ECCO International, the global network of independent PR agencies, has compiled an extensive overview of the social media market and trends in 24 countries, including the major European economies, the USA, as well as India and the UAE.
ECCO’s country social media reports are the first global insight to be made available for free and represent a ‘must read’ for international communications professionals or multinational companies with an interest in addressing social media.
The reports, all in English, are now available free of charge on the ECCO website (www.ecco-network.com).
ECCO’s partner agencies in the Middle East, Dubai-based Total Communications which covers the Arabian Gulf, and CID Consulting in Egypt, have both contributed research from their markets.
“The reports will be helpful to anyone who wants or needs to understand the impact of social media on personal and professional lives at an international level, or discover how social media influence communications professionals across the globe,” said Tony Lewis, Managing Director of Total Communications.
Unsurprisingly, all of the big names appear somewhere in the reports. Well known social media such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, XING, Hi5, LinkedIn, Orkut, YouTube and Google all feature as expected but the reports uncover clear and distinct market differences.
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In Germany, for example, Facebook and MySpace are ousted by the VZ Group. Whilst in many countries, the usual names are leading the social media pack, in others local heroes are bucking the trend to become the leading social media brands.
Figures from Alexa, the internet information provider, indicate that social media and
blogging sites are increasingly dominating UAE web searches and visits. Among the leading sites in terms of web traffic in the Emirates is UAE Women Network, an Arabic online community and forum for UAE women.
While it doesn’t crack the top 100 in other Middle East countries, it is No.12 in popularity in the UAE and nearly 11 per cent of its users are from Saudi Arabia, with Oman, Egypt, and Kuwait also well represented.
Why use social media networks? The most widespread use of social networks is for connecting friends or downloading images and/or photographs, but the reports also indicate other reasons for getting connected.
“The new country reports show that ECCO International members have embraced social media as part of their communications services portfolio,” says Sara Render, Chairman of ECCO International.
“It’s also important for every international communications professional to understand that - just like culture, media landscape and PR practice - social media behaviour differs country by country. One size really does not fit all - and to ignore local differences and social media nuances could result in wasted investment and ill-informed social media PR programmes.”
ECCO members are all committed to delivering regular reports and updates on social media developments. Says Render: “Communications is a dynamic and exciting market at the moment. There’s been a radical shift in the media landscape and in PR practice.
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“But - and communications professionals need to remember this - the theory remains the same. It is no longer a vertical communications model but a horizontal one. We need to think about conversations not campaigns.”
The ECCO country reports all give extensive insights into local market statistics, different social media types, useful social media tools, tips and tricks and explanations of the key players in online measurement and evaluation.
Each country report looks at best practice with case studies and popular blogs are included too - from CEOs to Bollywood stars. The research was conducted in: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela, UAE, UK, Ukraine and USA.
