A QUESTION OF CONTEXT

The evolving role of social media

Socialize’s Ailidh Smylie draws out actionable brand insights from We Are Social/HootSuite’s KSA Digital 2021 research report

Between 2020 and 2021, social media users in Saudi Arabia surged from 25 million to 27.8 million; an 8 per cent year-onyear growth equating to 80 per cent of the country now using social networks and messenger services. We’ve deep-dived into KSA Digital 2021, published in partnership between We Are Social and Hootsuite, to understand the unique data patterns and behaviours in the kingdom – highlighting four key trends for 2021 and beyond.

1) Human connection drives hyperconnection

A year of intermittent lockdowns has seen social media channel penetration for almost all platforms rise ahead of global trends, with the biggest increases seen on YouTube (+14.5 per cent), Twitter (+13 per cent) and TikTok (+12.8 per cent) when comparing the KSA Digital 2020 and 2021 reports.

So why are Saudi consumers such fans of Snapchat and Twitter? Why are they commonly described as ‘hyperconnected’, ‘socially savvy’ and‘ digital natives’ in the fi rst place? Because – data.

We know they spend, on average, 3 hours and 6 minutes on social a day – ahead of the global average of 2 hours, 25 minutes. They also have on average almost 10.4 social accounts per head, two more than the global average. When combining these stats, with Saudi’s young average consumer age of 32 and their high uptake of smartphone usage (98.7 per cent of 16- to 64-year-olds) it isn’t so surprising. Then add in the high percentage of expats (roughly 30 per cent), as well as geographical barriers and cultural benefi ts of private platforms like Snapchat; we see that to KSA consumers social is culture. Hyperconnectivity equals human connection.

Brand Takeaway: Rather than getting distracted by the (big) numbers, try asking fi rst and foremost: Why do we want to engage with them in the fi rst place? Then: Are they using social in a particular way that will help unlock a two-way communication? Which platforms would be most relevant to their motivations? Finally: How can I use channels to achieve desired outcomes? And remember, you don’t need to use them all. Our audience is truly platform-fl uid.

2) Gaming becomes social media

As Peter Mazloumian, Head of SLZ Gamez, puts it, “For starters, Covid-19 made a gamer out of most of us. With a new-found abundance of time at our disposal, we started seeking new ways to keep ourselves entertained.” This rings true when looking at KSA, where gaming has become a growing area of interest, with a huge 91 per cent of internet users aged 16-64 reporting they play games on any device. Console play in particular has grown, from 19 per cent to 35 per cent, for an extra 25 minutes per day, when comparing our Digital 2020 and Digital 2021 reports.

Brand Takeaway: Our three ‘rules of play’ are:

Read the room: When playing on new turf we need to respect existing online cultures; off er more than self-serving product placements, and instead use time to create a positive impact in the communities.

Not just any ad: Creative has to be crafted with the spirit of gaming at its core, born from truths that gamers can connect with and executed bespoke to platforms and communities.

Play like a streamer: Take Twitch, for example. Whether bringing gaming characters to life or ‘raiding’ streams of smaller channels for a good cause, remember the platform’s purpose, and let brands enter the lives of gamers by simply playing alongside them.