Tag: Social Media

Singapore – As the first half of 2021 is still spent with how the rest of the world embattles with the ongoing global pandemic, digital engagement has been relevant more than ever, as a new report from unified customer experience (CX) platform Emplifi unveils how Singapore statutory bodies and ministries have leveraged social media to build their online presence.

According to the report, Twitter accounted for the most of social media content posted by these government bodies during the first half of the year, amounting to 15,403 tweets or 54.47% of social media content. This is then followed by Facebook (8,470 posts or 29.95% of overall content), Instagram (2,745 posts or 9.71% of overall content), and YouTube (1,661 posts or 5.87% of overall content).

Despite these numbers, Facebook takes the helm as the social media platform where most followers of these gubernatorial bodies engage the most, accounting to 2.53 million interactions or 75.66% of overall social media interactions. This is followed by Instagram (682,555 interactions or 20.39% of overall interactions), Twitter (71,848 interactions or 2.15% of overall interactions), and YouTube (60,529 interactions or 1.81% of overall interactions).

Collectively, statutory boards produced three times more content than ministries in H1 2021. However, ministries received better engagement, with over 1.7 million total interactions versus 1.6 million interactions received for statutory boards. This trend began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as ministries increased the frequency of content, including pandemic measures from the Ministry of Health (MOH), along with announcements from various ministries on budgets and assistance schemes.

Similar to 2020, the audience remained highly engaged with Singaporean gubernatorial bodies, as over 50% of all content related to government entities was generated by individual users, totaling close to 30,000 of user-generated pieces. There were also 3.35 million interactions across all government profiles in H1 2021.

Despite these engagements, there has been evident social media fatigue across these ministries and statutory bodies in the country. Known for previously engaging only online through Facebook and Twitter, they have been slowly engaging in Instagram as well to attract younger audiences. Instagram was notably the most engaging platform with an engagement rate of 1.19% while share-of-voice grew from 59.44% in H1 2020 to 72.83% in the same period this year.

In response to these social media fatigues, ministries and statutory boards were encouraged to revisit their content approach, utilizing short-form videos, which were also notably the best performing content pieces. For instance, Workforce Singapore leveraged YouTube videos in their campaigns, which skyrocketed in views, increasing by 23 times (388,911 views in H1 2020 to over 9 million views in H1 2021). This made them the top-performing government body by YouTube video views.

For Zarnaz Arlia, chief marketing officer at Emplifi, social media is proving to be an increasingly important channel for the public sector as Singapore’s governmental authorities focus on keeping their inhabitants engaged and informed during the pandemic. She added that frequent communication is key and there really is no other alternative to social media when it comes to reaching and engaging with people at scale.

“The pandemic has encouraged a more humanized approach to social media. This has led more government bodies to focus on revitalizing their social media strategies through relatable and inspirational content presented in engaging formats. The need to understand which platforms and content types work best on social media is no longer just a concern for brands. More and more we see the public sector leverage social media channels to connect with their audiences on a deeper and more meaningful level,” Arlia said.

Sydney, Australia – As more and more consumers now resort to their mobile devices to create online purchases, social media has changed consumer spending on discretionary items, as a new study by Australian direct bank UBank estimates that the average Australian consumer spends around AU$500 per month on such items, or the equivalent of AU$6,000 per year.

According to the report, with the current Australian adult population standing at 19.75 million, it is estimated that the discretionary spend is around AU$118.24b, and all of these purchases are only made via our mobile devices. 

For Philippa Watson, CEO at UBank, such behavior can be attributed to existing COVID-19 restrictions, which not only drastically affected our way of living but also how we spend and make purchases online.

“Australians are finding new avenues to part with their cash using apps on their phones and devices,” she said.

By demographic, the report notes that men are spending an average of AU$602 each month compared to women that AU$400 per month on discretionary items. These include clothing and shoes (AU$89.14 men spending per month compared to AU$75.44 women spending per month); dining out (AU$102 compared to AU$62); entertainment (AU$86 compared to AU$56); and tech gadgets (AU$88 compared to AU$38).

“More surprisingly, it’s men who are spending more on average each month in areas like clothing, dining out, entertainment and gadgets,” Watson added.

Meanwhile, in terms of age demographic, millennials are spending the most each month, averaging to AU$773, compared to Gen X who spend AU$528, with Gen Z that spend AU$465 and Baby Boomers spending AU$236. In fact, millennials account for 50% of all discretionary spending on these channels splashing AU$59.1 billion each year.

The report also noted that social media exposure has made a positive impact in online spending among Australians, as one in five or 21% of Australians say social media has had a positive influence on the way they manage their money, with millennials, or about 35% of the respondents, are more likely than all other generations to say social media has had a positive impact on the way they manage their money.

“While we know young people love social media and apps, it’s encouraging to see some positive money management behaviors resulting from these channels,” Watson concluded.

Singapore – Cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, have sparked popularity over these years, thanks to a huge following online. In the case of Southeast Asia, social media users have been active in discussing the sector across various social media platforms, new data from a report by social media monitoring and intelligence company Digimind.

Singapore takes the lead as the most active market where cryptocurrency mentions are prevalent across social media platforms, amounting to 902,225 mentions from February to May 2021 or about 16% of the density against regular social media users. Social media density refers to the ratio of social media mentions for a particular topic against the number of recorded social media users, regardless of what topic they discuss.

This is followed by the Philippines (2,767,413 mentions) and Malaysia (815,523 mentions) who both tallied 3% of social media mentioned density. Indonesia, meanwhile, is the least vocal in the region when it comes to cryptocurrency mentions. Despite having 3,011,790 mentions, it only takes up 2% of social media density, in proportion to the 170m recorded social media users.

As Bitcoin and Ethereum take the lead of what is on consumer’s minds on social media across the region, the cryptocurrencies Dogecoin, Binance, Tether and Ripple also follow suit, signifying the diversity of cryptocurrency choices for consumers in the region.

In terms of most-mentioned cryptocurrency platforms, Coinbase takes the lead, with 41% of respondents saying it’s on the top of their minds. This is then followed by Binance (28.9%), Okex (19.8%), Huobi (8.2%) and Coinhako (2.1%).

“Determining the right cryptocurrency trading platform is akin to frequenting a supermarket store that offers the best services, from discount prices to exclusive membership rates, and convenience. Brands need to be well equipped to detect the most pressing pain points of consumers or users, survey threats to brand reputation and make informed decisions quickly by synchronizing omnichannel information within a single dashboard to stay investor-centric,” Digimind said in a press statement.

For Olivier Girard, APAC head at Digimind, through the lens of social listening, they see the insecurities and motivations of the average investor, as well as the potential for this new technology to be adopted into the mainstream market.

“From the consumer perspective, it is remarkable to see how cryptocurrency is embraced by people from all walks of life and nationalities – fueling the hope of mainstream adoption in the near future. Even in APAC, we can see efforts ramping up to create greater accessibility, and provide regulations within cryptocurrency exchanges that affirm the trust consumers are having,” Girard stated.

Singapore – The Southeast Asian region has seen a steadfast growth in its advertising realm, more specifically in social media which has jumped to 74.29% this year, according to the latest data from a report by customer experience and social media marketing company Emplifi.

Based on their latest findings, said percentage was evident on Facebook and Instagram advertising on a year-on-year (YoY) end basis during Q2. The report noted that SEA brands spend US$2,287.22 per ad account on average per month, registering the advertising cost growth to 85.75%.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the social ad spend surged to 106% YoY to US$2,162.96 per ad account per month. Under this factor, the e-commerce category accounted for 41.8% of the total interactions of brand pages on Facebook in Q2 2021. On Instagram, the services sector took up the most interactions at 17.6%, followed by the retail category with 16.8%. These industries are mainly service-based, demonstrating that brands are adapting to the modern consumer and providing customer support and customer service through social media platforms.

According to Zarnaz Arlia, chief marketing officer at Emplifi, the ongoing increase in social media ad spend is proving to be more than just a pandemic-related ‘bounce-back’ scenario, adding that more and more brands are relying on social media marketing to engage with their audiences meaningfully and at scale.

“Social commerce and the formats which support it are also becoming more prevalent as the year goes on. As more brands recognize the value of live streaming and start to leverage more live content to cater to users at different stages of the customer journey,” Arlia stated.

Another factor tackled in the report is that Facebook Live videos earned the highest number of organic post interactions and delivered three times the engagement rates of standard videos globally, but account for less than 1% of branded posts. In Singapore, Facebook Live videos and video posts performed the best compared to other formats such as status, photo, and links posting.

On a global scale, global social ad spend saw a 50% YoY jump while the overall worldwide CPC grew by 85.1%. Marketers spent 49.9% more on Facebook and Instagram advertising globally compared to Q2 2020.

“As more and more consumers begin to expect a brand’s social media channels to facilitate outstanding customer experiences across many stages of the customer journey, the importance of engagement and interaction data is taking on a greater significance. What we’re seeing is that an engaging and responsive social media presence is no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ for consumer-facing brands, it’s a key point of differentiation,” Arlia added.

Singapore – Word-of-mouth and genuine love for a brand continue to be one of the most powerful sources of brand promotion and marketing, and this is on top of micro-marketers or online influencers, who, even though arguably relatable, still patronize brands under a sponsorship or a deal. We go much deeper into the user-generated brand love phenomenon – and that is through our close network on social media. With less outside influence, and trust that laden with more truthful opinion, word-of-mouth is now digitized online buzz. 

Asia-Pacific is a region with strong collective values and beliefs and when it comes to well-loved brands on social media, consumers bound by this region seem to gravitate the same towards conversations on the same types of brands.

According to a quarterly study by Digimind, a social listening and market intelligence platform, the top most discussed brands for the second quarter of the year have taken up quite a lot of changes since the previous quarter. 

The study notes why consumers, more than experiencing brands, love to ‘talk’ about them on social media – it’s because the simple act of it has become some kind of self-actualization.

“There is a gratifying feeling to express how they feel about a product or service, or simply have an opinion,” notes the study. 

The top 10 in Digimind’s Top 50 most discussed brands in APAC

For starters, the title of the most-discussed brand in APAC has been retained from the first quarter of the year, and it is none other than Singapore-born e-commerce platform Shopee. A lot of brands have fluctuated among consumers’ radar, but not Shopee, which isn’t surprising. 

E-commerce has been the go-to shopping ‘destination’ for most since a brunt of physical establishments has been, for the meantime, closed down. With almost everyone accomplishing their purchases on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, similarly Singaporean platform Lazada, and Indonesia’s Tokopedia, the next impulsive step is to share them on social media and boast of them, as doing so enables consumers to feel an even greater sense of elation and self-worth. 

This has been evident with the latter, with Lazada pushed two places up from Q1, and then Tokopedia an inch closer from the previous period, for both to enter in the top 10 most discussed brands. 

Meanwhile, the holy grail brands and platforms that are at consumers’ immediate disposal, continue to dominate conversations on social media. These are Spotify, Google, Netflix, Apple, and Zoom, with all falling under the top 10 most discussed.

Massive celebrity collaborations have also made way for consumers’ interest to be supercharged towards certain brands, and we’re speaking specifically of the global stardom of K-pop group BTS, which has amplified brand love for McDonald’s and even luxury brand Louis Vuitton. 

The study notes that while much of the commotion is directly from its passionate fan base, a part of the social buzz is also affected by those whose curiosity has been stirred, and therefore, channeling their recent ‘discoveries’ on social media as well. 

A social media post from a BTS fan in the Philippines

With McDonald’s releasing the ‘BTS meal’ across its global markets, the fast-food label jumped to the top 10 of the APAC rankings in Q2 by 34 places. 

Meanwhile, global fashion brand Louis Vuitton which has recently ridden the BTS bandwagon, allowed for it to amass significant social buzz within a relatively short frame of time, putting them within the top 20 rankings by an upturn of 32 spots. 

Another more surprising movement in social buzz based on the study is one with TikTok, which from being part of the top 10, is now nowhere in sight of the top 50. Maybe, the short-video platform, despite its popularity, enjoys much more viewership and usage of the app itself, more than being talked about as it is from afar. 

The top 20 in Digimind’s Top 50 most discussed brands in APAC

Meanwhile, popular super apps and delivery platforms in the region – Grab, foodpanda, and Gojek – which have been looked to with much more dependence from users, have all landed in the top 20. 

“For brands, resonating with the right community is as good as leaving them to handle your marketing with every individual promotion helping to populate your brand’s campaign further,” noted the report.

Data presented were collected by Digimind Historical Search and based on social mentions in APAC between April to June 2021 on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even from Pinterest, Reddit, and Tumblr, and YouTube, among others. 

Manila, Philippines – The nation’s central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), has issued a statement requesting the suspension of operations of Lyka, a Hong Kong-owned social media platform, as well as inviting them to be registered with the central bank as an Operator of Payment System (OPS).

Lyka operates under the premise of allowing its users to purchase, exchange, and use gift cards in electronic mode or ‘GEMs’ as payment for goods and services.Said platform is designed for both individuals and businesses that encourage engagement and content creation by compensating users for time and creativity.

Based on these premises, BSP has ascertained that these activities make Lyka an OPS and is thus required to register with the BSP, which is needed before it is allowed to continue with its OPS activities.

In response, Lyka has expressed their willingness in registering as an OPS, BSP confirms.

As a word of reminder, BSP reminds entities operating a payment system to comply with the requirement under the National Payment Systems Act (NPSA) and BSP Circular No. 1049 to register with the BSP. Said central bank circular provides for the rules and regulations on the registration of Operators of Payment System. Registration of an OPS allows the BSP to have oversight of the payment system it operates to ensure that it functions safely, efficiently, and reliably by itself, consistent with the central bank’s objectives of consumer protection and financial stability.

In addition, OPS that are required to register, but are found to be operating without registration, shall be directed to comply with the Circular’s registration requirements. Those that fail to comply may be ordered to stop operations until immediate action is taken to register with the BSP.

“This is without prejudice to other enforcement actions that may be taken against the OPS and its directors/officer and/or employees in accordance with the BSP’s authority over payment systems under RA No. 7653, as amended (The New Central Bank Act) and the NPSA,” the central bank said in a press statement.

The BSP also reminds the public to transact only with BSP-registered OPS that are listed in the BSP’s website. According to them, an OPS may be cash-in service providers, bills payment service providers, and entities such as payment gateways, platform providers, payment facilitators and merchant acquirers that enable sellers of goods and services to accept payments, in cash or digital form.

Sydney, Australia – With the rise of social media influencers, there has been an evident rise as well of online influencers who teach more about finance or so-called ‘finfluencers’, and the number is steadily growing in Australia among female millenials, new insights from influencer marketing platform HypeAuditor shows.

According to the data, despite the fact that these ‘finfluencers’ only make up less than 1% of all influencers in the country, they have proven to be incredibly impactful, particularly for brands investing in sponsored content and wanting to engage with commercially minded millennials. On TikTok, the finance-related hashtag #moneytok has more than 3.8 million views, as well its accompanying hashtag #stocktok with more than 361 million times as of this writing.

Among ‘finfluencers’, 34% are female aged 25-34 years, while only 16% are male in the same age bracket. Meanwhile, the balance shifts when looking at ‘finfluencers’ aged 35-44, of which 25% are male and only 9% are female.

The audiences these ‘finfluencers’ reach have a similar skew, with 57% of their audiences being female, of which 44% are aged 25-34, and a further 19% are aged 35-44. The demographic highlights a trend among mostly female consumers wanting to be educated by influencers who look or seem ‘just like them’, who use layman terms and empower them to become financially empowered.

According to Alex Frolov, CEO and co-founder at HypeAuditor, there has been a steadfast growth of the finfluencer phenomenon in the country, and brands wanting to engage with commercially savvy influencers and communicate with money-conscious consumers are taking advantage of this evolving trend.

“It’s interesting to see this movement driven mostly by millennials, reflecting an ongoing trend of turning to, and trusting online information and sources when making significant life decisions or going through major milestones such as buying a first home, investing in shares for the first time, or re-assessing the best superannuation options. Finfluencers are stepping in where traditional financial institutions or more established enterprises have historically made this information challenging to navigate and [take] action,” Frolov said.

However, he cautioned about brands and consumers translating online content into actionable financial advice, stating that while many finfluencers in Australia have a strong finance background, not all are qualified to provide financial advice.

“For finfluencers with a strong and highly engaged audience, it could become challenging for their audience to know the difference between a finfluencer’s observation or piece of advice for a specific scenario, and their advice for the follower themselves. With more finfluencers joining the scene, brands will need to stay vigilant in determining the most relevant and reliable finfluencers to partner with, and consumers will need to exercise caution analyzing financial advice,” Frolov concluded.

Manila, Philippines – Following the global rollout of the much-awaited fast-food collaboration of McDonald’s and K-pop group BTS for their limited-time meal combo, the PH social media saw a trend surgeon the collab, with a mix of both the positive and the negative side of trends, new insights from media intelligence and insights business Isentia shows.

Trend-wise, the social buzz on the collaboration, or the number of times a particular term is used online, totaled 33,330 from 11 June to 25 June where 32% of those buzz words, approximately 10,563, were seen during the launch day.

“BTS’s influence and popularity is undeniable. They have cultivated more than a loyal fanbase – they have created advocates who are more than willing to defend them and all-out express their admiration and support for them. For companies and brands, it is important to understand at what level your customers are,” said Victoria Lazo, insights manager at Isentia Philippines.

Part of the popularity of the ‘BTS x McDo’ meal collaboration can be attributed to the creative upcycle featuring the BTS x McDo meal coming from ‘ARMYs’ or BTS fans online. For instance, many fans are collecting the meal combo’s packaging and are posting it online, while some get creative and repurpose them such as tumbler wrapping or a bag.

https://twitter.com/98tigerMac/status/1406891218768842752

One social media buzz that also contributed to the hype was a fan tweet that showed the Iloilo Business Park lighting up in violet colors, the attributed color of BTS, in celebration of the much-awaited McDonald’s meal collaboration.

There is no shortage as well of creative ‘spin-offs’ from the online community regarding custom meal collaborations, featuring artists such as Taylor Swift, Sarah Geronimo, and Regine Velasquez.

Lastly, stories of inspiration from the community also further augmented the hype, as for the instance of one foodpanda driver in the country, who expressed gratitude on social media because of the constant influx of BTS x McDo meal delivery orders. In response, ARMYs raised in total PHP45,230 to donate to the said delivery rider, thanking him for his hard work.

“Over the years, brands have taken advantage of the positive impact of celebrity endorsements on consumers’ purchase behavior. Tapping prominent personalities, as well as social media influencers, has been a staple marketing strategy used by companies to create waves to promote brand awareness, shape perception, or push for brand loyalty,” said Kate Dudang, insights manager at Isentia Philippines.

Despite the positive outlook of said campaign, there has been a relative fall-out within the local sphere, including customers who purposely crumpled the packaging of the meal and posted it on social media.

Infamously, the term ‘biot’, or the Cebuano term for gay, was used by a lot of ‘haters’ and ‘trolls’ in a negative way to equate them with BTS. Caught within the issue as well are several Grab delivery riders, who posted on social media the homophobic remarks.

It should be recalled that Grab Philippines recently published a statement, stating that they have suspended the drivers in question and are working towards enforcing their culture of inclusivity within the company.

Despite these fall-offs, the campaign still went on actively, with McDonald’s Philippines offering customers exclusive BTS content on their own app, as well as free drink upgrades to those who ordered the BTS meal via Ride-Thru. The fast-food chain in the country also convinced fans to eat the BTS meal with fellow fans by only charging 7 PHP per address to those who order for others. 

“What BTS did with the BTS meal is beyond product interaction, we analysts saw an amazing display of dedication from the ARMY. This display of brand dedication opens up many avenues for other brands to capitalize on certain trends and personas. From preserving the packaging and turning it into different BTS-themed items to outright uninstalling delivery courier services apps for calling BTS slurs. But with all that said, calling the ARMY ‘just a fandom will forever be an understatement,” said Francis Calucin, insights analyst at Isentia Philippines.

Singapore – Global communications company Infobip has added Instagram messaging as a channel in its Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offering, broadening the ways businesses are able to provide customer support.

Through its solutions, Infobip empowers consumer-facing businesses by providing a unified and simple workspace for customer support agents to engage and talk with customers on a variety of channels such as email, chat apps, live chat, and video calls, among others in social media. 

Instagram messaging is the newest addition to its portfolio of channels. The messenger API for Instagram is now available specifically on ‘Conversations’, Infobip’s contact center-as-a-solution service, which the tech provider said will result in the need for fewer calls to a contact center, thus, a more seamless and improved customer experience. 

“We are delighted that Infobip is launching Instagram Messenger in their contact center solution. The Messenger API for Instagram is now available for all developers who make it possible for brands to improve and enhance messaging experiences with customers,” said Vivien Ang, Infobip’s regional manager for APAC.

Infobip said that through the new capability, businesses will be able to handle messaging at scale on Instagram. 

Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has seen a meteoric rise in active users making it one of the top social networks worldwide and which in turn has made it a key strategic communications tool for enterprises and institutions.

Ang adds, “It is clear that customers want to use their preferred channel of communication to connect with businesses and service providers. In fact, many customers today primarily choose to interact with brands through social media for everything from ordering food, requesting rides, making retail purchases right through to some elements of banking, and this same fast and simple capability can be brought to the contact center.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Lion & Lion, the digital-first agency operating in Asia, has announced that it is set to continue its partnership with global beauty brand L’Oréal in Indonesia. The first on its extended remit is introducing La Roche Posay, L’Oréal’s science-forward skincare brand, to the Indonesian market.

The launch of La Roche Posay is a result of the company’s positive reception in the Indonesian market and a response to increasing demands for healthier skin care.

Lion & Lion has been working with L’Oréal since 2016 and assisted the French cosmetics company with its L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, and Maybelline brands in Indonesia. 

The agency will be launching a comprehensive campaign for La Roche-Posay, and part of this is the development and execution of the brand’s social media communication strategy as well as building a local website for Indonesian consumers.

La Roche-Posay
From La Roche-Posay’s website in Indonesia

Nestya Sedayu, the marketing manager of L’Oréal Indonesia’s Active Cosmetics Division, shared that they have observed a recent shift in consumer trends, with more consumers looking towards dermatological skincare for “reliability, efficacy, and safety.” 

“As one of the world’s leading skincare brands, we are confident that La Roche Posay will be able to match our existing success in the Indonesian market. Seeing as how Lion & Lion has been a strong partner both creatively and digitally for the L’Oréal Indonesia group, we believe the agency will provide strong support as well for the launch of La Roche Posay and will continue to play a pivotal role in growing the brand in Indonesia,” commented Sedayu. 

The brand launch campaign will focus on raising awareness for La Roche Posay on its social and digital platforms, namely Facebook, YouTube, and a localized website – larocheposay.co.id. 

Through the campaign, the agency will also be highlighting the brand’s proposition of offering product lines that are targeted at sensitive skin, specifically those with skin concerns. Together with this, building up strong brand equity and desirability among consumers will also be part of the agency’s roadmap for the brand. 

John Campbell-Bruce, Lion & Lion’s managing director for Indonesia, is confident to take on the responsibility with La Roche Posay, stating the team’s significant experience in the beauty and cosmetics market over the past six years, providing it with strong insights into consumer trends and behaviors. 

“We are excited to continue our journey with L’Oréal Indonesia through the launch of La Roche Posay, a brand that offers positive social impact through its products,” said Campbell-Bruce. 

He adds, “This sense of inclusivity appeals to our audience and we have noticed this in the way they have engaged with our content. Our approach will build on this insight and show how La Roche Posay brings people together through its products’ brand promise of safety and accessibility.”