We Are Social Asia Tuesday TuneUp #2
News
News
CMOs to increase spend in social media
Online marketing strategies are ever changing and keeping on top of it can be a difficult task. In light of this, findings in a recent study in eMarketer conducted by IBM show that 82% of the CMOs surveyed plan to increase their investments in social media in the next 3-5 years.
Google+ adds brand pages, direct connect and focuses on Google elements
In a blog post this afternoon, Google launched brand pages on Google+, amongst a slew of other features – check our separate post for the lowdown.
Chinese government targets ‘harmful’ information in social media
China’s leading Internet companies, including e-commerce firm Alibaba, search giant Baidu, and dominant microblogging platform owner Sina, are supporting the Chinese government in new censorship measures that aim to “conscientiously safeguard the broadcasting of positive messages online”.
Indian startup Socialblood leverages Facebook to help find blood donors
Although still in its infancy, Socialblood aims to connect people to others who need their blood via Facebook Groups. It has already seen participation from 1,500 people across all the various blood types listed, and has even saved the life of a three-year-old child.
Groupon stock sees impressive debut while shares of LinkedIn flounder
Daily deal site Groupon made their debut on the Nasdaq on Friday morning for $20 a share and by mid afternoon had climbed more than 40% to about $28. This IPO offering values the company at almost $18 billion, and makes the $980 million raised the biggest IPO by a US web company since Google.
Speaking of blockbuster IPOs the business social network LinkedIn, who famously doubled their stock prices on the first day of trading, is failing to keep up investor confidence. Although both revenue and site membership grew over the past 6 months, shares in the site dropped by 9% after releasing their latest results.
Despite the company’s reported net loss of $1.6 million, LinkedIn has seen a strong fourth quarter, acquiring two new companies and opening two new European offices, so the future may be bright. And as for Groupon, only time will tell if they will be able to sustain their initial stock market success, but it’s certainly one to watch.
adidas launch the world’s first social football boots
Football boots have come a long way in the last few years, from being lucky to receive a choice of colour to the new addition of an on-board computer. However, adidas’ new boots may usher in a ‘whole new level of tactical analysis’.
The boots measure speed, distance travelled and top speed. As soon as a game is over, the data is wirelessly transmitted to your phone, computer or tablet. adidas hope it will see a rise in sports stars sharing their stats to the community, letting fans compete and discuss their own or their favourite athletes’ efforts in a new light.
Twitter reaches 3 million tweets per day in South Korea
Twitter is gaining momentum in a country where local social networks and content still dominate the Internet with an estimated user base of 3.34 million people. Like in many other Asian countries, politics is cited as a key factor driving South Koreans to its service, and it is particularly popular with young audiences in the country, with over half of all surveyed users aged between 20 and 40 actively using Twitter. Let’s see how local social network Cyworld and its minihompy service fare in the coming months.
YouTube to launch dedicated K-Pop streaming service
K-Pop is taking the world by storm, and even Google is jumping on board the K-Pop bandwagon. This collaboration is still in the works, but it is assumed that a dedicated platform through which K-Pop stars’ music can be accessed across the world will be available on YouTube, much like a regular YouTube channel.
Google is also focused on further developing its Android mobile operating system in South Korea, following Eric Schmidt’s visit to the country. It will unveil plans to help support Internet entrepreneurs in Korea through a mentoring and investment program as part of the “Korea Go Global” plan as well.
South-East Asia’s mobile revolution on track
Research from Nielsen suggests that Internet-capable phones rival laptops, desktop computers and tablets as the primary Internet access point for many households across the region. The increased use of multiple platforms, be it separately or simultaneously, is also changing how Southeast Asians use the web, especially towards social networking. Facebook is identified as the clear favourite in all markets except Vietnam, where local platform Zing still reigns as the most popular social network.
Facebook is most popular social network for all ages
Across all social networks, Facebook is the only one that knows no generational limits. A recent study by Forrester showed that 96 percent of U.S. adults using social networking sites are on Facebook, with no age group falling below the 95 percent mark. Your grandpa might just be Facebook-stalking you right this moment. LinkedIn holds the second spot:
Oscar de la Renta sells perfume ring as Facebook exclusive
More and more luxury brands are attempting to convert their social communities into paying customers. Oscar de la Renta has become the latest brand to experiment with F-commerce, and CEO Alex Bolen says he expects Facebook “will become a major channel of commerce” for many brands. Time to start shopping on Facebook?
Burberry attempts ‘Mass Customisation’
Talking of luxury, Burberry has launched an attempt at ‘mass customisation’ with their Burberry Bespoke programme. The website allows people to design their own version of the company’s iconic trench coat. Prices for this piece of personalised luxury start at $1,800 and extend to $8,800, but, according to Burberry, this offers customers 12 million different combinations of jacket, ensuring no two are the same. If the price is a little steep, fans can still show off their creativity and customise a jacket to share with their friends on Twitter and Facebook.
Glamour gets 50,000 ‘Likes’ by combining Facebook and 2D barcodes
The September issue of the UK’s Glamour magazine generated over 50,000 Facebook ‘Likes’ for advertisers by including 2D barcodes with adverts. Glamour ran the codes, which were activated by over 100,000 users in total, in response to advertisers wishing to spur more readers to action. The results show a strong uptake, proving that users are looking for a more interactive magazine experience. Glamour plan to repeat the approach in a later issue but say they will expand it to include e-commerce options.
Volkswagen giving away the world’s first Facebook vehicle
Volkswagen once again push the boundaries of social media with their new campaign that lets a fan win the world’s first Facebook car or van – the Fanwagen.
The campaign surrounds two of their classic models where fans are asked to vote on the one they want to be converted to the social-mobile. Once the winner is selected, they will win the vehicle, which has unusual features such as that ability to change your relationship status on the licence place and a ‘Like’ shaped gearstick.
The car certainly includes more gimmicks than you could shake a gear stick at, but we must admit we ‘Like’ it.
Kim Kardashian’s divorce sparks 9 trending topics on Twitter
And finally, after Kim Kardashian announced her divorce after just 72 days of marriage, it immediately became hot topic across the Internet, sparking a total of 9 trending topics on Twitter. At the very peak of the conversation, as many as 1.75% of all tweets were about the Kardashian split. Trending Topics ranged from whimsical topics such as “#ThingsLongerThanKimsMarriage” to “72 Days”. Whether you love or hate the Kardashians, people sure like talking about them.