Wave 9: The meaning of moments
WE SUBCONSCIOUSLY drift in and out throughout the day in search of that perfect gratification for our many needs.
Driven by our needs as humans, we are dictated by moments during the span of each day.
UM, a division of IPG Mediabrands, recently introduced the ninth edition of “Wave 9: The Meaning of Moments” annual global survey of the habits of social media users.
It is the largest and longest global survey of its kind with over 52,000 respondents across 78 countries, built on 10 years of research around social media users’ behaviour.
Here are some major points from this proprietary study:
We are doing more with our smartphones
Asked what activities have been performed during the last six months, global consumers’ responses show a significant increase in virtually all aspects of smartphone usage.
We use it actively to share our location, do instant messaging, upload and watch videos, manage our social media profiles, and we are doing more of everything!
Social media is serious business
This revolutionary platform has always been about facilitating seamless connections between people, blurring the line between the physical and virtual worlds.
While entertainment has always been the primary emotional benefit of engaging in social media, consumers are more involved than ever in promoting themselves and making money.
We are living in the moment more than ever
About 85 per cent of respondents are actively using instant messaging, up 23 percentage points.
Half feel it is important to seem active on social media and half worry about missing out on something on social media.
The plethora of IM platforms helps facilitate those moments in an instantaneous way.
Expectations for brands are at an all-time high
Consumers are expecting much more from brands than just laying out the latest information about their products.
The most significant increase is in consumers’ needs for access to advice and help.
CRM, along with big data, will play a vital role in the near future in helping to connect brands at an emotional moment, when consumers are in need the |most.
The proliferation of Line Official accounts and Line@ has helped bridge this connection and how far chat bots can go still needs close scrutiny by the industry.
The other two equally important interactions that consumers want with brands are content that helps them escape from their daily lives and somethings they feel are worth sharing.
Because in the end, you are what you share.
Of the 60 billion interactions intercepted each day, UM was able to drill those down to 120 key moments, and grouped them into nine categories that directly impact brands, family, finance, hobbies, work, technology, travel socialising, looking after yourself and shopping.
Glen Parker, head of UM insight and author of Wave 9, said the omnipresence of social channels and mobile devices provides advertisers today with countless opportunities for engagement, but it is meaningful moments that connect brands with their audience in an emotionally relevant way.
PRADON SIRAKOVIT is associate director of corporate communications at IPG Mediabrands Thailand. He can be reached at [email protected].
