quick to embrace #freedomday on their social media platforms. Between October 1st and October 25th, 794 influencers shared 1,037 posts using the hashtag #freedomday, reaching 2.5 million people. 

The hashtag #freedomday refers to the sweep of restrictions lifting across Greater Sydney, with 213 posts by influencers peaking by 11 October. 

On October 22, when Melbourne’s lockdown ended, influencers posted less than half as much, with just 95 posts. Considering it was Melbourne’s sixth lockdown in 2021, the novelty of #freedomday has clearly worn off.

“Australian brands and marketers understand that influencer marketing is a foolproof strategy within their overall marketing plans. A significant by-product of city-wide lockdowns was people being on their devices and on social media more than ever, seeking new forms of entertainment. Influencer marketing proved to be one of the best ways to reach consumers during a lockdown, and keep the marketing lights on when people are not out and about,” said Alexander Frolov, CEO and co-founder at HypeAuditor.

He added, “#freedomday for influencers means more creative freedom to create paid content for brands, as they are no longer restricted to the confinement of their homes. Over the next few months, we can expect to see a spike in travel-related content from influencers as interstate as well as international borders reopen and travel brands come back in full force after the devastating effects the border closures had on the industry.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Kyochon, a Korean fried chicken brand, has tapped local digital and social marketing agency Kingdom Digital to handle the brand’s social media duties in the Malaysian market, starting off with an online campaign to promote KyoChon’s new meat-free food: the ‘Future Chicken’ Burger and ‘Future Chicken’ Tenders.

KyoChon will be turning to social media to create buzz and drive awareness about the 100% plant-based options by working closely with its newly appointed social media agency Kingdom Digital.

Terry Goh, CEO of KyoChon, shared that the brand first introduced its meat-free menu earlier this year in February for Malaysians who are looking to reduce their meat intake for health, spiritual, or social reasons. 

“With the addition of the new ‘Future Chicken’ Burger and ‘Future Chicken’ Tenders, we have a total of 4 meat-free selections to cater to different preferences. Our customers and their loved ones can now have more options to choose from when they dine at KyoChon, be it from the meat-free or chicken menu. Both menus allow them to experience the signature taste and crispiness one would expect from our Korean fried chicken without compromising on their dietary choices,” Goh said.

Meanwhile, Lui Xiao Yee, head of client servicing at Kingdom Digital said KyoChon has tasked them to strengthen KyoChon’s positioning as the go-to restaurant for the most authentic and best Korean fried chicken in the minds of young teens, adults, and families.

“To achieve that, our strategy aims to portray KyoChon as the ‘INSSA’ (a Korean slang word describing a sociable trendsetter) through relatable and humorous social content and engagement ideas. Some of these can already be seen on their social media pages, such as the specially-curated monthly KyoKomics or when the brand joined the hype and trendjack Squid Game,” Xiao Yee stated.

Kingdom Agency has won various accounts this year, including milk brand Lactel and beverage brand Spritzer.

Sydney, Australia – As part of improving the advertising experience on their platform, social media platform Twitter is testing out ad rollouts across tweet conversations.

In a tweet from Bruce Flack, revenue product lead at Twitter, he stated that users in the ad experiment will see ads after the first, third or eighth reply under a tweet. Said ad rollout experiment will be for a select number of global users, both on iOS and Android.

“We see a big opportunity to build an ad offering that creates value and aligns incentives for creators and advertisers. As we experiment with this format over the coming months, we’ll focus on understanding how it performs and how it impacts the people and conversations around it,” Flack stated in his tweet thread.

He also mentioned that they will be testing different frequencies, layouts, contextually relevant ads, different insertion points, among others. Furthermore, they will be examining their learnings on this ad rollout endeavor and figure out if it’s something they want to make permanent.

“We’re excited about trying this out for our advertisers and we’re eager to explore how it could open the door for additional opportunities to reward tweet authors and creators,” Flack added.

Meanwhile, Angus Keene, acting managing director for Twitter Australia, commented that as the platform evolves and brings forward more ways for people to connect and talk, they will continue to evaluate how they extend this offering to their advertisers and partners.

“We are now testing a new ad placement in Tweet conversations for a small percentage of people globally. This group will see ads after the first, third or eighth reply under a Tweet. By introducing this new opportunity, we hope to create value and support users and creators who drive everyday conversation and connection on our platform, while also providing incremental scale for advertisers looking to reach untapped audiences during their most engaged moments in conversations,” Keen explained.

He added, “Over the coming months, we’ll be looking at how this experiment performs and impacts the people and conversations around it.”

This is one of the latest updates from Twitter, including more recently the creation of ‘Communities’ that serves as hubs for users on the platform to discuss similar topics, interests, or hobbies.

India – To celebrate this year’s ‘National Coming Out Day’, which is commemorated every 11th October for the awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community, MTV Beats, India’s music-only channel, has partnered with digital agency RepIndia to release a video that seeks to bolster the movement towards acceptance, inclusivity, and uniqueness.

The ongoing conversation and support have achieved the acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community by leaps and bounds, but just like any fight against discrimination in society, there is always so much more one can do in order to truly give the minority the respect and belonging they deserve.

The video boasts a highly artistic hand with engaging graphics that are representative of the rainbow symbol of the community. Within the video is a poem that uses metaphors to convey that we are all different in our own ways, but that it isn’t something that should cause a divide among us.

“Some like lines, others like curves,” one of the lines said.

The agency shared that the video is built on the insight that love is natural and comes from within.

“Yet, we judge those who choose to live differently than us. Simply because we aren’t able to comprehend it. ‘Coming Out’ takes a lot of courage and we must never dissuade a person for whom they choose to love,” RepIndia said in a press statement. 

MTV Beats as a brand has been a strong ally of the community. Last year, it released ‘Love Duet’, India’s first ‘Love’ album by the LGBTQIA+ community, which aimed to normalize the conversations on love which go beyond the stereotypes of gender.

The video has been released across the brand’s social media including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Australia – With the original formation of a KITKAT chocolate, everyone knows that the best way to eat it is to break the partitions and enjoy it finger by finger. After all, this is where the famous slogan of the brand comes from, “Have a break, Have a KitKat.” But through the years, people have been less traditional and are taking a bite out of their KITKATs with the way they like and how they think it is most enjoyable.

In a fun and light campaign by Nestlé Australia on TikTok, the brand is finally acknowledging the passionate debate swirling online about the correct way to eat a KITKAT.

Done with creative agency Wunderman Thompson, the ‘Have a bite’ social campaign sees KITKAT jump in to respond to the many people proudly flaunting their innovative and somewhat intriguing approach to the correct KITKAT consumption method.

The natural tendency is to tear the pack, break off a finger, and snap in half. But some people have opted to take a giant bite out of all four fingers, or even nibbling off the chocolate layers.

The campaign, which will be running until 30 September, kicked off with prominent TikTok creators throwing their voices into the debate by showing how they have a bite. Roped in the commotion to shed more light is screen legend Michael Caton who bit into a KITKAT himself and asking Aussies, “Is this wrong?” 

Commenting on the campaign, João Braga, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson, said, “As Australia’s favorite chocolate bar, we know that people have some serious love for the iconic treat, but we wanted to discover new ways to engage with the fanbase online. What better way to do this than by jumping into the heartfelt and passionate debate over the true, right, and ‘correct’ way to eat a KITKAT.”

Joyce Tan, Nestlé’s head of marketing, added, “We knew it was time to finally weigh in on the conversation regarding how to properly eat a KITKAT and acknowledge the weird and wonderful ways Aussies eat theirs.”

“Teaming up with Wunderman Thompson, we were able [to] leverage the power of TikTok creators and iconic Australian actor Michael Caton to generate real-time conversation about the many ways that a KITKAT is enjoyed,” Tan said.

In line with the social campaign, KITKAT releases limited-edition packs showing variations of the iconic bitten KITKAT.

Ultimately, Nestlé said in a press release, KITKAT is OK with how you choose to eat your KITKAT “as long as you’re taking a break to enjoy it.”

To show that ‘other’ ways of having a bite are at least being entertained by the brand, KITKAT is testing the waters with some limited-edition packs, where the iconic snapping fingers printed on the pack are replaced with some of the different ways Aussies bite their KITKATs.

According to Wunderman Thompson, the campaign has gained 4.3 million views organically across TikTok and Instagram in the first 48 hours of launch, and the attention of some very passionate KITKAT fans with more than 70,000 votes in a Twitter debate.

Mumbai, India – With India slowly opening to the the influencer marketing scene to allow brands to connect directly to consumers, the sector is expected to be valued at ₹2200 crores by 2025, or a 25% CAGR trajectory increase from 2021’s ₹900 crores, according to the latest report provided by INCA, the influencer and content marketing solution arm of GroupM, shows.

Part of the reason influencer marketing is thriving in the country is due to the higher preference of brands of utilizing influencers for the campaigns. According to the insights, 75% of influencer marketing campaigns feature influencers such as social media stars, while 25% only for conservative celebrity personalities.

“Social media has given normal people an opportunity to build their own brand, create communities via content. Standard influencers have more authenticity and are more relatable than traditional celebrities.Specialist and niche influencers command a high degree of authority on the topic and bring in more credibility in comparison to mass celebrities,” the company said in a press statement.

In terms of categories being most active in the sector, personal care campaigns garnered the highest percentage of particular brands tapping heavily on the type of marketing, with 25% of respondents saying. These are followed by food and beverage (20%), fashion and jewelry (15%), and mobile and electronics (10%). In sum, these industries contribute to 70% of the volume of influencer marketing in India.

“In the last two decades, digital advertising growth has accelerated and has become ubiquitous. It’s been gaining share in the marketing pie by transforming its presence at the back of advertising technology platforms such as search, commerce, social, and programmatic. Marketing technology platforms such as analytics, CRM, and CMS have also contributed to this growth journey by enabling brands to understand consumer behavior and their journey on and off the internet,” INCA said in a press statement.

The evident growth of the influencer marketing scene in India is best seen with the report’s data stating that 84% of brand marketers are leaning towards launching one influencer campaign this year, and around 81% of brands who have already launched influencer campaigns are satisfied with the ROI it brought to them.

In addition, around 75% of marketers say that influencer campaigns had a positive impact on the consideration and purchase stage of the sales funnel, and 89% of marketers said the ROI from influencer marketing was better or comparable to other channels.

For Prasanth Kumar, CEO at GroupM South Asia, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of influencer marketing by brands, as they are making it an integral part of the brand marketing strategy and is now an important part of the company’s media mix recommendation to brands.

“The key factor that has got brands interested is the bond of trust and authenticity that influencers share with their audiences, thus helping brands associate with an influencer to leverage the same. This report is our effort to help marketers understand various aspects of influencer marketing in the country. Consumer behavior is changing at a fast pace, and we want to empower marketers with the knowledge that can help them,” Kumar stated.

Meanwhile, Ashwin Padmanabhan, president for partnerships and trading at GroupM India, commented that the objective of their report was not only to quantify the industry but also attempted to define and standardize the various formats and industry terms. 

“Influencer marketing industry is at a point of inflection and can take off, subject to the industry initiating to measure, quantify and make investments in influencer marketing accountable. We hope this report will catalyze the industry and ensure the power of influencers is harnessed effectively,” Padmanabhan added.

Manila, Philippines – Gen Zs are now growing up and are now fully demonstrating to the world their unique needs and desires. Dubbed as the most digital-savvy cohort to date, Twitter, one of the go-to platforms of the said group, has released its own findings on how the generation is using the platform and the implications of each to their social inclinations and consumer behavior.

According to Twitter’s data for Q1 2021, 61% of the Gen Z audience on Twitter use the platform on a daily basis. Within their conversations on the platform, Gen Zs’ passions are as diverse as they can get where across different topics, there is almost an equal percentage of Gen Z users conversing around them such as gaming and tech with 63%, food and beauty with 61%, and music with 60%.

This isn’t surprising as according to the same data, Gen Zs see themselves as ‘open-minded’ with 81% describing themselves as such. On top of pop culture, Gen Zs also show great interest and concern towards news at large, where 50% use Twitter to read news stories to be up to speed with current events.

In terms of consumer behavior, Twitter has become a source of finding out about products and brands, where Gen Zs are shown to more likely buy brands they have seen advertised on Twitter with 60%, based on the platform’s data for Q2-Q3 in 2020.

Chandan Deep, Twitter’s head of emerging business for Southeast Asia, said that there’s no better way to understand the Gen Z mindset than to delve into their world on Twitter.

“Twitter allows Gen Zs to freely express themselves, connect with communities, and at the same time, empower them to pursue and champion their values, interests, and passions,” said Deep.

“Gen Zs have always been active on Twitter, but there are still plenty of things to learn and discover about them because their interests are so diverse. We see a trend wherein Gen Zs rule conversations and are active in engaging with brands especially if it gravitates towards the things that matter to them,” added Deep.

India – Global beauty and personal care brand Sephora in India has renewed its partnership with digital agency RepIndia to handle its social media business.

The agency has won the rights to retain the brand on its books to continue building the French premium brand’s pan-India presence on digital channels. The partnership between the two began in 2015.

Internationally, the brand operates over 2700 stores in 35 countries. According to the agency, Sephora India is driven by the purpose to create ‘a welcoming beauty shopping experience’.

The brand is not new to crafting innovative user experiences which include the use of AR and 3D images that let customers try out products virtually on their website. RepIndia’s task is to bring to life similar disruptive and engaging experiences on digital to serve the needs of increasingly beauty-conscious Indian audiences.

Ayesha Chenoy, the agency’s founder, commented, “My favorite beauty brand, and a client who has become a friend now for over 6 years! Sephora, you’re going places and we’re right there with you.”

Meanwhile, a marketing spokesperson of Sephora India said, “The one-stop-shop for all things digital marketing! RepIndia precisely understands the brand ethos of Sephora India and executes it immaculately via our social media.”

Aside from the current remit, RepIndia has also recently announced its two newly acquired accounts from Singapore-based brands, escrow platform Tazapay, and kitchen appliance brand Rotimatic. The agency said the new partnerships mark its expansion outside India.

Singapore – TikTok Singapore has recently launched a week-long #MentalHealthAwarenesscampaign, where it has been rolling out a series of global live streams as part of ongoing efforts to invest in its community’s mental well-being. The campaign runs until 16 September. 

On Monday, 13 September, local non-profit organization in Singapore, Mental ACT, went live to discuss ways in which people can take charge and ownership of their mental health. 

The upcoming fresh live stream will be Wednesday, 15 September, beginning at 8 pm SGT, featuring TikTok’s Head of Regional Policy, Trust & Safety for APAC, Jamin Tan. Tan will be joined by Seah Yang Hee, Deputy CEO and group director for service planning & funding in the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), as well as by non-profit partner Limitless, and TikTok wellness creators Yanni Ruth and Nur Hidayah Azman. 

The group will be sharing how improving mental health starts with a conversation, discussing their lived experiences, and how we can, collectively, help make sure that quality mental health care is available to everyone who needs it.

“People need more than static pages for help; they need avenues to feel heard, and platforms that are safe for their self-expression,” shared Tan. 

“We are inspired by how our community in Singapore has truly opened up a conversation about mental health, sharing and uniting others through their own inspiring stories. That is why we are pleased to be working with industry experts and mental health advocates in our efforts to raise #MentalHealthAwareness. We care deeply about our community, and will always look for new ways in which we can help to nurture their well-being,” Tan added. 

Through the campaign, TikTok invites Singaporeans to engage openly and bravely with important mental well-being issues. Aside from partnering with local non-profit organizations and independent experts, TikTok has also enlisted the presence of its ‘Youth For Good’ creators, an initiative launched by the platform that seeks to empower youths to raise awareness on mental and cyber wellness. 

Users can tune in live at @tiktoksg to join the conversations. 

TikTok first introduced #MentalHealthAwareness globally last May to mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week.