Universal McCann has released a report about the evolution of how social media has created a new class of influencers, particuarly in shaping the purchase process.
"When Did We Start Trusting Strangers," surveyed 17,000 web users around the world. From Vanksen Culturebuzz:
The study describes a "new influencer landscape" which is characterized by three significant trends: the rise in social media, the importance of digital friends, and the proliferation of influencer channels. The study also mentions the impact of this phenomenon: an influence economy, the democratization of influence, and the new"super influencer." Some figures to illustrate the study's findings:
- 44% of people surveyed have a blog (compared to 28% in 2006)
- 57.5% have a page on a social network (compared to 27% in 2006)
- 42% download video clips (compared to 10% in 2006)
- 34% of users share their opinions about music
- 55% share their photos online
Internet users do not rely on just the brands to inform themselves. While 69% visit brands' official websites, 82% prefer to search for information on a search engine or to read people's comments on personal profiles on social networks like Facebook, for example (55%). Internet users' preferred method for exchanging information about a product is MSN Messenger (44.5%). E-mail comes in at a close second (42.4%), followed by blogs (30.4%), and social networks (27.6%).
Ultimately, what this means for brands is that they need to participate in the influence economy as well by providng the tools and spaces for facilitating the the crreation experiences consumers want to have.
*Be sure to click to view the presentation in full screen mode for easier reading.
