Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising and promotions
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- Market sized at 248 million users, $2.4 billion
- More profiles, more friends
- Increasing access to PCs and smartphones drives market
- Facebook leads the pack
- Facebook’s appeal is nearly universal among SNS users
- MySpace skews male, young, and low-income
- Blog sites
- How sites are used
Insights and Opportunities
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- Monetizing corporate profiles and third party apps
- Non-professional LinkedIn
- Recovery networking
- Organizing social network feeds
- Creating a fan base
- Men, young people want to participate in advertising, be rewarded
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- Figure 1: Interest in participating in ad campaigns via social networking profiles, by gender, November 2009
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- Figure 2: Interest in participating in ad campaigns via social networking profiles, by age, November 2009
Inspire Insights
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- Trend: Rise of the Screenager
- Implications: Meeting new friends to change as offline and online realities merge
- Implications for the market: Transferring knowledge
- Implications for the market: Location-based marketing
Market Size
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- Figure 3: U.S. SN marketing spend, 2007-11
- Figure 4: U.S. SN marketing spend, at inflation-adjusted prices*, 2007-11
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- Figure 5: U.S. social networking marketing spend as share of new media marketing, 2007-09
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Market Drivers
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- Increasing access to PCs and broadband at home
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- Figure 6: Ownership of home PCs and office use of PCs, 2003-09
- Smartphone uptake
- Other portable devices
- Dual personas/privacy
Leading Companies
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- Introduction: Penetration for having a profile
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- Figure 7: Penetration for SN profiles, by gender, age, and household income, November 2009
- Facebook doubles traffic in 2009
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- Figure 8: Unique visitors to SNS, January 2009 vs. December 2009
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- Figure 9: Web usage and business models of top SNS, December 2009
- Figure 10: Web usage and business models of top SNS, December 2009 (continued)
- Trended weekly users
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- Figure 11: SNS used on a weekly basis, October 2008 vs. November 2009
- Facebook skews female while MySpace draws men
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- Figure 12: SNS used on a weekly basis, by gender, November 2009
- Those aged 25-34 central to the market
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- Figure 13: SNS used on a weekly basis, by age, November 2009
- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs appeal to the affluent
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- Figure 14: SNS used on a weekly basis, by household income, November 2009
Brand Qualities
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- MySpace
- Ning
- Tagged
- Classmates
- Blog sites
- Blogger
- Livejournal
- Tumblr
- Multimedia sites with social networking capabilities
Innovations and Innovators
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- Facebook streams videos live
- Facebook and Huffington Post launch HuffPost Social News
- Twitter phone joins Facebook phone
- AN SNS for moms
- Sears and Kmart get their own SNS
- Facebook makes tracking viral content easier
- Lufthansa updates Twitter or Facebook status messages
- Google joins the fray
Advertising and Promotion
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- Cross-branding
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- Figure 15: Black Planet co-promoted with Dove television ad, 2009
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- Figure 16: Twitter co-promoted with TMZ television ad, 2009
- Figure 17: Twitter co-promoted with News Channel 13 television ad, 2009
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- Figure 18: MySpace co-promoted with Glee television ad, 2009
- Moms Like Me
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- Figure 19: Moms Like Me television ad, 2009
Profiles and Friends
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- Figure 20: Penetration for SN profiles, by gender, age, and household income, October 2008 vs. November 2009
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- Figure 21: Number of friends/contacts, by age, November 2009
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The Artists Online
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- Deviant Art and Vimeo: Social networking specifically for artists
- Under-35s post their own content
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- Figure 22: Posting one’s own music and video on SNS, by age, November 2009
- Young men interested in self-promotion
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- Figure 23: Artistic promotion on SNS, by gender, November 2009
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- Figure 24: Artistic promotion on SNS, by age, November 2009
Viral Pass through: Media Properties
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- Under-35s like to share music, video
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- Figure 25: Active viral pass through of media on an SNS, by age, November 2009
- SNS users like to learn about media from friends
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- Figure 26: Passive viral pass through of media on an SNS, by age, November 2009
- Women more close to, trustful of SNS friends
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- Figure 27: Trust and closeness of friends on SNS, by gender, November 2009
- Under-35s least likely to trust SNS friends
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- Figure 28: Trust and closeness of friends on SNS, by age, November 2009
Gaming
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- Networked gaming appeals to a wide audience
- Under-45s central to social gaming
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- Figure 29: Participation in gaming on an SNS, by age, November 2009
Below the Line Marketing
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- Examples of below the line marketing on SNS
- More than one third friends with a brand
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- Figure 30: Activities related to below-the-line marketing on SNS, November 2009
- Trendwatch: Friending brands on rapid uptake
- SNS branding to appeal to 25-34-year-olds
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- Figure 31: Activities related to below-the-line marketing for non-media properties on SNS, by age, November 2009
- Under-25s often fans of media
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- Figure 32: Activities related to below-the-line marketing for media properties on SNS, by age, November 2009
- Wealthy respondents follow brands’ tweets
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- Figure 33: Following companies or brands on an SNS, by HH income, November 2009
- Sweepstakes on SNS
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- Figure 34: Entering sweepstakes on an SNS, by gender, November 2009
- Figure 35: Entering sweepstakes on an SNS, by age, November 2009
Ads on SNS
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- Widgets make online marketing entertaining and useful
- Under-55s central to SNS above-the-line advertising
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- Figure 36: Activities related to ads on an SNS, by age, November 2009
- Trendwatch: Interest in above-the-line advertising on SNS falling
- Men, young people want to participate in advertising, be rewarded
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- Figure 37: Interest in participating in ad campaigns via social networking profiles, by gender, November 2009
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- Figure 38: Interest in participating in ad campaigns via social networking profiles, by age, November 2009
Learning about Brands
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- One in five visit brand profiles
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- Figure 39: Brand-related activity on an SNS, by age, November 2009
Shooting the Breeze
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- Figure 40: Discussing the news on an SNS, by age, November 2009
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Apps and Gifts
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- Popular promotional apps and gifts
- Non-branded apps twice as popular
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- Figure 41: Use of apps, by age, November 2009
- Virtual gifts appeal to women
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- Figure 42: Giving virtual gifts on an SNS, by gender, November 2009
- Gifts for 35-44-year-olds
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- Figure 43: Giving virtual gifts on an SNS, by age, November 2009
Dating, Career, Causes and Events
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- Dating apps
- Men making new friends on SNS
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- Figure 44: Activities on an SNS, by gender, November 2009
- Under-35s meet people, find parties on SNS
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- Figure 45: Activities on an SNS, by age, November 2009
- Men use SNS for career advancement, dating
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- Figure 46: How SNS are used, by gender, November 2009
- Those aged 25-44 look to SNS for career, dating
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- Figure 47: How SNS are used, by age, November 2009
Mobile Networking
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- Figure 48: How SNS are used, by gender, November 2009
- Figure 49: How SNS are used, by age, November 2009
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Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Minorities more likely to have a social networking profile
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- Figure 50: Having one or more social networking profile, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- MySpace, Twitter appeal to minorities
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- Figure 51: SNS used on a weekly basis, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Active viral pass through most common among Hispanic, “other”
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- Figure 52: Active viral pass through on an SNS, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Passive viral pass through appeals to same groups
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- Figure 53: Passive viral pass through on an SNS, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Self-promotion for Hispanics, “other”
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- Figure 54: Self-promotion activities on an SNS, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Gaming appeals to minorities
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- Figure 55: Gaming on an SNS, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Minorities respond more to SNS advertising
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- Figure 56: Activities related to ads on an SNS, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Minorities want to be rewarded for promoting brands on SNS
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- Figure 57: Monetizing ads on an SNS, by race and Hispanic origin, November 2009
Custom Consumer: Teens
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- Girls 15-17 most likely to have SNS profile…
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- Figure 58: Having one or more social networking profile, by age and gender among teens, November 2009
- … and most likely to have more than 200 “friends”
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- Figure 59: Number of friends/contacts on social networking profile, by age and gender among teens, November 2009
- Teens “friend” movies, games, books and musical artists
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- Figure 60: Relationship with a media property on an SNS, November 2009
- Teens see ads as affront on SNS
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- Figure 61: Response to advertising on an SNS, November 2009
Cluster Analysis
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- Sucked in by the Kids
- Just for Funners
- Ambitious Addicts
- Characteristic tables
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- Figure 62: Social networking clusters, November 2009
- Figure 63: Number of friends on primary SNS, by clusters, November 2009
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- Figure 64: Use of entertainment media on SNS, by clusters, November 2009
- Figure 65: Friending and “fanning” brands and media properties, by clusters, November 2009
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- Figure 66: Attitudes towards ads on SNS, by clusters, November 2009
- Figure 67: Gifting and making friends on SNS, by clusters, November 2009
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- Figure 68: Activities related to companies, brands, and causes on SNS, by clusters, November 2009
- Figure 69: Use of apps on SNS, by clusters, November 2009
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- Figure 70: Objective-oriented and mobile usage of SNS, by clusters, November 2009
- Figure 71: Willingness to post ads in exchange for rewards, by clusters, November 2009
- Demographic tables
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- Figure 72: Social networking clusters, by gender, November 2009
- Figure 73: Social networking clusters, by age group, November 2009
- Figure 74: Social networking clusters, by household income group, November 2009
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- Figure 75: Social networking clusters, by race, November 2009
- Figure 76: Social networking clusters, by Hispanic origin, November 2009
- Cluster methodology
Appendix: Other Useful Tables
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- Figure 77: Activities on an SNS, by household income, November 2009
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- Figure 78: Activities related to below-the-line marketing on an SNS, by gender, November 2009
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- Figure 79: Activities related to below-the-line marketing on an SNS, by household income, November 2009
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- Figure 80: Activities related to ads on an SNS, by gender, November 2009
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- Figure 81: Activities related to ads on an SNS, by household income, November 2009
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- Figure 82: Activities on an SNS, by gender, November 2009
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Appendix: Trade Associations
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