“If Brazilians could put their joie de vivre in a bottle it would be bigger than coca cola”
Diane von Fürstenberg
With an average of 231 virtual contacts per person and 85% of Brazilian internet users going online to connect with friends on Orkut, Facebook, Twitter and other blogging platforms, it is no surprise that Brazil is considered one of the most sociable countries in the world. So, if looking to integrate social media into your digital marketing mix, what should you consider?
The social landscape is changing
Orkut was launched in Brazil by Google in 2004 and was market leader for 7 years. Comparatively late on the scene, Facebook has recently usurped their rival as younger, highly educated and internationally minded users migrate, and is now market leader with over 30 million users compared with Orkut’s 29 million (IBOPE Nielsen Online, August 2011). Twitter has also seen phenomenal growth, with a penetration into Brazil’s internet users of 23%, the 3rd largest penetration rate for Twitter globally (ComScore 2011).
Platform choice differs by demographic
Preferred choice of the different social media platforms differs by gender, age and geographic region. Women show stronger engagement (+16%) towards social networking sites (Facebook, Orkut) and content consumption. The platform for content consumption also varies by age – younger users (15-24 years) are more likely to use Orkut and Twitter, whereas older people prefer to use Facebook (as do people in the South East Region including Sao Paulo and Rio) according to ComScore.
Brazilians are open to interacting with brands and businesses
Although social media is primarily used to connect with other people, TNS has found that Brazilians are open to interacting with brands and businesses via social media, with a number of brands successfully engaging their fans on various digital platforms.
With the country’s love of celebrity no secret, unsurprisingly the brands with the the highest number of fans on facebookare Brazil’s top celebrities including football stars Kaka and Ronaldinho as well as renown author Paolo Coelho. However, you will also find consumer brands (L’Oréal, Brazil’s soda ‘Guaraná’) and Brazil’s highly successful online shopping club Peixe Urbano (similar to Groupon) all appealing to the Brazilian mass market.
The internet is not a mass medium – yet!
Although social media has been a success story in Brazil, the actual figures need to be caveated slightly; while millions of Brazilians are online and of these a very high percentage are active on social networks, the Internet is not quite a mass medium yet. Internet penetration in Brazil is currently around 40% due to the income inequality and the infrastructural and educational challenges that come with its position as an emerging market. The government recognises the importance of bridging this gap and programmes are in place to provide community access to Internet, incentivise ICT education and research and lower taxes on mobile devices in order to speed this process up.
Integration and the right screen
Mobile devices will play a key role in Brazil’s continuing development according to BCG’s report ‘The Internet’s New Billion‘; internet users in the BRIC countries will represent 1 billion by 2015 driven by heavy use and adoption of mobile devices. Non-computer device traffic (tablets, smart phones) currently represents a low portion of overall traffic (only 1%) but this number is growing rapidly (a 60% increase from May to August 2011 according to Comscore).
Adriana Knackfuss from Coca-Cola Brazil recommends thinking about the multiple devices your audience might be using to access the web and to “use the right screens’’ when the World Cup comes to Brazil in 2014. She expects media stacking and multiple device use to be particularly prevalent among teenagers, simultaneously in front of the TV and using their mobile. As with any new channel, it is important to remember that social media will work best when it is properly integrated into your wider marketing strategy.
How to be ‘social’ in Brazil
We know that the Internet in Brazil is not a mass medium yet. However, Internet use is growing rapidly and those who are online are very active in social media and open to interacting with brands and businesses. As a result, when considering testing the value of social media for your business in emerging markets, Brazil presents a notable opportunity.
Start by listening to any conversations relevant to your audience and identify their needs (both met and unmet). Think about how you can enhance existing conversations and engage in a meaningful way that adds value. In summary, if you decide to invest in social media in Brazil, make efforts to understand the following:
- The local market – including the changing social landscape
- How you are going to integrate social into your wider marketing strategy
- Your target audiences’ online needs and behaviours and where you can add value
- Your social media objectives and KPIs – evaluation is not easy but you need to assign value to audience actions
- How to get internal buy-in, the skills and processes necessary to succeed (this obviously is a whole separate chapter!)
To receive a copy of a presentation on ‘Using Digital Channels in Emerging markets’ or for more information about how Blue Latitude can help you use social media responsibly and successfully in emerging and developed markets, please contact Sophie Berger.
