Social Marketing

Kenshoo published a new report. “2012 Social Media Advertising Global Games” evaluates nearly 65 billion Facebook ad impressions to identify eleven critical mass countries and evaluate the performance of Facebook ads in those countries across six key “events.”

Internet users in Mexico have taken to social networking sites in large numbers since 2009, bringing the country’s plaza culture to Facebook and Twitter, as well as to hi5, which got an early boost because it offered a Spanish interface.

Social networking, aided by the widespread adoption of smartphones in the US, is quickly making the jump to mobile, according to eMarketer estimates.

It’s practically common knowledge at this point that social media users follow or friend brands so they can get exclusive offers —especially money off. In Q4 2011, for example, Chadwick Martin Bailey found that for Facebook users, the desire to receive discounts and special offers was the top reason for “liking” a brand, cited by 41% of US users. But social media users also want to be entertained, and many look to follow brands and share posts that have engaging content.

Oscar Castro is responsible for developing Sears’ online business globally. In an interview with eMarketer’s Tobi Elkin, he spoke about differences between Sears’ US Hispanic consumer base and consumers in Mexico, and talked about SearsLatino, the retail giant’s Hispanic-focused social media community.

I’m just as guilty as anyone of blindly restating these supposed truisms about Hispanic digital behavior. The countless reports published over the last few years by highly reputable research firms like BIGInsight, Pew, and Nielsen, provide plenty of data points to support these claims.

But we all know that market research and market realities are two very different things.

By Jose Villa / ThinkMulticultural

Alcohol brands are naturally social companies, with marketing aimed at encouraging friends to spend time together. In keeping with this sociability, many companies are turning to Facebook to raise brand awareness and build community with fans.

In a few short years, social technologies have given social interactions the speed and scale of the Internet. Whether discussing consumer products or organizing political movements, people around the world constantly use social-media platforms to seek and share information. Companies use them to reach consumers in new ways too; by tapping into these conversations, organizations can generate richer insights and create precisely targeted messages and offers.

Companies in the Fortune Global 100 were mentioned a total of 10,400,132 times online during a month-long period. The majority of these mentions happened on Twitter, according to the third annual Burson-Marsteller Global Social Media Check-Up which includes new data provided by Visible Technologies, the leader in social media monitoring, analytics and services for enterprises globally.

When it comes to how much money to spend on social media, most marketers have less than 20% of their marketing budget set aside for outreach on social sites—including advertising and maintaining a social media presence.

There’s no denying social media is still a hot topic among marketers, but it’s no longer the new kid on the block.

Engagement is such a hot topic, but to date, no one has been able to come up with a clear formula for measuring this essential social media factor.

With more social networkers every day, and brands increasing their presence on social media, the consumer-brand dynamic was bound to get tricky.

Product placement is alive and well, having been reborn in the digital era as social media sponsorship—compensating social media users, or “influencers,” for mentioning a product or service. While the practice initially drew criticism from some who argued that social media content should remain ad