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Social Media and Networking - UK - May 2011

INTRODUCTION
Definition
Abbreviations
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Figure 1: Percentage of total unique visitors to social networking sites from home and work in UK, June 2008-March 2011
Facebook continues to dominate
Niche social networks have a place
More reasons to join social networks
Market factors
Concerns over privacy and personal data
Smartphone adoption
Location-based services
Companies, brands and innovation
Figure 2: Percentage of total unique visitors to select networking sites from home and work in UK, October 2008-March 2011
Facebook at the top of social networking
Convergence of social media services
The consumer
Users and non-users
Figure 3: Number of social networks ever used, March 2011
Receptiveness to adverts on social networks
Figure 4: Consumer attitudes towards social networking sites, March 2011
What we think
ISSUES IN THE MARKET
How should businesses extend their marketing efforts in social media and social networks?
How important is social networking on the go?
Will concerns over privacy and personal data affect the behaviour of social network users?
Will social commerce outshine e-commerce?
Will Facebook continue to dominate the social networking landscape?
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Trend: Collective Intelligence
Trend: Attention Economy
INTERNAL MARKET ENVIRONMENT
Key points
Broadband internet access
Figure 5: Broadband penetration, 2005-10
Figure 6: Broadband penetration, by age, 2005-10
Figure 7: Broadband penetration, by socio-economic group, 2005-10
Social networking on home and mobile internet
Figure 8: Percentage of internet users who visited social networking sites in the last three months via home vs. mobile internet, July 2009-April 2011
Non-internet users and social networking
Figure 9: Non-internet users’ consideration of the internet for various activities, August 2010
Security concerns
Figure 10: Internet activities prevented by security concerns, August 2010
BROADER MARKET ENVIRONMENT
Key points
GDP falls, as does consumer confidence
Figure 11: GDP quarterly percentage change, Q1 2004-Q1 2011
Figure 12: GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index, January 1988-January 2011
A note on inflation
Figure 13: CPI for all items vs. CPI for telephone and telefax equipment and services, May 2005-March 2011
Age structure
Figure 14: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2005-15
COMPETITIVE CONTEXT
Key points
Figure 15: Percentage of total unique visitors to the internet from home and work in UK, by activities, June 2008-March 2011
Decline of emails and instant messaging
Online gaming
Newspapers and general news
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Strengths
Humanising a brand
Engagement lead
Wisdom of the crowd
Real-time gauge of reactions
Spreading (select) messages quickly
Weaknesses
Noise
Blurring the line between public and private
Spam
Downtime
Social media success ≠ sales
WHO’S INNOVATING?
Key points
Smaller social networks
Proximity-based social networks
Bridging the gap between traditional and social media
F-commerce
Social media outreach from unlikely candidates
Tools to cure information overload
BRANCHES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Key points
Figure 16: Branches of social media
Social networking
Commerce
Gaming
Communication
Information
Multimedia
COMPANIES AND PRODUCTS
Facebook
Figure 17: Unique visitors to Facebook as a percentage of all internet visits, UK, October 2008-March 2011
Background
Recent activity
Service range
Twitter
Figure 18: Unique visitors to Twitter as a percentage of all internet visits, UK, October 2008-March 2011
Background
Recent activity
Service range
LinkedIn
Figure 19: Unique visitors to LinkedIn as a percentage of all internet visits, UK, October 2008-March 2011
Background
Recent activity
Service range
MySpace
Figure 20: Unique visitors to MySpace as a percentage of all internet visits, UK, October 2008-March 2011
Background
Recent activity
Service range
Bebo
Figure 21: Unique visitors to Bebo as a percentage of all internet visits, UK, October 2008-March 2011
Background
Recent activity
Service range
Friends Reunited
Figure 22: Unique visitors to Friends Reunited as a percentage of all internet visits, UK, October 2008-March 2011
Background
Recent activity
Service range
USERS OF SOCIAL NETWORKS
Key points
Figure 23: Social networks used, March 2011
Facebook dominates social networking sector
Figure 24: Regular users of social networks, March 2008-March 2011
Multiple social networks
Figure 25: Number of social networks ever used, March 2011
Figure 26: Social networks used, by social networks used, March 2011
Selling to non-users
ACCESSING SOCIAL NETWORKS
Key points
Device ownership vs. access to social networks
Figure 27: Devices used to access social networking sites, March 2011
Gender difference
Figure 28: Devices used to access social networking sites, by gender, March 2011
Age difference
Figure 29: Devices used to access social networking sites, by age, March 2011
WHY USE SOCIAL NETWORKS?
Key points
Figure 30: Reasons for using social networking sites, March 2011
Friendship before romance
Stranger danger
Figure 31: Making new friends on social networking sites, by age, March 2011
Figure 32: Youths’ regular activities performed when using the internet, 2010
Playing games
Figure 33: Playing games on social networking sites, by age, March 2011
Keeping up with the world
Figure 34: Keeping up with the latest news on social networking sites, by age, March 2011
Promotions over information
GENERAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS SOCIAL NETWORKS
Key points
Figure 35: Attitudes towards social networking sites, March 2011
Ad-tention
Privacy concerns
Figure 36: Agreement with the statement “I am concerned about privacy when using social networking sites”, by gender and age, March 2011
Too busy to talk in person
Figure 37: Agreement with the statement “I talk to my friends online more than face to face”, by age and working status, March 2011
Peer pressure and the choice of social networks
Figure 38: Agreement with the statement, “If my friends started using another social network site, I would be inclined to follow them”, by age, March 2011
Mobile social networking
Figure 39: Agreement with the statement, “Being able to access social networking sites via my mobile is very important to me”, by age, March 2011
Location-based services and deals
Commerce on social networks
Paying for social networks
TARGETING OPPORTUNITIES
Key points
Figure 40: Target groups for social networking, March 2011
Online Socialites
Figure 41: Number of social networks ever used, by target groups, March 2011
Figure 42: Methods of accessing social networks, by target groups, March 2011
Profile
Understanding the Online Socialites
The Sidekicks
Profile
Understanding The Sidekicks
Offline Socialisers
Profile
Understanding the Offline Socialisers
Social Explorers
Profiles
Understanding the Social Explorers
APPENDIX – INTERNAL MARKET ENVIRONMENT
Figure 43: Broadband penetration, by demographics, 2004-10
Figure 44: Percentage of internet users who visited social networking sites in the last three months via home vs. mobile internet, July 2009-April 2011
APPENDIX – BROADER MARKET ENVIRONMENT
Figure 45: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2005-15
APPENDIX – LEADING SOCIAL NETWORKS
Figure 46: Total unique visitor numbers as a percentage of total internet visitors to selected social networking sites, UK, October 2008-March 2011
APPENDIX – USERS OF SOCIAL NETWORKS
Figure 47: Social networks used, by demographics, March 2011
Figure 48: Social networks used, March 2011
Figure 49: Number of social networks ever used, March 2011
Figure 50: Number of social networks ever used, by demographics, March 2011
APPENDIX – ACCESSING SOCIAL NETWORKS
Figure 51: Devices used to access social networking sites, March 2011
Figure 52: Device ownership, March 2011
Figure 53: Devices used to access social networking sites, by demographics, March 2011
APPENDIX – WHY USE SOCIAL NETWORKS
Figure 54: Reasons for using social networking sites, March 2011
Figure 55: Most popular reasons for using social networking sites, by demographics, March 2011
Figure 56: Next most popular reasons for using social networking sites, by demographics, March 2011
Figure 57: Reasons for using social networking sites, by most popular social networks used, March 2011
Figure 58: Reasons for using social networking sites, by next most popular social networks used, March 2011
Figure 59: Youths’ activities performed when using the internet, 2010
APPENDIX – GENERAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS SOCIAL NETWORKS
Figure 60: Attitudes towards social networking sites, March 2011
Figure 61: Most popular attitudes towards social networking sites, by demographics, March 2011
Figure 62: Next most popular attitudes towards social networking sites, by demographics, March 2011
Figure 63: Attitudes towards social networking sites, by most popular reasons for using social networking sites, March 2011
Figure 64: Attitudes towards social networking sites, by next most popular reasons for using social networking sites, March 2011
Figure 65: Attitudes towards social networking sites, by most popular attitudes towards social networking sites, March 2011
Figure 66: Attitudes towards social networking sites, by next most popular attitudes towards social networking sites, March 2011
APPENDIX – TARGETING OPPORTUNITIES
Figure 67: Target groups, by demographics, March 2011
Figure 68: Social networks used, by target groups, March 2011
Figure 69: Devices used to access social networking sites, by target groups, March 2011
Figure 70: Reasons for using social networking sites, by target groups, March 2011
Figure 71: Attitudes towards social networking sites, by target groups, March 2011
Figure 72: Number of social networks ever used, by target groups, March 2011

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