INTAGE (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Like & Share Marketing

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1 Issue # 024 March Voice of Thai consumers from INTAGE (Thailand) Co., Ltd. is INTAGE Thailand s regular publishing to our valued clients to inspire them with insightful information about the current issues or topics of interest in the market place. Like & Share Marketing Nowadays it has become almost impossible to ignore the hottest trends in social media since a vast number of people are already using this channel to communicate with their families and friends. Such popularity is motivating brand marketers to take note of the effectiveness of social media as a platform for their marketing communications. Especially during the past few years, a growing number of brands have created photos and video clips, and broadcast them widely over social media; one example is a video clip by Virgin America Airline, set to music and dance, demonstrating how passengers should react in case of an emergency. This clip received as many as 300,000 views and shares within only a few days. To date, it has received more than 9 million views since it was first released on YouTube in October Page 1 Copyright INTAGE (Thailand)

2 However, it is becoming more of a challenge to create new, top-hit trends in today's crowded online environment where marketers from all types of brands are trying to make greater use of social media. Amid fierce competition to grab the attention of consumers, marketers must think of ways to increase the number of likes and shares their content receives. Some of these ways include posting an advertisement on Facebook as a Suggested Post, or running a Like & Share campaign, which can often generate much attention and interest from online users. Examples of advertisements on News Feed in Facebook Examples of Like & Share campaigns Advertisement on 'News Feed' page in Facebook While a Like & Share campaign can help marketers build consumer awareness of and affinity towards a brand, it is also important to determine if the campaign can truly generate real sales, or if it only stimulates short-term buzz with no financial gain. To understand this Like & Share phenomenon in Thailand, INTAGE (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has conducted a quantitative survey among 200 people in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, aged years old, and with household income between 25,000-59,999 Baht. A summary of the survey findings is as follows. Facebook continues to be No.1 in social media Page 2 Copyright INTAGE (Thailand)

3 According to the survey, Facebook continues to be the most popular application, generating the greatest number of likes and shares via its News Feed. Facebook designs its functionality specifically for public sharing, enabling users to do so easily, simply by clicking 'Like' or 'Share'. In contrast, sharing is not very popular with the Line application, despite its large number of users. This is because Line was designed for chatting among a circle of friends. Although, at a later date, Line developed its Timeline for sharing, it has not been as popular. Sharing via Line often entails capturing a screenshot of a mobile screen and forwarding it to others, the process of which is, of course, less convenient than that of Facebook. For Instagram, or IG, although the number of users is lower than 1/3 of total social media users, it is unique in that IG was designed for story-telling via photos with short captions. For this reason, the application is widely used as a marketplace, particularly for fashion and beauty-related products. By using photos to capture the attention of users and create value and emotion associated with the product, it can help generate impulse purchases more effectively than other applications. This unique characteristic has made IG popular among the younger generation and first jobbers, especially young women, who tend to be interested in products they learn about through photos, such as those posted on IG. For this young group, sharing and forwarding what they like or what they are interested in is part of their social lifestyle. Such a predisposition is beneficial to marketers who want to target young women, because once women buy and like a product, they tend to share it with others, meaning that it can be spread and sold to a wider public. 70% 97% 97% 64% 42% 34% 27% 59% 52% 68% 27% 16% 68% 22% 14% n = 200 n = 200 n = 200 Often used Ever 'Like' Ever 'Share' Page 3

4 I like therefore I Like, I care therefore I Share Already like the brand, so want to receive information 77% Want to share information or promotion with friends 55% Want to receive benefits e.g. discounts, lucky draws, freebies, free stickers, etc. 49% n = 141 The survey reveals some reasons behind likes and shares in brand or promotional campaigns. 77% of respondents say they click Like or Share because they originally like the brand to begin with, while fewer click because they are interested in a benefit or discount as part of the promotion. The result suggests that likes and shares rely on the consumer s preferences or emotion towards a brand, rather than campaign benefits or other factors. For that reason, marketers planning to run a Like & Share campaign on social media should strive to generate positive feeling and create a bond with their target customers. This goal can also be partially achieved through offline marketing such as special events that reach the target in person, create awareness among them, and allow them to experience the brand directly. The second reason given by respondents for likes and shares is their own desire to share news or promotions with others. The purpose of sharing is not only to create a new topic for conversation among the group; sharing online content is also a way to indirectly portray to others one s identity, preferences, tastes and attitudes. This knowledge also stamps our previous conclusion that if a consumer does not like a brand, he or she will not care to share it with others. Likewise, if liking or sharing a brand might negatively affect a consumer s image among social circles, it is less likely that he or she will want to do so. Alternatively, special benefits like promotions or discounts can also create the desire to participate. Approximately half of the respondents indicate that the chance to receive a special benefit is a major reason why they join in Like & Share campaigns. Nevertheless, response to such push promotions may only be temporary. Once consumers are no longer interested or the promotion ends, their affinity and relationship to the brand is likely to decrease, and lead to them ignoring or even blocking information about the brand completely. Page 4

5 Like & Share for restaurants can guarantee returns The survey reveals categories that receive the highest number of likes and shares during a campaign. They are: restaurants, followed by apparel, cosmetics, and tourism (hotels and spas), respectively. The 'return' ratio after joining such a campaign is also highest with restaurants (64%), apparel (37%), and cosmetics (21%). Categories of products or services for which I participated in the campaign(s) Restaurants Apparel Hotel/Spa/Tourism Cosmetics 58% 35% 22% 21% n = 141 Categories of products or services to which I returned in order to use them again Restaurants 64% Apparel 37% Cosmetics 21% n = 141 Survey results demonstrate that the product or service categories that receive most the likes and shares are mainly the ones for which consumers can conveniently receive a trial or sample, as with food or apparel. Results for restaurants, the most popular category of all, reflect the modern lifestyle of Thai people who have little time to cook and enjoy dining out with friends and family. Additionally, Thai consumers have a habit of taking photos when going to popular places, then posting them to social networks, often with 'check-in' information such as the name of a restaurant. By sharing, they communicate their trendiness, and in some cases may receive some benefits from the restaurant. It is also apparent that products or services for women, such as apparel and cosmetics, get a lot of interest. That is because women are inclined to share what they like with others online. Conversely, categories that are less popular on social media are those for which receiving a trial or sample carries some risk, such as a beauty centre. Despite online promotions or discounts via social commerce websites like Ensogo or OLX (Dealfish), consumers are still reluctant to try. Page 5

6 Some major brands, such as Wuttisak Clinic or Nitipon Clinic, have overcome consumer reluctance by making large-scale investments in advertising, featuring famous movie stars or celebrities as brand ambassadors. These two brands have been successful in generating trust and popularity, resulting in a large number of likes and shares, and also a great number of people joining their marketing activities. In conclusion, factors for success in social media marketing include: The product or service should be readily acceptable for trial or sample use The target group should be social media users The brand should be strong enough to compete with others and attract consumers Content should be creative and give a good impression or experience of the brand One final point. To run a Like & Share campaign, marketers should not set conditions that are too difficult or that may intrude upon a consumer s privacy, such as tagging, or asking for the names of friends. If consumers feel any inconvenience there is a risk that they could in turn ignore or even oppose the brand and its activities. The survey confirms that 31% choose to block or unlike brands, while 19% will lose interest in using the product in the future. Moderateness and sincerity is always a must! is INTAGE (Thailand) s regular publishing to our valued clients to inspire them with insightful information about the current issues or topics of interest in the market place. For previous issues of please write to: contact@th.intage.com Page 6