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The Social Media Market - UK - May 2011

The Social Media Market - UK - May 2011

"Facebook’s dominance results from its innovations centred around social designs, creating a platform that puts its members at the heart of the service. Competing social networks are not going to topple Facebook’s leading position in the UK anytime soon, but those that cater to niche interests or offer value-added services will see their membership grow alongside Facebook, as more internet users take up membership with more than one social network."

– Cecilia Liao, Senior Consumer Technology Analyst

Social media can take many forms and there are many ways to define them. This report has categorised the various branches of social media into social networking, communication, information, multimedia, entertainment, and commerce. This is not a definitive nor exhaustive list of the different types of social media today, and the lines continue to blur as social media services evolve, develop additional capabilities, and converge.

Some of the questions addressed in the report include:

£1,750.00

  • 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?

The term ‘social media’ encompasses a large collection of Web 2.0 technology that caters for the creation and facilitation of user-generated content. For example, a social network, an online platform that allows a person to interact with other users, is one form of social media.

Social media can take many forms. This report covers communication, information, multimedia, entertainment, and commerce shared socially but primarily focuses on social networking.

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

  • Amazon.co.uk
  • American Express UK
  • ASOS UK
  • Bebo Inc
  • DC Thomson & Co Ltd
  • Facebook, Inc.
  • Flickr
  • Foursquare
  • FriendsReunited
  • Google UK
  • Groupon, Inc.
  • International Monetary Fund
  • LinkedIn
  • Monster
  • MySpace.com
  • News Corporation (The)
  • Research in Motion Uk Ltd.
  • Reuters Group PLC
  • Shopzilla Inc.
  • Spotify AB
  • The New York Times Company
  • TripAdvisor LLC
  • Twitter, Inc.
  • UStream
  • Yahoo! UK & Ireland
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