by Tom Smith on Feb 07, 2012 The GlobalWebIndex has evolved significantly in 2011, for the first time providing three waves of data. We surveyed almost 80,000 people in 27 key internet markets, providing the most detailed and current perspective ever compiled on the global impact of the internet. GWI.6 trends provides a comprehensive view of this data and the key trends that are driving consumer adoption and behaviour of multiple internet platforms. To purchase the report or data packs (6 separate data packages providing raw data on specific areas of the report), visit our purchase page http://sites.fastspring.com/globalwebindex/product/gwi6trends

1. G W I . 6 T R E N D S

2. GWI.6 CONTINUES EXPLORATION OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET
The GlobalWebIndex has evolved significantly in 2011, for the first time
providing three waves of data. We surveyed almost 80,000 people in 27 KEY GWI.6 TRENDS
key internet markets, providing the most detailed and current perspective
ever compiled on the global impact of the internet. We’re clearly filling a
market need, with our client base growing over 300% across the year.
GLOBAL INTERNET BENCHMARK
The most interesting aspect of GWI.6 (fieldwork conducted in November
2011) is the growing localisation of internet behaviour. Far from driving a
singular pool of global information and culture, the internet is enabling
further localisation and differentiation, this is being driven by social media STRUCTURAL IMPACT
and being spearheaded by growth markets outside of the US and Europe.
We also bring a further perspective on the continuing dominance of DIFFERENTIATION GOOGOPOLY
Google across our access points to the internet and further updates on the
saturation of Facebook growth and continuing falls in user engagement. It CHINA V EVERYONE FACEBOOK THE $100bn QUESTION
is vital for the industry that an independent source of data provide this
perspective. In addition it generates crucial insights for marketers, brands MOBILE PARITY SOCIAL BRAND
and agencies.
DEATH OF DIGITAL
The other key area is the death of the “digital” concept. The internet now
supports all content across multiple platforms. The view of the internet as
a website sitting in a browser is now dead. This focus broadens the impact
of the internet and requires us all to re-evaluate how we build our
approach to online strategy and product development.
These insights will be reflected in how we build our product in 2012, with
a new multi-platform social tool scheduled for role out in Q2. Stay tuned.

3. VIEW FROM THE TEAM
Tom Smith Brett Petersen
CEO Senior Strategy Consultant
“For me the most interesting aspect is “GWI.6 provides us with ever more convincing
the extent to which users are data to justify our arguments that brands
consuming internet delivered services need to build localized strategies for online
and content across multiple devices and social, rather than diving in head-first.”
and platforms, rendering the concept
of the internet as a separate media
type, completely redundant. We need
to rapidly redefine how we think and
approach the internet.”
Jenny Armshaw-Heak Sebastian Hedencrona
Group Client Director - APAC Group Client Director - Global
“Consistently the APAC region driving user “The growing demand for a tailored
growth and yet internet marketing spend understanding of consumer motivations and
here generally still lags. I find that clients behaviour and the delivery of expert online
here are hungry for GlobalWebIndex insight such as GWI.5 & GWI.6 Trends has
insights that help them bridge that gap in a provided a platform for introducing a range of
fast, seamless and meaningful way across new services including: GlobalWebIndex
the entire region.“ Consulting, Bespoke Research and Omnibus.”

4. GET THE FULL DETAIL
The Full Report Data Pack Tool Consulting
The full PPT report contains over New for GWI.6 we will be Our online tool provides a very Engage our consulting team on a
70 slides of detailed data and provided raw data packs, which simple visual point and client project of retainer basis to develop
analysis , providing a provide full access to key analysis that enables you to analytical projects that answer key
unprecedented upstanding about questions by wave and market. explore the full data set and business questions on how you
the state of the internet in 2012. These provide non-subscribers customise by over 1500 audience should develop and approach the
Integrate the insights and ideas with an instant way of accessing definitions, tailoring the data to internet. Recent projects include,
into your strategy and trend detailed global internet data to your clients, category or business. identifying the future opportunities
presentations. integrate directly into any for news distribution, developing
analysis or output. Find out more an organisational framework for
You can source from here, or if and download from here. global social media approach and
you are a client from the reports providing a full segmentation
homepage. analysis exploring the complete
view of how their consumers
behave across all platforms.

5. THE DATA SOURCE – ONGOING AND CUSTOMISABLE
The GlobalWebIndex is the world’s most detailed
on-going research project covering the consumer Client Re-contacts
adoption of the internet across all platforms Core Survey
3/year
In 2011, the study expanded to 27 markets, 3
• Detailed client studies
waves of research and 122K surveys providing the
February
most complete view of the global internet ever
compiled. We interview between 2250 and 6000 June
November Omnibus Re-contacts
16-64 internet users per market per year,
3/year
providing a representative reflection of the
internet as defined by age, gender and education
criteria. • Audience Definitions • Special interest topics
• Online Behaviour • Client brand tracking
In 2012 we will expand to 36 markets and provide
• Motivations • Media Studies
further opportunities for clients to customise the
• Marketing Implications
data set by adding custom questions or brand
data.
• Client Segmentations
The world’s leading agency, corporate, media and
managing consultancy brands use our data to fuel
their insight, strategy and delivery across all
aspects of the internet.
Find out more: globalwebindex.net
Engage: globalwebindex@trendstream.net
Follow: @globalwebindex

6. COVERING EVERY FEASIBLE MARKET 5M+
Annual Sample size by
market
• 6,000 respondents
• 3,750 respondents 2012 ROADMAP Asian markets European markets Latin American markets
• Taiwan • Belgium • Columbia
African markets • Thailand • Hungary • Venezuela
• 3,000 respondents
• Egypt • UAE • Switzerland
• Vietnam
• 2250 respondents

7. Global Internet Benchmark
“social networking will overtake
ecommerce activity at a global
level in 2012, highlighting the
importance that social holds for
brands worldwide.”

8. SOCIAL NETWORKING AND MICRO-BLOGGING HAVE GROWN FASTER THAN ANY OTHER ACTIVITY
Social driving change
Watched a video clip
Used Webmail
The GlobalWebIndex has been tracking online
Used internet banking
activity since July 2009. In just the two and a half
Purchased a product online
years since we began, our survey has continued to
Reviewed a product or brand online
change along with the online environment.
Managed social network profile
Uploaded photos online
Used Instant Messenger As we can see from the chart to the left, social
Used online office applications media is playing an increasingly important role in
Commented on a story the lives of internet users around the world. Social
Posted on a forum/BBS networking and micro-blogging are, in fact, the only
Bought an offer on a group-buying site e.g. Groupon two online activities that have grown significantly
Written your own blog over the past two and a half years.
Uploaded a video online
Asked or answered a question on a Q/A service However, passive behaviours still lead with
Edited/managed own website
watching video, webmail and internet banking
Used a microblogging service
continuing to outstrip any social behaviours. It’s
Used a social bookmark service
also very interesting to see that consumer reviews
Used VOIP/online phone
are in fact the lead form of consumer contribution
Written a news story/article
globally.
Subscribed to an RSS feed
Used an aggregator
This is changing though and looking forward into
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
2012 and beyond, it looks as if social networking
activity will overtake ecommerce activity at a global
GWI.6 GWI.1
level, highlighting the importance that social holds
for brands worldwide.
Which of the following have you done online in the past month? – Have Done
(% of internet users globally, GWI.1 V GWI.6 – some behaviours added to GWI.3 and GWI.4)

9. OVERALL, SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT HAS MATURED
China
90%
Japan Russia
80% The shifting sands of social
70%
Germany Brazil
60% One of the most interesting trends that we’re
seeing is the significant growth of social
50%
networking and micro-blogging worldwide.
France
40%
India
When this growth is taken in context with
30% other social media activities such as blogging
20%
and forum usage, however, we can see that
the growth in social networking has come at
10% the expense of these.
GWI.1
Netherlands 0% Mexico
GWI.6
In other words, the overall level of social
engagement has not changed significantly in
any market from GWI.1 in July 2009 to GWI.6
USA Italy in November 2011. What has changed is the
way that users are engaging with social media,
making it ever more important to understand
these changes and how it impacts brand
Australia Spain engagement.
Canada South Korea
UK
Which of the following have you done online in the past month? – Combined Aggregate of Social
Networking, Blogging, Video Uploading, Photo Sharing Micro-Blogging and Forum Visitation
(% of internet users by market GWI.1 to GWI.6)

10. MARKET MAPPING: THERE ARE DISTINCT BEHAVIOURAL CLUSTERS FORMING
Clustering is becoming tighter
We’re moving from the four broad
clusters of markets in GWI.5 to six
more compact market clusters in
GWI.6. The clusters are formed from
analysing overall social media
behaviour vs. E-commerce
participation.
We can see immediately that China
stands alone as the social shopping star
of the world, proving once again that
China strategy needs to be completely
bespoke from any other multinational
brand or marketing strategy.
Following on from that, we see that
there is a best fit parabola that shows
how E-commerce activity falls as social
media activity increases, but then, it
begins to rise with extremely high
levels of social media activity.
Purchase a product online in the past month versus an aggregate score of Manage a Social Network, Write a Blog, Comment in a Forum, Upload a Video, Use a Microblog
(% penetration by country. GWI.6, November 2011)

11. #1 – Think Local
Growing market fragmentation
“Growth markets will increasingly
shape the evolution social media
and online services around the
world.”

12. BIGGEST CHANGE DRIVEN BY SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS
Social driving market divergence
40%
When exploring the growth of social media
Used a microblogging service Written a news story/article Written your own blog
behaviours from GWI.1 to GWI.6 in the original 16
Uploaded a video online Uploaded photos online Managed social network profile
markets, we can see clearly that the growth
30%
markets, such as China, Brazil, Mexico and India, are
driving adoption.
20%
China leads growth in all forms of behaviour, in
particular the adoption of micro-blogging and social
networking, where Sina Weibo, RenRen, Kaixin and
10% Qzone are driving a massive shift from forums and
community blogging platforms.
0% The growth rates in mature markets are far smaller,
particularly outside of social networking
-10% The compound factor is that these markets are also
growing the internet universe at a spectacular rate,
shifting the balance of power away from the US.
-20%
South Korea is the one exception where community
news platforms such as Ohmynews and blogging
have lost out to gaming platforms and communities
Which of the following have you done online in the past month? – Have Done
(% of internet users globally, % point change from Wave 1 – Wave 6)

13. NON SOCIAL: CHANGE IS SMALLER
Passive activities not driving change
Used VOIP/online phone Used Webmail Watched a video clip When exploring non social actions online, this
15.0% difference in growth trends is far less marked and
Used online office applications Subscribed to an RSS feed there is no clear differentiation between growth
10.0% and mature markets.
5.0% The other key observation is that growth rates are
far lower than for social activities and there are no
clear global trends.
0.0%
For example “watched a video clip online” has
-5.0%
grown in Russia, Mexico, Germany and Australia,
but stagnated everywhere else.
-10.0%
Again, South Korea shows large net declines in
-15.0% behaviour. This is, again, due to the growth of
mass market social gaming.
-20.0%
This data shows how open social platforms are key
when driving global change and differentiation.
-25.0%
Which of the following have you done online in the past month? – Have Done
(% of internet users globally, % point change from Wave 1 – Wave 6)

14. GROWING MARKET DIFFERENTIATION
Localised strategy more important
Increasing relevance for social and online in all
markets
IMPACT Growth markets defining new platforms
Influencers online are increasingly outside of the
USA
Social enabling consumers to transform their lives

15. #2 – China V Everyone
“Sina Weibo has twice as many
active micro-bloggers than
Twitter on a single market user
base. This is a staggering
example of how China will
increasingly sit alongside the rest
of the world.”

16. CHINA INCREASINGLY DOMINATES ONLINE BEHAVIOURS
China up to 50% of active users
1200
Rest of World Estimate
Looking across a broad selection of behaviours and
1000 25 Surveyed Markets the number of users on a global basis we see a
USA fascinating trend.
800
China
Million Users
For example, when looking at “watched a video
600 clip”, we benchmark that over 1.1bn internet
users aged 16-65 did so via a PC in the month of
400 November 2011. Of that 1.1bn China made up a
massive 288m. This dwarfed the US with 149m
and not far behind the other 25 surveyed markets,
200
which collectively made up 484m.
0
In the case of video, China made up 26% of global
user base. However, in active social channels such
as micro-blogging, China represents over 50% of
the global user base.
This is a trend that is only increasing as the
Chinese internet user base continues to explode in
scale. We also see a proliferation of highly
sophisticated social services in the market.
Which of the following have you done online in the past month? – Have Done
(million users, GWI.6)

17. CHINA’S SCALE PROPELS SINA WEIBO TO NO.2
Scale plus massive involvement
500 The result of this massive scale means that
Chinese social platforms are now competition in
450 terms of scale with international players.
400
For example, Sina Weibo has twice as many active
350
micro-bloggers than Twitter on a single market
300 user base.
250
This is a staggering example of how China will
200 increasingly sit alongside the rest of the world.
150
The key question here is whether Chinese services
100
will internationalise. In one sense, they don’t need
50 to as their home base is huge, growing and
frequently protected from international players (at
0
least officially – however access through VPN
usage is rife).
Sina is set to launch a English language version in
Universe (millions) 2012 that will be a key indicator of how Chinese
social media can move outside its home market.
Where do you have a profile? Active Social Network / Micro-blogging Users
(million users, GWI.6)

18. TWO INTERNETS WILL EMERGE
Global brands need a separate China strategy
China has the most competitive social internet on
the planet
Officially, Facebook, Twitter & Google+ are
banned in China; unofficially, via V.P.Ns and
IMPACT
mobile, they are growing. Can they impact local
players?
Looking for social innovation: follow China. Copy
cat platforms will reverse from China to R.O.W
Social platforms in China make money. Investors
will follow

19. #3 – To Mobile Parity
“Within the next 5 years,
mobile device activity will
outstrip fixed PC usage in
emerging markets”

20. YOUR FAVOURITE BROWSER? MASSIVE DEMAND BEYOND PC
0% 1% 2%
2%
5% 14%
14% 9%
Tablet device
14%
Mobile phone
Personal PC/laptop
Work PC/laptop 18%
E-reader
Through my TV
47%
74%
Current One Year From Now
Which of the following is your favourite device to access the Internet? Now / One year from now (% of Internet users globally, GWI.6)

21. MOBILE INTERNET CONTINUES TO GROW & USAGE IMPACTS HOME
70% When Accessing the Internet via Your Mobile, Which
Asia Pacific is Your Primary Location?
Europe
60%
Latin America
North America Whilst
50% Travelling or
Roaming
23%
40% At home
33%
30% Public Place
28%
20%
10%
At Work
17%
0%
Wave1 Wave2 Wave3 Wave4 Wave5 Wave6
(% of mobile internet users globally, Wave 6)
Which of the following have you done on the internet via your mobile phone in the past six months? –
Browsed the internet
(% of internet users globally, GWI.6)

22. MASSIVE GROWTH IN BRIC
450
Wave1 Wave2 Wave3
Wave4 Wave5 Wave6
400
+31%
MOBILE INTERNET BEHAVIOUR
350 +105%
300 +89%
Million Internet Users
250 +173%
+134%
200 +158%
150
100
50
0
Which of the following have you done on the Internet via your mobile/tablet in the past month? (million Internet users)

23. MOBILE: SLIGHT SEASONAL DECLINES IN THE US
170
160
Wave1 Wave2 Wave3
150
Wave4 Wave5 Wave6
140
130
120
110
Million Internet Users
100
90
80
MOBILE INTERNET BEHAVIOUR
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Which of the following have you done on the Internet via your mobile/tablet in the past month? (million Internet users)

24. APPLICATIONS CONTINUE TO GROW
Apps continue to rocket
50%
Asia Pacific
Europe
Mobile users in all markets continue to download
45%
an ever increasing volume of applications.
Latin America
40%
North America Asia Pacific users continue to lead and now over
47% of mobile users download an app on a
35% monthly basis.
30%
After stagnation between GWI.3 and GWI.5,
internet access via mobiles in Latin America is on
25% the rise once again.
20%
The other key interesting observation is how
continued platform phones (particularly iPhone)
15% has propelled the US above Europe for the first
time.
10%
In general, the continued shift to consuming
5% internet delivered content and information via
apps over browsers is changing the shape of the
0% internet. We have tracked this “Packaged
Wave1 Wave2 Wave3 Wave4 Wave5 Wave6 Internet” shift over time.
Which of the following actions have you performed on your mobile phone in the past month? -
Installed an application
(% of mobile users globally, GWI.6)

25. MOBILE DEVICES WILL REACH PC
Mobile should be a central part of comms or
product strategy
In the next 5 years mobile device activity will
outstrip fixed PC usage in emerging markets
Websites will be replaced by multi-platform
IMPACT
content and services
Tracking behaviour with cookies/URLs is losing
value in the era of multi-device usage
Mobile will increasingly drive real-time social
media usage i.e. uploading photos, video,
updates, etc. on the go

26. #4 – Death of Digital
“The fashion in which the
Internet and technology have
evolved has created a world in
which the Internet is infused
with much of our everyday
lives.”

27. THE OLD MEDIA MODEL IS DYING: BUT MEDIA THRIVES
New thinking is needed
When the Internet emerged, it was frequently positioned as a separate
media because it was a text driven ecosystem dominated by PC access
and websites viewed in a browser; this, in a sense, was true.
However, as our research continually demonstrates the internet is now
dominated by video, cross-device usage, packaged web services,
portable content and consumer created and distributed media.
TV Radio Press
Despite these trends, this thinking remains today, with “Digital” or
“Internet” siloed in most organisation structures, budget lines and
business models.
This may sound trivial or a matter of semantics, but consider the
Outdoor Digital
following. From a marketing point of view, thinking of internet platforms
as a singular media form restricts the opportunities that the Internet
presents and focuses thinking on activities like banners, search, etc and
underestimates the transformative impact of internet technology.
The internet in its various forms will increasingly deliver all content,
information and services. And this is precisely the reason why it cannot
be considered a separate medium any longer. There is no such thing as a
digital business or non digital business. Are you prepared?

28. TV EXAMPLE: THERE IS NO “DIGITAL” LINE. JUST CONTENT
Packaged Internet
Internet Social Internet
Analogue Digital Platform e.g. Smart
Browser Platform Application
TV
Linear TV Programming
On Demand Streaming
TV Downloads
UGC

29. CONSUMERS GLOBALLY ARE TRANSITIONING TV CONSUMPTION ACROSS PLATFORMS
Watch TV 1+ hour of Watch On-Demand TV
Stream Live TV Online Stream Live TV Mobile
TV per day Online
USA 194m 58m 21m 7m
(90%) (27%) (10%) (3%)
BRAZIL 47m 17m 15m 5m
(89%) (32%) (28%) (11%)
Which of the following have you done
online in the past month? – Have Done
(% of internet users globally, GWI.6)
CHINA 259m 211m 161m 56m
(65%) (53%) (40%) (26%)

30. NOT JUST TV: FILMS, RADIO AND MUSIC ALL GROWING ONLINE
Rich content consumption increasing
Downloaded free TV
shows/film
Most forms of rich content, such as TV, film, sports
Watched a full length film programming and music are growing online.
Listened to LIVE radio
online The most dramatic observation is that TV and film
Listen to music on now both lead listening to radio online and
streaming service
streaming music. Watching on demand TV is nearly
Watch on demand TV
shows online at parity with streaming music.
Listened/Watched a
podcast This demonstrates how multi-platform TV
Downloaded music via consumption has become and how the internet has
P2P
transitioned from the written word, to audio and
Streamed a LIVE TV show now video.
Paid to download legal
music The other key aspect in this data is how much piracy
Watched a sports program is over played. Downloading of TV or music via P2P all
lag legal streaming and downloading services. Paid
Download TV show/film
via P2P
for downloads are still smaller than free, however the
Paid TV show/film
demand for streaming demonstrates how future
download revenue models will exist.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
GWI.6 GWI.5 GWI.4
Which of the following have you done online in the past month? – Have Done
(% of internet users, GWI.4 > GWI.6)

31. THINKING BEYOND DIGITAL
Think content types not media channel
“Digital” thinking underestimates the impact of the
internet
Agencies and budgets should be arranged in
IMPACT
“content types”
Content should be platform agnostic
In the future, the internet of things will put every
object online. New business and marketing
opportunities will emerge

32. #5 – Googopoly
“Never before has one
company controlled the
distribution of so much
information”

33. GOOGLE CONTINUES TO CEMENT ITS SEARCH POSITION
90%
Google is the leading global web property
80% The number of users who visit Google on a monthly
or higher frequency continues to climb and by GWI.6
it reached over 85% of global internet users.
70%
Facebook and Twitter are also growing substantially,
60%
however they significantly lag Google in terms of
monthly reach and as an access point to the internet.
50% Wave1
Wave2 As a testament to the ubiquity of the web brand in
40%
Wave3 everyday life. The term Google has become more
Wave4 than a brand in itself. It is now a commonplace verb
30% throughout the English language world; as opposed
Wave5
to saying “search for it online,” we now say “Google
20% Wave6 it.”
10% Even the second most visited property in GWI.6,
YouTube, is owned by Google and shows just how
0% dominant the search giant is online.
The question that we’re beginning to ask at GWI is
what effect Google’s dominance is having on the
market and how will this play out in the future?
On average how often do you visit the following websites / services? Daily OR Weekly OR Monthly (% of internet users, GWI.1 > GWI.6)

34. CHROME LEADS IN THE KEY GROWTH MARKETS
Chrome dominates key growth markets
100%
Every market has a very different distribution of
90% browser usage with varying levels of adoption .
80%
Chrome dominates in some leading growth markets,
70% particularly the Philippines, Turkey, Argentina, India,
Brazil and Malaysia. Based on the breakdown by
60%
market, we can see that Chrome leads in some of the
50% countries that are newer to the internet. IE tends to
dominate in countries where there is entrenched
40% legacy behaviour online.
30%
20%
10%
0%
Internet Explorer Firefox Google Chrome
What browser do you use on your main computer to access the web? (% of internet users
globally; GWI.4 to 6) Data collected automatically – not survey based

35. ANDROID HAS EXPLODED – TRANSFORMED THE MOBILE MARKET
Android transforming the mobile market
35%
Android has shown dramatic growth and effectively
made the smartphone market a two horse race. In
30%
the 4 months between GWI.5 in June and GWI.6 in
November, Android penetration grew by 8
percentage points, an immense shift in such a short
25%
time period.
20% This growth has clearly been at the expense of
Symbian, Blackberry and Windows platforms.
Furthermore, a very large proportion of smartphone
15% users still have no idea what operating system they
run.
10%
iOS, despite the hype, has not shown any growth in
the same time scale. This is a great vindication of
Google's position of building an open operating
5%
system that multiple manufacturers can adopt.
0% With the huge growth in mobile internet and tablets,
MeeGo webOS Windows Other BlackBerry iOS (for Symbian Don't Android Android is critical to Google's future and give it
Phone 7 OS iPhone) Know control of the other main access point to the
internet.
Wave5 Wave6
What operating system runs on your mobile?
(% of smartphone users globally; GWI.5 – 6, June and November 2011)

36. GOOGLE+ IS ALREADY THE NUMBER 2 SOCIAL NETWORK
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
On which of the following social networks do you have an active profile?
(% of active social networkers globally; GWI.6, November 2011)

37. ALL ACCESS POINTS TO THE WEB BECOMING GOOGLE
Search Browser Location Social Mobile
Googopoly
Our data shows that Google is growing in all the key access points to the The other potentially larger concern is the growing personalisation of search
Internet, from their dominate position in search, web browsers, operating results to the individual, which mean that no one user sees the same internet.
systems and now social. The simple fact is that no other organisation has ever In this increasingly personalised web, there is greater potential to impact the
had so much control over the flow of information, content or data at such a flow of information. No longer will there be any shared context or shared
global scale. While this is a position that has been driven by products that information, but we’ll be increasingly living within our own bubble of
work and internet users love, there are some growing concerns about such an information that is unique to us, thus removing us from that shared media
aggregation of control over the online experience. experience that has persisted for centuries.
The obvious concerns relate to how Google integrates its services into its We at the GlobalWebIndex believe that social curation, when your friends’
search results, a point that particularly became clear when Google+ results recommendations, likes, bookmarks, etc. guide you to content, should be the
were integrated into search results with the “Google Plus My World” initiative. way forward rather than an omnipresent Google algorithm deciding what you
This makes you realise how easy it would be to dictate the flow of information would like to read.
and services that any given internet user can gain access to.

38. PLAYING THE GOOGOPOLY
Google+ is a must for brands. It is already a key
social platform
Google will likely be embroiled in anti-trust
investigations for the foreseeable future
Paid search will be more important to guarantee
IMPACT
reach
In more personalised web distributable content
will be key to drive mass exposure and shared
experience
Expect war against Google to be increasingly
carried out in the courts

39. #6 – Facebook
The $100bn Question
“Facebook Fatigue is something that
could derail even the best made
plans and will be a key trend to
watch throughout 2012.”

40. USER GROWTH NOW DEPENDENT ON EMERGING MARKETS. US PEAKED AND DECLINING
120
100
80
GWI.1
GWI.2
60
GWI.3
GWI.4
40 GWI.5
GWI.6
20
0
Which of the following social networks do you currently have a profile? – Facebook
(Universe Figures of Social Network Users (via PC) with accounts on Facebook. GWI.6) (China data still in validation phase)

41. GROWING COMPETITOR PRESSURE: GOOGLE+ ALREADY NO.2 GLOBALLY
PROPORTION OF SOCIAL NETWORKERS WITH ACCOUNTS
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
On which of the following social networks do you have a profile?
(% of active social networkers globally; GWI.6, November 2011)

42. FACEBOOK FATIGUE SPREADING BEYOND EARLY ADOPTERS
Most marked in the US
Global USA US College Educated >30
10%
In GWI.5 (June 2011) we saw that declining
Facebook activity was most pronounced
5% among US college educated 20 to 30 year
olds. While there is still significant declines in
0% most activities for that segment in GWI.6
(Nov. 2011), the broader “Facebook Fatigue”
trend is spreading away from the early
-5% adopters towards the general US population.
-10%
Declines in social networking activity among
Facebook users in the US is much more
-15% pronounced from GWI.1 to GWI.6 than it was
when comparing GWI.1 to GWI.5. This proves
-20%
that Facebook Fatigue is a real phenomenon
and is not limited to early adopters.
-25%
Furthermore, it looks as if the trend is even
spreading beyond the US to markets that
adopted Facebook later in the cycle. In the
GWI.1 to GWI.5 comparison, nearly all social
networking activities were still growing at the
global level. In GWI.6, we can see growth of
most activities has stagnated as well.
Which of the following have you conducted on your social network service in the past month? – Facebook Users
(% point change in active social networking penetration from GWI.1 (July 2009) to GWI.6 (November 2011))

43. USER BASE IS INCREASINGLY MULTI PLATFORM
Mobile usage exploding
We calculate that mobile access to Facebook is now
a significant portion of total activity, with 307m
users visiting on a monthly basis from across the 27
GWI markets. These are consistent with Facebook’s
internal figures when scaled beyond GWI markets.
As Facebook have referenced in their IPO filing,
mobile access currently represents a challenge to
their future revenue growth as they don’t currently
have a display advertising offer on their mobile
product.
What they can’t tell from internal data is the level of
crossover between platforms. Our research
confirms that the vast majority of mobile users are
still accessing from a PC/laptop as well.
However, there is a movement towards mobile,
particularly in emerging markets which are also
Facebook’s main growth markets, so it will be
crucial for Facebook to build their mobile
advertising capabilities.
On average how often do you visit the following websites / services in the past month?
(% of internet users via PC, Mobile, Tablet device GWI.6)

44. THE $100bn QUESTION: THE CHALLENGES AND ADVANTAGES FOR FACEBOOK IN 2012
The Future of Facebook
CHALLENGES ADVANTAGES
The data in GlobalWebIndex represents the most
Saturation of user growth in most detailed and comprehensive independent view of the
Complete Domination of the Social platform ever compiled. This data provides a unique
markets. User growth only in low
Network market perspective to assess Facebook’s market position.
value advertising markets
Big shift in usage to mobile devices Facebook has many strengths from a social media point
Growth in markets where is was of view, but from a business point of view, it seems as if
which are more difficult to
previously weak i.e. Russia it will be hard for the social network to realise its
monetise potential within its current business model. We don’t
believe that Facebook can generate the advertising
Facebook Fatigue is very real: Most Recent shift to “advertiser revenue necessary to justify its $100 billion valuation,
present in high value advertising friendly” focus on entertainment particularly with the shift to mobile. Display advertising
rates are in decline and consumer opposition to
markets and professional content
advertising in social environments is growing. Besides,
brands primarily benefit from the earned media value of
Decline in contribution and sharing Facebook, which is near impossible to monetise.
Continual consumer adoption and
questions the value of the
usage of third party applications
consumer data The only way we see Facebook truly capitalising on the
size of its user base is if it starts to charge brands to
Decline of local networks and literally set up shop within its ecosystem. Furthermore, it
Competitive Pressure: Growing should give brands more tools to build presence on the
failure of Twitter to break the mass
consumer adoption of Google+ network. Facebook Fatigue, however, is something that
market could derail even the best made plans and will be a key
trend to watch throughout 2012.

45. #7 – Social Branding
“No matter where you go or who
you speak to about what drives
them to engage brands on social
I HEART BRANDS
networking, they always respond
that it is getting something back
from brands.”

46. CONSUMERS ARE INTERACTING WITH BRANDS ON AN UNPRECENDENTED LEVEL
Websites are still key for brands
70%
60%
No matter how enveloped brands become in
social media, the one thing they have to
50% remember is that their own websites are still
going to be the first point of online interaction
40% with most consumers. Interaction with brands via
social media is growing quickly, however,
30% particularly in emerging markets.
20%
Nonetheless, branded websites are critical
10% because it is one of the only online properties of
which brands have full control. Brands should
0%
use social media as an extension of their website
rather than driving consumers to their social
properties in the first place.
When it comes to social engagement online,
there are nearly a third of users worldwide that
have like a brand or product online and a quarter
that have visited a branded page/group.
Which of the following brand related actions have you done in the past month?
(% internet users globally, GWI.5 (June 2011 and GWI.6 (November 2011))

47. SOCIAL IS AN EXTENSION OF THE BUSINESS BUT CONSUMERS WANT SOMETHING IN RETURN
Give something back
16 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64
No matter where you go or who you
Discounts for future purchases 63% 66% 65% 63% 58% speak to about what drives them to
engage brands on social networking, they
Customer service 44% 49% 47% 50% 48%
always respond that it is getting
Personalised purchase recommendations 40% 38% 32% 27% 19% something back from brands that is most
A feature that enables me to track my delivery 31% 31% 28% 29% 28% important to them. The answer option
Access to new products prior to release on the main
that we ask in the GWI survey relates
site
31% 31% 28% 28% 22%
specifically to discounts, but the idea
The ability to interact and talk to people at the
holds that consumers know that brands
company
28% 29% 26% 29% 26%
benefit from them when they engage
Exclusive insight or information about the
them online and they want them to give
retailer/brand
25% 26% 23% 22% 17%
something back.
Being able to connect with other fans of the shop 24% 24% 17% 14% 10%
Details of what my friends have bought 23% 22% 16% 13% 8% Of course, this induces lots of “hit and
run” consumers that will be unwilling to
Competitions 23% 23% 20% 17% 12%
engage and participate in branded
Be asked to come up with ideas for products or
22% 23% 22% 23% 18% conversations after getting their discount.
services
Nevertheless, there are still a large
The ability to purchase products without visiting the
22% 22% 19% 18% 14% proportion of consumers, nearly half, that
main site
do expect more from brands on social
Details of what my friends would like to buy (wish list) 20% 19% 13% 10% 7% networks, and it is important that brands
No interest in any of the above 9% 8% 13% 17% 24% indulge these expectations.
Motivations to follow a branded page on a social network?
(% of each age group; GWI.6, Nov. 2011)

48. EMERGING MARKET CONSUMERS ARE MORE MOTIVATED TO FOLLOW BRANDS ON SOCIAL
NETWORKS
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Be asked to come up with ideas for products or services Customer service
Motivations to follow a branded page on a social network?
(% of each age group; GWI.6, Nov. 2011)

49. NEW BRANDING
Don’t neglect brand websites; they are still the
main engagement point for consumers online and
should be the hub of any brand’s online activity
Social media is continually increasing in
importance and there are four distinct levels of
social engagement for them online
Determining which of the four levels of brand
IMPACT interaction your target consumers associate with
should be the cornerstone of social strategy
Another key element is determining the best way
to reward those consumers that engage with
brands in ways that foster lasting relationships
Thus, it is necessary to understand what your
consumers value most about your brand and turn
it into something that is tangible to be shared

50. WANT MORE?
The Full Report Data Pack Tool Consulting
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