How about a little chat on the subject?
Feel free to contact us at contact@vanksen.com
-
Since we converged with Datawords, our horizons have expanded.
Thanks to their e-multicultural expertise, we have strengthened, through several common projects, our pledge to provide new connections between performance and creativity. We have, among other things, experienced our first international Social Media strategies roll-outs on several continents, simultaneously.
A groundbreaking step in Vanksen’s history.
While browsing this study, you will get to know the particularities of the Chinese “Biaoquingbao” or the Arabian #GroupMessaging trends, discover new cultural and geopolitical factors to take into account when conceiving your Social Media strategy or even learn about different organization models and methodologies your company should adopt based on your objectives.
If the world, today, is all about globalization, context and culture have never been so powerful and important from a communication and marketing standpoint.
5. / 2.23Billion
Monthly active users on Facebook
/ 77%
Of Americans have at least one social network
account
A mass phenomenon...
6. …which is inclined to persist
Penetration rate of social media
networks worldwide
33%20%
2012 2017
2 hrs 5 min1hr 30 min
Average daily time spent on social
networks
2012 2017
9. But where certain networks remain key locally
Monthly users: +200M
OK & VK
Russian networks
Monthly users: +200M
LINE
Popular Japanese
messaging service
Monthly users: 75 million
Taringa!
Latin American
network
Monthly users: +50M
KakaoTalk
South Korean
messaging service
Monthly users: 200M
TELEGRAM
Encrypted messaging
service
Users: 300 million
Sarahah
Rapidly growing Middle
Eastern messaging service
Monthly users + 1 billion
Weibo, WeChat,
QQ,…
Sino-Asian digital
ecosystem
15. In Russia, people place a high value on
appearance. This is represented directly
on social networks by the proliferation
of selfies
Source
16. Brazilians spend an average of 4 hrs 48
min per day on the Internet via their
smartphones
Source
17. In the Middle East, social media users are
increasingly inclined towards
communicating via group chats rather
than by individual private messages
Source
19. 1
9
United colors of social users
Linked to political, digital, societal and cultural codes, Internet users are adopting
social networks in their own particular way, thus obligating brands to adapt to their
needs and expectations.
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
19
20. 2
0
The Chinese distinction in 3 keywords:
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
596M
social media users
#GreatFireWall
The Golden Shield Project is the Internet censorship and surveillance program
managed by the Chinese Government. It currently blocks access to 8 of the 25
most popular sites in the world, including Facebook and Google.
#LiveisLife
Trailblazers on the subject compared to Western social networks, live video is
a very popular format, as symbolized by Kuaishou, the live streaming
application which boasts 10 million uploaded videos per day and 700 million
users.
#Mobile
Out of 731 million Internet users, 95% are mobile Internet users; this use can be
explained particularly by the fact that mobile devices are the most economical
Internet access solution in China.
20
21. 2
1
Biaoqingbao, or memes Chinese style
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
/ We are all familiar with memes, a symbol of “geek culture”, which are
widely shared and circulated on social networks; the Chinese have
their own equivalent: the biaoqingbao.
/ Due to The Great Fire Wall, biaoqingbaos were first democratized by
Chinese expatriates before quickly spreading to Weibo, Line,
WeChat, etc.
/ As the format overwhelmingly favored by young people in the
Middle Kingdom, it offers the possibility of adopting a method of
communication that is easy to decipher and more contextualized
than a classic emoji, all while “evading” the censorship that has
clamped down on the country.
21
22. 2
2
The rise of live-stream quizzes
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
22
/ A social phenomenon in China, live-stream quizzes have become
increasingly popular since the start of the year and are at the point of
dethroning WeChat from its number-one spot as the most downloaded
application in China in January 2018.
/ This format is just an adaptation of iconic TV game shows (Question
pour un champion, Jeopardy, etc.) to Chinese Internet usage:
Mobile: whether via an application or on WeChat, we go to a
vertical format.
Live: Internet users interact in real-time to try to win the jackpot.
23. 2
3
The American distinction in 3 keywords:
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
#AreYouReddit
With its expanding community of users, Reddit has become the 3rd most-visited
site in the United States, thus moving ahead of Facebook.
#PictureforYoungster
A serious division can be seen on social networks in terms of age, where
notably 78% of the18-24 age group say they use Snapchat vs. 25% of the
30-49 age group.
#YoutubeForEveryone
Although it’s behind Facebook in terms of engagement, YouTube is the
website that brings together the most Americans, as it reaches across all
generations (from the youngest to the oldest).
220M
social media users
23
24. 2
4
Reddit, an American specialty
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
/ Still only marginally used in Europe, Reddit is a major name in social networks
in the United States.
/ The American Reddit community continues to grow, enabling it to become
the 3rd most-visited site in the United States in 2018.
/ This community network emphasizes sharing links and content organized into
threads, which in turn are grouped by topic (Subreddits).
24
25. 2
5
iMessage, the platform of American teens
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
/ iMessage is the instant messaging system that comes preinstalled on
Apple products, offering a multitude of functions that go beyond classic
telephone text messaging.
/ 76% of American teens said they had an iPhone in 2017, which makes it
the most popular mobile brand for this age group.
/ It's mainly thanks to its many additional functions that iMessage has
become the social platform most used by Americans under 18 years old.
/ Consequently, many brands, particularly in games and entertainment,
have flooded the service using different formats: stickers, group
applications, etc.
25
26. 2
6
The Middle Eastern distinction in 3 keywords:
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
#FreshNews
Although the social networks are also used for entertainment purposes, in the
Middle East they are considered an important source of information for
young people.
#TheBigPicture
Facebook and Twitter use has dropped considerably in the Middle East in
favor of much more visually-oriented networks such as Instagram and
Snapchat.
#GroupMessaging
Since 2015, the percentage of direct messages sent in group chats has been
increasing dramatically, to the point where in Saudi Arabia 70% of direct
messaging is with groups.130M
social media
users
26
27. 2
7
Massive video consumption
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
/ In the Middle East, Internet users on average spend twice
the amount of time watching videos on Facebook.
/ Saudi Arabia appears as the country that watches the most
YouTube videos per inhabitant.
/ It should also be noted that video consumption in the Middle
East doesn't stray from the global tendency towards short-
form videos.
27
28. 2
8
Influencers, a key role in the Middle East
01 / SOCIAL MEDIA: SURVEY
/ With social network use directed towards visual content, influencers
enjoy considerable fame and renown, and have a strong impact on
social media users, particularly young users.
/ It's also worth noting that the highest-paid influencer in the world,
Huda Kattan, is Iraqi-American. Her huge community draws together
20 million followers on Instagram
28
30. Social networks, sites for discovering products...
22%
34%
59%
59%
78%
Snapchat
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Facebook
of young Americans
become interested in
purchasing a product
after discovering it on
Facebook
31. Ne l'achète pas
L'achète plus tard
L'achète immédiatement
44%
11%
45%
Behavior of social media users after seeing a product
of young Americans
purchase a product
after seeing it on social
networks.
55%
...and then buying them
Do not buy
Buy later
Buy immediately
32. FACED WITH SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY, INVESTMENT IN
ADVERTISING IS ESSENTIAL:
34. / 23%*
of budgets spent on digital advertising
will be on Facebook
/ $1out of 10*
in advertising, digital and nondigital
combined, will be spent on Facebook
And media investments are increasingly important
* in the United States
37. 3
7
Deploying your strategy internationally is the art of universally
projecting your brand's identity and values while adapting the
message to the specific context and location where it is
broadcast...
38. 3
8
Internationalizing your social media strategy is above all about staying yourself:
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
UNIQUE FAITHFUL CONSISTENT
38
Each brand has its own DNA and
values that exemplify it. Opening
yourself up to the world is above all
about assuming your identity.
Remain faithful to your identity, its
origin and history so that you don't
distort its message and perception
vis-à-vis your target audience.
Keep the main elements of your
brand territory (personality, codes,
etc.) consistent.
40. 4
0
If content is king…
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
Content is naturally the backbone of any social media strategy: it's the brand's
voice throughout the world:
TONE
DNA MESSAGE
Reflects your personality and
values
The manner in which you convey
your message
The manner in which you
communicate with your customers
40
42. … THEN CONTEXT IS GOD
TONE
DNA MESSAGE
#Culture
#Origin#History
#Geography#Politics
This content must therefore fall within the social context of each of these
countries and remain consistent with the various elements that constitute its
identity
43. 4
3
Internationalizing therefore means responding to 3 challenges:
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
43
BE RELEVANT
TO ALL
Above all, this means having a
useful and relevant message able
to effectively reach the different
audiences targeted by the brand.
BE ADOPTABLE
BY ALL
A community is created and
comes together as the brand and
its message are adopted by its
members. Your Internet users must
be able to adopt the message and
vision of the brand in order to
generate discussion.
BE HONEST
WITH
YOURSELF
All this must be accomplished while
respecting the integrity of your
brand and your customers; if not,
all relationships and credibility will
crumble.
44. 4
4
To respond to these challenges and ensure the effectiveness of your
international social media strategy, we have identified various key factors
to consider during your international development:
46. 4
6
Culture--a vast subject
/ Culture takes into account all the elements that constitute
the identity of a country and its inhabitants: its
gastronomy, history, its tangible and intangible cultural
heritage, etc.
/ Adapting your brand and its content to the local culture is
obviously a good practice; however, it's also necessary to
keep an eye on your content’s relevance in order to avoid
sinking into caricatures and clichés..
McDonald’s in Russia have adapted their visuals to the urban Russian landscape.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
46
47. 4
7
Example of effective cultural adaptation:
/ The French brand Auchan, called АШАН in Russia, went
even a little bit farther here with the posting of video and
photo content of recipes prepared based on a region's
climate as well as its local culinary culture.
/ Examples:
Pelmeni – typical Russian family dish from Siberia
/ Chachlik – it's not summer in Russia without Chachlik, the
Russian version of the barbecue.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
47
48. 4
8
Therefore, making use of and adopting cultural codes can be
beneficial for a brand, but here again, caution is called for...
49. In 2014, to celebrate the United States soccer team’s victory over Ghana
during the World Cup, Delta Airlines tweeted about the event using two images
representing each country along with their respective scores.
50. The are no giraffes in Ghana.
This gaffe was perceived on two levels. Firstly, this message was considered as true ignorance
on the part of the Airline… which is supposed to be aware of the tourism-related
particularities of the destinations that it serves. Secondly, this mix-up was also viewed by
certain communities as a form of common racism.
51. 5
1
The consequences of the affair
Despite a significant number of comments, the crisis was contained: it didn't expand beyond the
twittosphere and quickly subsided.
2%2% 5%
91%
Blog Facebook News Twitter
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
51
52. Taking advantage of a Euro 2016 match between Germany and France, Ryanair
played the humor card to ask its community who they thought would win the
match.
53. Even though it was just a simple play on words, the fact remains that it
angered a segment of the French population. In fact, the right to strike
is a fundamental right in France and a symbol of the struggle for
workers’ rights .
54. 5
4
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
Dedicating investment internationally signifies making an effort to acculturate
your strategy to local practices and codes, which requires carrying out
significant intelligence and research on the non-native population in order to
offer relevant content that will successfully catch the attention of local target
audiences.
ACCULTURATE YOUR STRATEGY
54
56. 5
6
Mastering a language is knowing how to speak it:
/ Although more than half the users of
Facebook use it in English (whether native
speakers or not), the other half expects or
hopes that the brand will eventually
address them in their preferred language,
and especially in the correct manner.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
56
57. On August 15, 2015, Disney Japan wished a “merry unbirthday” to its Japanese
community (expression from the animated Alice in Wonderland movie) to
commemorate the 70 years since the bombing of Nagasaki…
58. But this was translated literally as:
“Congratulations on a not-special day”.
59. 5
9
Language is also knowing how to write it
/ In addition, language writing may differ
depending on the country and its codes:
reading direction (to the right and down, top to
bottom), different punctuation…
/ For example, Chinese characters (Hanzi) are
read without spaces.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
59
60. Coca-Cola posted an advertisement on Twitter highlighting Coca-Cola Zero, along
with a photo in which the word “zero” is written in Arabic.
61. The problem is that Arabic is read from right to left.
The word thus meant nothing
63. 6
3
A complete mastery of the target country's language should be an obligation,
and the best solution here is to have your content worked on by a native
speaker of the language, who is a master of how it's used.
GOOGLE TRANSLATE WILL NOT DO IT FOR YOU
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
63
65. 6
5
Be aware of your surroundings
/ Very few brands consciously decide to address a topic
related to the geopolitics of their target country, but it
often occurs without them being aware of it, due to a lack
of knowledge about the country or its audience.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
65
66. To celebrate the New Year in 2016 with its Russian community, Coca-Cola posted
a map of Russia with an warm message.
68. And Crimea?
Following the ensuing uproar, Coca-Cola
changed the map, thus provoking anger in the
West and Ukraine in particular.
69. 6
9
The consequences of the affair
Multiple peaks of activity this time. The first when the affair came to light (January 5-11), then when Ukraine initiated
legal action (January 20-22), and finally when a member of the British Parliament called for sanctions against Coca-
Cola (February 16-17). After this, the volume is more spread out over time.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
69
72. Mercedes-Benz posted an “inspirational
quote” on Instagram taken from the Dalai
Lama.
Even though Instagram is blocked in
China, Chinese expatriates with
Instagram could see the quote and
reposted it on Chinese social networks.
73. Mercedes-Benz posted an “inspirational
quote” on Instagram taken from the Dalai
Lama.
Even though Instagram is blocked in
China, Chinese expatriates with
Instagram could see the quote and
reposted it on Chinese social networks.
This post thus ignited the Chinese media
and social networks, forcing Mercedes to
issue a public apology to China.
74. 7
4
The consequences of the affair
As this is a complex political topic, the tweets were for the most part retweets showing strong engagement. For the
same reason, we can note that a significant portion of the comments came from news sites, which are more legitimate in
these messages.
2%0% 5%1%
28%
64%
Blog Facebook Forum
Instagram News Twitter
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
74
75. 7
5
You must always pay special attention when the content included in an item is
not part of the brand's environment. This content must be verified by persons
aware of the realities that exist in the target country.
CAUTION IS THE MOTHER OF WISDOM
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
75
77. 7
7
Adapting yourself to social media usage by using the right platforms
/ As addressed in the introduction, there are specific distinctions
that affect social media usage which may be inherent due to
various factors:
Developing countries for the most part access the Internet
via mobile devices, due to issues related to cost. By
adapting its advertising to the preferred media of choice, the
brand ensures it will effectively reach its core target .
Countries subjected to censorship, such as China and
Russia, have specific networks. This implies that brands
must adapt to these networks in order to reach these
audiences.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
77
78. 7
8
Tokyo Disney Resort, present where the Japanese are most active
/ Although Facebook is the most widely-used social
network in Japan, those that have the most active users
are Twitter and Line:
Twitter has 70% active users.
The amount of active users on Line has risen to 96%.
Facebook has to content itself with 56% active users.
/ This shows that the brand has adapted itself to Japanese
usage and has a strong presence on Line and Twitter.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
78
79. 7
9
Not being present is like missing a date with your community
/ Apart from developing the brand, it’s also a good
protective measure to ensure your presence on
popular local platforms.
/ By having no presence on Chinese social networks,
for example, the brand would be totally cut off from
this market and most importantly, would have no
way to control or manage its e-reputation on a
daily basis.
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
79
80. 8
0
Developing internationally also requires you to go beyond your initial social
media boundaries. This represents an opportunity for the brand to expand its
community as well as limit the risks by preempting certain small fires…
BE WHERE THEY WANT YOU TO BE
8
0
2 / KEYS TO INTERNATIONALIZING YOUR BRAND
81. 8
1
Now, to bring this strategy to life, it's necessary to organize
yourself accordingly
83. 8
3
Various organizational models exist that offer a brand certain
advantages and disadvantages — costs, resources, etc.—
and which need to be examined in order to determine which
one best suits your brand:
84. A single editorial policy deployed in one
language on one global page
1 The GLOBAL SINGLE-PAGE MODEL
85. 8
5
ADVANTAGES:
- Quick setup and deployment
- Easy to manage
- Controlled risk exposure and total project visibility
- Few resources required
DISADVANTAGES
- Generates very little closeness with the customer
- Distant from the audience
- “One-to-many” vertical posting dynamic
- Doesn't encourage interaction
- Moderation limited by the choice of one language
Branding
consistency
Adaptation
of the message
User
engagement
Project control
ROI
Human resources required Financial resources
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
85
1 The GLOBAL SINGLE PAGE MODEL
86. 8
6
This model, frequently used in the Luxury and B2B sectors, offers a brand the possibility
of expressing itself in a consistent manner on its social networks.
However, the absence of contextualization and no adaptation of content limits the possibilities
of interaction and engagement between the brand and its community.
IN BRIEF
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
86
87. Multiple diversified editorial policies deployed in multiple
languages in an autonomous manner,
with no supervision, on multiple country pages
1
1
2
2
3
3
2. MULTI-LOCAL MODEL
88. 8
8
Branding
consistency
Adaptation
of the message
User
engagement
Project control
ROI
Human resources required Financial resources
ADVANTAGES:
- Closeness with audiences
- Autonomy of teams -> quick decision-making
- Local content, adapted to the target
DISADVANTAGES
- Weak strategic dimension
- Frequent brand misrepresentation
- Increase in the risk of error or even bad buzz
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
2. MULTI-LOCAL MODEL
88
89. 8
9
With this model, the brand speaks to each of these target countries in an
independent and personalized manner. However, this model does not
guarantee brand consistency in its messages and makes managing the social
media strategy more complicated.
IN BRIEF
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
89
90. A consistent editorial policy deployed in multiple languages
by local teams, supervised by the head office, on multiple
country web pages.
3. THE CENTRALIZED MODEL
91. 9
1
Branding
consistency
Adaptation
of the message
User
engagement
Project control
ROI
Human resources required Financial resources
ADVANTAGES:
- Effectively controlled branding
- Strategy deployed on an international scale
- Project supervision and control
DISADVANTAGES
- Local teams have little autonomy in creating content
- Lack of room for maneuver at the local level
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
3. THE CENTRALIZED MODEL
91
92. 9
2
The centralized model allows for the deployment of an international social
media strategy that guarantees excellent project control and visibility but
relatively little adaptability and room for maneuver for local teams.
IN BRIEF
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
92
93. The brand defines a global editorial policy, which will then be
interpreted and applied locally by the local operational teams.
4. THE GLOCAL MODEL
94. 9
4
Branding
consistency
Adaptation
of the message
User
engagement
Project control
ROI
Human resources required Financial resources
ADVANTAGES:
- Effective content lifecycle management
- Adapted content that expresses its original strategic
purpose
- Limits the risk of “communication blunders”
- Increased project visibility and predictability
- Versatile, relevant and responsive community
management
DISADVANTAGES
- Costly in terms of human and financial resources
- Results depend on the local teams’ effectiveness and
competence
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
4. THE GLOCAL MODEL
94
95. 9
5
The glocal model is the full-option model. Although both consistent in branding
and adapted in terms of the message, it is very dependent from a qualitative
point of view on the local teams’ competence.
IN BRIEF
3 / DEPLOYING YOUR STRATEGY INTERNATIONALLY
95
96. 9
6
Reconciling strategy and organization is thus the key to
performing internationally; however, these elements require
precious resources…
98. 9
8
Rich Media Production
Our “Glocal” methodology for performing internationally
4 / OUR METHODOLOGY
Creative Strategy
“We think global” “We create worldwide”
International Scaling
“We act local”
98
By combining the strengths of three fields of expertise, we’ve been able to
define a work methodology that adapts itself to all the models and is able to
address each target country with dedicated contextualized content.
99. 9
9
AuditBriefing
Benchmark Audit
Global
Behavioral
Analyzes
Social Media
Strategy
Local Social Media
Strategy
Tone of
Voice
Ecosystem
Target & Objectives
KPIs
Editorial
Strategy
Paid Media Planning
Local deployment
Glocal
Reporting
Glocal
Adaptation
Market AdaptationCultural Adaptation
Global Reporting
Local Reporting
4 / OUR METHODOLOGY
Defining & deploying a social media strategy internationally
99
100. 1
0
4 / OUR METHODOLOGY
Defining & deploying a social media strategy internationally
Artistic
Direction
Rich Media
Video
Production
Master
Copywriting
Social Game
Content
Localization
Local
Copywriting
Local
Coordination Local
PublishingCreative
Copywriting
Local
Moderation
Editorial
Strategy
Master visual
Content
100
101. 1
0
4 / OUR METHODOLOGY
500 people around the world, with more than 50 nationalities represented
101
An international presence...
102. 1
0
4 / OUR METHODOLOGY
...And local intermediaries for adapted messages
A network of local intermediaries comprising 5,000 professionals around the world
102
103. Would you like us to present this study at your place of business with no obligation?
Contact us via contact@vanksen.com
ON-SITE PRESENTATION?
104. 1
0
Thank you
To learn more, follow us at:
Romain WILMET
COMMUNICATION OFFICER
rwilmet@vanksen.com
Jeremy COXET
PARTNER
jcoxet@vanksen.com
Study prepared by:
Guillaume Dollé
Guillaume Cloux
Romain Wilmet
@Vanksen @DatawordsGroup@87Seconds