The world of social media: global players and Local heroes

25. 05. 2010 | http://eccosocialmedia.wordpress.com
 
ECCO International provides first insight into national social media in 22 countries - highlighting both major differences and similarities in social media trends.
 
ECCO international, the global network of independent PR agencies, has compiled an extensive overview of the social media market and trends in 22 countries including the major European economies, the USA, India, Mexico and South America. ECCO’s country social media reports are the first global insight to be made available for free and represent a ‘must read’ for international communications professionals or multinational companies with an interest in addressing social media. The reports, all in English, are free and available on the ECCO website (www.ecco-network.com) from 16.00 on Tuesday 4th May.

The reports will be helpful to anyone who wants or needs to understand the impact of social media on personal and professional lives at an international level or discover how social media influence communications professionals across the globe. Unsurprisingly, all of the big names appear somewhere in the reports.  Well known social media such as Facebook, MySpace, XING, Hi5, LinkedIn, Orkut, YouTube and Google all feature as expected but the reports uncover clear and distinct market differences. In Germany, for example, Facebook and MySpace are ousted by the VZ Group. Whilst in many countries, the usual names are leading the social media pack, in others local heroes are bucking the trend to become the leading social media brands.

Why use social media networks? The most widespread use of social networks is for connecting friends or downloading images and/or photographs but the reports also indicate other reasons for getting connected. Says Sara Render, Chairman of ECCO International: “The new country reports out today show that ECCO International members have embraced social media as part of their communications services portfolio. 

It’s also important for every international communications professional to understand that - just like culture, media landscape and PR practice - social media behaviour differs country by country.  One size really does not fit all - and to ignore local differences and social media nuances could result in wasted investment and ill-informed social media PR programmes.”

ECCO members are all committed to delivering regular reports and updates on social media developments. Says Render: “Communications is a dynamic and exciting market at the moment.  There’s been a radical shift in the media landscape and in PR practice. But - and communications professionals need to remember this ? the theory remains the same. It is no longer a vertical communications model but a horizontal one.  We need to think about conversations not campaigns.”

The ECCO country reports all give extensive insights into local market statistics, different social media types, useful social media tools, tips and tricks and explanations of the key players in online measurement and evaluation.  Every country report looks at best practice with case studies and popular blogs are included too - from CEOs to Bollywood stars. The research was conducted in: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela, UK, USA and UAE. The reports are all based on the ECCO UK report published in the autumn of 2009 by K+R in London.