B-M Asia-Pacific Social Media Study 2010 (Full)

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CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA STUDY
HOW ASIAN COMPANIES ARE
ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS ONLINE

October 2010

Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific
burson-marsteller.asia

Burson·Marsteller

TABlf Of (ONHNT)

Introduction 4
Executive Summary 5
Methodology 6
Corporate Use of Social Media 7
Microblogs 13
Social Networks 15
Corporate Slogs 17
Video Sharing Channels 19
Use of Social Media by Country 21
Australia 22
China 23
Hong Kong 24
India 25
Indonesia 26
Japan 27
Malaysia 28
Philippines 29
Singapore 30
South Korea 31
Taiwan 32
Thailand 33
Approach to Corporate Social Media 34
Company-Country Index 38
Further Reading 39
Acknowledgements & Contacts 40

CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT 2010 3

INTRODUCTION
Since the term 'social media' burst its way into the global collective
consciousness, organisations across the world have hastily had to
consider what it means for them and how it will impact their approach
to their business and marketing.

As demonstrated by Burson-Marsteller's Fortune Global 100 Social
Media Check-Up study (February 2010), the great majority of top
multinational companies have moved from questioning the rationale
of social media to implementing dedicated social media strategies,
or including social media programmes within broader corporate
and marketing campaigns.

This report focuses on the use of top social media platforms by Asia's leading companies (as listed in
the Wall Street Journal's Asia 200 Index), specifically their use of social networks, corporate blogs,
microblogs and video sharing channels for global and domestic corporate marketing and
communications.

It is clear that top companies across Asia-Pacific are some way behind their western peers in this area.
Few companies are approaching this area strategically; most appear largely driven by short-term
marketing considerations, or are hampered by concerns about resourcing, cost or lack of control.

It is perhaps no accident that top Asian companies most aggressively using social media tend to be
those most focused on international expansion. As Asian firms turn ever more aggressively to foreign
markets, they require deep knowledge and insight into local customer and opinion-former needs,
expectations and behaviours. They are likely to have to fight harder for recognition and acceptance.

Social media is no sideshow - it is a fully mainstream activity that dominates media consumption in
many markets. Indeed, for most young people, it is a way of life. To take full advantage of this trend,
top Asian companies have no option but to make social media a core component of their marketing and
communications, both at home and abroad.

This report is the first in a series that will chart their progress. We hope you find it interesting and
useful.

Sincerely,

fd
Bob Pickard
President & CEO
Burson-Marsteller (Asia-Pacific)
Email: bob.pickard@bm.com
Twitter: @bobpickard

fXfCUTIVf ~UMMARY

Top Asian companies have been slow to set up and use branded social media channels

• Asian companies are significantly lagging their international peers in their use of
social media for corporate marketing purposes. 40% of Asia's top companies are
using dedicated branded social media channels, compared to 79% of leading
global firms 1 .

• This reluctance can be explained by a variety of factors, including concern that social
media results in a loss of control of messaging, timing and content, and has largely
unknown ramifications in terms of skills, resources and budgets.

Few companies have developed a long-term, sustainable social media strategy

• Of those Asian companies with branded social media profiles, some 55% of these
profiles are inactive, suggesting that most Asian companies remain unsure how to
use these channels.

• The high percentage of inactive accounts may also be explained by the short-term
nature of consumer marketing. Companies more focused on building their corporate
reputation over the long-term are much less likely to set up and then abandon their
social media channels.

• On average, only 18% of companies surveyed are promoting or have integrated their
branded social media channels on their website homepage, implying that they are
deliberately testing social media independently of their 'core' online channels.

Companies are focused on pushing information, rather than engaging with users

• Asian companies are reluctant to use open-ended two-way communications
channels such as corporate blogs. In Asia, corporate blogs are used by 12% of
companies, whereas 33% of global companies are blogging.


• In most Asian countries, levels of interaction with users are low, with companies
barely engaging with their followers. True engagement involving two-way dialogue, as
measured by the average number of fan posts and average number of corporate
responses to their fa nslfol lowers, remains limited.

• Companies appear most comfortable using social media to communicate their
Corporate Social Responsibility activities. While this helps portray a 'softer' corporate
image, it is also less likely to invoke interaction or negative commentary.

• Of the channels covered by this study, social networks are arguably the most
intuitively conversational. However, while social networks are the most popular social
media channels in Asia, they are used principally for consumer marketing purposes -
their use for corporate activities is secondary in most instances.

Digital storytelling using video and multimedia remains limited

• Only 8% of leading companies in Asia have set up dedicated channels on top video
sharing channels such as YouTube, Youku in China or Nico Nico Douga in Japan. This
compares to 50% of global companies using such channels.

• The high volume of user views of existing branded video sharing channels suggests
that companies are missing a significant opportunity to engage users by not providing
structured access to online video and multimedia.

1. Fortune Global 100 Social Media Check-Up, Burson-Marsteller. February 2010

METHODOLOGY

This study assesses corporate marketing activity on top social media channels by 120 of
Asia's leading companies. Companies were selected from the Wall Street Journal Asia
200 Index ranking Asia's leading companies, as determined by executives and
professionals across Asia-Pacific. The top 10 companies were selected per country. A full
list of companies surveyed is available on page 38 of this study. The countries included
Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,
South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Corporate marketing is defined as: corporate social responsibility, issues or cnsls
communications, thought leadership, leadership communications, media or influencer
relations, public policy communications.

Social media analysed were the top social networks, microblogs, video sharing and
corporate blogging platforms per country - the latter either website-based or
integrated with third-party channels. Accounts were considered 'active' if they had at
least one post by the company between July 1-31, 2010.

Data was collected between July 2010 and September 2010 by Buron-Marsteller
Asia-Pacific's digital and research teams.

6 BURSON-MARSTELLER ASIA-PACIFIC

(ORPORAH U~f O~ ~O(IAl MmlA

W ith massive and accelerating use of the Internet and mobile
devices, the popularity of social media technologies and the
emergence of an increasingly sophisticated and demanding set of
digital consumers, Asia is shaping, and in some cases leading, the new
social media environment.

Social media is mainstream. Asians are enthusiastic users of social networks, whether of
international platforms such as Facebook or local services such as Renren in China, Orkut in
India or South Korea's CyWorid. Indonesia, the Philippines and India now rank in Facebook's
top 10 markets".

Microblogging rates are exploding, not least in Japan, Indonesia and South Korea, where
Twitter is recording some of its heaviest user volumes worldwide. Online video is also
grabbing share of mind. Japanese Internet users spent nearly 17 hours a month watching
videos, while their counterparts in Hong Kong and Singapore recorded 12.7 hours and lOA
hours respectiveli.

Further, Asians are not just passive consumers of web-based content but are active
contributors. In China alone, there are over 221 million bloggers 3 • And the Chinese rank
amongst the most active creators of online social content, far outstripping most western
markets4 .

Social media provides an opportunity for companies to communicate and build
relationships directly with their stakeholders, gain a deeper understanding of their needs
and behaviours, and to increase levels of awareness, trust and advocacy.

1. CheckFacebook.com
2. com Score Video Metrix, July 2010
3. China Internet Network Information Centre, December 2009
4. Forrester Research, September 2009


On the f1ipside, organizations are concerned that social media outreach result in a loss of
control of messaging, timing and content (in short, their reputation), and has largely
unknown ramifications in terms of skills, resources and budgets. It can also be difficult to
quantify its value.

This study shows that Asia's top companies have been hesitant to set up and use branded
channels on top local and international social media platforms for corporate marketing
and communications. Sixty percent of companies surveyed have no branded presence.

With few exceptions, they are significantly lagging their international peers in this area -
according to Burson-Marsteller's Fortune Global 100 Social Media Check-Up study
(February 2010), 79% of Fortune 100 companies have at least one 'owned' or branded
social media channel. By contrast, only 40% of Asian companies have an equivalent
branded social media channel. (See Figure 1.)

In Asia, social networks are the preferred social media platform for corporate marketing
and communications purposes, with almost a quarter of companies surveyed using a
global (eg. Facebook) or local (eg. Renren in China) social network.

The study also finds that, unlike their global peers, top Asian companies appear less
enamoured of microblogs, with only 18% of companies using these for corporate
purposes (as opposed to 65% of global companies). Corporate blogs (12%) and video
sharing platforms (8%) are even less popular with leading Asian firms. (See Figure 2.)

However, this masks considerable differences in approach across the Asia-Pacific region.
Companies in South Korea are much more actively using social media, especially social
networks and corporate blogs. By contrast, leading companies in the Philippines,
Singapore and Taiwan are barely using social media at all for corporate marketing and
communications. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 1: Proportion of Asian Companies using Social Media

All Channels
Three Channels S%
3%

Data was collected between July 2010 and September 2010 among the Wall Street journal Asia 200 companies. Top 10 companies from
12 countries in Asia-Pacific were selected. Total sample size = 120 companies.


Figure 2: Proportion of Companies using Social Media Actively

20%

Microblogs Social Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing
Active accounts refer to companies with at least one post from each social media channel from July 1-31, 2010.

Figure 3: Use of Social Media by Countries in Asia-Pacific

• Microblogs • Social Networks _ Corporate Blogs Video Sharing

Thailand

Taiwan

South Korea

Singapore

Philippines

Malaysia

Japan

Indonesia

India

Hong Kong

China

Australia


Inactive accounts

The study also finds that 55% of branded social media channels surveyed are inactive.
These have either been registered and are being saved for future use, used only privately,
or have been used and abandoned. Others are apparently being 'squatted' by third parties,
presumably looking to cash in at a later date, or perhaps use the channel for negative
purposes. Some were not updated during the study research period. (See Figure 4.)

The high percentage of inactive accounts may also be explained by the relatively
short-term nature of most consumer marketing. Social media, not least the management
of branded channels, requires long-term commitment, resources, budget and clear
ownership. Companies more focused on building their corporate reputation over the
long-term are much less likely to set up and then abandon their social media channels - a
strong case for the PR department to be closely involved in the ongoing management of
these channels.

The high percentage of inactive accounts strongly suggests that many companies have yet
to figure out how to use these channels - in isolation, or as part of a broader social media
or multi-channel communications strategy.

Lack of integration

Very few (18%) of companies surveyed are actively promoting their branded social media
channels on their website homepages, or through other online channels.

The multi-disciplinary nature of many branded social media channels, which often support
a mix of communications, marketing, sales, customer service and other activities, means
they work best when closely aligned and integrated with other business functions and
channels - both online and offline.

Figure 4: Proportion of Active and Inactive Accounts
• Active Inactive

20%

9%

Microblogs Social Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing

Inactive accounts refer to accounts with no activity from July 1-31, 2010.


Use by Industry

The majority of companies covered by this study are from four industries: technology
(consumer and 828), telecommunications, consumer goods (including retail and tobacco)
and financial services. The study finds that companies in these industry sectors are using
social media quite differently, according to their respective sectors.

Technology companies are the most enthusiastic users of social media for corporate
marketing and communications, closely followed by telecommunications firms. The
majority of companies in both sectors are using microblogs and social networks, while at
least a third of these firms are using multiple channels. (See Figure 5.)

Online video channels are being used to a greater degree by Asia's top technology and
telecommunications firms - perhaps as they have a vested interest in being seen to walk
the data and social media talk.

Conversely, consumer goods and financial services companies across the region are
hardly using social media, at least for corporate marketing purposes. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, given that firms in these sectors are primarily focused on consumer
marketing, the most popular channels are social networks, through which some
corporate messages are also being communicated.

Figure 5: Use of Social Media by Industry
• Microblogs _ Social Networks _ Corporate Blogs Video Sharing

60%

33%

Financial Services Telecommunications Consumer Goods Technology
Of the 120 companies surveyed, 23 of them are in financial services, 15 in telecommunications, 16 in consumer goods and 17 from the technology
sector.

'2 BURSON-MARSTELLER ASIA-PACIFIC

MI(ROBlOG~

T his study finds that top companies across Asia-Pacific use microblogs less than
they use social networks. Only 18% of companies use microblogs for corporate
purposes, as opposed to 6S% of global companies.

This is likely in part to be due to the late consumer adoption of microblogs in the region,
relative to the u.s. and Europe. While the English-language version of Twitter has led the
way across Asia-Pacific, local language versions of the platform tended only to emerge
later. Equally, locally-grown microblog services such as Sina Weibo in China (where Twitter
is blocked) or Ameba Now in Japan have only recently started to gain real traction.

South Korean companies are taking the lead in using microblogs for corporate purposes,
posting much more actively than their peers in other Asian markets. Companies in Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan and India - all markets with significant numbers of Twitter users-
are also posting more actively to their microblog channels.

On the other hand, top companies in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines are opting
not to use micro-blogs for corporate marketing purposes, largely due to their focus on
consumer marketing on these channels.

Across the region, companies are having mixed success in terms of attracting and
engaging with their audiences. While Chinese, Japanese, South Korean and Indonesian
firms are gaining relatively high numbers offollowers, companies in Australia, Hong Kong
and Thailand are having less success. Companies in South Korea and Indonesia are putting
more effort into engaging with their audiences on microblog platforms, evidenced by the
number of responses they are making to their followers.

Yet only in China and South Korea, countries with deep cultures of sharing content, are
there significant numbers of mentions and reposts of company information and views,
often viewed as a measure of a company's success in engaging and activating their
audiences on microblog channels. Companies prefer to focus on corporate social
responsibility initiatives on microblogs, with some evidence of broader media and
influencer relations activity.


Figure 6: Level of Frequency - Average Number of Posts on Microblogs

1513

128
43
12

Australia China HongKong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand
Average number of posts from July 1-31, 2010.

Table 1: Level of Engagement on Microblogs

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.:-. Main Focus of
Microblog

Corporate
Reputation &
Australia 1297 123 28 28 1
Responsibility,
Recruitment
Corporate
China 27892 388 3126 18 899 Reputation &
Responsibility
Corporate
Hong Kong 2809 329 69 4 0 Reputation &
Responsibility
Corporate
India 4349 231 76 7 12 Reputation &
Responsibility
Corporate
Indonesia 6366 460 7 121 11 Reputation &
Responsibility
Corporate
Reputation &
Japan 10147 9998 64 73 26 Responsibility,
Marketing
Campaigns
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Corporate
Reputation &
Responsibility,
South Korea 9187 3784 1568 637 573
Media & Influencer
Relations, Marketing
Campaigns

Taiwan

Corporate
Thailand 1578 1547 0 5 0 Reputation &
Responsibility


SOCIAl NnWORK~

S ocial networks are Asian companies' preferred social media platforms for
corporate marketing and communications, with almost a quarter of companies
surveyed using a top global or local social network.

However, due to a mixture of cultural, technological and other factors, significant
differences exist in how companies are using social networks across the region. For
instance, it is clear that top firms in Malaysia, Australia and Singapore attract many more
fans/followers on top social networks (in these instances, all on Facebook) than top
companies in India, the Philippines and Thailand.

Equally, the study finds that top companies in South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia tend to
be more active in communicating with their corporate audiences in terms of the average
number of posts they are making to their branded channels. Despite their open-ended
and conversational nature, top companies across the region prefer to view social
networks primarily as channels to distribute content. True engagement involving
two-way dialogue, as measured by the average number of fan posts and average number
of corporate responses to their fans/followers, remains limited.

Aside from consumer marketing campaigns, which form the focus of many companies'
use of social networks, the preferred topics for corporate marketing tend to be related to
corporate social responsibility, alongside some broader media relations/outreach
activities and, in isolated cases, use of social networks for issues and crisis
communication.

Meanwhile, despite enthusiastic use of social media by consumers and netizens in China
and Japan, firms in these countries do not use social networks for corporate purposes. In
China, this is likely to be due to the number of large, state-owned firms included in this
survey, which tend to have less incentive to talk directly with their customers, even if they
are in relatively competitive consumer environments.

On the other hand, despite being largely consumer-facing, Japanese companies are not
using social networks for corporate marketing, even if they are using them, sometimes
extensively, for consumer marketing.


Figure 7: Level of Frequency - Average Number of Posts on Social Networks

80

Australia china Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand


Table 2: Level of Engagement on Social Networks

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Main Focus of the
Social Networks

Corporate Reputation
Australia 22621 50 53 5
& Responsibility

China

HongKong 8867 3 86 4.3 Marketing Campaigns

India 1699 2 4 4.3 Marketing Campaigns

Indonesia 2707 9 11 3.8 Marketing Campaigns

Japan

Malaysia 42496 26 111 4 & Responsibility
Philippines 662 2 o 4 Marketing Campaigns

Singapore 19S79 14S8 1647 3.7
& Responsibility
& Responsibility,
South Korea 8421 15 31 3.8
Media & Influencer
Relations

Taiwan

Thailand 67 25 36 4
& Responsibility
Tonality is weighed on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the most negative and 5 the most positive.


(ORPORAH BlOG~

F
ew leading Asian companies are using blogs for corporate marketing and
communications, activity being limited principally to firms in South Korea, China
and India, though a few companies in Japan, Hong Kong, India, the Philippines
and Thailand are also blogging.

Many of these blogs are not proactively maintained, though companies in Japan, South
Korea and the Philippines are making a greater effort to update these channels on a
regular basis, sometimes posting content several times a day.

Generally speaking, companies updating their blogs more frequently also see greater
interaction with their users. This is particularly true of South Korea and China, where
corporate blogs attract a high volume of user comments.

In Japan, where corporate blogs are widely used by companies of all sizes, levels of user
interaction tend to be lower. This may be explained by the reluctance of Japanese
enterprises and people to get involved in public conversations, or to question something
openly.

It is also notable that many Japanese firms prefer to use blog platforms principally to
distribute messages and content - the ability for users to post comments is sometimes
limited or turned off.

Similar to other social media channels, companies are using them chiefly to talk about
corporate social responsibility-related topics. There appears little evidence of companies
using blogs to extend and deepen their media and influencer relations, for CEO/leadership
communications and other corporate activities.


Figure 8: Level of Frequency - Average Number of Posts on Corporate Blogs

100

Australia China HongKong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand


Table 3: Level of Engagement on Corporate Blogs

Average Number Tone of Comments
Main Focus of the
Countries of Comments & Posts from Fans
Corporate 810gs
from Readers (on scale of 1-5)

Australia

Corporate Reputation &
China 471 2
Responsibility

HongKong 0 0 Marketing Campaigns

India 9 3,5
Responsibility

Indonesia

Japan 100 5
Responsibility

Malaysia
Stakeholder Relations,
Philippines 0 0 Media & Influencer
Relations
Singapore
South Korea 588 3.8 Responsibility, Media &
Influencer Relations
Taiwan
Thailand 0 0 Responsibility,
Marketing Campaigns
Tonality is weighed on a scale of 1-5. with 1 being the most negative and 5 the most positive.


VlDm ~HARING (HANNH~

F
ew top companies across Asia-Pacific are using online video to enhance their
corporate communications; official video sharing channels for corporate
marketing and communications are less popular than social networks,
microblogs and corporate blogs.

The survey (Figure 9) shows that companies in India and Japan are most proactive in terms
of the number of videos they are uploading - around one per working day. Elsewhere,
adding content is much less frequent, and often depends on the archived materials
available.

For now, corporate video channels are mostly failing to attract significant numbers of
subscribers/followers. However, the total average volume of video views per channel is
over 90,000, and notably higher in Australia, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,
confirming the popularity of video from a user perspective and suggesting that
companies are failing to exploit opportunities to bring their stories to life using video (as
well as other multimedia formats).

However, dialogue on video channels remains limited in all countries. Watching video,
even online, is ostensibly a 'lean back' activity. And some companies prefer to limit the
ability for users to comment on their video channels.

In addition to product marketing, companies are using online video channels to talk about
their corporate social responsibility activities, to interview senior management and relay
corporate events and announcements; some companies are also using video to support
their crisis and issues communications.

Few companies are using video for media and influencer relations, CEO/leadership
communications or corporate recruitment marketing, at least in any systematic manner.


Figure 9: Level of Frequency - Average Number of Uploads on Video Sharing
Channels

17

Australia China Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand

Average number of uploads from July 1-31, 2010.

Table 4: Level of Engagement on Video Sharing Channels

Average Nu mber of Average Number of
Main Focus of the Video
Countries Su bscribers Per Video Views Per
Sharing Channels
Channel Channel
Australia 1023 427,945
Responsibility
China
Hong Kong 0 5,678 Marketing Campaigns
Corporate Social
India 160 92,835 Responsibility, Marketing
Campaigns
Indonesia
Issues & Crisis
Japan 5869 165,332
Communications
Malaysia
Philippines
Corporate Reputation,
Singapore 3 1540 Issues & Crisis
Communications
South Korea 154 158,359 Responsibility, Media &
Taiwan 28,571 120,115 Responsibility, Media &
Thailand


Stephanie Aye

AUSTRAliA
While Australians tend to be somewhat conservative by
nature, and are not natural contributors to online
communities or creators of online content', consumer
• 30%
• Active Accounts
Lead Digital Strategist
Email: stephanie.aye@bm.com
Twitter: @steph_aye

_Inactive Accounts

use of social media in Australia is in fact amongst the
highest in the world. Australians have flocked to
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms, all of 20%
which have experienced strong growth over the past 18
months.

However, the majority of Australia's top companies
have yet to leverage social media effectively for
corporate purposes, either to drive awareness or to
build closer relationships with their audiences. Of those
Australian companies that are using social media for Microblogs Social Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing
corporate purposes, microblogs (30%) and video
sharing (20%) are the most popular options, likely due services and mining companies surveyed; it may also
to their relative ease of upkeep and perceived cost be explained by the general reluctance of companies
effectiveness. to commit to channels such as Facebook that are
naturally more open-ended and which can be difficult
Conversely, in line with Burson-Marsteller 2009 to manage, let alone control.
research', Australian companies only rarely use
corporate blogs, which are often seen as highly In general, Australian companies are focused on
resource-intensive. Of the few companies that are leveraging the perceived 'viral' potential of the social
blogging (none in this study), it is noticeable that levels media by trying to push content as far and wide as
of interaction and feedback with and between their possible. From a corporate perspective, this has meant
users tend to be low. a focus on disseminating company news on the
Internet, and using video where appropriate.
On the surface, it is surprising that so few Australian
companies have set up shop on major social networks. Recently, it has become clear that social media can
(In Australia, this is almost always Facebook). In part, play a useful role in supporting customer service,
resulting in a more conversational approach to social
Qantas - Corporate Social Responsibility media communications in this area, not least on less
overtly conversational channels such as Twitter.
~ Wolcome Octobor 2010
IiMIIrrrrrrrr.. OMlMllt..- .. _
However, with some exceptions, judging by the
OAN.AI general reluctance of Australian companies to stick
their toes in the social media waters as well as the lack
of integration between their websites, social media
channels and traditional communications activities,
few leading Australian firms are yet prepared to lead
in front of the pack, or employ a joined-up approach to
"<
Source: http://www.youtube.com/userfqantas this area.
Qantas uses YouTube to provide a lively mix of
corporate announcements, updates on CSR activities
such as the airline's Change for Good partnership with
UNICEF (pictured), product overviews and promotions. 1. Australian Adult Social Technographics Revealed, Forrester Research,
Since it was launched early 2006, the channel has November 2008
2. Social Media Use by Australia's Best Brands, Burson-Marsteller,
attracted over 900,000 views. November 2009


. .-.... . Zaheer Nooruddin
Director, Lead Digital Strategist

CHINA Email: zaheer.nooruddin@bm.com
Twitter: @BMDigitalChina

• Active Accounts Inactive Accounts
Chinese consumers have taken to the Internet, and
continue to do so, in unprecedented numbers. They are
using the social web as a core tool for 50%
information-gathering, decision-making and,
increasingly, as a channel to compare prices and buy
40%
goods and services. Use of social media has spiraled as
users look to social networks, video channels, online
forums and other social platforms for word of mouth
recommendations.
20%

As has been noted" while the Internet and social media
do not yet have the reach of some traditional media,
notably TV, Chinese consumers rate Internet-based
advertising and information as more credible than TV.
Two trends emerge from the study. First, many
Microblogs Social Networi::s Corporate Blogs VideoShilring
companies rushed to set up their social media
presences in 2007 and 2008, but roughly half of those web environment (its corporate website) or,
destinations have since turned inactive. increasingly, as a stand-alone blog on a third party
blogging service platform.
The second trend is that active blogs and microblogs
are increasingly used for what might be termed 'casual' The recent surge in popularity of microblogs has led
communications, in addition to more formal marketing many companies to experiment with these channels.
and public relations campaigns. This indicates that For example, Ctrip, a highly discussed brand in the
Chinese companies are still experimenting with these Chinese social web, is using a microblog hosted on top
platforms, and are grappling to find their own social web portal Sina.com to update its stakeholders on
media strategies - often ones that are quite different corporate news and promote special offers.
from those adopted in the west.
A major upside for microblogging in Chinese is that
Of the many social media tools available, microblogs with the same 140 character limit you can write 70-90
and corporate blogs are the most often used in China. words in Chinese, versus an average of 15 words in
Mainland companies have been relatively quick to English. That's a 6 fold benefit when writing in
adopt and experiment with corporate blogging, Chinese.
integrating them as part of an organization's corporate
The surveyed companies represent some of the
China Mobile - Telecoms Thought Leadership largest industrial and investment companies in
mainland China. Many are state-owned enterprises,
and tend to be conservative in nature, which may
explain why their use of social media is not well
developed.

.J
Another issue to keep in mind is that Twitter, Facebook
... .
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_._
-_.... . _-""_..
-- '._ - '
...... ..
and YouTube are blocked in mainland China.
Accordingly, global campaigns built for those
platforms must be re-strategized, translated into
Source: http://blog.sina.com.cnlcmrililbs
Chinese and re-posted or re-created on China's
China Mobile regularly provides corporate news and dominant social media platforms. China's social media
updates, and comments on telecommunications industry
platforms are conceptually similar to major
trends through its corporate blog (pictured) and
microblog, hosted on top web portals Sina and Sohu international ones, but each platform has its own
respectively. In so doing, it has set the standard for Chinese unique qualities and dynamics.
companies on how to apply these tools to communicate
with the media and other audiences.
1. China's New Pragmatic Consumers, McKinsey Quarterly, October 2010

CORPORATE SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT 2010
23

K'i""I. Zaheer Nooruddin

HONG KONG. .... _n Director, Lead Digital Strategist
Email: zaheer.nooruddin@bm.com
Twitter: @zooruddin

• Active Accounts _ Inactive Accounts
Most companies in Hong Kong are still in the early
stages of assessing how to apply social media to their
businesses. The most popular approach for Hong 50%

Kong-based companies has been to set up a presence
on Facebook, which has very high local reach. Facebook
is much the most popular destination on the Internet in
Hong Kong" with an almost 8% share of web traffic.

International companies have been the most
enthusiastic users of social media, a good example
being Cathay Pacific Airways, which in Hong Kong and
globally, uses Facebook pages, Twitter and other social
media platforms such as video and photo sharing
channels to communicate with its corporate
Microblogs Sodal Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing
stakeholders and its consumers, to handle general
customer enquiries and to drive recruitment.
While Internet users prefer to click on videos and
images on the Internet, rather than pure text, video
However, it is not just international companies that are
sharing channels have yet to be embraced in Hong
adopting Facebook and other channels. For example,
Kong, other than for consumer and product marketing
Hong Kong's MTR Corporation has set up camps both
purposes. This may be due to the relatively small
on Facebook and Twitter to share corporate news and
amount of externally-sharable video content
information with journalists, bloggers, customers and
available, or that video sharing is seen to be only of
railway enthusiasts, including updates on its Corporate
interest to consumers.
Social Responsibility initiatives and programs.
The relatively large number of inactive social network
While Facebook and, to a lesser extent Twitter, are
pages suggest that that many Hong Kong companies
starting to occupy corporate minds, corporate blogging
have yet to decide how best to sustain their social
is almost non-existent in Hong Kong among the
communications and engagement strategies beyond
companies surveyed. In addition to concerns about the
the relatively simple and straight-forward first step of
lack of internal capabilities, corporations may also find
channel creation.
it easier to be "represented" online as an entity, rather
than by individuals within a company.
While Cathay Pacific and MTR are both proactively
encouraging users to share experiences in the form of
Cathay Pacific - Media Be Influencer Relations videos, photos and posts, most of the companies
surveyed are primarily using social media to "push"
corporate-related information, much of it text-based,
and have not reached the stage of activating audience
engagement and through building online
communities of stakeholders through social media
channels.

Going forward, Hong Kong's companies should use
social media to bring to life their brands and make
Source:http://blog.cathaypacific.coml
them truly engaging for their audiences. They can also
Cathay Pacfiic use a mix of social media channels, establish real dialogue between their brands,
including a corporate blog (pictured), to tell the Cathay stakeholders and customers.
corporate story, as well as to announce product news
and promotions, and answer customer questions. Cathay
also encourage users to share their Cathay experiences 1. HitWise Hong Kong. September 2010

with other customers using videos and photos.


Palin Ningthoujam
Digital Strategist

INDIA Email: palin.ningthoujam@bm.com
Twitter: @palinn

• Active Accounts _Inactive Accounts
At 6.9% Internet penetration in India remains
relatively low, yet social media use is swelling as ever 40% 40%
greater numbers of people flock to social media to
network and voice their opinions.

Facebook and Google's Orkut social networks are both
highly popular in India; India is a major engine of
growth for Linkedln. Meantime, Twitter's popularity
among politicians, celebritites, film stars and
sportsmen has given the microblog massive publicity.

Given the low user penetration, combined with a
patchy telecoms infrastructure, Indian companies have
moved relatively fast in response to the opportunities
afforded by social media. Many top Indian corporates
Mitroblogs Social Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing
surveyed are either experimenting or already have
active accounts on Facebook and Twitter. communicate with their many stakeholders, both
domestically as well as in other English language
Hardly surprisingly, India's top technology companies markets. Corporate blogs are also seen as a useful
are proactively using social media of all types for both means of getting your message directed to the
corporate and consumer outreach. audience rather than having to communicate through
intermediaries such as journalists.
Yet companies in other sectors are also jumping on the
social media bandwagon, including FMCG companies, Partly given their international focus, Indian
whose product brands are generally active in the social technology giants such as Infosys and Wipro are
media space, and banks such as ICICI and HDFC. The actively blogging. Infosys has a wide range of blogs,
latter are mostly focused on providing customer service mostly focused on its products, categories and
support and product promotions. partnerships, but also highlighting and analysing
trends around innovation and leadership. Wipro's blog
It is not all Facebook and Twitter. Corporate blogs are discusses technology trends and the firm's
seen as a good way for Indian companies to sustainability initiatives, amongst other topics.

Using video to tell the corporate story is also gaining
Infosys - Business Thought Leadership
ground in India. Here, companies are using YouTube
(and increasingly Facebook) to host interviews and
speeches by senior management and promote events,
Leadenti
in addition to supporting broader marketing
p _..-_... campaigns.
lbo .., . . . . - . . _ ........ u .......?

~~§~:.~~~~~~::= t.-- Indian companies still put great emphasis on their
_._ .. _--_._---__--_...... _-
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.._ . __,,-
-_...._-------__._--- .. websites. But only a small minority has sought to
-_0..._.._ . _.. . .._-_ .. _...-.-- ._..__-
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.
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Source http://www.infosysblog!>.(omI
.=::-"='"-
integrate their websites and activities on third party
social media platforms. While Indian companies
appear relatively comfortable with corporate blogs,
In addition to a slew of blogs on its products and most companies are still experimenting with
partnerships, management and experts at IT firm Facebook and are not yet ready to join their various
Infosys tackle topics from global economics and business online channels at the hip.
regulation to innovation, leadership and employee
motivation and retention on their Flat Earth and
Leaderati blogs (pictured). 1. InlernelWorldSlales, November 2008

25

NDONf~IA
Natashia Jaya
Associate
Email: natashia.jaya@bm.com
I Twitter: @natsiii

• Active Accounts _Inactive Accounts
Indonesians have only taken to social media relatively
recently. But the growth rates have been extraordinary,
fueled in part by high mobile and 3G penetration rates, 50%

combined with widespread enthusiasm for mobile
communication and social networking.

While the country's Internet penetration rate remains
low, some 28m ' Indonesians have registered to use
Facebook, the second highest number worldwide. And
20%
Jakarta is now labeled the 'Twitter Capital of Asia'
based on its high share of global Twitter users'.

The impact of such enthusiasm for social media has
been immediate. Aside from sharing personal
experiences, Indonesians are using these technologies Microblogs Social Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing
to bring about societal change. The role of social media
Video for corporate communication has yet to take off
in helping resolve the reported misdiagnosis and
in Indonesia. This is most likely due to the country's
subsequent mistreatment of Prita Mulyasari 3 at a
poor telecoms infrastructure and high commercial
Jakarta hospital has been well documented, and there
and retail broadband prices. And while smartphones
are many other examples.
are increasingly widely used, the fashion is for
Blackberries, which are less suited to viewing video
Furthermore, Indonesian journalists, analysts and other
than other smartphones.
influencers are highly active on both Facebook and
Twitter, using these channels to track trends, research
Nonetheless, telecommunications companies are
stories and discuss issues with their friends and
amongst the most active adopters of social media
professional networks.
channels in Indonesia. Both Indosat and Telkom
Indonesia are using Facebook and Twitter, on which
Despite this, Indonesian companies have been generally
they have built substantial communities.
slow to use social media for corporate communication
and marketing, and are largely still in experimentation
Engagement and interaction with stakeholders and
mode, restricting their activities to social networks and
customers does not seem to be the main objective.
microblogs, specifically Facebook and Twitter, which
Rather, top Indonesian companies are looking at social
they use largely to distribute company news and to talk
media primarily to disseminate content and drive
about their Corporate Social Responsibility
awareness. Interestingly, the little interaction
programmes.
between companies and users is mostly on Twitter -
perhaps due to the microblog's relative ease of use
Kalbe Farma - Healthcare Thought Leadership from a corporate perspective.

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From the high percentage of inactive social media
QI>e fanM Wortsnop "tlutJltlOMl Support to( c.anc... ""Milt"' KOlloS VI POL accounts in Indonesia, it is clear that Indonesian
tAl. Malof'lg,29Stpttm!lef2(l10http://bLIy/bplSgV
.0Ct<JbIr12.t7"O"""'_~1_ISCoImlenlUoo companies are mostly still taking a short-term
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TrNlmt'nt al'ld Flnurdlln M~ Sdtrosis) ~://b'A.Iy/elTJt.o approach. We expect this to change as the Internet
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KoIlber;lnn<lHartp.an~ru~Voksln~Ilttp://bIt.Iy/bkVYvg
and social media expand their reach beyond the urban
loUt • 0<_12I!J:«cro.~~1_l:f;·e-1

£)S"".... lU'If..,,-.
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areas, broadband becomes more pervasive and
Source: http://www.facebook.com/KalbeFarma.Tbk companies develop a greater understanding of the
Pharmaceutical company Kalbe Farma uses Facebook to need to build close relationships with their
highlight industry research into Alzheimer's, cancer and sta keholders.
other illnesses (pictured). The page also highlights health
workshops the company holds for local communities,
and the Research and Technology-Kalbe Science Awards 1. CheckFacebook.com, October 2010
(RKSA) that it holds beinnially to reward Indonesian 2. Sysomos, January 2010
researchers for their achievements. 3. http'!/en.wikipedia.org/wikilPrita_Mulyasari


Cindy Low

JAPAN 00 Senior Associate
Email: cindy.low@bm.com

• Active Accounts Inactive Accounts
On the surface, social media and the Japanese are not
natural bedfellows. For westerners, social media is
about networking and dialogue, an opportunity for 30%

individuals to promote themselves as topic experts. In
Japan, blogging is mostly done for oneself, and is rarely
promoted. Social networks are used largely to reinforce
existing relationships, not develop new ones. 20%

From a corporate point of view, social media demands a
transparent and conversational approach to
communications that does not come naturally to
Japanese organizations prone to bureaucracy and
hierarchy.

Yet after a hesitant start, Japanese people have taken Microblogs Social Networks Corporate Blogs Video Sharing
to social media with some gusto. Microblogs, especially
Twitter, are proving highly popular, and while social corporate blogs and video channels, it is striking that
networks such as Mixi have struggled to advance no companies in this study are using major Japanese
beyond the 20 million user mark, social gaming, the (such as Mixi or Gree) or international social networks
latest big hit, looks likely to last the distance. to communicate with journalists and other corporate
stakeholders.
Unlike many small businesses, which see the Internet
and social media as a cost-effective way to cut through Strikingly, neither are companies using corporate
the consumer clutter, Japan's top companies have been blogs, apparently contradicting Burson-Marsteller
more wary, using social media sparingly for research ' that found that corporate blogs are used by
consumer/product marketing, and little as a means to a number of leading Japanese firms (none of which are
build their corporate reputation. covered in this study). Yet the bulk of these blogs were
targeted at specific markets - mostly the US - as
Of the companies surveyed, there is a high proportion opposed to global or local Japanese channels.
of inactive accounts. Why? Most likely as Japanese
enterprises are still feeling their way in this area, and Furthermore, Japanese companies often review blog
are sitting on their channels until they have decided posts before they are posted, or turn off the ability for
how to move forward in a systematic manner. users to comment, thereby limiting open dialogue and
turning the channel more into another content
Ofthose companies that are actively using social media distribution arm.
while there is some experimentation with microblogs,
It is also apparent that major Japanese companies are
Nissan - Media 8c Influencer Relations not taking advantage of the Japanese love of video
and the country's high speed 3G networks to tell their
-- .. ............. ...
story, opting instead to host videos on their own

--- - ---
lll....I:;"('S.')-7>t7., :.-J!tlIIIlUl• •7l"...,.. ~.-a"
".c~o:~~'.t..ltl
_ _10:7771.0 IP'B~1J~
,... websites, and then mostly to support their consumer
marketing programmes.

----
HISSAH

-- ..
J•
_ _ b _ ....
....
~"""'-"'-0.:1""~

_ ~

a.')-7'l'7" .... :.-JtJIIIJQ.V". ::1-:'-U1:~
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_
......

=-::.,:.- 1---

:.=.::.=-=.::.==-
While large Japanese companies may not be
aggressive users of social media, this does not mean
Source: http://twitter.com/'!/nissan that they are not paying attention to trends in media
Drawing on press conferences, trade shows and other consumption nor to the requirements and behaviours
events, Nissan communicates its corporate activities, of their stakeholders and customers. Strong demand
including environmental and community programs, using
for social media monitoring services in Japan is
its website, Twitter and live video streaming service,
USTREAM. Aimed principally at the Japanese market for
evidence of this interest.
now, such an approach can help Nissan to extend its
corporate reach to other markets.
1. Global Social Media Check-Up, Burson-Marsteller, February 2010

27

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