Asia's top companies double their social media presence compared to last year: Burson-Marsteller study

More than 80 percent of companies listed on The Wall Street Journal's Asia 200 Index have a corporate social media presence, up from 40 percent last year, according to the 2011 Asia-Pacific Corporate Social Media Study by leading global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. Showing dramatic growth, the top companies in Asia closed the gap with Fortune 100 companies, where 84 percent of companies use social media channels for corporate marketing and communications.

"The fact that twice as many Asian multinationals are using branded social media channels this year compared to last underlines the opportunity for global corporate communications on digital platforms based in Asia," said Bob Pickard, President and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Asia-Pacific. "Companies in Asia are approaching Western levels of adoption but there's a long way to go when it comes to community engagement in cultures where "face' remains more important than Facebook."

Key findings from the study include:

· 81 percent of top Asian companies have a branded corporate social media presence, over double the figure for 2010 and in line with the 84 percent of Fortune global 100 firms

· 31 percent of companies use at least three social media channels, up from three percent in 2010

· 19 percent of companies still have no official corporate social media presence

· 30 percent of companies use social networks for corporate marketing and communications, up from 20 percent in 2010

· 28 percent of companies use micro-blogs for corporate marketing and communications, up from 18 percent in 2010

· 62 percent of social media channels surveyed were inactive, and the same percentage of companies do not promote their social media channels on their homepages

"To reach and persuade stakeholders today, it is not just the vocabulary and tone of corporate marketing and communications that must evolve," said Bob Pickard. "More important, companies must adopt a mindset that puts listening and acting genuinely and transparently front and centre. And, they must understand how to deal with negative feedback expressed publicly that could resonate and escalate."

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