Social media is huge in Asia, but very distinct from the Western world in several aspects. Check this video for a quick introduction.
Thomas Crampton heads Ogilvy‘s team of social media specialists in Asia. A former correspondent for The New York Times and International Herald Tribune, he now is completely dedicated to social media and advicing businesses on how they should communicate with their customers. He is considered a leading expert on social media in Asia.
This video was produced for an internal meeting at Ogilvy and gives a very quick and efficient overview of how social media is being used in Asia. Personally I find it quite fascinating as people in Asia both love all kinds of social media at the same time as there are some very clear differences to the Western world. Did you for instance know that 88 million of the world’s estimated 242 million bloggers live in China?
Three major differences stand out:
Social media is mobile
In Japan there are no less than 75 million mobile Internet users – or 84 % of the population – while Vietnam saw a stunning 846 % growth in mobile Internet users in 2009. Half of the population in Hong Kong owns a smartphone.
Users pay on social networks
One of the biggest networks, Cyworld, makes about 200 million USD every year in sale of virtual items. Several other local brand social networks also have a high income from virtual goods.
Several strong local brands
QQ.com is used by 376 million people in China
While Facebook is big in other parts of Asia, local brands dominate in markets like China and South Korea.
Check out the video from Thomas. You may also enjoy reading his article “Social networking habits across Asia-Pacific” for additional background.
Other blogs about social media in Asia
- 6 Things About India’s Mobile Landscape (penn-olson.com)
- Facebook scores virtual currency deal in Asia (news.cnet.com)
- Thomas Crampton: Overview: Asia’s Social Media Scene (huffingtonpost.com)
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