Social media across the globe

In an interview on DM News, Scott Monthy (Ford Motor Company's new digital/multimedia communications manager) talked about what some of the challenges are at a multinational corporation.

US brands looking to leverage social networks internationally know that while their messages need to stay con­sistent regardless of the region, the language, cultural reference points, platform and tactics all need to be tailored for each market.

There are different social media sites used in Brazil than in India or in the UK,” he says. “So we need to be sensitive what the most popular social media sites in these regions are [as well as] the region-specific differences in the ways people consume content and interact with each other online.

The same article also quoted Shiv Singh (VP of media and global strategies at Avenue A/Razorfish):

One of the major reasons why social networks and social media have become a runaway phenom­enon is because it is very localized. It is very much a local activity with local friendships and local relationships.
If it's a developing country, it's more at the elite end of the spectrum, while in India or China, it is sort of an alternative culture where online is seen as an escape. The industry is still very young, so we're still figuring out which ad formats work best in each market.

Singh also warns that a brand's reputation can vary dramatically across regions. Like Bob Pearson (VP of communities and con­versations at Dell) said, you can't simply translate the same conversation and send it around the world.

According to eMarketer's reporting on a recent Synovate study, specific social networking penetration in countries peaked with the Netherlands at 49%, the United Aram Emirates at 46%, and the United States at 40%. Also worthy of note is that the UAE, Indonesia, India and Bulgaria all rank at the top of countries where social networkers register for multiple sites.

Comments

[Air Jordan 21]

Show them how much they mean to you and seize this opportunity before life has you in the fast and furious dating lane again.

[file llc]

"One of the major reasons why social networks and social media have become a runaway phenom­enon is because it is very localized. It is very much a local activity with local friendships and local relationships." - This paragraph says it all. Social media builds local, personal relationships, which makes it more powerful compared to other e-commerce tools.