An October 2011 survey by Jack Morton Worldwide asked consumers in Brazil, India, China and the US why they buy (and buy into) brands, including their presence on social media. The results indicate that consumers in emerging markets are more responsive to brands on social media than US consumers.
Social media users in Brazil (31%, China (23%) and India (27%) were more likely to consider social network sites a good source of word-of-mouth information on brand experiences than users in the US (18%).
In addition, social media users in Brazil (23%), China (22%) and India (21%) are twice as likely as US users (11%) to use social network sites to share brand information and experiences the same way they do with family and friends in “the real world.”
The size of a brand’s following on social media is more likely to impress users in emerging markets; social media users in Brazil, China and India are significantly more likely to consider a brand that has a lot of “friends” or is “liked” by many on a social network. Social media users in emerging markets are also more likely than US users to “like” or “follow” most brands they like on Facebook (if asked).
For global marketers, this means social media may be a key way for brands to gain a foothold in emerging markets. According to an eMarketer forecast, “just over half” of total social media ad revenues in 2012 will come from outside the US.
Data was based on an online survey of 2,400 consumers between September 26 and October 11, 2011, with participants equally drawn from the US, Brazil, India and China.
