Latitude Insights and The Social Hatch joined forces to understand the opportunity for brands to connect, integrate, influence and engage with consumers on social media. Importantly, ‘Always On’ goes beyond existing social media data and insights to explore the key drivers of engagement in social media.

1. ‘Always On’
Social media
& brand engagement
White paper 1: Brand Connections
February 2013
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 2
Latitude Insights and The Social Hatch joined
forces to understand the opportunity for
brands to connect, integrate, influence and
engage with consumers on social media.
Importantly, ‘Always On’ goes beyond existing
social media data and insights to explore the key
drivers of engagement in social media.
This study incorporates multiple data sources:
›! A series of in depth interviews with Australians
who covered the spectrum of social media use –
heavy through to light users, across life stages.
›! A comprehensive online survey with 1,057
Australian social media users.
›! A private online community where we
qualitatively explored the use of social media in
detail. 150 Australians took part in ongoing
conversations over a period of a month.
Filling the knowledge gap

2. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 3
Nearly all (82%) have connected with at least one
brand on social media.
Social media users were also asked how many
connections they had with brands across Facebook,
Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter.
When looking at the number of brand connections
overall, nearly a third of social media users (29%)
reported being connected with more than 10 brands on
at least one of these platforms.
Australians are
connecting with brands
on social media
Base: Social media users (n=1,057) “Approximately how many brands do you ‘like’ / follow on
[Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn]?”
Have connected with 10 or more brands.
Of those social media users:
Of Australian social
media users have
connected with a
brand on social
media.
82%
29%
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 4
Reflecting the near daily presence of social media,
there is already preference amongst some social
media users for contact with brands via social
media over other channels. Social media is
number 1 or a close second to well established
channels such as direct mail and websites.
Looking at social media specifically, not
surprisingly given its penetration, Facebook is by
far the preferred channel. That said, users are split
as to whether they want to access content
passively (via a post) or actively (by visiting a
Facebook page).
Social media is emerging
as a preferred channel for
brand communications
Base: Total social media users n=1,057 “Thinking about getting information from and having contact
with brands, which of the following contact methods would you prefer?”
Offers and
discounts
General
information
about
products /
services
Help or
assistance
with
products /
services
Make a
complaint /
criticism
Give
general
feedback /
make
comments
Social
media total
30% 28% 24% 23% 33%
Email newsletter 31% 17% 16% 15% 13%
Via a Facebook
status update /
post
17% 11% 8% 9% 14%
Via their web
page 12% 28% 28% 27% 25%
Via their
Facebook page 10% 12% 10% 10% 14%
Via Twitter /
Pinterest /
LinkedIn
<2% <2% <2% <2% <2%
Other / don’t
know 28% 30% 36% 37% 32%
!! !!!!

3. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 5
But many feel let down by the current experience
brands are providing.
Having a social media presence makes smart
marketing sense to brands in most categories.
Our research shows that consumers are interested
in getting to know brands better on social media. In
many instances preferring this over other media.
However our research also shows that social
media users are currently underwhelmed by
brands activity in this space. While some brands
are getting it right, many are not.
Social media users are
open to connecting
Understanding what social media users want gives
brands the opportunity to use this medium effectively
for long term success.
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 6
Facebook
(n=1,017)
Twitter
(n=376)
Pinterest
(n=254)
LinkedIn
(n=349)
Keep in touch with friends / family 89% 30% 7% 9%
Entertainment 54% 34% 22% 9%
Make new friends 38% 23% 7% 14%
Keep in touch with colleagues 31% 22% 5% 42%
Discounts / enter competitions 30% 15% 7% 9%
Keep up with news / events 35% 36% 12% 12%
Keep up with trends / what's hot 25% 27% 17% 9%
Get information about brands 29% 24% 18% 12%
Information about interests 26% 24% 25% 11%
Find work / job 13% 11% 4% 22%
Promote brand / workplace 17% 17% 6% 15%
Connect with brands I admire 26% 21% 10% 11%
Support friend / family involved with
brand
24% 17% 6% 11%
Ask questions / get help 23% 23% 4% 11%
Complain / give feedback 21% 17% 6% 7%
Shop for / research products /
services
20% 14% 15% 7%
Base: Specific platform users “There are a number of reasons people have told us they use social
media. Thinking about the social networking sites below, which of the following are reasons YOU use
them?”ultiple response.
Social media users indicated all the reasons that
they use various social media platforms.
Overall, social media use is motivated by keeping
in touch with others, being entertained and getting
information.
Connecting with brands also plays a part, although
to a lesser degree.
Motivations for using
social media does include
connecting with brands

4. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 7
When asked to indicate the top 2 reasons for using
social media, brands barely get a look in.
Brands need to understand that while social media
users are happy to connect, it is not their main
reason for using social media.
Brands need to work hard to keep social media
users interested.
But when users prioritise,
the importance of brands
diminishes Facebook
(n=1,017)
Twitter
(n=376)
Pinterest
(n=254)
LinkedIn
(n=349)
Keep in touch with friends / family 87% 22% 7% 9%
Entertainment 27% 14% 17% 4%
Make new friends 13% 11% 2% 7%
Keep in touch with colleagues 12% 12% 2% 35%
Discounts / enter competitions 8% 5% 5% 2%
Keep up with news / events 6% 23% 6% 7%
Keep up with trends / what's hot 2% 10% 12% 5%
Get information about brands 4% 8% 10% 5%
Information about interests 2% 4% 15% 1%
Find work / job - 1% 1% 15%
Promote brand / workplace 2% 5% 2% 8%
Base: Specific platform users “From the range of reasons you indicated, which are the TWO main
reasons you use these platforms?” Two responses.
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 8
Social media users have far more personal
connections, than brand connections.
On average, for every 1 brand that SM users
engage with, there are at least 5 other personal
connections to compete with. This alone highlights
that engaging content is critical for brands.
It also explains why the saliency and recall of any
connections with brands is quite low with a high
proportion claiming not to know how many
connections they have.
Brands are competing
with personal connections
for attention
Base: Facebook users (n=1,017) “Approximately how many friends do you have / friends are you
following on Facebook?” “Approximately how many brands do you ‘like’ / follow on Facebook?”
48%
18%
18%
30%
10% 47%
25%
4%
Don't know
50+
11-50
10 or less
Brand
connections
Personal
connections

5. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 9
Users have both strong and varied attitudes
towards social media and connecting with brands.
Importantly, based on these attitudes this study has
identified 4 key social media types requiring
different social media strategies (the subject of a
separate white paper).
Overall, brands need to understand that while
attitudes vary, social currency and convenience are
more important than freebies and discounts.
Understanding how users
feel about social media is
critical to brands’ success
6%
8%
24%
23%
14%
19%
16%
14%
15%
14%
27%
33%
9%
8%
19%
18%
15%
18%
18%
12%
15%
12%
22%
26%
34%
31%
31%
31%
43%
37%
42%
41%
43%
48%
33%
32%
29%
33%
20%
22%
21%
20%
18%
27%
22%
21%
15%
8%
22%
21%
7%
7%
6%
6%
6%
6%
5%
5%
I think carefully before I ‘like’ a brand on
Facebook
I enjoy sharing / reading humorous
content / photos / posts on Facebook
I find Facebook addictive
Without Facebook I would miss out on what
was going on
Facebook is the easiest way to make contact
with a brand
I expect a brand to have a Facebook page
I only like brands on FB if it saves me
money / gets me a discount
Liking a brand is great way to be ‘first to
know’ re: new products / trends
I enjoy finding out about new products and
services on Facebook
Facebook gives me a ‘voice’ with brand –
allows me to be heard
I worry about what others will think of me if
I ‘like’ some brands
I would be suspicious of a brand if they did
not have a Facebook page
Strongly disagree (1) 2 3 4 Strongly Agree (5)
Facebook results can be interpreted as indicative of social media generally.
Base: Facebook users (n=1,017) “We have spoken to a number of people about how they feel about
Facebook. Looking at these statements below, how strongly do you agree or disagree with these
statements about Facebook?”
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 10
To succeed in the social media space brands
need to understand that it is a different kind of
social space, with its own set of social norms.
Social media is about being connected and
keeping in touch. With friends, family, news,
current events, brands, products, etc.
It is also a place where barriers are removed.
Brands have a voice, but unlike other channels,
the voice of the customer is arguably far stronger.
Brands need to ensure that social media users
feel like the content is specific to them. In this
space, a brand’s product, service, content and
tone all need to make consumers feel like it has
been developed with just for them.
It’s not social media, it’s
just social
Success on social media requires brands to make a
dramatic shift from the product and sales centricity
of traditional advertising.

6. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 11
Based on their most recent brand connection,
getting a financial benefit (discount, competition) is
a big reason to connect, particularly on Facebook.
However other benefits are also apparent.
Tap into these other benefits of engaging on social
media to build a deeper customer understanding,
and to isolate opportunities to motivate consumers
to engage with your brand.
Competitions are only a
foot in the door
Base: Specific platform users “Thinking about the brand you ‘liked’ on [platform] most recently, what
motivated you to ‘like’ them?” Multiple response. Top responses shown.
Facebook
(n=1,017)
Twitter
(n=376)
Pinterest
(n=254)
LinkedIn
(n=349)
Enter a competition 39% 19% 19% 13%
Support brand 20% 10% 9% 5%
Save money / get a discount 17% 16% 13% 12%
Find out about new products /
services
15% 17% 20% 17%
Get information / learn about brand 13% 12% 9% 18%
Currently a customer 12% 7% 7% 6%
Are a brand I admire 12% 8% 5% 5%
Keep up with news / current events 11% 23% 9% 15%
Fun / entertainment 10% 18% 16% 8%
Keep up with current / new trends 11% 15% 13% 12%
Keep up with a celebrity / personality 4% 14% 6% 3%
Get information about areas of
interest
7% 13% 16% 9%
Ideas / inspiration 7% 12% 20% 10%
Work there / invested in the business 3% 4% 6% 11%
Promote my business 4% 8% 7% 10%
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 12
The benefit to consumers of connecting with
brands in the social media space needs to be more
than having a good product or service.
Beyond competitions, freebies and discounts,
consumers are compelled to connect with brands
for a number of other reasons:
›! Social currency - being first to know (e.g.
breaking news on brands, first access to new
product, new ads, promotions)
›! Information, education (e.g. uses for a product)
›! Entertainment (e.g. interesting content)
›! Having a voice (e.g. co-creating, helping
develop better products, etc.)
›! Immediate answers to questions
Benefits and motivations for connecting also vary
by brand. While generalisations can be made
about connections with brands, the type of brand is
also a dimension necessary to consider.
Smart brands offer
something more
“Another brand I’ve liked is Jack
Daniels and sometimes they do
interesting things like post recipes.
I’ve tried out a few.”
(Male SM user, 45 – 54)
More than other mediums, social media demands a
compelling benefit to engage consumers; it’s their
space you are requesting an invitation into.

7. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 13
As in any relationship there are behaviours that
can cause the relationship to break down. The
same is true in the social media space.
Attention spans are overwhelmed, leaving little
time for long term memory transfer. Social media
users repeatedly indicated a sense of being
overwhelmed with information.
To cope, users flick through posts, speed read,
etc. to deal with the volume of data.
And brands may not even realise they have been
shown the door because social media users
react in different ways to manage their
connections by e.g. by simply block posts,
creating fake accounts, etc. without actually ‘un-
liking’ a brand.
If brands don’t deliver,
they risk getting dumped
Base: total, n=1057. “Have you ever ‘un-liked’ / stopped following a brand? Have you ever removed a
brand from your newsfeed / blocked their updates / tweets / etc.?”
44%
Have ditched a
brand on
social media
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 14
Content that lacks quality or that there is simply
too much of will turn social media users off.
It is also clear that a purely transactional
relationship is often ended. Once the discount /
competition is over so is the relationship.
Brands need to offer
ongoing benefits & engage
beyond pushing content
Base: those who have blocked a brand on social media (n=466). “What made you unlike /
block / remove a brand from your social networking site?”
“I connected with Birdseye because they had a competition
running to get free cleaning for a year. I then commented on a
picture they posted of a ‘depressing’ meal because I thought it
looked condescending. I got lots of likes from fans which was
funny but didn’t hear from them. I didn’t buy anything from them
after.” Female, 25 – 34
“I disliked a brand [because] they started posting pics which I
thought were inappropriate.” Female, 35 – 50
Too many posts / updates55%
Content was not interesting36%
Only liked to enter a competition / get a
discount
36%
No longer interested in the products / services31%
Did something I did not like /
behaved badly
19%
Did not want others to associate me with
that brand
12%
Why brands get shown the door:
Too many posts / updates55%
Content was not interesting36%
Only liked to enter a competition / get a
discount
36%
No longer interested in the products / services31%
19%
Did not want others to associate me with
that brand
12%

8. ‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 15
“Those products/companies were
already things I bought/places I
shopped. I like a lot of travel
companies even those without
competitions because I love
everyone’s gorgeous travel photos
and they post them and I see them
all in my newsfeed. Liking and in
some case sharing those photos
makes me feel happy.”
(Female SM user, 18 – 24)
‘Socially transmitted
content’ (STC) should be a
brand’s goal
While above the line advertising theory
advocates staying top of mind with a high
presence strategy, social media demands a
different approach.
Of high value to social media users is
‘STC’ (socially transmitted content): content that
they want to hang on to, share, talk about and
pass on to others.
‘Always On’ White Paper 1: Brand Connections, February 2013 | 16
Together with The Social Hatch, Latitude Insights
understands what the social media user wants
from brands.
Moving on from just demographics we have
developed key targets based on attitudes to social
media.
We have used our rich and deep understanding of
social media users to offer your brand clear
direction and do’s and don’ts in the social media
space.
Contact us to find out more.
We can help you build a
successful social media
brand strategy

9. Dianne Gardiner, CEO
e. dianne@latitudeinsights.com.au
t. +61 3 9571 1199
Kristen Boschma, General Manager
e. kristen.boschma@thesocialhatch.com.au
t. + 61 3 9693 6427