Social Media Users More Connected, Not Disconnected
By Anna Johnson on December 1st, 2009A study by global advertising and marketing agency network Euro RSCG Worldwide indicates that social media has enhanced, not detracted from, personal relationships and that marketers need to understand, in order to capitalize on, the increased ‘connectedness’ of Internet users.
Said David Jones, Euro RSCG Worldwide’s global CEO:
“Word of mouth has always been the most powerful marketing tool; what social media has done is dramatically increase the scale, velocity and immediacy with which people can influence each other and create the biggest revolution to hit our industry since television. One of the interesting findings of the study is that it’s the combination of online and offline experiences that creates the biggest impact.”
Euro RSCG Worldwide’s study of 1,228 social media users in the United States found that by interacting through online media, consumers are more connected than ever. Some of the significant findings include the following:
- Over half of respondents (53.5 percent) have met new people through electronic media, but they still place a higher value on face-to-face interaction.
- Consumers are engaging more in ‘trialogues’ – multi-way exchanges of ideas and opinions among consumers and brands.
- Consumers are not just more involved with family and friends, but also in political and humanitarian issues.
- 40 percent believe that social groupings online can be truly social, while only 14 percent disagree; figures; these figures differ very little across age, gender, ethnic or income groups.
Euro RSCG Worldwide has drawn five key conclusions from these findings:
- “Social media are now a vital consideration in any communications strategy in any country where digital media are accessible to citizens and consumers.
- It’s impossible to predict how bits of communication will spread across social media. As most traditional media converge online, communication flows among them, and consumers become messengers. 3. The Web is worldwide, but its emerging power is hyperlocal. This is the space where what’s virtual (online) meets what’s tangible (offline), with each reinforcing the other.
- Social media enable consumers to be more socially collaborative and to share easily across media types. But users now expect quick responses and clear payoffs. The underlying question is always: What’s in it for me?
- The more interactions happen online, with no direct offline contact, the more likely people are to tilt toward extreme behavior. It’s important to blend both online and offline elements.”
