global social media: 20 networks to know in 2012
TRANSCRIPT
Global Social Media: 20 Networks to Know in 2012
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
2
Global Social Media:
The World Beyond Our Borders
As social media evolves, brands and
marketers alike are facing the
realization that successful global
marketing programs will need to
grow beyond the mainstays of sites
like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
While this can seem a daunting
challenge, to explore the digital
world beyond the platforms we
know, there are a few global power-
players with which social media
professionals should get acquainted.
To that end, we have assembled an
overview of social networks we
believe will start playing an active
role in brands’ global marketing
programs in 2012 and beyond. In
the pages that follow we provide a
brief look at 20 networks (each with a
minimum of 10 million registered
users) from around the globe that
showcase social media’s
powerhouses.
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
3
Spring Creek Group Methodology
Our research was informed by publicly available information, analyst
commentary from those publishing in-market and, when possible,
firsthand experience using the networks.
While this has shaped our initial analysis of these networks, we recognize
that elements like membership totals are in flux and are often reported at
artificially inflated rates.
Our information is based on the most widely reported and commonly
accepted figures for the end of the third calendar quarter in 2011.
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Profiled networks in this publication include: Bebo, Cyworld, Friendster, Habbo, Hi5, Hyves,
Kaixin001, Mixi, Me2Day, Nasza Klasa, Odnoklassniki, Orkut, Pengyou, Q Zone, Renren, Skyrock, Sonico, Tuenti, V Kontakte and 51.com.
4
The Birth of Social
Networks:
Launches from 1999 to
2010
For many, social media’s
original social network was
Friendster, followed closely
by MySpace. However,
Cyworld and Habbo were
founded much earlier,
offshoots from traditional
chat rooms.
For others, it was
Facebook’s launch that
catalyzed the era of social
media for the U.S. – this is
true, though Latin America,
Western Europe and Asia
each saw their own social
media platform emerge.
By the time Twitter joined
the globe, the landscape
had already grown
cluttered. In the years that
followed, the space
continued to grow and
fragment, as we can
observe in today’s social
landscape.
2001
2009
2002
2000
2010
2008
1999
2005
2007
2004
2006
2003
So
cia
l N
etw
ork
s b
y L
au
nc
h D
ate
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
5
So
cia
l N
etw
ork
s w
ith
10
0M
+
Re
gis
te
re
d M
em
be
rs
The Behemoths: Dynasties and Upstarts
The largest of the networks we profiled, those we deemed the
“Behemoths”, maintained registered user totals at or above 100 million,
as shown in the chart below. This set was diverse, representing most of
the globe and showcasing both the oldest and newest social networks.
From a geographic perspective, the group was dominated by some of
the largest Chinese social networks including Q Zone, RenRen, 51.com
and Pengyou. Eastern Europe’s flagship sites, Odnoklassniki and
Vkontakte, were also highlighted due to their remarkably large user
bases.
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
530M
230M
160M
160M
135M
129M
117M
115M
100M
6
So
cia
l N
etw
ork
s w
ith
10
M-
99
M
Re
gis
te
re
d M
em
be
rs
The Small Giants: Powerful Regional Players
Though smaller than their counterparts on the previous page, our
“Small Giants” are social networks with user totals between 10 million
and 99 million that demonstrated the success that can be had by
focusing on a single linguistic or geographic region.
This group also underscored the truly global embrace of social media.
Spanning from Asia to Europe, this group captured the variety of
successful approaches from reinventing virtual banking and credit
transactions (Hyves), to providing a highly closed and controlled
network (Mixi), to focusing on students (Nasza Klasa).
75M
66M
46M
27M
25M
22M
20M
18M
12M
10M
10M
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
7
The Behemoths:
Signs of Consolidation
With Facebook clearly established as
the first true global social network,
many of the older sites’ stars will
wane. For players like Tencent
Holdings this may mean rolling up its
family of social networks into a single
portal. For others, success will lie in
earning a reputation as industry-
leading in an area like virtual
payments, social gaming or location-
based mobile offerings.
The Small Giants:
Innovation Will Be Key
For smaller regional networks the
pressure is even higher to retain and
expand their user base, or else they
will quickly lose mindshare to their
larger rivals. This has translated into a
continued push towards innovation
and differentiation, an environment
where networks must carve out a
loyal niche to remain competitive.
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
8
Social Network Profiles: A Quick Readers’ Guide
The profiles of each network on the following pages include basic
information about the networks as well as brief summaries of their
history, value to the marketplace and any significant factors that will
impact the sites’ success or growth.
Each profile also highlights the network’s primary geographic region(s)
on a map in the upper right hand corner.
Beyond this, we highlight through an on/off button system (shown
above) which focus areas the network appears most heavily invested in,
those that are considered competitive differentiators.
Each profile closes with a summary of the site’s primary competitive
opportunity, that which would most likely contribute to the network’s
continued marketplace success.
Network’s Primary
Region
Global Map
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming File
Sharing Business
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users
Competitive Focus Areas
All content proprietary. ©2012
9
20 Global Networks to
Know in 2012
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 530 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): China
‡ Achieved acclaim as the largest Chinese network by
piggybacking on parent company Tencent’s QQ
Messenger
‡ Nickname-based network alternative to sister site
Pengyou
‡ Popular with teen audience, though lagging with
older adults
Opportunity:
Better integration with other Tencent networks could consolidate and
better unify segments of the Chinese social market.
10
URL: qzone.qq.com
Launch Date: 2005
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 230 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): 31 countries
‡ Fading from its heyday, still attracts high-profile
sponsors and celebrities due to teen-centric focus
‡ Several “hotels” (region-specific portals) merged or
closed due to low activity levels
‡ Experienced moderators for age-specific site, well-
managed and reliable payments/credits system
Opportunity:
Potential to leverage exclusive content and promos to drive
membership growth in key teen demographic.
11
URL: habbo.com
Launch Date: 2000
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 160 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): China
‡ Well-earned reputation as “The Facebook of China”
and has completed the transition from a college-
centric site to an open network
‡ Recent IPO has drawn attention to network’s
continued compliance with state censorship
‡ Clear power player in the Chinese market, even with
acknowledged inflated membership totals
Opportunity:
Increased membership from Kaixin001.com integration could
reengage inactive members and attract a broader audience.
12
URL: renren.com
Launch Date: 2005
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing Business
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 160 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): China
‡ Fading in popularity but still widely popular with rural
users in China
‡ Lackluster innovation and increased competition has
drawn comparisons with MySpace’s rise and fall
‡ Will maintain social gaming focus with increased
investment by MMO leader Giant Interactive
Opportunity:
Potential to revamp network leveraging MMO features to expand user
base and increase time spent on site.
13
URL: 51.com
Launch Date: 2005
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 135 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Eastern Europe,
Central Asia
‡ One of the first Facebook copycats, now the dominant
Russian social network
‡ Maintains a wildly popular integrated torrent file-
sharing feature
‡ Recent language build-out indicates market
expansion, but site now requires invitation to join
Opportunity:
Expansion into 67 languages is fueling speculation that the network is
planning for an IPO in 2012.
14
URL: vkontakte.ru
Launch Date: 2006
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 129 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): China
‡ Growing quickly in targeted Chinese white-collar and
middle class audience segments
‡ Requires that users provide real names, testing
enterprise version for inter-office communication
‡ Recent exclusive local game contract with Zynga
indicates social gaming is a clear priority
Opportunity:
Enterprise offering could open up new user base, while traffic levels
and game exclusivity may catalyze site to lead Chinese market.
15
URL: pengyou.com
Launch Date: 2010
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 117 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): 17+ countries
‡ Once a power player, now lagging in innovation and
facing stagnant membership numbers
‡ Recent entrant into social gaming but titles have
gained popularity quickly
‡ Introduction of Facebook-compatible APIs now allow
game porting
Opportunity:
New ownership could refresh the brand and articulate a more
concentrated focus on gaming or traditional social networking.
16
URL: bebo.com
Launch Date: 2005
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 115 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Southeast Asia
‡ Re-launched in 2011 as a social gaming platform,
though still carries legacy as a failed social network
‡ Successful virtual payments system embraced by
users for in-game purchases
‡ Multi-lingual single platform with millions of
grandfathered accounts
Opportunity:
Legacy user base that, if reactivated and coupled with new game titles
and micro-spending, could quickly scale up earnings.
17
URL: friendster.com
Launch Date: 2002
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 100 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Eastern Europe,
Central Asia
‡ Consistently ranks as a top 5 Alexa-ranked site in
Eastern European/Central Asian countries (e.g.
Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan)
‡ Features social gaming and tight integration with
popular email service Mail.ru
‡ Faces stiff competition from local player Vkontakte
and global player Facebook.
Opportunity:
Growth has been slow but steady and has remained the preferred site
for highly-educated users in former Soviet states.
18
URL: odnoklassniki.ru
Launch Date: 2006
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 75 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): China
‡ Early and dominant player in Chinese office worker
user base for social gaming
‡ Plagued by slow game development, recently opened
platform to select partners for app expansion
‡ Users spend twice as much time on this site versus
competitor sites
Opportunity:
Opening its platform should increase title development and may
attract a broader user base while retaining existing members.
19
URL: kaixin001.com
Launch Date: 2008
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 66 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Brazil, India, Japan
‡ Saw little traction in the U.S. market, but quickly
flourished in the BRIC region
‡ Tight integration with Google products, especially
Gmail, Gchat and YouTube
‡ Fraught with spam profiles and often the target of
worm/hacking attacks
Opportunity:
Established in several emerging markets; with Google backing, there is
potential to earn mindshare before other networks enter the market.
20
URL: orkut.com
Launch Date: 2004
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 46 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Latin America
‡ Rebranded in 2010 as a social gaming site with rapid
(non-exclusive) title release schedule
‡ Newly launched proprietary monetization platform
(Sociopay) and distribution channel (Sociopath)
‡ Introduction of Facebook-compatible APIs now allow
game porting
Opportunity:
Monetization and distribution efforts may increase profits while new
titles could continue to draw new members.
21
URL: hi5.com
Launch Date: 2003
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 27 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Poland
‡ Originally student-centric, now an open network with
near-complete market saturation in Poland
‡ Active player in the social gaming market though
game titles are fading in popularity
‡ Has publicly emphasized expanding users’ mobile
experience in future development
Opportunity:
Mobile emphasis tied with gaming expansion could create innovative
take on mobile/social/gaming intersection.
22
URL: nk.pl
Launch Date: 2006
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 25 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Western Europe
‡ Associated with the French radio station of the same
name
‡ Popular with self-styled musicians seeking
collaboration partners or looking to be discovered
‡ Foothold in Western Europe and French-speaking
nations especially among youth, but little adoption on
a global scale
Opportunity:
Skyrock radio station offers opportunity for integration or promotion;
user base ripe for UGC campaigns.
23
URL: skyrock.com
Launch Date: 2007
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 21.6 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Japan
‡ Controls membership by requiring a Japanese mobile
phone number to join
‡ Recent partnership with Twitter perceived as effort to
counter Facebook’s market entry
‡ Popular with celebrities/tarento who maintain official
profiles on the network
Opportunity:
Twitter partnership may loosen up the closed nature of the network,
opening up opportunity for expansion to new markets.
24
URL: mixi.jp
Launch Date: 2004
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 20 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Latin America
‡ Popular throughout the Spanish-speaking world,
recently expanded into the Portuguese market
‡ Offers users unique and separate personal,
professional and public profiles
‡ Slow innovation has led to losses to both Facebook
and other regional networks
Opportunity:
Successful Portuguese-language expansion could be replicated across
new target markets.
25
URL: sonico.com
Launch Date: 2007
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 18 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): China, South Korea,
Vietnam
‡ Smaller than other regional networks, though user
base is loyal to Gaia Online-like customizable design
‡ Failed market entry in Germany, Japan and the U.S.
led to abrupt portal shutdowns
‡ Successful premium item marketplace for decorating
“rooms” (personal pages) popular with users
Opportunity:
Monetization model could be replicated in new market launch,
though expansion would need to be limited to target geographies.
26
URL: cyworld.com.cn or
cyworld.co.kr
Launch Date: 1999
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 12 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Spain
‡ Reputation as the “Spanish Facebook” earned
through minimalist UI and popularity with students
‡ Strict privacy controls and requires invitation for
membership
‡ Leveraged by parent Telefonica as testing ground for
its MVNO offering, overall very strong in mobile
Opportunity:
Hugely popular in Spanish market with potential to expand
mobile/social offerings outside core market.
27
URL: tuenti.com
Launch Date: 2006
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 10.3 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Netherlands
‡ Comprehensive virtual payment program also offers
person to person and real-world payments, accepted
in most Dutch restaurants/bars
‡ Small footprint with no expanded language coverage
‡ Social gaming features remain competitive though
networking offerings are limited
Opportunity:
Payments program could rival traditional credit transactions,
especially when combined with mobile expansion.
28
URL: hyves.nl
Launch Date: 2004
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 10 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): South Korea
‡ South Korea’s Twitter alternative with a 150-character
limit and a mobile-focused interface
‡ Features official profiles and updates from well-known
Korean celebrities
‡ Until recently, single language portal; English portal
launched in late 2011
Opportunity:
With English portal launch, potential to expand beyond current
market footprint.
29
URL: me2day.net
Launch Date: 2007
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
30
From Dating to Job Hunting:
3 Additional Networks to Note
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
31
Professional Networking:
More than LinkedIn
European rivals Viadeo and XING are
clear professional networking leaders.
While their user bases remain largely in
Europe, both are poised for large scale
expansion. As the blurring of
professional and social networking
continues, these sites are both worth
keeping an eye on.
Dating and Mobile Hookups:
Beyond Online Dating
Though online dating networks were not
included in our research, the massive
dating site Badoo emerged as a strong
rival to traditional social networking.
Badoo’s mobile integration and
meteoric growth based entirely on word
of mouth mean this network is one to
watch. However, note Badoo’s growth
has also been accompanied by closer
public scrutiny of the seedier side of
Badoo’s audience.
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 11.4 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): 200 countries
‡ Largely European and German-language market
professional network, smaller than regional
competitors
‡ Closed enterprise groups for big-name businesses like
IBM and Accenture
‡ Successful premium vs. free model and well-respected
privacy/anti-spam features
Opportunity:
Enterprise group model could be replicated to support targeted
expansion.
32
URL: xing.com
Launch Date: 2003
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 40 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Europe
‡ Largest European professional network, M&A activity
helping penetrate Asia and South America
‡ Recent acquisition of a contact management provider
indicates move to differentiate
‡ Profitable with steady revenue stream from premium
accounts
Opportunity:
Active M&A period quickly changing competitive position and global
footprint.
33
URL: viadeo.com
Launch Date: 2004
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Registered Members: 125 M (approx.)
Primary Region(s): Latin America,
Western Europe
‡ Hybrid dating/chat site with reputation as a source for
casual hookups
‡ Remarkable growth based purely on WOM though
plagued with rumors of use in sex industry
‡ Successful monetization model with seamless mobile
integration
Opportunity:
Mobile model replication and continued viral buzz could lead to rapid
market expansion.
34
URL: badoo.com
Launch Date: 2006
Chat Privacy
Controls Gaming
File
Sharing
Virtual
Payments
General
Sharing Mobile
Celebrity
Users Business
All co
nte
nt p
roprie
tary
. ©2012
Lily Croll Senior Strategist
@findlilyhere
F o r a d d i t i o n a l
i n f o r m a t i o n
a b o u t t h i s e B o o k
p l e a s e c o n t a c t :
Springcreekgroup.com
Springcreekgroup.com/blog
Facebook.com/springcreekgroup
Twitter.com/springcreekgrp F o r a d d i t i o n a l
i n f o r m a t i o n
a b o u t S p r i n g
C r e e k G r o u p
p l e a s e c l i c k
a n y o f t h e
f o l l o w i n g :