The new era of raw and authentic social media,
Social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram and Periscope have reached – or are reaching – a tipping point in the Middle East. How should brands engage with this new era of raw and authentic social media delivered via mobile?
“Before, social was about sharing everything with everybody, but now people are moving back to closed circles, using Facebook as more of the ‘greatest hits’ destination for content,” says Meredith Carson, group director of content at Resolut io n MENA. “Platforms that have a clear point of difference are also benefitting. It’s a ‘differentiate or die’ environment in the mobile world and users are discerning the benefits of the apps they upload and continually engage with. Apps that add functional value to users’ lives are also flourishing.”
The world of social media apps is evolving rapidly. Snapchat, I nstagram, Periscope, Vine and many more – and redrawing the social landscape in the Middle East, leaving brands and agencies to work out how best to interact with a new breed of social media consumer addicted to mobile.
The messaging app Snapchat relaunched its snack- able news service, Discover, in July, offering vast advertising potential to brands seeking to reach the smartphones of teenagers and twenty-somethings. There have also been a number of cities from the Middle East highlighted in its ‘ Live Stories’, a curated stream of user-submitted snaps from various locations and events. Among them are Dubai, Manama and Riyadh, while the West Bank was also featured following a backlash against Snapchat’s ‘Live story’ on Tel Aviv in July.
Similarly, as of September 30, all advertisers across the MENA region will be able to run campaigns on Instagram as the mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service broadens its advertising capabilities and looks to make it easier for brands to do more on the platform. In line with the global launch Souq.com, Starbucks, American Eagle and Saudi Telecom will be rolling out ads across the Middle East and North Africa.
It’s easy to see why. Although Instagram has not released usage figures for the MENA region, a study earlier this year by the Pew Research Center revealed that Instagram has 300 million monthly active users globally. Over 30 billion photos have been shared on the platform since its launch in 2010 and engagement is 15 times that of Facebook. Instagram has also overtaken Twitter in the United States in terms of popularity among adults and teens. What’s more, eMarketer predicts that Instagram’s global mobile ad revenues will reach $2.8 billion by 2017. This year alone, Instagram is expected to hit $595 million in mobile ad revenue globally.
There are also signs in the Middle East that – just like 2014 was the ‘tipping point’ for Instagram in the region – 2015 will be Snapchat’s huge year of growth, argues Ema Linaker, regional director at Holler/Leo Burnett. She cites Ipsos MENA figures that show 12 per cent of smartphone users in the United Arab Emirates used Snapchat in December last year alone, while 14 per cent of Qataris use Snapchat regularly. These figures have undoubtedly increased since.
The implications of all of the above for brands and agencies alike are significant. New social media apps are being embraced in bigger numbers with the likes of Twitter stumbling as Instagram and Snapchat outpace them. This is before you even begin to talk about the likes of Periscope, Hyperlapse and Vine – three other social media apps gaining noticeable traction.
“Over the past couple of years, apps have dominated on mobile,” says Nadim Khouri, director of mobile and experi- ential media at Resolution MENA. “According to recent data from Flurry, around 90 per cent of time spent on mobile is on apps. Of this, 35 per cent is spent on social apps alone. The reason behind this is quite simple. Mobile has become an extension of ourselves and I would argue that it is now the first screen. Having access to apps through your phone has made people far more socially active. This is because the mobile allows you to share a far richer experience through social [and is] more instantaneous. In fact, what we’re seeing is an explosion of socially- led apps ( like Periscope, Hyperlapse etc.) as companies try to carve out a share of users’ time on mobile.”
“Messaging apps are changing media distribution with users’ sharing activities shifting towards those apps,” adds Rayan Kessam, social media manager at MEC. “This sums up the trend, at least for now, with a high potential and space for new and innovative applications. The region is eager for new smart and innovative applications and this brings up the importance of social intelligence for brands to engage in impactful conversations depending on their target consumers.”
Behaviour has also changed. Consumers are acting as filters, while Snapchat and new platforms such as Periscope are all about authenticity and rawness, representing a movement away from the curated profiles of Facebook. There has also been a rise in ‘dark social’, where web page referrals cannot be tracked because they are done outside of regular social media via URLs. Dark social is thought to be responsible for up to 60 per cent of overall referral traffic for various websites, and social apps are a major contributor.
“Mobile has changed social media forever because of the sheer scale of the platforms that we see now – it’s not just Facebook and Twitter anymore but we are seeing huge growth of Instagram, Snapchat and Whatsapp in the region,” says Linaker. “I also see big potential for the likes of WeChat here because people want to have these ‘in app’ experiences. I barely use email now to connect with work colleagues – Slack and Whatsapp have replaced this inefficient mode of communication. I see more and more of this mobile first communication taking place even within the workplace. This means that things are evolving even faster than ever before. Content publishing is immediate and if – and that’s a big if – it’s good enough the impact is quick and it’s vast. Brands can deliver bespoke marketing messages right through the lock screen and disrupt or make your day.”
The question of how brands effectively reach and engage with consumers on these social media apps is of paramount importance, particularly for those wishing to target the youth demographic. There are, for instance, particular trends that relate directly to the likes of Instagram and Snapchat as Linaker points out:
Statusology
“This is a consumer trend that I think is particularly ‘unique’ to this region in that I see a huge amount of very savvy, smart individuals like Huda Kattan (5.4 million Instagram followers, 1.1 million Snapchat followers) becoming mega celebrities in their own right because of their desire to ‘showcase’ themselves on these channels. And they’re incredibly good at it. This innate desire to ‘show off’ is a bit like a peacock and it taps into a unique Arab trait to prove to others that you have a voice and are at the pulse of what is happening. I find it fascinating because it’s driving huge innovation in terms of content creation and consumption on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.”
Under the skin
“Consumers don’t want to be fobbed off by bland, dull ‘ we are XYZ’ messaging anymore. They want to understand what the brand stands for, what its values are and what its place is in relation to them. How is that brand going to improve their
life? Brands that allow consumers to get close through a well thought out ‘transparent’ content creation strategy are winning on social channels like Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat. Burberry, Taco Bell, General Electric to name but a few.”
Crafted creation
“Driven by what I call the ‘Vogue Effect’ on Instagram we are seeing a huge drive of what constitutes beautiful creative. Instagram is a channel where the largely millennial audience demands a certain quality of content. If it would look appropriate for a Vogue ad – it will do well on Instagram. This means that only beautiful pictures drive engagement and we are seeing brands like Taco Bell, Gap and lately Nike in Moscow use the look and feel of Instagram to capture beautiful ‘authentic’ moments and use them in the #Instaposter campaign.”
Authentically Arab
“Through channels like Periscope, Vine and Instagram I am seeing a huge surge in local producers cre- ating beautiful local content. We all know that we operate in a vacuum of quality Arabic content but over the last six months I have seen more and more local talent flock to these channels to showcase their talents. Photographers, artists, entrepreneurs and comedians are really showcasing their wares through these channels and driving commerce. It’s great to see such innovation happening right here in the region.”
What does this all mean for brands and agencies and in-app advertising?
“The principles of great communication remain the same in essence,” replies Linaker. “We must create to deliver entertainment, delight, excitement, interest or information otherwise what are we doing? Everyone in our industry must ask themselves, whether they’re clients or agencies, the basic question: ‘ Is what we’re trying to communicate of any benefit to those we are trying to talk to?’ Because on these new platforms and in this new world, if it isn’t saying anything that matters it simply will just be adding to a cacophony of noise that we are all becoming very trained at filtering out.
“The target audience that mostly uses these ‘raw’ social platforms are at a stage in their life where they’re still trying to figure out their identity. They are particularly attracted to this ‘real’ life aspect of communications and want, even demand that brands deliver the same trueness of self when engaging in these spaces. This doesn’t mean the craft has to go to pot but rather you need to be true to your brand and its values.”
She adds: “Authentic doesn’t mean poor quality production – what it means is that you can create it ‘in the moment’ and it captures something real. I think for the ‘raw’ social platforms, authentic means ‘think like your fans’ that are going to be receiving the content. Think about not conning them with some poorly constructed, lazy marketing tripe but instead give them real time access to moments that matter to your brand story. This is what people want to see now.”
Khouri agrees: “For brands and agencies, the growth of these social apps gives rise to opportunities to be a part of user’s social journey. However, it does require a brand to be more creative and inject its message more organically.
“Different apps give you access to different audiences and brands need to be mindful of this, tailoring their message accordingly. It means that brands need to organise themselves around their audience’s interests and they need to target them based on this. Where targeting exists, brands should target and not build an audience just for the sake of it. Again, for users it’s all about context and relevance. The danger for brands is to not try and be something they’re not. For instance, you do not have to be on Snapchat if it does not match your brand values. Every brand does not need to be everywhere. They will fail because they’re not talking to the right audience.”